Mestrae has been quite a journey. We started from nothing, learning every step as we went. But building in a system weighed down by corruption, racism, and a collapsing manufacturing ecosystem has been brutally hard. We can't produce shoes without overhauling manufacturing and remaking the molds, which costs a fortune. Yet we can't raise the funds without having shoes to sell. It's a perfect catch-22.
Then came the blow that nearly broke us. A government grant was supposed to help us grow but instead, it pushed us into massive debt. We met every requirement, on time and beyond expectation. We even began exporting to 31 countries and won numerous innovation awards globally and nationally, but the grant funds never arrived. It was a reimbursement scheme, which meant I had to take on the debt first. With short repayment terms from multiple lenders, the pressure was relentless.
To be honest, I didn't know what to do next. The shift from a highly specialised engineering career to a jack-of-all-trades founder made it worse. You lose the deep skillsets that land immediate jobs, but you still don't have the breadth to cover everything.
So I took on odd jobs in startup consulting, writing and freelancing. The pay was small, but the lessons were big. The more I worked with other founders, the more I saw their mistakes and realised they were ours too. We went to market too early. We couldn't iterate to product-market fit because every change required new contracts. I didn't know the business well enough. Our team was too young. We had no cash flow. Manufacturing was a constant fight.
I made one too many mistakes, and I take full responsibility for them.
To rebuild, I pursued graduate studies in business and will soon begin my doctorate in globalising small businesses. I took on more corporate consulting and wrote a book on building innovation and scaling for big companies. It's as much of a struggle for them as it is for small ones. I haven't taken a single day off, no weekends or holidays in years. But we are finally closing in on our financial struggles.
There are a few things I want to do differently as we embark on our chapter.
One of Mestrae's biggest challenges has been the lack of manufacturing and supply chain maturity for interchangeable heels. The concept has existed for decades, but every component is custom-made and too many patents have slowed technology growth. My answer is to open-source our designs through OwnIt by Rangkai.Store (work in progress).
I also believe bridging fashion and technology for comfort, should serve the underserved. I'm developing wireless health devices for the elderly, pregnant women, autistic children, and pets.
Mestrae's interchangeable heels will undergo a complete engineering redesign. It's overdue, and with today's rapid tech growth, prototyping is far more affordable than it was a few years ago.
Alongside this, I'm building a tool for founders like me, those who need paying work but aren't sure how to apply their skills outside the startup world, to help them transition while continuing to grow their businesses.
I owe our customers and our lenders far more than money, and I haven't forgotten it. In Malaysia, there's a saying: Hutang emas boleh dibayar. Hutang budi dibawa mati. A debt of gold can be repaid. A debt of gratitude lasts until death.
To our lenders, we will complete all repayments this year. To our customers, you are next.
We went to market too early. While many customers have enjoyed their shoes for years, some, especially from our Kickstarter campaign, never received theirs. After shutting down our manufacturing and outsourcing, the operation collapsed post-COVID. Then floods destroyed what was left of our inventory. We had to start everything from scratch.
The right thing to do is to refund every customer, and we aim to begin this process between October and December. I would also like to invite you back as early adopters and testers when we release the new Mestrae technology, which we plan to roll out in 2026.
For now, communication will be limited as it's just me running things until I can bring one or two more people on board. I appreciate your patience.
I'm excited for what's ahead and can't wait to relaunch Mestrae with all of you by my side.