Hey whatsupppp,
Ted here! Initially I was thankful the rest go first so I can mimic them, but they set the bar so high — now I'm hateful 🙃
So a quick story about myself.
My Dad was dirt rich. Old money rich. We lived in Victoria Peak rich. Till he went bankrupt during Covid, years back. Rich.
We left Hong Kong for Cambodia with Dad telling his business partners we were heading into a new deal. I think they pretty much knew. Keeping silent was respect for the friendship. They're still good friends, though. And Dad was never an angry guy to begin with — but there's just something about a fall that huge.
It was hard initially, but I saw it as a test of everything he'd taught me. He had always walked me through the ins and outs of business and told me to do it this way if I ever got the chance. The funny thing is, his wish came true. It was a test for us both.
Getting back to where we used to be isn't impossible. We did franchising for a living. Twenty-three years of foundations. And honestly? I'm still pretty satisfied now.
Restarting came with a strange kind of ease — despite the tremendous stress. We had the chance to restructure from the start, something he never got. Most entrepreneurs will agree: we just keep moving and fixing and moving. You never stop to rebuild the foundation.
This reset was a revelation. And it's difficult to put into words, because I wouldn't want anyone to fall the way I did. But how can I explain "this should be done this way" to someone when things are already fine with them? You don't see the cracks until you're on the ground.
Freakyyy As A Safety Net
We got stuck on many versions of Freakyyy. Are we a venture builder? An agency? Creative? What problem are we actually solving? "Find your niche," everyone says. "Make it specialized."
But I wasn't confident interrupting an entrepreneur and telling him, "Hey, you shouldn't be doing that." And I'm not the guy selling business branding — I lack the creative side of things. I still think it's a waste of time when Ben wants to pause the newsletter to get a single letter right.
Here's something most people don't notice: creative agencies often lack operations. And vice versa. Merge the two? Almost never happens. Not because it's undoable, but because creatives mix together. Operators mix together. Different wiring.
Us together? We face rough days. More than the website could ever show. That's also why we took so long to finally close up and set up properly.
The caption image reflects how we think.
To me — 99% of the gap is planning. I'd be lying if I told you we know everything. But we plan it out with what we do know. And we don't stop at company structuring or incorporation planning. We keep going.
To Ben — 99% of the gap is design. Localization doesn't need to mean losing your identity. But it's NOT translation. (Haidilao is thriving, by the way.)
To Pich — 99% is perception.
To Jack and Miles — 99% is culture.
To us? 99% is what Freakyyy collectively can solve. Like Jack said, we can't promise the skies. But if you put it together and see it through a new lens, you'll see what we see. The thing is — you haven't yet. Action is louder than words.
We will prove it through our work.
And if I had to put it one way: 99% of differences is the plan you never made. I know that because I lived it. Now we help make sure you don't have to.
We are a collective, prioritizing lean building through culture, design, and strategy — while holding onto quality.
Ted | Freakyyy.com