[Written in partnership with ULive, but the editorial team had full control over the content.]
Regardless of which social media app you scroll on, chances are you’ll stumble upon a live selling session.
It could be a fashion house, a tech brand, or even a local F&B entrepreneur chatting away. Products will flash on the screen and orders will start rolling in without the host even batting an eye.
In reality, though, this seamless-looking process hides a chaotic backend for sellers. Businesses have to track comments, verify payments, and take note of inventory while the live session is ongoing.
Not many sellers are up for the challenge, but three Malaysian entrepreneurs made it work for them:
- Gary Yap, a Malaysian TV personality who also does live selling
- Joey and June of Unicorn Online Wholesale
- Sunday and Mario of Hoyiyo Shop
Much of this is with the help of ULive, an intelligent order management system designed for live commerce. Here’s how it changed their journeys.
A pandemic skit that became a business opportunity
For Gary Yap, live selling wasn’t always a part of his plan. He’d built a career as a television host and made a name for himself as a host at local channel 8TV.
But during the pandemic, when everyone had nothing to do, he jokingly created an online persona called Madam Kee. The skit soon grew popular with his Facebook and Instagram followers, and it wasn’t long before business opportunities came knocking.
“A lot of businesses kept coming to me, asking me to help promote and sell their products [through live selling],” Gary shared, so he took the chance to broaden his horizons.
Despite being an experienced TV host, the early days weren’t easy for Gary.
Without a system in place, his team was manually jotting down orders long after the livestream session had ended. Worse still, he was scammed by several people who faked their payments to collect the goods, costing Gary over RM10,000 in product value.
That’s when tools like ULive became essential to his operations, particularly its features like:
- Real-time order record, which automatically captures every order from live comments across all posts
- Real-time inventory management, which updates automatically with each sale
With this, Gary was able to relax and focus on engaging with audiences.
Turning a RM5,000 investment into a thriving family business
“At the time, I was just staying at home without much to do,” Joey shared. So with a capital of RM5,000, she established Unicorn Online Wholesale with her sister June.
Initially, Joey was running the business solo while her sister June helped out in the evenings after clocking out.
Until one day, the orders began piling in so much that they needed all hands on deck. This was when June decided to quit her day job to also run Unicorn Online Wholesale with Joey on a full-time basis.
But the real challenge was the lack of a proper system back then. Everything was done manually, from noting down orders to processing them, and hired assistants weren’t always reliable.
“Sometimes they would undercharge or overcharge customers, or even change the company account to their own. It was very messy and we couldn’t check every single order,” Joey confided.
That’s when they turned to ULive’s platform to turn the tide and enable the sisters to regain control of their live selling business.
Features such as ULive’s integrated payment gateway, e-invoice, and automated bulk discount management provided their customers a more seamless shopping experience.
When exhibition lights dimmed, they found a new stage online
Unlike the other two brands, Hoyiyo Shop started its venture as an offline business.
Before this, Sunday and Mario frequently joined exhibitions at shopping malls to sell their products. But it was an exhausting and uncertain business model.
Then a friend suggested they try Facebook live selling and it changed everything.
Instead of facing just a handful of customers at exhibitions, they could now reach hundreds of people in a single livestream selling session.
Of course, scaling their Facebook live selling business came with its own set of challenges. “When bringing goods from abroad, there were constant mistakes in ordering. Once, the
orders were over 300 or 400 pieces!”
Without a proper system, Sunday and Mario risked the recurrence of such hiccups, so they turned to ULive for assistance.
For example, ULive enabled them to streamline orders through its integrated logistics feature, which has over 80 courier partners. The platform’s sales and product reports also provided comprehensive analytics that allowed them to make better business decisions.
Quietly powering a new generation of entrepreneurs
At the heart of live selling isn’t just commerce, it’s about connection.
Whether it’s Gary finding new ways to reinvent his career, Joey and June turning a RM5,000 investment into a family business, or Sunday and Mario pivoting from offline to online sales, these entrepreneurs show how resilience can pay off.
That said, as their own experience has shown, resilience alone doesn’t keep a business running.
Using platforms like ULive to quietly power the backend, they were able to scale without losing the personal touch that keeps customers coming back.
“Live selling is growing into one of Malaysia’s most exciting digital economies, but it isn’t easy for the people driving it,” said Bryant Khor, the co-founder and CEO of ULive. “Our goal is to take away the operational headaches, so sellers can do what they do best—connect, inspire, and build lasting businesses.”
Featured Image Credit: Gary Yap / Unicorn Online Wholesale / Hoyiyo Shop
Last modified: October 9, 2025
About the Author: Jeremy P.
