TendoPay

TendoPay is the leading employee benefits provider in the Philippines
I manage the growth teams including a digital marketing team for our B2C user base and a sales team for our B2B users.

Co-Founder / CCO [Acquired - Tonik Bank]

Buko Ventures

Value-add angel funding for Philippines startup founders.

Investor

DotYeti.com

Investor [Acquired]

Iterative

Venture Partner

500 Startups

I advise startups in SEA on their growth strategy with a focus on building and scaling their sales process ass well a hone in on their digital marketing strategy.

Mentor

Candy Banners

Acquired by Native Touch. 
Candy Banners is a digital production studio that builds awesome online ads.

Co-founder / CEO [Acquired - Native Touch]

Stinson Design

Acquired by Vimont Holdings.
Stinson Design is a presentation design agency that services clients around the world from startups to global brands.

Founder / CEO [Acquired]

Centre Financier International Montréal

Program Financial Analyst

F&C ASSET MANAGEMENT PLC

Risk Management Intern

I help B2B companies scale • 3x Exit Founder • Grew last company to $5m+ ARR • 15+ years of growth leadership 🚀

Hey there! I’m a serial entrepreneur with 3 exits under my belt. 

I’m currently working with startups across Southeast Asia to help them scale their B2B products with various playbooks I developed over his 15 year career as a growth executive and founder.

Through all my ventures the key to success has always been to bring maximum value to my clients and building long lasting relationships. 

My passion for client success is equally matched with my love for travel and extreme sports. 

You can find me playing chess, riding motorcycles, diving or kitesurfing the beautiful beaches of Southeast Asia.

When I was 22, I was working in finance. (It wasn’t for me, and it showed)

One day, my boss came up to me and said:

“Look, you’re rather insubordinate. I don't think finance is for you - you should probably run your own business.”

I don’t know if he said it as a joke or condescendingly, but I thought: 

“You know what, that's pretty good idea!”

One of the things I did most in finance was creating presentations for my bosses. 

They were always pitching big deals in big cities like New York & Chicago.

And I was the one making the presentations.

Some random kid crafting the designs for multimillion dollar deals.

I always told my bosses: 

“We should probably hire an expert to do this. What’s spending a couple grand to hire a professional?”

They always just said: “No, that's your job.”

I thought that was ridiculous.

That stubbornness formed the idea for my first ever business:

Stinson Design.

The concept was simple:

- get a partner who makes great presentations
- I do all the sales and marketing

The plan was to go after anyone - from startups to big corporations.

In the beginning the motto was ‘fake it till you make it’.

22 year-old me in my oversized suit pitching C-level execs.

And believe it or not - it worked.

Stinson Design took off.

I went all in and scaled it rapidly.

Over the next years, I grew the company all the way to my first 7-figure exit.

Looking back, it's pretty cool to think that it all started with:

- my stubborn head,
- a problem I was sick of solving for someone else.

Most of the time, that’s all you need in entrepreneurship.

Timothée Grassin

The North American VC Model doesn’t work in Southeast Asia.

(This isn’t the Bay Area.)

I recently talked to Charles Lee (Co-founder of CoderSchool (IT W21)) about this on my podcast.

As someone who has worked in both Silicon Valley as well as Southeast Asia, he mentioned something very interesting:

“I think there's a growing sentiment that {...} perhaps the U.S. playbook does not apply one-to-one with the Southeast Asia playbook”

And how could it?

The traditional Silicon Valley-style VC model entails one thing:

"Growth at all costs"

→ Scale fast and hard.
→ Short-term gains over long-term profitability
→ Valuation increases over sustainable unit economics
→ Focus on market capture before establishing a solid revenue model

This is hard to replicate in Southeast Asia for 3 reasons:

1. Diverse Markets

Southeast Asia consists of varied markets, each with their own:

- Cultures
- Languages
- Regulations

A one-size-fits-all growth strategy is ineffective.

Ignoring diversity inevitably leads to misaligned products and strategies.

It’s so important here to understand local consumer behavior and adapt accordingly.

This takes time and effort, making it unfit for rapid scaling.

I’ve talked in a previous post about my experience with localization strategies.

(Check it out in the comment section)

____
2. Economic Variability

The economic stages in SEA countries are not uniform.

Things like limited internet penetration can be a major unforeseen blocker.

Without a nuanced strategy, it’s impossible to navigate these variations.

Trying to ‘scale through it blindly’ would lead to extremely inefficient resource allocation.

____
3. Lack of Late-Stage Funding

In Southeast Asia, there's a noticeable scarcity of late-stage funding.

