He built an app that makes buying consumer electronics ‘ximple’

The entrepreneur is an odd creature. In a society the place failure is appeared down upon greater than anything, entrepreneurs threat ridicule and sources once they select to begin their very own enterprise.

Failure shouldn’t be one thing usually appeared nicely upon in Singapore. From a younger age, many people have an intense concern of failure being drilled into us. Whether or not it is a concern of failing in exams, failure in our careers, or anything, failure is probably going one of many high few issues that we as Singaporeans concern essentially the most.

But, failure nonetheless finds a solution to get to many people — none extra so than startup founders: an estimated 90 per cent of startups fail, and 10 per cent of them fail inside the first yr. However as they are saying, to fall is to not fail — failure shouldn’t be getting up once more.

This might not be extra true for Wong Wai Jeat, who rose from the ashes of two failed startups to discovered award-winning startup Ximple. 

When all the things goes mistaken, strive once more

Wai Jeat had at all times dreamed of getting a profitable enterprise. To him, it was a approach of giving again to the group, and impacting actual change in that group. To that finish, Wai Jeat really began two corporations earlier than Ximple, providing enterprise consultancy and options.

But, each weren’t a part of the ten per cent of startups that succeeded and by 2014, Wai Jeat had determined to name it quits on each of them.

These weren’t the one challenges that he confronted throughout that yr. His private life additionally got here crashing down as his father handed on and he went by way of a messy divorce that noticed him lose his spouse and children. 

Having misplaced all the things, Wai Jeat determined to channel his energies into the very last thing that had not left him — his dream of beginning a profitable enterprise. 

Help was not forthcoming to say the least. Wai Jeat remembers that amongst his family and friends, a recurring query that he heard was ‘Why don’t you simply get a secure job?’.

It will get demoralising at instances, however I recognize their concern moderately than seeing it as a criticism. They’re involved if I’ve sufficient to feed myself and lead a good life moderately than working 24/7 per week with little to spend.

– Wong Wai Jeat, founder and CEO of Ximple

Lastly, in 2017, whereas making an attempt to organise his personal warranties for his personal home equipment, he struck gold.

The realisation hit him that he was most likely not the one one who discovered warranty-tracking and electronics disposal a problem and struggled with it — and this was one thing that he might very nicely assist the group deal with.

Studying from previous errors

This time, Wai Jeat was decided to make his startup a hit and he took the time to critically look at the place he had gone mistaken for his earlier two startups. 

“For each of my earlier startups, we had abilities who have been good with tech, however we sorely lacked anybody who might assist to market the enterprise nicely. But, pitching for funding or working with enterprise companions requires a number of salesmanship. I realised I wanted to promote values moderately than options — a tough swap since as a technical particular person, I’m used to the latter,” he explains.

To present Ximple a greater shot at success, Wai Jeat pushed himself to enhance on his personal salesmanship. He enrolled himself in public talking programs, and actively sought to attach with artistic individuals to be taught from them.

Even with this effort, Wai Jeat solely paid himself S$2,500 a month — a significantly low sum for the quantity of labor that he was placing in.

All through this, Wai Jeat continued to enhance on his concepts, and ultimately arrived at Ximple’s present mannequin. Whereas the thought was initially for an app to assist customers monitor their electronics warranties, Wai Jeat expanded on it to additionally embody choices for customers to buy these electronics, in addition to to assist them dispose of those electronics correctly.

Ximple began as a guaranty tracker for all client electronics merchandise. Monitoring client guarantee helps make our lives simpler. However the preliminary concept has to evolve as a result of a guaranty tracker [alone] can’t generate sufficient stickiness to the platform. 

As customers, we at all times query ourselves: what extra is required so as to present a extra holistic expertise? That’s how Ximple reworked itself from a small guarantee concept to what you see now: an app that helps customers with procuring, proudly owning, and disposing of their electronics.

– Wong Wai Jeat, founder and CEO of Ximple

Ximple helps customers monitor their warranties by way of the app’s cloud-based platform, and when customers want to exchange their merchandise, it additionally helps them store for brand spanking new merchandise and monitor warranties for these new gadgets as nicely.

As for the changed merchandise, customers can even promote, recycle, or donate these gadgets by way of the app.

At Ximple, we are attempting to advertise a round economic system the place merchandise’ lifespans may be maximised, and merchandise may be recycled on the finish of their life. It’s a rising community of companions who can assist to make it possible for digital waste is minimised, whereas customers get essentially the most out of their purchases.

– Wong Wai Jeat, founder and CEO of Ximple

It presently has greater than 50,000 month-to-month customers

By many measures, Wai Jeat has succeeded in his aim of constructing a profitable startup. Ximple now boasts greater than 50,000 customers a month, and has amassed US$1.7 million in funding.

On high of this, Ximple has additionally been awarded a Certificates of Advantage on the 2021 Asia Good App Awards.

Even the COVID-19 pandemic has not managed to maintain it down, because the app noticed better traction as procuring moved on-line. Whereas the onset of the pandemic delayed plans for Ximple’s abroad growth, the app noticed a rise in utilization as customers flocked to make use of its worth comparability and e-commerce capabilities. 

At present, Ximple is increasing into Malaysia, and has even been named because the official supplier of sensible residing options for an up-and-coming sensible metropolis property improvement in Malaysia.

However Wai Jeat is already planning for the long run past Malaysia. “Whereas solely customers in Singapore and Malaysia will get the total expertise of Ximple for now, we now have additionally obtained curiosity from different nations just like the Philippines, Australia, and India. As soon as we discover the suitable companions, we are going to broaden to different nations as nicely,” he shares.

In Singapore, the place failure is usually frowned upon and our paycheck is a typical yardstick to measure success, ardour typically doesn’t pay.

Wai Jeat’s story is certainly one of boundless braveness and dedication, one which reveals that we are able to nonetheless discover what the Japanese name ‘ikigai’ — one thing that one is nice at, loves, will get paid for, and can be one thing that the world wants. 

Ximple’s story is absolutely that easy — it’s a firm that helps customers and the setting, and it’s additionally an organization that was based from Wai Jeat’s realisation of how customers can profit from the advances of expertise; one thing that he has been captivated with.

As Wai Jeat put it himself, “On the finish of the day, the problem in constructing your individual enterprise doesn’t simply stem from the lengthy hours you’re prepared to sacrifice, or the center to take possession over one thing by your self. It’s additionally about discovering out what individuals want and constructing one thing to assist them.”

Featured Picture Credit score: Ximple