Ep 24: Malek Ali - Founder of BFM 89.9&Fi Life - a podcast by Ling Yah

Malek Ali is a former lawyer turned serial entrepreneur most known for founding BFM 89.9, Malaysia’s only business radio channel, and Fi Life, Malaysia’s first online life insurance service. Malek shares a ton of fascinating insights on what it’s like being an entrepreneur & trust me when I say he hasn’t had it easy! It seems as though every time he starts a business, a financial crisis hits! 

Some highlights of our STIMY episode include: 

• 2:52: His childhood & being asked to decide on which parent to stay with during their divorce at the age of 5;
• 4:55: Accompanying his father (and later, brother) on their many overseas business trips particularly in France;
• 7:52: The 1985 recession that crushed the slimming center business chain that his father was running;
• 8:46: Why Malek initially studied law when his first love was in business;
• 10:22: Working at Allen & Overy in London, including on a deal that involved the bankruptcy of Canary Wharf;
• 11:48: Studying for his Harvard MBA & the lessons he drew from that (he was classmates with Sheryl Sandberg!);
• 15:43: Founding KL Classifieds, his first startup, in 1997 & why that landed him RM300,000 in debt;
• 16:50: How Malek got out of his debt & ended up working at JobStreet;
• 21:26: What he learned from his time as Head of Mobile at Maxis, then Yahoo;
• 23:20: What Sue Decker, then CFO of Yahoo, taught him about the importance of creating good products;
• 25:29: What pushed Malek to start BFM 89.9, Malaysia’s only business radio channel;
• 30:50: The challenges he faced in getting investors on board;
• 34:08: How Malek obtained a dormant frequency for broadcasting BFM 89.9;
• 36:10: The collapse of Lehman Brothers & BFM 89.9’s struggle to cover relevant content with their threadbare staff;
• 38:18: Getting sponsors for BFM 89.9 including from Malaysia Airlines;
• 40:51: Sensitive topics that can’t be discussed on air;
• 42:12: Listening to customer feedback & how to handle complaints;
• 43:47: The different interviewees that have come through BFM’s doors & how their attitude informs their character;
• 45:47: Whether radio will ever be obsolete;
• 48:41: Why Malek started Fi Life;
• 50:27: Reading up on the investment portfolios of many other people on Fi Life’s “This Is How I Invest” blog series;
• 50:56: Impact of COVID-19 on the media space; and
•  53:18: How listeners can help Malek.

Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/24

Further episodes of So This Is My Why

Further podcasts by Ling Yah

Website of Ling Yah