Disclaimer: In Real Life is a platform for everyday people to share their experiences and voices. All articles are personal stories and do not necessarily echo In Real Life’s sentiments.
RPG Commerce is a multi-brand DTC(direct-to-consumer) business, with brands you may have heard of such as Cosmic Cookware, Thousand Miles, and Montigo in their portfolio to name a few!
They recently managed to bag a staggering USD$29 million in a Series B funding round which they will use to expand their talent pool and further future-proof its tech and developmental processes, said RPG’s CEO Melvin Chee in a press statement.
Kampung boy beginnings
Founder and CEO Melvin Chee grew up in the small town of Sitiawan, Perak, 4 hours away from the bustling Damansara Uptown where RPG Commerce’s brand new office is located.
“We didn’t have much internet access growing up and my mom is a tiger mom, she cared only about education and nothing else. We didn’t get to play video games, none of that, that was the kind of environment I grew up in.” Melvin tells In Real Life.
Melvin went on to study engineering in Melbourne where he would get his start in the world of digital marketing. “Melbourne was a whole different environment, it was a metropolitan city different from Sitiawan where we only had a McDonald’s when I was in form 4!
Dropping out of his course to pursue what he’s truly passionate about
“I was very passionate about digital marketing and I was thick faced enough to go around asking for free internships where I learned about things like SEO and Google Ads, Facebook Ads weren’t even a thing yet back then.
“I spent so much time there (at those internships) that I almost failed my first year. My dad was really pissed at me but I decided hey, I don’t think I can continue this for 4 years.” Melvin eventually decided to drop out of Engineering school and enrol in Econs and Finance when he came to this realisation.
An entrepreneur from the age of 15
“Sitiawan is close to Pangkor Island and I was very into photography back then. So after PMR I set up a photography booth at the Pangkor jetty, you know how in Thailand you get off the boat and they take your photo and you pay for it, that’s what I did.”
When he was in Melbourne, Melvin’s parents gave him 1k a month to spend but instead of staggering it, they gave him his years worth of allowance all in one go. Instead of splurging on luxuries and daily expenses like most uni students would, Melvin used it to kickstart his business! “I took that opportunity quietly without them knowing to use that as a bankroll. In my mind I thought if I start earlier in the year, I’d have more time to make up for it if it didn’t work out, I’d get a waiter job or something.”
Fortunately for Melvin, he didn’t have to wipe down dirty tables. With this “funding” from his parents, Melvin started RPG and pulled his brother Elvin in as an angel investor of sorts. RPG Commerce has 4 co-founders, brothers Melvin and Elvin, Celine Choo, Nelson Ting, and Josh Lee.
From a team of 7 to 120 and growing in 5 years!
It may seem like a shiny well-oiled machine from the outside looking in, but CEO Melvin isn’t afraid of transparency.
“If we’re bad at it, we just gotta fix it, and I think we’re still horrible at a lot of things. At the same time that becomes a motivation and drive for us internally to build something better.
“I’ve never built an organisation at this size hence I think I’m going through a lot of learning. Thankfully we have a lot of supporters including our investors in this journey. I’m still understanding how to manage people, stakeholders, people with different skillsets.
“5 years ago I wasn’t managing a team of this size, we were probably like 7 people. If I have the opportunity to do all this at this age, it’s going to be even more exciting 5 years down the line.
“Amidst a busy schedule, I will still walk around and talk to the team. Humans require relationships, that’s just how we work, and we’ve got to put in the effort to do that, just being on the ground and being empathetic enough to try to understand what they’re going through.”
Finding excitement in the journey
“I find adrenaline in uncertainty. When I started this business I told God that I want to build something meaningful which to me meant having a team of people working towards a common goal. I prayed for that everyday and I believe that when you ask, you shall receive.
“Even though we are far away(from success), working with new people, creating jobs, creating an impact, that fuels me. I never want to paint the picture that we’re perfect, even to candidates. I tell them we’re shit, a lot of things are shit, and you’ve got to expect to come in and work together so that it’s not so shit.”
Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs
“Don’t overthink. When we do that, we spend more time thinking than doing. If it doesn’t work, just figure it out. There’s google, there’s people around you, social networks, just ask. Ask and you shall receive.
“It’s never too late to just do it, like Nike’s tagline. The only way you will know how it ends is if you just do it. There’s no point in thinking for two years and not do anything about it and eventually be like ‘oh that’s what I was supposed to do’, no point crying over spilt milk.
“I wish I could go back to when I was 23 now after learning all these things. If you’re young and an entrepreneur, don’t be afraid to fail.”
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