Scaling Passion, One Repeatable Winrestaurant Group for the Next Chapter

From athlete to brand strategist, Isaac’s story isn’t just a career shift. It’s a whole glow-up with a side of hustle sauce. As Chief Marketing Officer, Brand Growth Strategist, founder of iSeize Digital, and the brain behind a 12-outlet Korean F&B group, he’s not merely “in the restaurant business” — he’s in the business of turning diners into regulars, chaos into systems, and growth into something you can actually manage.

Athlete to CMO: how did the journey unfold?

I keep it refreshingly real: the transition wasn’t a straight line. It was built from second chances, mentors who actually show up, and a team that believed in me before I fully believed in myself.

As an athlete, I learned the hardest life lesson early: losing is not the end — it’s training. That same mindset followed me into advertising at 23. I must admit, I used to be clumsy and raw. Clients called me a liar. A disaster. Ouch. But I didn’t let ego take the wheel. I started over — writing copy, shooting video, running ads, and learning how departments really communicate.

Then came F&B, where I applied the same strategy: squat low and learn the basics first. No business genius act. Just execution, humility, and the kind of teamwork that makes expansion feel less like a gamble and more like a plan.

Beauty industry strategy: how did it shape your entrepreneurial mindset?

Eleven years in beauty shaped my view of entrepreneurship in a way “success stories” rarely mention. I didn’t just learn marketing; I learned responsibility.

I trained 100 therapists and got eye-rolled by the entire room. Humiliation turned into action: I went back to the frontline — customer service, consulting, even store management — because I discovered the truth most people avoid saying: marketing and operations must be tied together. One without the other is just expensive noise.

One client moment stuck forever: she had only HKD 300,000 left, and if I couldn’t help, her business would close. That’s when I realized a business carries families, not just products. In short, value is measured by how many problems I solve.

Credentials and vision in F&B, especially with a shorter track record?

I don’t pretend Hong Kong F&B isn’t full of legends. I call myself a recruit. I opened nine restaurants in three years, but I still have a lot to learn.

My advantage? I brought precision from beauty branding and data-driven marketing. I don’t open stores blindly. Every location is positioned using data, then backed by standardised frontline service and workflows. Not robotic — just consistently excellent.

Taste is the baseline, but the real differentiator is the how: CRM, digital transformation, and genuine human warmth. That’s how you make every guest feel something unexpected.

The future of F&B: what’s next?

Yes, costs are up, and competition is real. But what I see is opportunity: people will always crave good food and shared space. The next decade won’t belong to the cheapest; it will belong to brands that push brand value and experience to the ceiling.

What’s next for your group?

Improve operational efficiency and staff welfare across the nine restaurants — rewarding the people who built this with me. Also, I want to prove that a young Hong Kong team can scale properly with the highest standards of governance.

Because this isn’t a finish line. It’s a platform. And I am continuously building it — quietly, humbly, and one sincere step at a time.