A New Chapter for Tactician: Here’s What’s Coming

The last time I hit 'publish' on this newsletter, I had just returned home to the United States for the first time in six years.

I’ve been living in Malaysia, growing my startup, UMAI, into a $1M ARR company that is nearly profitable. When I founded the company eight years ago I was living on a couch in my office that fit from the top of my head to the middle of my shins and wasn’t in a financial position to travel home often.

My Co-Founder and I pivoted to start UMAI with just $18,000 in the bank. I moved from Singapore to Malaysia an into our office, living between there and hostels for nearly two years — until I met the love of my life and moved into a condo. With few resources, we relied on sheer resourcefulness to conserve cash and make every decision count. We eventually raised $2M, but it took grit, resilience, and overcoming countless hurdles along the way.

The time spent at home and showing my wife around the States gave me the space to reflect on how I can bring even more value to you through this newsletter.

Beginning February 24th, 2025, I’ll be publishing three newsletters a week—on Monday, Wednesday and Friday—focusing on fewer but more impactful articles and interviews packed with actionable insights. I’ll also share more of my experience from building UMAI to its current stage and our progress as we push toward our $100M valuation milestone.

I committed to becoming a successful entrepreneur when I was 17. Since then I’ve worked at McKinsey & Company, built venture funded startups in five countries, and shrank my living costs from condos down to couches to stretch my runway (in that order). From my journey as a Founder, I’ve learned that consistent growth and perseverance makes success inevitable.

I started Tactician to help shorten the path to success for other entrepreneurs. My hope is that Tactician sparks ideas and fuels your journey.

Looking forward to sharing more tactics with you.

Best,

Alexander Small