It puts pressure on businesses to prove their worth early on and would make rapid, unchecked growth particularly challenging.

Without robust late-stage support, scaling aggressively is a recipe for failure.

So what is a good Southeast Asia strategy?

→ Focus on profitability early on
→ Immerse yourself in each market
→ Steady growth with good unit economics

To all SEA and US founders: What’s your take on this?

Many founders won't like to hear this,

but you’re not as productive as you think you are.

As a startup founder, you could be doing 100 different things at the same time.

In that case, it’s easy to fall into the ‘busy trap’:

Doing things that feel productive, but aren’t.

Things like:

- Picking titles
- Choosing a logo
- Designing business cards
- Perfecting pitch deck aesthetics
- Tweaking the website without feedback

Whenever you are doing any of these things (especially at the early stage),

STOP.

Then ask yourself: Is this the best use of my time?

9/10 times - it isn’t.

After you’ve come to your senses - get back to:

- Talking to customers
- Analyzing market feedback
- Developing & testing your MVP
- Building relationships with potential investors
- Focusing on sales and customer acquisition strategies

Time is by far your most valuable resource.

Make the best use of it.

The simplest marketing mistake I see founders make:

(that leads to them losing 97% of the market)


A lot of your marketing efforts aim at showing you can solve your ideal client's problems.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Especially if you understand your ideal customer well, this strategy is very effective.

But something to keep in mind: 

If you are targeting this segment, chances are 5 other companies are doing the same thing.

Looking at the graphic, you can see where the real gold lies:

People who don’t even know they have a problem (that you can solve).

Introducing the Larger Market Formula.

A simple representation of the distribution of different customer segments in any given market.

To unlock this massive opportunity, it's important to understand the stages of the modern customer journey:

1. Problem Unaware → I don’t know I have a problem.
2. Problem Aware → I’m aware I have a problem I have to fix.
3. Solution Aware → I’m aware there are solutions, but not yours.
4. Product Aware → I’m aware of your product. Why are you best?
5. Ready to buy → I want your product. Make me an offer I can’t refuse.

Once you understand how customers move through these phases, you open up a whole new opportunity.

An opportunity to tailor your marketing efforts for each stage of your buyer’s journey.

This allows you to tap into a segment your competitors aren’t even aware of. 

(or at least not leveraging)

Now this isn’t rocket science, but it can be tough to flesh out.

Especially alone.

That’s why I started a Southeast Asian startup founder community.

To join:

→ Go to my Profile.
→ Click the first link “Join our founder community”
→ I'll send you an email directly when you’re in.
→ I’ll be sharing sales & marketing hacks I learned as a 3x exit founder.

5 biggest mistakes startup founders make. 
 
Mistake #2: Ineffective Go-To-Market Plans 
 
Founders are often so in love with their product, that they’ll think it will sell itself. 
 
I hate to disappoint, but that’s never the case. 
 
The problem is that this internal focus is often mixed with a sense of urgency. 
 
So many founders rush into a new product launch with a vague market definition and no clarity on their unique value proposition. 
 
A dangerous mix that leads to: 
 
- Market Misunderstanding 
- Wasted Marketing Spend 
- Missed Opportunities 
 
I see these floppy go-to-market strategies way too often. 
 
Without a solid foundational understanding of 
 
- your market, 
- its problems, 
- and your solution 
 
things go wrong very quickly. 
 
So how do you do it? 
 
I cover the 6-step Go-To-Market Guide in my new 5-day educational email course - The ‘Startup Scaling Roadmap’. 
 
Want access? 
 
1. Like this post 
2. Comment “Roadmap”, and I’ll send it right over! 
 
(Repost this, if you want to help your entrepreneur friends out)

No alternative text description for this image

5 biggest mistakes startup founders make. 
 
Mistake #3: Choosing The Wrong KPIs. 
 
Most founders have heard of the term ‘vanity metric’, and why one should avoid them. 
 
Still, I still see too many founders track vanity metrics religiously. 
 
This leads to: 
 
- dumping money into unprofitable strategies, 
- a naive perspective on company health, 
- their eventual demise. 
 
So why is setting the wrong KPIs still so common? 
 
In my experience, many founders have a hard time figuring out which metrics truly represent the value their product provides. 
 
On top of that, it’s easy to get addicted to the dopamine hit that metrics such as signups or website visitors provide. 
 
Now, how do you avoid this? 
 
I cover the 3-step process how to choose the rights KPIs in my new 5-day educational email course - The ‘Startup Scaling Roadmap’. 
 
