Seth Lui (Singapore Entrepreneur)

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Seth Lui
Seth Lui profile.jpg
EducationBachelor of Business Management
Alma materSingapore Management University

Seth Lui is a Singaporean entrepreneur who founded and manages the eponymous online publication, SETHLUI.com. Known mainly for its food reviews, the website has over 370,000 likes on Facebook and over 110,000 followers on Instagram as of September 2020. Seth Lui is also a writer, having published the Food & Restaurant Marketing System (FARMS) e-book in 2018[1] on top of writing articles for publications like Singapore Business Review.[2] He is also an editor at the lifestyle website, Hype & Stuff.[3]

Background

Education

Seth Lui was a student at Xinmin Secondary School. He then furthered his studies at Singapore Management University (SMU) where he was a double major in Business and Finance/Marketing.[3] Speaking about his time in SMU, he said:

"SMU was a great learning ground for me where I could afford to experiment with many new things without any mistakes being fatal... It can get immensely competitive at times, and that could be good or bad depending on your objectives and personal character."[4]

As a third-year undergraduate, Seth initiated the plans for a pop-up student café called SCRÈME on the SMU campus and ran the café with a group of friends for two years before graduating.[4] He graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor of Business Management.[5] Seth also participated in windsurfing and fencing during his university days.

Career

After completing his university studies in 2010, Seth worked as a bartender at Oyster Bar Singapore and SAUCE Bar for about a year.[3] He then founded MAKESHAKE, a homegrown F&B establishment that sold customisable milkshakes.[6][7] According to Seth, the venture did well during its first year of operations, having also been featured in Her World[8] and The Sunday Times.[9] MAKESHAKE was operational for four years before closing down due to diminishing revenue.[4][5]

SETHLUI.com - Founder (2013 - current)

Correct as of September 2020, the SETHLUI.com office is located in Toa Payoh.

SETHLUI.com started as a personal blog for Seth's marketing articles and the occasional food review.[10][11] He then shifted his focus to writing about food.[12] In an interview published by Alvinology, Seth shared more about the beginnings of the website, saying:

"Food blogging for me was initially meant as a platform for my F&B consultation services, as a form of marketing and gaining exposure to restaurants so as to better understand and decipher what type of marketing techniques work in Singapore. Eventually the blog editorials took off and I found it more interesting to review restaurants versus giving consultation to restaurants."[13]

Over the years, his personal food blog has expanded to become a website run by a team of writers, video producers and photographers who cover food, travel and nightlife content. According to a 2015 MustShare News article, SETHLUI.com offered their advertorial services at a cost ranging from S$1,000 to S$10,000.[14] As of September 2020, the website reportedly receives over 3 million page views a month.[15]

YouTube channel - Host & personality

Seth and Erika pictured in the thumbnail of a 'Food Finders' video. Photo from source.

Although created in 2015,[16] the SETHLUI.com YouTube channel has only been active since 2017.[17] Seth co-hosts the series, 'Food Finders' alongside Erika Maquicay[18] and was the main personality for another series titled 'Masters of Food' between 2017[19] and 2018.[20] In August 2019, his team uploaded a video featuring the founder of the Michelin star restaurant, Sushi Kimura that has received more than 5 million views as of September 2020, making it the most viewed upload on the channel.[21] As of September 2020, the YouTube channel has over 74,000 subscribers.

Other endeavours

Public speaking

In collaboration with TEDxYouth, Seth was invited to speak to pre-university students at Victoria Junior College in 2014.[22] During the session, Seth questioned the idea of pursuing a singular "passion" and instead, presented a practical perspective. He says:

"I find this concept [passion] very sensationalised and [it] can be quite misleading to a young entrepreneur. For myself, I have a lot of passions as well... but if you look at these individual things that I like or love, how many of it [sic] can actually become a successful career path? How many people can achieve such niche specialties? This is why I believe having a single passion is not going to get you very far. ... [Instead] put together all your skills and that will actually give you better results."[22]

In 2019, Seth had also been invited by the National University of Singapore's (NUS) Tembusu College to share his experience as a food blogger in Singapore’s F&B industry at a student tea session.[23]

Channel News Asia 'Talking Point' - Guest appearance (2017)

