For many years, e-commerce was a big part of my life. I sold online, learned through trial and error, worked with platforms, trained sellers, spoke at events, and shared what I knew with people who wanted to build something of their own.
And I genuinely enjoyed it, especially the sharing. There is something about standing in front of a live audience, looking at people who are genuinely trying to improve their lives, answering their questions and exchanging ideas that gives me a kind of energy that is difficult to describe. It made me feel alive.
So when I decided in 2025 to stop actively providing e-commerce training and resign as a Lazada Certified Trainer, it was not an easy decision. It was not because I had stopped believing in entrepreneurship or e-commerce, and it certainly was not because I had stopped enjoying teaching.
The reason was much simpler: I could no longer give the same advice with the same confidence.
The Game Had Changed
When I first became involved in marketplace e-commerce, platforms such as Lazada and Shopee created incredible opportunities. The barrier to entry was relatively low, and a small seller could start with a few products, learn how the marketplace worked, improve step by step and potentially build a meaningful business.
It was never easy, but I felt the opportunity was real.
Over the years, however, the economics gradually changed. Marketplace commissions increased, advertising and promotional costs increased, competition became much more intense, and price wars became harder to avoid. Foreign sellers and large cross-border players also became increasingly aggressive.
At the same time, customers expected better prices, faster delivery, better service and more promotions. Sellers had to do more, while in many cases earning a smaller margin.
Eventually, I started asking myself a question that I could no longer ignore.
Would I Still Recommend It?
Imagine a completely new entrepreneur standing in front of me. Perhaps this person had saved RM20,000 or RM30,000 over many years and was excited about starting a business.
If that person trusted my experience and asked:
“Should I put my savings into starting a marketplace e-commerce business today?”
Would I still give the same enthusiastic answer I might have given several years earlier?
My answer slowly became: Not necessarily.
And that bothered me.
Once you start teaching people, I believe you carry a certain responsibility. People may act based on what you tell them. They may invest their savings, quit their jobs, borrow money or spend months and years pursuing an opportunity because someone they trusted told them it was worth pursuing.
I did not want to continue conducting classes simply because I knew how to conduct them. If I was no longer convinced that the environment was as entrepreneur-friendly as before, I felt I had a responsibility to be honest about it.
So in 2025, I stopped.
This Does Not Mean E-Commerce Is Dead
I want to be very clear about this: I do not believe e-commerce is dead.
Far from it. There are still very successful sellers, strong brands and entrepreneurs making good money online. There are still opportunities.
But I believe the type of opportunity has changed.
Simply finding a product, importing it, listing it on a marketplace and competing mainly on price has become a much harder path for a new entrepreneur. The market has matured, the platforms have matured, competition has matured, and entrepreneurs need to mature with them.
That realisation created another uncomfortable question for me.
What If I Had to Start Again?
It is easy to tell other people what they should do. It is much harder to put yourself back into the position of a beginner.
So I started asking myself: if I had to start a new business today, what would I do differently? Would I still depend heavily on marketplaces? Would I still compete mainly on price? Would I still build the same kind of e-commerce operation, or would I try something different?
That question stayed with me.
Eventually, I came to a conclusion. Instead of continuing to teach other people how to start a business, perhaps it was time for me to start again myself.
To become the student again.
I wanted to experience the uncertainty again, make mistakes again, learn new tools again, and discover whether what I believed about business still worked in a very different world.
And strangely enough, the next chapter started with my wife telling me that I should do yoga.
But that is another story.
The Next Chapter of KK Ecommerce
For now, this first article is simply my way of closing one chapter properly.
KK Ecommerce played an important role in my life. It gave me experience, friendships and the opportunity to meet thousands of entrepreneurs and business owners. More importantly, it taught me something that I understand even better today:
Business is never really about having all the answers. It is about being willing to keep learning when the answers change.
After years of teaching, I am becoming a student again.
And I think I am ready for that.
Welcome to the next chapter of KK Ecommerce.