As someone who built a thriving business, I have always believed that strategy and execution only matter when they drive outcomes. I have been reluctant to dive into advisory primarily because giving advice felt like just half the job done, and often means you have no control over the implementation or outcome.
Since my exit from the company I co-founded, people have asked me to advise them on their businesses and, frankly, I ran out of excuses to say no. So, I dove into advisory and discovered I enjoy it because good advisory can go much further than giving advice. It can help turn a recommendation into an outcome.
I realised that the advisory work I enjoy has three conditions:
- Vision — As the client, you know where you want your business to go. You may not know how to get there, but there needs to be a destination. Maybe the growth in your business has exposed weaknesses that you need outside assistance to fix. Maybe you are facing a decision you can't resolve. As an advisor, I provide perspectives, ideas and enablement that help your business move forward. And when moving forward requires expertise beyond my own, I bring in people with the right capabilities to help us make the change, not just recommend it.
- Trust — I act in your best interest and that of your business. I will protect your time and resources, and I will recommend something that reduces my fees if that is what is best for your business. I cannot understand the real problem without sufficient access to the business. That requires trust.
- Agency — The willingness and ability to act on a plan is what gives your business the opportunity to transform. Plans on a PowerPoint are just a pretty picture with a good intention behind it. I prefer outcomes.
My background
I'm Yong Siew Mee. People call me Siew Mee.
I spent much of my career building capabilities and businesses rather than advising them.
I was part of the early team at Quintiq, a Dutch enterprise planning software company that ran global operations from Malaysia. It grew internationally before being acquired by Dassault Systèmes. During that time, I managed marketing teams across North America, EMEA and APAC. Later, I co-founded 2X, where over eight years we grew from a 5-person team in Kuala Lumpur to a 1,000-person B2B marketing services business with operations across the US, Malaysia, and the Philippines, servicing exclusively the mature US market.
Like most co-founders, I wore many hats as the company grew. At various points I was responsible for building marketing services know-how, running the Malaysian operations, and figuring out the systems and processes needed as we scaled.
The business was later acquired by a New York-based private equity firm, and I left the company in 2025.