Jakarta-born mixologist Agung Prabowo is the co-founder of one of Asia’s best bars, The Old Man, and Hong Kong’s first entirely sustainable bar, Penicillin.

Do whatever it takes to minimise the damage

The last two years were hard for the food and beverage industry in Hong Kong, with the ongoing political situation and now the coronavirus pandemic. It was an incredibly tough time to be a small bar owner and operator in the city—rent costs and staff wages were just a few of the many disasters we faced.

The situation forced me to react quickly, pivot and come up with painful yet necessary changes to save our business. I quickly modified the business model and figured out how to better manage the cash flow buffer, a decision that was key to surviving 2020. We had to cut external costs, change staffing by applying no-pay leave, finance existing assets and speak to suppliers and landlords to get better credit terms, discounts, and rental deferments.

During this time I also learnt the importance of being transparent with my employees. We showed our profit and loss reports to the staff on a daily basis so they can see what’s going on, they know what we are fighting so hard for and they know we are trying to support them.

One thing to take away from this experience for the new year: Always be ready to do whatever it takes to minimise the damage to your business and be willing and flexible when it comes to adjusting the business model accordingly.

Go local, go sustainable or go home

During the ongoing lockdown in Hong Kong and government restrictions on restaurants and bars, my partners and I had plenty of time for extra brainstorming when it came to fresh ideas on what we believe we can bring to Hong Kong in 2021. I think the wellness dining and drinking market will definitely keep rising. Eating and drinking with a conscience is going to become a strong part of the ethos of the F&B industry, and more businesses will take a greener and more sustainable approach to their operations.

The demand for a green and sustainable concept can be seen in the way our community has come together to mutually support each other during the Covid-19 crisis. Going local and buying local are two key concepts that have come to the forefront during these difficult times, and they will only continue to grow in popularity as people have fallen in love with this new-found connection in their lives.
People have also woken up to the fact that any green effort to save the planet ultimately equates to an effort to save ourselves. They have realised that for us to live better and higher quality lives for longer, we must treat ourselves and our environments better. Wellness and care must come first.

Following the crisis, I believe most people will also choose to fuel their happiness by leading healthier lifestyles—replacing any unhealthy eating and drinking habits. And despite all the sadness of 2020, we were able to open our new brainchild, Penicillin—the first sustainable bar in Hong Kong, which champions a closed-loop model of production, with a focus on either locally sourced or upcycled food and drink ingredients.

So in 2021, remember to continue thinking positively and creatively to improve the situation for the next generation while you do business.

Juliette Gimenez is the founder of Goxip, a “Shazam for the fashion world” where users can snap an image of a clothing item and find the exact item or a similar piece of clothing on the app.

Stay grounded and go back to basics

Every year, Goxip plans a lot of exciting initiatives and grand expansions to ensure that we meet our crazy growth targets and take things to the next level—and 2020 was no exception. We had so many cool things to look forward to but, as with everyone else, the pandemic smacked us in the face and caused more uncertainties globally than I’d ever had imagined. Rather than charging forwards like we usually do, I learnt that remaining grounded and going back to basics were paramount to staying afloat. We made Goxip the best version possible, optimising all the existing tools we had and keeping our existing clients as happy as possible. After all, what does not kill us makes us stronger.

Focus on positives

It was so easy to feel a little down in the dumps with all the Covid-19 restrictions and unexpected changes in 2020. But I also learnt that we should always remember that there are two sides to every coin. Last year I was also incredibly blessed to be able to give birth to a perfectly healthy child during such an uncertain time in the world and I am able to wake up to her angelic smile every morning. Seeing her strengthens me as a person and makes me want to fight stronger and harder irrespective of whatever hits us in the business side of my life.

Always be prepared to pivot

Last year a lot of industries were affected to a greater extent, such as travel and hospitality, which directly caused many of our influencers’ campaigns to be put on hold. We took this opportunity to expand into the F&B industry and were working to promote them via our foodie influencers, partnering with hotel groups to curate staycation campaigns.These two verticals were out-of-the-blue expansion that have now proven to be the right choices for many reasons. Adaptability is key.

See also: 5 Lessons for First-Time CEOs From The Founder Of Goxip, Juliette Gimenez

Ophthalmologist Marcus Ang is a key force behind the Mobile Eye Clinic, which provides eye care to the elderly who lack mobility and access to treatments. Ang also works to extend his care to other regions through the Global Clinic, setting up free eye clinics and educating doctors, nurses and optometrists in Myanmar.

Rethink the traditional ways of doing things

The pandemic made me rethink the way we practice medicine—a traditional profession that is steeped in time-tested practices. For example, we needed to continue to deliver timely, necessary eye care to our patients to prevent visual loss even as healthcare services were limited, while lockdown restrictions or even personal fear of the virus kept patients away from seeking care. We had to develop innovative ways to continue to provide patients with access to care, such as telemedicine platforms to provide remote consults for patients who required urgent advice. This was challenging for us doctors—who had to quickly adapt to new and often complicated online platforms—but also patients as well, who are used to having face-to-face consultations.

Sometimes change is necessary

Another thing we learnt from 2020 was that the quick digitisation of our programmes ended up being necessary. As travel became increasingly restricted, we had to move training and education of doctors online in our global outreach programmes, such as Global Clinic, to ensure that knowledge sharing and consultations could continue remotely.A successful example is the CyberSight program from Orbis, where I serve as a board member of Orbis Singapore. In the end, delivery, eye care and our sustainable outreach programmes underwent a rapid but necessary digital transformation so that we could continue delivering the necessary care to our patients, even during the pandemic.

See more Ideas content from Gen.T