Jess Hew was determined not to let her humble beginnings set the tone for the rest of her life. She focused on creating a meaningful life and building a successful business. Today, she is the founder of a multi-million-ringgit business and a role model for aspiring entrepreneurs. In an interview with Top 10 of Asia, she gives an insight into her journey in establishing her company, Biotech Filtration Sdn Bhd and the challenges she faced. 

Jess Hew was born into a large family with tight finances. The youngest of five children, she learned early in life to value what she had and earn money to survive. When she was just a child, her mother only gave her RM40 a month to pay for the car fare to go to the tuition centre and for meal expenses. 

That was insufficient and she had to do part-time work to get some extra income to meet her needs. She recalls that even buying a bowl of noodles needed serious consideration. However, these difficulties made her realise that every sen counts and she learnt to live on a budget while growing up. 

Reflecting back on her 16-year entrepreneurial journey, she believes that the first factor for her company’s success is a solid and efficient team that works well together. Besides that, she and her colleagues also focus on values such as integrity and professionalism and take a customer-centric approach in their business. Jess firmly believes that only with quality assurance can the company continue to grow bigger and last longer.

“At Biotech Filtration Sdn Bhd, we provide both outright purchase and rental plans of water dispensers for office and home users, water coolers for factories and schools, as well as vending machines for corporate customers. On top of that, we offer professional services including product consultancy, installation, and after-sales service and maintenance,” says Jess, describing the nature of her business.

Besides that, the company has expanded to offer Office Coffee Service (OCS), providing a variety of services to offices such as coffee, tea and other beverages to enhance the customers’ work environment. Their services include regularly scheduled visitations, free inspection and clean up. This support system and top-notch service have given them an edge over ‘one-and-done’ businesses that merely sell the products.

“In 2014, we entered into the OCS business through a joint venture with a Japanese listed company. Their total sales that year reached USD200 million. So far, it has served 500,000 corporate customers globally,” shares Jess. 

Jess notes that the most notable challenge in entrepreneurship is the price war. “In today’s internet age, customers can buy products at even cheaper prices online. So, why should they buy from you?” says Jess. “I believe that only good service can generate value for their products. Ultimately, good products at good prices plus outstanding service will attract and retain customers for the long term.” 

Jess believes in being a democratic leader. She will listen to the opinions and suggestions of her partners. In addition, every employee with ideas has the right to speak, so that more comprehensive decisions can be made. She thinks the traditional authoritarian model is no longer suitable in this era.

“I am very concerned about the prospects of employees, and I am also willing to share profits with them. Since I started my business, I have a core team that put their trust in me and supports me all the way, which I appreciate very much. The most important thing about a company is not how many customers you have, but how many people are around to help and be with you. In addition, the more value our company brings to others, the higher its value will be. Our profit has its source in customer satisfaction,” says Jess.

“Do one thing well in ten years, and don’t do ten things in one year. This is persistence, and persistence is the cornerstone of success. Success depends not on rhetoric, but down-to-earth and continuous efforts to implement your dreams,” concludes Jess.