Want access? 
 
1. Like this post 
2. Comment “Roadmap”, and I’ll send it right over! 
 
(Repost this, if you want to help your entrepreneur friends out)

5 biggest mistakes startup founders make. 
 
Mistake #4: Creating a Confusing Sales Compensation Plan 
 
Imagine your best sales rep, who consistently smashes their targets, suddenly starts underperforming and eyeing opportunities elsewhere. 
 
This is super common in many startups I’ve consulted where the sales team doesn’t have clarity on how their efforts translate to their pay-check. 
 
Especially when scaling fast, a robust compensation plan is crucial. 
 
Without it, you will see: 
 
- Reduced Motivation 
- High Turnover 
- Less Sales (Duh) 
 
As with most of these mistakes, they result from urgency without experience. 
 
Sales Plans might look good on paper, but fail because they turn out to be too complex in practice. 
 
Now, how do you avoid this? 
 
I cover creating a simple & effective compensation plan in my new 5-day educational email course - The ‘Startup Scaling Roadmap’. 
 
Want access? 
 
1. Like this post 
2. Comment “Roadmap”, and I’ll send it right over! 
 
(Repost this, if you want to help your entrepreneur friends out)

5 biggest mistakes startup founders make 
 
Mistake #5: Failing to Optimize CAC and Customer Retention. 
 
I’m quite certain many founders don’t know how much money they spend on average to acquire a new customer. 
 
On top of that, trying to acquire new customers without focusing on retaining existing ones is like filling a leaky bucket with water. 
 
It’s not sustainable and inevitably leads to: 
 
- Wasted Budget 
- A Stagnant Customer Base 
 
Disregarding these 2 things, especially without proper tracking essentially means you’re operating at a loss - and you don’t even know it. 
 
I think this is more common than it should be because of 3 things: 
 
- The idea of multi-channel marketing campaigns sounds really sexy. (But in reality it’s just overly complex and often ineffective.) 
- Overlooking referrals as a great acquisition channel 
- Lack of Focus on Activation & Revenue Conversion 
 
Now, how do you avoid this? 
 
I share a hack to lower CAC and increase retention in my new 5-day educational email course - The ‘Startup Scaling Roadmap’. 
 
Want access? 
 
1. Like this post 
2. Comment “Roadmap”, and I’ll send it right over! 
 
(Repost this, if you want to help your entrepreneur friends out)

"At 22, I made a choice that steered my life in an unexpected direction – the story is not what you might think.", "Why starting a YouTube channel during a global lockdown was only the tip of the iceberg for me."

In this episode of Next Big Wave, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Adam Parker, a dynamic entrepreneur who made the bold move from Canada to Bangkok to chase his dreams and establish his own path in the world of startups and content creation.

Adam shares his journey from starting a YouTube channel out of boredom during COVID to building a unique ecosystem of Thailand-centric products and services, all while adapting to a new life in Southeast Asia.

And in this episode, we dive into 👇🏽

- Adam's transition from a stable job in Canada to becoming an entrepreneur in Thailand.
- The growth of his unique business ventures in Bangkok.
- The advantages and challenges of living and building a business in Southeast Asia.
- Adam's approach to integrating into Thai culture and building a diverse network.
- Insights into the thriving startup ecosystem in Southeast Asia and why it's a goldmine for entrepreneurs.

And so much more!

Whether you're considering a leap into entrepreneurship, curious about life as an expat, or fascinated by the startup scene in Southeast Asia, this conversation is packed with insights and inspiration!

Check out the full episode through the link in the comments!

What they say: We’ve scaled our outreach, it’s not working.

What they did:

- Emailed 100 prospects /day for a month.

↳ Struggled to personalize at scale.
↳ Faced low open and response rates.
↳ Became frustrated by the lack of conversions.
↳ Blamed the market saturation.
↳ Quit.

- Called 50 leads / day for a month.

↳ Felt disconnected in cold calls.
↳ Encountered resistance and quick hang-ups.
↳ Questioned the effectiveness of cold calling.
↳ Saw minimal progress.
↳ Quit.

- Sent 10 LinkedIn connection requests / day for a month.

↳ Couldn’t bear the feeling of being ghosted
↳ Got disheartened by the low response rate.
↳ Didn’t bother following up.
↳ Said: “Cold Outbound is dead”.
↳ Quit

Sales is a numbers game, but also one of strategy.

If you're not seeing the results you want, it’s time to refine your approach. 

If you are B2B startup struggling with low conversions and little leadflow, 

--> DM me “Growth” and let’s talk.

Taplio

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