Hire the right initial team, find the best co-founder

This week, SunBiz digests the thoughts and views of SmartBite CEO Alessandro Voltolini

We are not an actual caterer and that is the biggest difference. We are a tech solution that allows caterers to digitise, hence, catching the growing catering demand online. We intend to be the largest food catering marketplace in Southeast Asia and to do so, we are dedicated to continuously provide professional caterers with the best easy to use tech tools for them to satisfy the catering needs, which are massively moving online around the world.

What advice can you offer those looking to start their career/own business?

Do not be afraid of sharing your idea but instead try to get as much feedback as early as possible from potential customers and mentors. Do not fall into the funnel vision of thinking that you are the only person that knows what that specific customer/user needs at that specific time, there are some Steve Jobs but it’s unlikely you are one of them.

Hire the right initial team with the best cofounder you can find. Do not rush in hiring at this time. Your co-founder will be responsible for a large part of your success/failure in the future. Find someone whose skillset is complementary to yours.

We all know about the industrial revolution, are we in for a technological revolution? Your thoughts.

The internet has certainly transformed both our work and personal lives – and that itself is considered as the 3rd industrial or technological revolution. An interesting perspective about this would be if there is a deeper or further technological revolution after the development of the internet (1990 to 2000s).

From my understanding, we are going through deeper level of transformation, contingent on the technological revolution of the internet, with the emerging relevance and prevalence of artificial intelligence, which I foresee will have a tremendous impact on every industry within the next 30 years.

What do you want to accomplish in the next five years?

I want to expand SmartBite services to countries beyond our current markets of Malaysia and the Philippines. Within the next five years, we aim to digitally transform the catering industry within Southeast Asia to become the region’s leading online catering marketplace. We want to help more caterers improve their efficiency and have an online presence and for customers to find catering solutions tailored to their needs in just a few, simple clicks. In five years’ time, we want people in Southeast Asia to immediately associate catering with SmartBite and for SmartBite to become a trusted brand for caterers, companies and consumers alike.

Our business model enables us to scale quickly without a heavy increase in overhead costs. We can onboard caterers in big or small cities and at the same time, we can onboard caterers that operate in remote villages. The interesting thing about this industry and our business model resides in the fact that caterers exist everywhere and in all sizes, and so far, they have been neglected by the mainstream ondemand services, for clear mismatch of value proposition and modus operandi. Hence, we have enough scope, opportunity and potential for growth in valuation as well as geographically.

Most-admired business leader? Why?

Tilman Fertitta, an American businessman who built up a US$5 billion hospitality and gaming empire. I particularly appreciate his resilience through crisis such as the savings and loans crisis of the mid-1980s when he was US$2 million in debt and did whatever he could to get himself back in business. I also appreciate his appetite for risk during down-cycle moments. Instead of playing the waiting game like other similar corporations, he searches for bargains in M&A to expand his corporate reach. In the aftermath of the Great Recession in 2007, he picked up many restaurants with strong concepts and great locations but weak execution as part of his roll-up strategy.

How do you stay abreast of issues affecting your industry?

I regularly talk to experts and stakeholders within the industry such as caterers, restaurant owners and consultants to large F&B groups. Additionally, I keep up with the news of the markets we operate in, as well as global news so I can keep abreast on current trends within the region and how we can best leverage them. It’s important to stay informed and update one’s knowledge so we can best position ourselves and gain first mover’s advantage.

What has been the biggest challenge you have faced? And what did you learn from it?

The biggest challenge I have faced thus far is running an early-stage startup at the beginning of a pandemic – as the pandemic persists, this remains an on-going challenge for me.

However, a key lesson I learnt so far during the past six months is the importance of being flexible and resilient while keeping a clear view of your final goal. If you have a very clear vision of your final goal, the journey will be smoother in spite of the difficulty being presented in the short-term.

How do you expect policies on climate change to impact businesses in the future? It’s hard to predict what the future policies on climate change are and how they will impact each market specifically. That said, we already see a clear trend from consumers preferring businesses to go green. Environment and sustainability are focal points for Gen Z and millennial consumers when considering engagement with a brand. Businesses that gain their trust and loyalty are those who are able to support these causes and align authentically with these values. In fact, combating waste is one of the biggest issues for young consumers. From our observations in the markets that SmartBite operates in – Malaysia and the Philippines – consumers have a strong preference to reduce plastics, especially singleuse plastics. Companies have also recently been pushing employees to adopt a “green” mindset as well.

As SmartBite are partners with our caterers, it is part of our job and value proposition to communicate the need to be more sustainable and coach them towards best practices and new creative approaches in reducing waste without it being too costly. We see a trend from clients for food to be delivered in a presentable and eco-friendly way because food is an option for gifts to their own clients and customers. As such, SmartBite has been embarking on collaborations such as developing a special tiffin set with acclaimed Malaysian chef, Chef Wan. As the tiffin is specially designed, the tiffin can be kept and reused as a food container for future meals as well.

Our company clients also appreciate that by ordering from caterers, it not only has the advantages of quality of service, food and timely delivery but will have the benefit of reduced pollution. Food delivery, via catering, will be sent to the office on a single trip which is better for the environment compared to multiple motorcycle riders making several trips to deliver food via on-demand B2C platforms.

Regardless what the policies on climate change will be, businesses need to know that they have to respond to the times, especially if environment and sustainability are key concerns of their stakeholders.