Partnerships: A Double-Edged Sword

They say “Entrepreneurship is a lonely journey”

It was true, even though I had a business partner. Here’s why.

Late 2017, I jumped into a fitness studio venture in Kuala Lumpur with a client of mine whom I was personal training for back in Bangkok.

It was probably the best partnership you could ask for given that I was the domain expert for 10 years and she had been a CFO of multinational companies for over two decades.

One doing the front end, another doing the backend. One doing the attack, one doing the defend. That was the plan.

Finally, things kicked off. After some turbulence, we managed to breakthrough 6 figures monthly revenue within just 6 months.

We became the talk of the town. Group classes were constantly booked out. Personal trainers that we hired were killing it too!

Made it to Tatler, Augustman and a dozen other digital media outlets with headlines like “The Hottest Gym in KL”

Even a billion-dollar class-booking aggregator from the U.S. threw six figures at us in less than two weeks after being approached for partnership.

From the outside, it seemed like we were on an unprecedented trajectory for a boutique studio in Malaysia.

But inside, the story was different.

Because tough conversations were avoided during the formation of partnerships, 

I mean, who talks about “exit” when you haven’t even started the business right?

The goal was to work as hard as we could, with our passion and dedication and our dreams would all be within reach.

But enthusiasm alone can only take you so far. There was no shareholder agreement, KPI/OKR set for my partner and me.

Perhaps we thought the bosses wouldn’t need all that since we would be the hardest workers in the room anyway.

Then, my partner wanted to get involved with the daily despite being occupied by her full time corporate career… 

Suddenly, “Why didn’t I know about this?” and “Why wasn’t I informed about that?” became repetitive accusations.

The power struggle was real.

It’s kinda like a defender in a soccer team constantly running up wanting to score goals.

And that’s when everything started to turn.

Tension, friction and war… 

I became reactive—saying the wrong things, doing the wrong things. 

My phone was the source of my emotional rollercoaster.

Fear and anger drove me to work in isolation.

As the famous chinese proverb says “one mountain cannot accommodate two tigers”

So I left, for the better.

Physically, emotionally and spiritually.

My staff didn’t understand the full picture. Some thought “this CJ guy is so irresponsible running away from problems”

Entrepreneurship had never felt so lonely.

We couldn’t agree on a buyout that satisfied both parties.

So my name was stuck on the company's shareholding.

Mismanagement started to take place.

There was company culture, but no longer one where everyone showed up with conviction, team work and pride.

The pandemic sped up its deterioration and eventually…

It was shut down with a 48 hour notice with MULTIPLE 6 figures debt owed to everyone. 

And I had to carry half of it. Lawsuits, phone calls from random numbers started flooding in which were too overwhelming to answer.

That’s when I realized: It can cost just as much to shut down a business as it does to start one. Kinda spooky.

Most people don’t get a second chance after something like this.

But I did. 

It did not seem like one at first. Look at the picture below. Who would've said so?

Well my friend, it was MOVE Private Fitness!

It has been at least 5 years now working with the crazy bunch,

Revenue growing 200% year-on-year.

First ever Malaysian personal training brand to cross border!

Got invited to speak at conferences and workshops in Singapore, Thailand, Korea, Indonesia, Cambodia and the home ground Malaysia

Private equity firms, venture capitalists, and family offices started approaching us.

35 studios and presence in 4 countries milestone by 2026.

Raising a daughter with my beloved wife—while being a present parent.

Finally making my parents proud again.

Able to fulfill my mission to give back to the underprivileged children

With all this happening before my eyes…

I can’t help but wonder:

“Are there entrepreneurs out there struggling with breakdowns in their businesses—who could use some help?”

Why do I think that?

Once a coach, always a coach. Helping people break through obstacles is second nature to me.

The struggles I went through were the common denominator in the stories I heard from many other entrepreneurs.

But what if you didn’t have to make the same mistakes?

And what if entrepreneurship didn’t have to be a lonely journey?

The world is counting on the impact your products and services can deliver.

Let’s not waste time—or leave any possibilities unturned.

The real question is: What possibilities could unfold if we embark on this journey together?