It was good to be a part of Doerscircle community because I could learn from others' challenges and we could support each other

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Travis Bennett:  Hi, everyone, it's Travis from Doerscircle. And I'm here with Alex from Actxa Wellness. Talking a little bit about his journey as a business owner here in Singapore. So welcome. Thank you for joining us today.

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Alex Loh: Thanks for having me, Travis, and it’s good to be doing this with Doerscircle. I am the CEO and co-founder of Actxa Wellness. And we've been incorporated for one year and four months, so pretty young as a company. My co-founder has two other businesses, so we get a lot of support for functions like admin HR, and finance from the other companies. The team is small, we are four people. We are in the business of providing employee wellness solutions to corporates. So 50% of our business is on our app platform and 50% of the business is actually through on-site engagement, or through webinars, gamification, and even taking people outside of the office to do outdoor activities.

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Travis Bennett: So it's mostly the online stuff that is a big part of the business? Or is it the activities and the corporate partnerships that you have?

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Alex Loh: Well, it's been quite a bit of a learning process for us. When we first started, we were pushing platform-only. And that's where we realized that it's not going to stick. So, right now, we have rebranded to be a fully integrated corporate wellness solution. I don't think and through our experience, we realized that a 100% app platform is going to be difficult to engage. That's where we have that 50% in-person, as well as webinars, that we engage our employees.

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Travis Bennett: Yeah. What do you typically look for in a client? So, when is someone going to come to you and say, “Hey, this is what we need, we need a new corporate wellness program.” What stage are they at when they look to find someone like your business? 

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Alex Loh: I think in the course of speaking to many HR directors and business owners, I think most of the time, they might not know what they want or know what they need. And that's where we would like to come in to ask the right questions and to assess the situation. So, it’s almost like doing a little bit of an audit, because sometimes what they think that they might want might not be actually what they need. So it's been a lot of education for me as well, from a wellness and well-being perspective. I think that a lot of the time, organizations or managers know that they need something wellness-related or wellbeing related, but they might not know where to find the help, right? And that's where we come in. Because we are fairly connected within this space, even if it's a solution that we cannot provide, it's something that one of our partners might be able to provide and help with. 

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Travis Bennett: Ah, okay! So you can come in and kind of do the whole range of solutions, whether it's through yourself or someone else. That's very cool. When you look back at your business journey, what's been the main challenges that you've faced as someone starting your own business and getting it up and running?

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Alex Loh: I think that right now, I'm fortunate that my co-founder and business partner has established businesses already. And therefore, a lot of the administrative work, for example, legal work, is covered by the sister companies. But of course, prior to starting Actxa Wellness, I started other businesses of my own, almost as a solopreneur. And with that, of course, challenges would always be present. insurance was definitely a major one. I wouldn't say it was a challenge but a key consideration. It was difficult to find the right company that met the needs of a small company. And for corporate SEC services, knowing what you need and what do you not need? And I think I'm already in a bit of a more privileged position because I've started multiple businesses. So I'm not coming in totally cold or blank. But I can imagine, there are some individuals who really do not know where to start. Right. Which of course, is a challenge that Doerscircle has been able to help the many members on its platform. 

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Travis Bennett: Sure, sure. I think maybe even looking back to before you even started your first business. If you could go back and give yourself a piece of advice, what would you say, maybe 10 years ago, when you were looking at how to get started? What would be your advice for yourself 10 years ago?

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Alex Loh: I think by coincidence or by chance, I actually managed to be in different communities. I actually managed to be in different communities, and something that I would tell my younger self would be, “Go out there and be in as many communities as possible, that align with either the business or your values - personal and business values.” And I think that if we're able to find these communities, it's really about getting whatever extra help that you need from within that community.

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Travis Bennett: So it's almost like peer networking - some kind of free advice on who to contact for this, or what do I do in this situation? Cool. So then I guess, when you joined, Doerscircle, what was the main reason that you thought I need to be in this community? What brought you to Doerscircle?

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Alex Loh: I think being a solopreneur, or running a business on my own, I always felt that I want to be speaking with other individuals. And we were not so much like in the startup space, you know, where it's an accelerator or an incubator. These are really entrepreneurs, little pockets of people around, that actually don't need investment and don't need funding, and we're doing things on our own. Right? So, it would be good to be with a bunch of these people to understand their challenges, to see if there's any way that we might be able to support each other. So, I found out about Doerscircle when I met its founder, Helle Priess, at an event and decided to try it out.

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Travis Bennett: Ah, very cool. So would you recommend people to join Doerscircle?

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Alex Loh: Yes, for sure. At that time, it was definitely beneficial for the business. And I mean, you guys within the team have also been extremely helpful with understanding the different needs of the members and helping us connect to each other. I think that's also something that has been very beneficial and was very beneficial.

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Travis Bennett: Perfect. Is there anything else you would like to share with the Doerscircle audience while we’ve got them?

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Alex Loh: Well, if there's anyone within the community that is looking for wellness or well-being support, look me up at Actxa wellness, I'm Alex. And you are very lucky to be in the Doerscircle community, so stick to it and continue to help each other. Thank you.

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Travis Bennett: 

Thank you so much, Alex! Bye, everyone!

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