We have met a few times but never had time to talk in-depth about your business. So, I thought it would be super interesting to hear your full story in developing your Frank Laurent brand and running a successful coffee roaster in Penang.<\/p>\n
So, thanks again Frank Ee for spending time with me today, and let\u2019s jump straight into this with our first question.<\/strong><\/p>\n I graduated from a local high school and completed A-Level Studies in Disted College. Join INTI college for American Degree Transfer Program \u2013 Major in Business. <\/p>\n At the same time, I worked at Starbucks coffee as a part-time barista. <\/p>\n Not long after, I\u2019ve personally lost interest in my study therefore, I dropped out of Inti College during my degree program. <\/p>\n Yes, I considered myself entrepreneurial. So after I dropped out of college, I decided to give myself a break to think of what I can do. Since young, I have had a great interest in trading and business activities. Therefore, I actively get myself involved in Business Classes.<\/p>\n During college, I took part in a college pop-up event as a barista. I carry out my duties with my personal knowledge and experience as a barista. After I dropped out of college, I decided to pursue what I\u2019m currently good at.<\/p>\n Hence, I decided to take a break from my academic-related survey to learn more about my current interest \u2013 coffee. I went to Taiwan\u2019s Coffee Farm for 2 months. I stayed with the local farmers and learned from scratch. Since then, I've been eager to learn more so I have been attending exhibitions and coffee events.<\/p>\n Frank Laurent specializes in coffee roasting, we serve every cup of coffee with guaranteed quality and aroma. <\/p>\n We provide both wholesale and retail services, such as coffee bean supply, coffee equipment, and catering services. Other than coffee beans, we do sell the main course and sweet course to satisfy our customer\u2019s cravings.<\/p>\n Not to mention, my backend job is run by a group of youngsters as they are more driven and creative. <\/p>\n I have heard a few \u201crebellious\u201d proposals from them which amaze me. They tend to think out of the box and explore lots of possibilities. <\/p>\n Throwback to 3 years\u2019 time, Frank Laurent is still a \u201cnew caf\u00e9\u201d to most of the audience. <\/p>\n In order to gain more exposure for Frank Laurent Coffee Roasters, we take part in most of the coffee events and food festivals to learn from others and also experience something new. Besides, Frank Laurent also accepts collaborations, for example, we collaborated with the TLM event company as main participants for Penang Coffee and Dessert Festival 2016. <\/p>\n Nevertheless, we often organize coffee workshops for customers to gain coffee knowledge and latte art skills. <\/p>\n No doubt that in the F & B industry there will be competitors. In fact, there are more newly open caf\u00e9s with more and more creative designs in terms of products. Frank Laurent has diversified our product and service.<\/p>\n We target both coffee and non-coffee drinkers with our sub-brand \u2013 Morley Cold Pressed Juice. Morley juices come with 4 flavors and each of the flavors have different combinations of fruits with no preservatives or artificial flavors added. <\/p>\n Besides, most of our Frank Laurent outlets provide a chilling ambiance that suits families with children. Therefore, our team invented Frosley Gelato.<\/p>\n Well, actually there are a few criteria that should be fulfilled during an interview before hiring. <\/p>\n These are simply good attitudes, outgoing, and driven. <\/p>\n Personally, I believe that when an individual is possessed with these criteria, they are able to get along with colleagues and hence create a friendly and harmonic working environment. Also, each and every employee is assigned to different types of tasks with adventurous job scope. <\/p>\n Indeed, 2020 has been a tough year for everyone, the majority are facing an economic crisis due to the pandemic waves. At first, I was panicking about the announcement of MCO earlier in March. There\u2019s a lot going through my head, my team, my business, and myself.<\/p>\n During MCO, most of the physical stores are forced to stop the operation so many have started to adopt \u2018click and mortar\u2019 as their new norm. We started our own \u2018Frank Delivery\u2019 to better serve our customers during that critical moment. <\/p>\n My team has executed great cooperation whereby we take turns to deliver to customers\u2019 doorsteps. Moreover, we make some price changes for our sub-brand, Frosley Gelato. Our homemade Italian Gelato and Sorbet to cheer our customers. <\/p>\n Definitely, there are hiccups this year. A few upcoming events that we have prepared are canceled, and there are a few changes in our schedules but we take it as a challenge.<\/p>\n We prioritize customer satisfaction. <\/p>\n In 2021, we are looking forward to increasing productivity and consistency in order to enhance our product\u2019s quality.<\/p>\n Check out the official website<\/a> and you can contact Frank Ee via his Facebook page<\/a>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hey Frank Ee, First off thank you for taking the time to get involved in this interview for my readers. […]<\/p>\n![\"Frank](\"https:\/\/lifehackerguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/frank-ee-frank-laurent-ceo.jpg\")
<\/p>\nIt would be great to get some background on where you\u2019re from, your early life, where you studied.<\/h2>\n
From an early age were you very entrepreneurial? What got you interested in starting Frank Laurent, was it sensing a business opportunity or a love of coffee?<\/h2>\n
Can you give us a brief outline of your business for anyone who hasn\u2019t heard of Frank Laurent? What makes you stand out from the crowd?<\/h2>\n
![\"Frank](\"https:\/\/lifehackerguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/frank-laurent-udini-square.jpg\")
<\/p>\nI am a big fan of branding, especially the less is more approach. Can you give us a run-down of the process you used to develop the Frank Laurent brand?<\/h2>\n
F&B is tough and the coffee business even more so with the competition from the likes of Starbucks to local Kopi businesses. And yet you have positioned well and are clearly serving a market. What was your vision for Frank Laurent?<\/h2>\n
It always seems that your staff is friendly and motivated to be working at Frank Laurent. Is this something you look for when hiring or part of the working culture you develop?<\/h2>\n
![\"Frank](\"https:\/\/lifehackerguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/frank-laurent-team.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWe all know that 2020 has been a truly shocking year for our personal and business lives. How did you cope with the experience and what lessons did you learn?<\/h2>\n
Has this year changed your game plan going forward? If so, how? What\u2019s in the pipeline for 2021?<\/h2>\n