In 2017, Seth Lui along with the head cook of Wolf Burgers, Sarah Lin, and the founder of Fatpapas, Sheikh Haikel, made guest appearances on Channel News Asia’s programme, 'Talking Point'.[24] They underwent a blind taste test that featured 'impossible' meat; a mock beef patty made out of plants.[25]

References/ Citations

  1. Lui, Seth. “Food & Restaurant Marketing System: Create a Profitable restaurant”. SETHLUI.com. September 26, 2018. Accessed on 29 September 2020.
  2. Lui, Seth. "6 reasons Singapore entrepreneurship is not for you". September 2, 2013. Singapore Business Review. Accessed on 29 September 2020.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Seth Lui". LinkedIn. Accessed on 29 September 2020.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Sapio. “Finding Sweet Success: Meet The Man Behind One Of Singapore's Leading Food Blogs”. Vulcan Post. January 4, 2018. Accessed on 29 September 2020.
  5. 5.0 5.1 SETH LUI”. Singapore Management University Office of Alumni Relations. Accessed on 29 September 2020.
  6. "THEIR MILK SHAKE TASTE BETTER THAN YOURS! – MAKESHAKE". MetropolitanT. January 18, 2014. Accessed on 29 September 2020.
  7. Koh, Deborah. "MakeShake: Made with love". The Urban Wire. October 26, 2011. Accessed on 29 September 2020.
  8. "Lifestyle | Liquid Diet". HerWorld. Accessed on 29 September 2020. Retrieved from LinkedIn.
  9. "Young entrepreneurs following their dreams". The Sunday Times. October 30, 2011. Accessed on 29 September 2020. Retrieved from LinkedIn.
  10. Lui, Seth. "Why entrepreneurship and dating are the same". Sethlui.com. September 18, 2013. Accessed on 29 September 2020.
  11. Lui, Seth. "11 Social Media Mistakes That Small Businesses Make". Sethlui.com. January 23, 2014. Accessed on 29 September 2020.
  12. Lui, Seth. "Nanbantei Japanese Restaurant: Singapore Food Review". Sethlui.com. May 11, 2015. Accessed on 29 September 2020.
  13. Er, Carrie. "TOP BLOG: GETTING TO KNOW SETH LUI FROM SETHLUI.COM". Alvinology. April 4, 2017. Accessed on 29 September 2020.
  14. Ali Muhammad. "This Is How Much Food Bloggers Charge For Giving Reviews". MustShare News. July 29, 2015. Accessed on 29 September 2020.
  15. ABOUT US”. SETHLUI.COM. Accessed on 29 September 2019.
  16. SETHLUI.com. "About". YouTube. Accessed on 29 September 2020.
  17. SETHLUI.com. "The Worst Internship Ever in Singapore". YouTube. June 26, 2017. Accessed on 29 September 2020.
  18. SETHLUI.com. "Finding the best steaks in Singapore: Food Finders EP10". YouTube. July 4, 2020. Accessed on 29 September 2020.
  19. SETHLUI.com. "Tonkotsu Ramen - Masters of Food: EP1". YouTube. September 22, 2017. Accessed on 29 September 2020.
  20. SETHLUI.com. "How To Make Nigiri Sushi - Masters of Food: EP8". YouTube. October 18, 2018. Accessed on 29 September 2020.
  21. SETHLUI.com. "24 Hours With A Michelin Star Sushi Chef: Sushi Kimura". YouTube. August 2, 2019. Accessed on 29 September 2020.
  22. 22.0 22.1 TedxYouth. “Don't Follow your Passion if you Want to Succeed: Seth Lui at TEDxYouth@VJC”. YouTube. May 28, 2014. Accessed on 29 September 2020.
  23. STUDENT’S TEA WITH SETH LUI”. Tembusu College. Accessed on 29 September 2020.
  24. CNA Insider. "The Future of 'Meat' | Talking Point| CNA Insider". YouTube. October 20, 2017. Accessed on 29 September 2020.
  25. Ng, Desmond. “In Singapore soon? The 'impossible' burger that's meatier than real meat”. Channel News Asia. October 21, 2017. Accessed on 6 June 2019.