Arthur LohCo-founder
Pencil Produce Sdn Bhd
(Pencil Produce owns Pestle and Mortar Clothing company and the League of Captains cafe.)

“Until today, each and everyone of us can never get over seeing other people we don’t know wearing the designs that we put out.”

 

1. What was the greatest challenge with this partnership and how did you overcome it?
The greatest challenge we faced as partners was the fact that we were all really good friends (and family too since there are two sets of brothers) before we became business partners. Learning to compartmentalise the two was key as we would spend hours a day yelling and brooding at each other, but being able to go out and have a beer together the moment work was over for the day was the real skill.

The realisation that no matter how much we fought and argued over the business, it was always for the good of the company and for the ultimate goal we had all set for ourselves.

2. What was the driving factor that kept this business going in the early days?
It was passion and the love for the lifestyle that we lived – we turned our everyday lives into a revenue generating business. Until today, each and everyone of us can never get over seeing other people we don’t know wearing the designs that we put out. It’s this incredible feeling that kept us going and still is today.

3. While your business has diversified into F&B, your team that handles the business has not changed. How do you ensure that League of Captains will sync with the clothing business?
The most vital part of this decision was partnering up with someone who actually has that experience. That way we could focus on what we did best – our F&B partner is a seasoned barista and knows the coffee game very well from many years of experience, so while he handled the day-to-day operations and the menu, we sorted everything else out the same as we did for all our other verticals.