How do you go from 8 founders and one tiny office to 1,080 coffee stores in 4 countries — in just 5 years?

In this episode, we sit down with Ian Chua and Venon Tian, co-founders of Zus Coffee — Malaysia's #1 coffee chain that quietly overtook Starbucks while the world was in lockdown.

From an RM50,000 angel cheque to opening one store a day in 2024, the Zus Coffee story is a masterclass in timing, technology, and relentless discipline.

🔑 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

- How Zus' app-first model meant 70% of orders come through their own platform (vs Starbucks' ~30%)

- Why COVID-19 was the best thing that ever happened to Zus — and how being digitally ready gave them an unfair advantage

- The "pluck-numbers-from-the-sky" target-setting method that took them from 60 to 360 to 670 stores in three years

- How segmented P&L (Stars, Bloomers, Matures, Laggards) helps them manage 1,000+ outlets

- Why they named a boardroom "Servant Leader" — and what a non-Christian learned about leadership from a church principle

- The "Store Walk" method: Going on ground, visiting stores, and watching what customers actually buy

- What it means to cannibalize yourself before your competitor does

🕐 TIMECODED CHAPTERS

0:00 – Teaser: "More than a billion in revenue"
0:26 – Intro & Meet the Zus Coffee Founders
1:04 – Ian's backstory: From JB to Australia to e-commerce at 22
2:35 – Venon's backstory: Law school, UK retail, and eBay hustle
5:03 – How Ian & Venon met through a shared mentor (and a cold call)
7:18 – What made them entrepreneurial from day one
8:49 – The Zus model explained
10:24 – Early challenges: Discouragements, no playbook, scrappy beginnings
12:42 – How COVID-19 became their biggest tailwind
13:38 – 70% of customers order via app – vs Starbucks' 30%
14:58 – The app advantage: Cutting wait times and driving footfall to cheap locations
18:12 – Marketing strategy: 50% art, 50% performance
19:18 – Scaling culture: From 40 people in one office to 1,000+ outlets
21:48 – The "Game of Impossible" room in Zus HQ
24:18 – Servant leadership
24:45 – Discipline of action: Opening 1,080 stores across 4 countries
25:35 – "Plucking numbers from the sky" – how they set audacious targets
27:51 – One store a day in 2024: 670 stores opened in a single year
29:14 – Expanding internationally: Philippines, Thailand, Singapore
30:59 – Building the feedback loop & refining the playbook
32:41 – "Every customer counts" – how they handle complaints
34:07 – Segmented P&L: The billion-ringgit revenue question
36:03 – Malaysia Airlines lesson: Why segmented P&L changes everything
36:44 – Idris's Shell story: Standing in front of a competitor to find the right location
41:59 – Did Zus beat Starbucks in Malaysia?
43:57 – Stars, Bloomers, Matures & Laggards: The 4-quadrant store framework
47:00 – Navigating economic headwinds & cost-saving "labs"
48:49 – Letting go of "cowboy" instincts: Adding structure without losing agility
51:10 – The Game of Impossible for Ian & Venon: Zus going global

✍️ KEY QUOTES

"We always believe the biggest competitor will be ourself." — Ian
40:51

"Whatever that brings us today might not be taking us to tomorrow." — Ian
49:22

"When we first started we didn't think as much. It was very much being ourselves." — Venon
19:44

"If you can do it one month, why can't you do it every month?" — Venon
26:45

"When a crisis comes, people who are ready for the crisis have a massive advantage." — Idris
14:44

"Marketing is 50% art, 50% performance." — Ian
18:32


"People taking the effort to feedback to you means they care." — Ian
33:03

✌🏽ABOUT US

Dato Sri Idris Jala is a former minister (ranked by Bloomberg in 2014 as the Top 10 Most Influential Policy Makers in the World) and Chairman of PEMANDU Associates and Heineken Malaysia, as well as Co-Chairman of Sunway Group.

Leon Jala is the Executive Pastor at HTBB Church where he heads Leadership Development and Innovation. He is also a Board Member of PEMANDU Associates where he serves as Vice Chair.

📲 FOLLOW US

🤳🏼IG: @thegameofimpossible
🕺🏻TikTok: @thegameofimpossible
🎧Spotify: The Game Of Impossible

#99 | The ZUS Coffee Story (Ian Chua & Venon Tian)