It was such great fun and honour to interview Kiah Kiean who is the owner of kakidesign.com.
In this interview, we will reveal how he founded his company and how online business helped him achieve success. Find out what problems they have and how he deals with them and more in this fun interview! 
- Please describe what your business is all about?
KaKi Creative is a design studio base in Penang, providing graphic design services and creative visual solutions.
- Tell us how you first started your business.
I started my very first design project in year 2002 with a desktop which was assembled by my cousin Chan Kee Siak (now the CEO of Exabytes).
- What encouraged/inspired you into starting this business?
Simple, I love design. That’s why I call my studio KaKi Creative.
- What are the differences between kakidesign, kakicreative and kakicreation?
KaKi Design is the first sole proprietor company started in 2002. In year 2007 some partners joined the team and we changed the company name to KaKi Creative. KaKi Creation is a future project where I started to develop Penang’s artist and designer products. I also have a personal artist website, kiahkiean.com which showcases my sketches work.
- Have you always wanted to do what you are doing since you were a child?
Yes, I am a lucky person, I do what I like and what I dreamt when I was a child.
- What are, in your opinion, the three most important things that make you successful?
Love, Passion & Luck!
- Have you received any awards or acknowledgements so far? Please mention if there is any.
Not at the moment.
- How long did it take you to get this far?
5 years and I think there is still a long road to go.
- What were the biggest challenges did you have to go through to get this far?
Design managements and learning from mistakes.
- What is the best part about being an entrepreneur for you?
When I hear “I like your work!” from my clients.
- Did you start off your business with the presence of a website?
Yes
- What makes you choose to want to have an online presence (website)?
As a designer, I do not need to bring my heavy portfolio bag anymore. People can just view my works online. It’s really convenient to have a website.
- How does having a website make any difference in helping you run your daily business?
Communication becomes much easier for me. I also use the ftp service by Exabytes to transfer big files to clients far away, for example, in Singapore and other parts of the world.
- How much do you utilize your website and email usage in your daily operations?
Almost 100% for emails.
- Do you think having an online presence contributed to the success of your business in some way? Why or why not?
Yes, visual presentation become easier, people know what you are doing and can review your quality of works.
- Do you think not having a website now will affect the success of your business? Why or why not?
Yes, in this rapid changing world, fast information and communication become very important. With a website, it’s possible.
- How did you find yourself during this recession time and how does having an online presence help you gain business (if any)?
Most of our clients are regular clients.
- If there were entrepreneurs out there thinking of starting up a business, would you encourage them to get a website for their business? Why or why not?
Yes, it is important to let others know what you are doing and also the principle and concept behind.
- If given a chance, would you like to try other things than what you are doing now? If yes, what business/field would it be?
Nah, I still dream of being a fulltime artist and running an art gallery.
- What advice do you have for new startups who dream to have their own business and yet find it hard to make the leap?
Don’t be afraid to go for your dreams.
- Is there any artworks that you’re proud of that you would like to share with our readers out there?
Definitely! For more of my artworks, please visit http://kiahkiean.com/v02/kkart/sketches_01.htm and for more of my design works, please visit http://www.kakicreative.com/v02/kakicreative/work.htm . Have a pleasant stay!
And before we close the curtain, ladies & gentlemen, meet Kiah Kiean, The Gifted Artist!
Client Success Stories
Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!
Days go by, and before you know it, Merdeka is here to embrace us once again!
In conjunction to this special event, please be informed that Exabytes office will be closed for one day on Monday (31/08/09) and will resume normal operating hours starting Tuesday (01/09/09). However, any queries can be directed to our helpdesk or email us at support@exabytes.com.my, and your queries are sure to be attended as soon as possible! We sincerely apologize for any inconveniences caused by this.
We would also like to take this opportunity to give BIG thanks to everyone who have made our Tweet & Win AND iLoveMalaysia (which will both soon end on the 14/09/09) campaign a huge, HUGE success! Not forgetting, those who have been supporting our Merdeka Mania sales, and given such encouraging responds in our Merdeka Quiz in our website & Facebook.
Thank you so much again and hey, have a great holiday ahead!
Happy Merdeka Day, everyone!
Announcement
A year has passed and Ramadhan is here to embrace us once again. .
Holy Ramadhan. A time where Muslims from all over the world unite, and seen thronging the mosques, thriving for the same goal – seeking for the Almighty’s forgiveness and blessings that He has promised. It is also the time where the sisters and brothers of Islam from all over the world seek forgiveness and wish each other well on this holy month.
Therefore everybody, why don’t we take this chance to wish “Selamat Berpuasa”, not forgetting “Selamat Hari Raya” to all our Muslim sisters and brothers in the world who is going to celebrate the glorious festivity soon too!
And to all our Muslims friends, let us start by wishing you a blessed Ramadhan and a month full of grace, peace and patience. May His divine blessings be showered upon all of you this Ramadhan Mubarak. Selamat Berpuasa!
Announcement
Short Update!
