INNOVATORS VS COVID 19

Why Now Is A Good Time To Start Legacy Planning

Published

3 years ago

02/17/2021

Kokou Adzo

We talked to Yan Aik Teck on how NextLifeBook helps organize all important documents in one place, and this is what he had to say about it.

First of all, how are you and your family doing in these COVID-19 times?

Yan Aik Teck: My family and I are doing OK in COVID-19 times. Since we are based in Singapore, most of us have adhered to safe distancing rules and wore masks to minimize the spread. Other than these slight inconveniences, we are mainly doing OK—jobs are intact, and families get to bond during the lockdown.

Tell us about you, your career, how you joined NextLifeBook?

Yan Aik Teck: I’ve been an entrepreneur since young—from peddling erasers in primary school to selling secondhand books—I loved how selling good things added value to the lives of others. Around Q4 this year, I sold my e-commerce company to a private equity firm and joined NextLifeBook as their marketing guy. It’s been a wild ride since then as we continue to hustle and bring our product to market.

How does NextLifeBook innovate?

Yan Aik Teck: Our company values teamwork. So when we innovate, we put together ideas from every team member, debate, dissect and discuss to see which ideas we should execute. Since founding, we have pivoted our products a few times to find a product-market fit that better serves our audience.

How the coronavirus pandemic affects your business, and how are you coping?

Yan Aik Teck: The pandemic has helped our business since more people are aware of their mortality and willing to engage in conversations regarding death and afterlife services. We continue to find partnership opportunities to bring our products to our intended audience.

Did you have to make difficult choices, and what are the lessons learned?

Yan Aik Teck: As a young startup with minimal capital, some difficult choices we have to make are mostly regarding product innovation. Should we get this feature on our product or save costs for marketing? Lesson learned: always talk to our customers to see what features are vital for them.

How do you deal with stress and anxiety? How do you project yourself and NextLifeBook in the future?

Yan Aik Teck: Run. Get your body moving. Sitting on the desk all day and thinking about the company’s future will create more stress and anxiety. I hit the gym as much as I can to clear my head to make better decisions for the company. In the future, our goal is to serve 80% of the market and continue to innovate and serve our customers better.

Who are your competitors? And how do you plan to stay in the game?

Yan Aik Teck: Our competitors are any companies that entertain and distract our customers from their afterlife planning. We plan to stay in the game by listening to our customers, continue to innovate, and give them a product that they couldn’t resist.