Ep 24: Malek Ali - Founder of BFM 89.9 & Fi Life

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