Jackson Khoo, the founder of MCM Group, began his career on the opposite side of the agency fence. After finishing school in e-commerce marketing, he went to 17 job interviews. But to his dismay, all of them wanted him to do sales instead of marketing.
“My mom expressed her disappointment and asked why I turned down all the offers. So I promised her I’d accept the next offer if I ever made it – even if it meant working in sales,” Jackson tells WargaBiz.
Jackson described his first job as a crucial learning curve for his career. “Interestingly, it was my first and my last job,” he laughs.
However, he still kept his hopes high in becoming a marketer. After two years, he took a bold decision by tendering his resignation immediately after he saw the first Facebook ad in Malaysia – and it was McDonald’s. He felt it was the right moment to grab the opportunity before it was too late.
Small idea, big impact
After quitting his job, he started working on creating a simple yet impactful online page. Jackson defined it as an online platform where he gathered all recommended food and restaurants in the Klang Valley.
“It’s like a food directory that connects food lovers to great food. People can like, comment and even share,” he explains.
Unfortunately, the business permanently shut down after a year because most restaurant owners hesitated to get their food listed on the page. “When we offered them the package, most of them said they couldn’t see the value of our page.”
Thus, he spent time thinking of what he could do by utilising his skills and years of experience.
MCM Group: At the forefront of digital marketing
Twelve years ago, not many explored digital marketing. Jackson recognised exciting opportunities that others hadn’t yet appreciated. Based on his explanation, traditional agencies were slow to embrace new technological advancements. So he decided to get the jump on them and launched his digital-savvy creative agency – MCM Group.
He clarified his reason for diverting the business model was that one of his past clients told him that he was willing to pay more if he could run Facebook ads for his restaurant.
Thus, he started working in Facebook advertising. He secured three clients in the first three months – and it was a one-man show. He was running the agency alone for quite some time. The agency scaled up rapidly because he had grand ambitions for his clients.
In the second year of operating the agency, he started hiring staff. “We helped a client from earning RM30,000 in one month to RM500,000. At that time, we served more than 30 brands that involved more than 18 industries, including the catering industry, mother and child healthcare, the healthcare industry, etc. But, the growth came with a lot of challenges.”
Business slows
However, Jackson shared that the demand started to decline gradually. He created an ambitious road map for the next five years to keep the business on track. Jackson said he wanted to put his agency No 1 social media agency in Malaysia within five years.
He was taken aback when he noticed that most of his clients only use their service for 3-6 months. “I’ll tell you what happened back then – most clients will switch to another agency after some time because they believed other agencies can deliver excellent results as we did for them but at a lower charge.”
“Apart from that, there were many limitations when we worked in an agency. The ideas provided were not valued and often fell on deaf ears,” Jackson continues.
“I had to change my game in order to scale up the agency. So, in our 4th year, I told my team that it would be our last year if we couldn’t break the loop. Unfortunately, we could not find a solution, so I had to close down the agency in 2018,” he shares.
It’s time to say goodbye to his agency and start new glory
One of the company’s biggest highlights happened after he closed down the agency. An old customer of his came back to seek his help. He told Jackson that he had met a lot of marketers, but none delivered the same result as Jackson had done for him before.
But, this time around, Jackson had to think of a different business model that would be scalable. “I discussed with him and presented my proposal. I don’t want to run an agency anymore – I want a real partnership. So, we agreed on a profit-sharing model.”
With ten years of experience in digital marketing and e-commerce, MCM Group is dedicated to providing service that clients will value in a real practical way. In return, MCM Group can drive measurable returns on investment for all its clients.
Jackson finally found the best business model that benefits both parties. He finally had the freedom to pitch his ideas and get involved in crucial decision-making.
One of his success stories was when he helped LifeTree Asia – a healthcare brand grows from zero to RM8 million sales in a month.
MCM Group: Ready to redefine the healthcare industry
Later in 2021, MCM Group slowly shifted into the healthcare industry. He founded EziHealth, which combines an e-commerce model with online healthcare services. “We opened our first clinic in August. Can you imagine a marketer owning a clinic? I couldn’t even fathom!”
This new path presents an abundance of entrepreneurial opportunities for Jackson. They are ready to transform the traditional healthcare ecosystem with fresh and innovative ideas. As the new kid on the block, Jackson has a big dream for MCM Group in the future – owning a hospital.
As far as digital marketing goes, Jackson reiterates, it’s all about embracing challenges with creativity. “Digital marketing is very competitive, many challenges await, and you have to be well-prepared for all the consequences,” he advises.
Discussion about this post