Cover Story
• Bettazone: Every step is a right step regardless of how big it is • AirAsia: Reigning king of social media • AirAsia’s Friendsy campaign • #AdventureLive
While Miracolo has placed a fair bit of efforts into their social media platforms, what about small businesses that do the bare minimum? Will social media accounts benefit small businesses even if minimal effort is placed on them?
Meet SK Tan, a 67 year old retired sales engineer who has been breeding and selling Betta Splendens fish in his spare time since 2002.
Also dubbed the Siamese Betta fish by the older generation, these colourful and elegant fish previously were not famous for their fins and scales, but rather their ferocity and territorial behaviour that makes them one of the most sought after fighting fishes in the Asean region.
The sport of Betta fish fighting was so popular in Thailand that it was regulated and taxed in the mid-1800s by the former King of Siam!
Nowadays, these pretty creatures have gain new fame for their beautiful colouring and delicate fins and tails.
The term ‘Betta competitions’ in Malaysia and Singapore no longer involves fish fights – instead, they are now ‘Betta fish beauty pageants’ as Tan describes, between hobbyists to see who has managed to breed the most aesthetically pleasing fish.
He initially encountered the fish species when his daughters came home excitedly one day from school, begging him to come see the fish with colourful tails at the local fish shop. And pressured by his daughters, Tan ended up purchasing a few Betta fish home that very day.
The moment I took them home it was like a drug took over me, and I started to learn everything about the fish and how to breed them. SK Tan
“The moment I took them home ,it was like a drug took over me. I started to learn everything about the fish and how to breed them,” he shared enthusiastically.
With newfound passion, he began breeding his Betta fish with such gusto that he soon become so overwhelmed with Betta Splendens brood. This oversupply led him to give them out to family and friends for free.
“I also started to give them to local pet shops for supplies and food in return. When that still wasn’t enough, I started selling them to other hobbyists,” he explained.
Unfortunately, Tan was still breeding way faster than he could sell. His daughters then suggested that Tan begin a blog to document his hobby and create exposure for his s business.
“My eldest daughter helped start up a blog for me and taught me the ropes of blogging. I would frequently update the blog with pictures of the fish I’ve successfully bred.”
Called Bettazone1944, the blog started off in 2009 as an outlet for Tan to share his collection of Betta Fish to the public and while his outreach has been a maintained a humble 90,000 views, Tan asserts that the blog has been very a huge help to his business.
“I’ve gotten many enquiries from all over Malaysia including ones from Europe. It can really help promote your business and open your brand to the market. Now if you say ‘Bettazone’ to the circle of hobbyists in Penang, it will get easy recognised,” he said.
Using his simple blog as a catalogue for prospective buyers to witness his most unique wares, Tan was also able to drum up enough attention from Betta fish competitors in Peninsular Malaysia to begin approaching him with requests for Bettas of special colours and fin shapes.
He has since begun sourcing Betta directly from Thailand to fulfil this demand.
And with the Betta craze not dying down anytime soon, Tan has decided to venture outside his comfort zone into other social media platforms to further gain exposure.
“I’ve asked my daughters for help in setting up other social media outlets such as Facebook to help me create more exposure as I’ve noticed that Betta fish in the market has more and more people joining in.”
Sharing details of his story, his eldest daughter Joyce Tan hoped her dad’s experience will end up inspiring others to pursue their passion and utilise social media to turn it into a small business.
“Social media has been an extremely effective platform for my dad to start-up from, and will probably continue to do so as he seeks to increase business.
“Every small step in adopting social media will be beneficial, so just create an account. After all, it is free.”