How Frank is Scaling NNIO Beyond Borders
Makers at Work
A series that profiles the people behind NNIO: founders, product curators, and thinkers who make deliberate decisions to create better products for everyday living.
Director
Frank brings over 20 years of export, international sales, and leadership experience to NNIO. With a proven track record of building markets across Asia Pacific and beyond, he has played a key role in expanding the global presence of home and lifestyle products.
What’s your core responsibility at NNIO?
I lead the business development strategy for both Singapore and overseas markets. In practice, that means deciding where NNIO should play, who we should partner with, and what terms make sense for sustainable growth. My job is to ensure that every market entry, whether it’s a retail shelf in Singapore or a distributor network abroad, is profitable and aligned with the brand.
How does your experience with established brands shape NNIO’s trajectory as a newer one?
With established brands, you inherit recognition but also baggage. With a new brand like NNIO, you start with no baggage but no shortcuts either. The upside is freedom where you get to set the tone, choose your partners carefully, and build a reputation on your own terms. For me, that’s the most exciting part. We’re not just growing sales but also shaping the kind of brand NNIO will be known as.
What’s your perspective on sales in the home appliance industry today?
Selling is no longer about pushing units. It’s about building the right channels and letting trust do the heavy lifting. Consumers are informed and impatient while partners are just as discerning. A bad sell-in (getting a product on the shelf without the right marketing and sell-through plan) creates dead stock. That’s why we treat every placement as a long game with the right product, right market, and right timing.
How do you balance local and export priorities?
We refine our positioning here in Singapore. Once that foundation is set, we scale it overseas. The core product doesn’t change, but the emphasis does. In some markets, price sensitivity comes first while in others, distribution reliability matters more. So we adapt not by reinventing the product, but by adjusting how it’s marketed and delivered.
What’s the most overlooked factor in sales growth?
Alignment between sales and after-sales. Many brands chase aggressive targets without thinking about the service load that follows. We’ve learned that a market with slightly slower uptake but higher repeat purchase rates is far healthier than one that spikes and collapses because customers don’t come back. Sales without retention is just churn.
How do you measure success beyond revenue?
Market stickiness. If our products are still moving steadily after the initial launch push, that’s success. I also look at the quality of inbound interest. If we’re attracting enquiries from reputable retailers and distributors without aggressive outreach, it’s a sign our reputation is doing its own selling.
What keeps you motivated?
The opportunity to prove that a Singapore brand can compete globally without undercutting itself. Our edge isn’t in racing to the bottom on price but exporting the same clarity and functionality that makes our products valuable here. If we can keep that standard consistent across markets, we’ll have built something that lasts.
