"Number one is the founder. We focus on the people and the founder because we operate the business ourselves, so we know what kind of people drive success. Number two is the synergy we bring to the table—whether through better COGS, operational costs using our central kitchen, improved unit economics, or logistics that squeeze more margin. When we integrate them into our infrastructure, they benefit from it. We calculate the integration impact and how quickly it can happen, depending on how open-minded the founders and team are. Number three is we avoid trendy businesses. At Daily Box, now Daily Co., we focus on comfort food and staple foods—things people consistently want." - Kelvin Subowo, CEO of Daily Co." - Kelvin Subowo
"What's helped me a lot during tough times is having great teams that always support me. I've had to make difficult decisions that impact people's lives and futures, but they always aim for a bigger purpose—we want to create disruption for this country. We truly believe in the Indonesian market and its people. That belief keeps us motivated. Many founders who joined or were acquired by our company see how we treat talent, and that makes a difference during challenging periods. As founders, we sometimes feel faint-hearted, unsure if we can deliver or navigate the storm, but it helps that the team has seen our progress and how we've weathered past storms." - Kelvin Subowo, CEO of Daily Co." - Kelvin Subowo
"Manage our expectations. We always prepare for the worst and hope for the best. We thought 2023 would be tough because it was a political year in Indonesia. After the general elections, we expected things to improve, but 2024 elections made things worse. Then came trade wars, and we hoped 2025 would bring stability—but now it's even more uncertain. Investors are increasingly pessimistic about the Indonesian market, and we, as local entrepreneurs, have been hit hard. Whatever you plan for tomorrow often ends up not even 20 percent accurate." - Kelvin Subowo, CEO of Daily Co." - Kelvin Subowo
In this episode, Jeremy Au speaks on 7 failures, cloud kitchen collapse, and building Indonesia's F&B avengers.
Keywords: Kelvin Subowo, 7 Failures, Cloud Kitchen Collapse, Indonesia F&B Avengers, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Startup, Failure, Founder Story