It’s been 2 wonderful weeks in Washington, but unfortunately, all good things will come to an end. Sighs. We will be heading back to Malaysia tomorrow. For those of you who still havent had enough of us (hehe) you can still catch us at our transit in LA, Tokyo or Singapore before we reach Malaysia 
Anyways, we would liketo thank Jay and wife for the warm hospitality and all the folks at Hostingcon2009 for the wonderful experience in Washington DC. Hoping to see you lot again next year! Until then, take care!
Offline-ing in 60 seconds,
Chan & Andy.
Insight @ Exabytes!
Whoa. This must be one of the bests campaign we have ever thrown yet!
We kept getting requests to update the status of this campaign, and receiving all the positive comments from the public about this campaign, it even surprised us! You can do the same too by leaving your comments at our Feedback System available in our website which allows you to comment on our Products & Services, website design, content, user friendliness, etc.
Below would be some of the comments we received from the public about this campaign :
Not bad, huh?
Anyhu. Up to this minute, the participation for this iLoveMalaysia campaign has reached 1461 participations! Woohoo! This is sure gonna hard for us to select the winner! But you know the cue : Refer MORE for HIGHER chances of winning! It’s the only thing that will make you stand out from the rest, so common guys! The more you refer, the more you are noticeable to us, the higher chances for you to win! So refer more for a good chance of winning that much-dreamt-about iPhone 3GS and other goodies!
Thank you all for your participation!
Announcement
Wow, it’s tough choosing the winner! Thank you all for the overwhelming response, but, no matter how tough, we still need to select one.
This first week winner will be @piratz
Congratulations!
As for those who have yet to join our Tweet and Win, join today! There are still 4 more iPod shuffles up for grab.
Announcement
Time passes by, and before you know it, our dear Malaysia, is going to turn 52 this 31st August. And from what we see, this calls for a celebration! That’s right people, it’s celebration time!
Come celebrate this glorious day with much joy and happiness as we pamper you with even more SPECIAL discounts to give away!
- Get one of our shared hosting plans and get a whopping discount of 52%! The earlier you order, the more discount you get, so hurry and order today!
- .my domain names sale for as low as RM0.99/year! Insanely low price? You bet it is!
Now don’t wait for tomorrow. Buy TODAY to get CHEAPER price!
And don’t forget to tweet about our fabulous Merdeka promotion to win cool iPod Shuffles! Limited to first 5 winners only, so tweet now and win today!
Promotions
You heard everybody talking about it. You saw fliers and banners of it hanging everywhere. You waited quite patiently for it to arrive. And last weekend, it finally did – the MSC MALAYSIA GREAT ICT SALE!
For those of you who aren’t already aware, last weekend, Multimedia Development Corporation aka MDEC organized MSC Malaysia Great ICT Sale at Penang International Sports Arena (PISA), Penang, together with PC Fair.
Over 14 companies came to witness this event. And as all of you might have guessed, the place was jam-packed with people as early as 10am in the morning, buzzing with activities with companies actively engaging with their potential buyers.
Read more…
Insight @ Exabytes!
As informed in our entry previously, our first ever CoffeeHUT was launched last Friday. For those of you who aren’t already aware of this event, CoffeeHUT is a program, an opportunity for you to learn everything about webhosting and more, over a cup of coffee, with us!
Our first ever CoffeeHUT event went very well although the participants were a bit shy and hesitant to participate at the start of the program. However, after the ice breaking session, the Q&A started getting real hot as the questions keep pouring in ; they even forgot to have the various type of 3-in-1 coffee we have prepared earlier just for them! Hehe.
The topic discussed on that day were :
1. Migration and general plugin used in WordPress
2. Some simple tips on security
3. Ruby scripting
4. Billing and calendaring application for website development
The CEO could not join us on that day however, since he is currently USA exploring 
But as for the next session which is going to be held on the (take note of this, people!) 9th of October, 2009, he promised to make it a point to join us, provided that his schedule is not tight on that day, of course. 
Oh and, we would like to take this opportunity to thank those of you who have made our first ever coffeeHUT a success
Until we meet again next 2 months, here are some pictures for you to enjoy!
Read more…
Insight @ Exabytes!
At Exabytes, we understand that everybody is unique, and the different needs of each and every one of them. That is why, we have come up with not just one, but two truly remarkable plans, customized to meet your needs!
EBiz Beginner
Introducing EBiz Beginner, an all-in-one hosting plan compacted into one powerful hosting package to give that strong foundation for everyone with an interest in webhosting. Definitely a perfect plan to help beginners with little experience get started in webhosting and become so good at it, it will leave them wondering why “domain name” was such a mystery to them before!
EBiz Home
Introducing EBiz Home, the perfect plan for families, at excellent value. With a large amount of web space, monthly data transfer and all the extra features, papa can now correspond with his clients via the smart webmail, mama can now keep her recipes in her personal cooking website and I can blog all day, all night!
C’mon and get the plan that best fits your needs, now!
Announcement
