MAXIAS was previously The Active Idea Company, which was founded on the vision to democratise internet technologies. Today, our vision has refocused to be a leading integrated marketing agency in Asia, growing from web development to being a fully integrated agency.

Our clients include University of Chicago Booth, Singapore Island Country Club, Central Provident Fund Board, The Pines Club, Kenko Spa, YMCA, KPMG and Singapore Information Systems (INSIS portal).

This recession is technically our second, the first was the dot com bubble bust coupled with SARS. That one nearly killed us. I remember the company losing people from a 35-men team to five in a matter of days. When the bubble burst, we started losing business, then we started losing people.

Our clients could not pay us and we could not pay our staff, we started losing a lot of good people and we were faced with the prospect of calling it quits. It didn't help that many of us were offered lucrative jobs as well. It is really tough when your vision faces some harsh realities. But what upset me most about closing down was our commitment to our clients.

We shared their vision, they made significant investments and we had contracts to deliver. Closing down meant letting our friends (clients) down. That wasn't an option.

So we bit the bulltet, prodded along, gave up our lease and worked from home to cue overheads. In 2004, we rename our company to Maxias, and picked up from there. We rehired our first staff in 2005 and we have not stopped growing since then.

I believe our biggest challenges are managing cashflow and keeping up with the marketplace. Technology moves so quickly, investments are always high both in terms of manpower and infrastructure, which ultimately affects cashflow. The dot com bust lowered sales value, while increased expectations. It is challenging to balance both what the market wants and what they were willing to invest.

The biggest lesson would be the juggling of expectations and cost. Being Asian, the marketplace ultimately expects a higher return on investments, with lower cost. I am happy to say that we are doing quite well in that area. We managed to balance those needs, we are a lot stronger and leaner now. We don't have the heavy 35-men head count, managed to seize opportunities when they aroused and we are seeing the fruits of our labour paying off now.

I am actually quite excited about the recession now. This is our second one, and we know what a recession means and what it entails. It doesn't mean we should stop expanding or cut cost. Quite the reverse, we are growing faster now, especially with so much government support, and as mentioned before we are a lot leaner as well.

During a recession, the boutique agency thrives, as long as quality isn't compromised. Customers are now looking for alternatives to the big boys, and we are correctly positioned to win those accounts. This recession will hurt the big boys, while separating the players from the recreational enthusiasts. A great time and opportunity for us!

I tell people to be prepared. There will always be business cycles, so build opportunities when times are good, build your war-chest, make good decisions, think long haul and be prepared for bad times, cause that's when the market will present opportunities.

If you're already in trouble, take stock and remember 'customers firsts'! Do whatever to serve those that are with you now, customers have long memories and they will remember.

Everything else is icing on the cake!