Lao Sok Somrach is a busy man. At the age of 28, he’s the owner and general manager of Yum Yum Soup, Mo Mo Milk Green Tea and Mo Mo Milk Green Tea and Mochi.  

The young entrepreneur started out at the Tuan Fa Chinese School and studied English at the American School. He then travelled to China, Thailand and Vietnam to learn from the trends he found in other markets.

“The most important tip for doing business is to know about the market and the needs of customers,” he says.

Somrach set up his first business - a soup shop - on Diamond Island. During his travels abroad, he’d seen make-your-own-soup enterprises and decided the concept would be a hit in Cambodia. Yum Yum Soup quickly expanded to four shops.

“Almost all people are more or less the same - especially young people,” he says, expounding on his business philosophy. “Young people like something new, amazing, great, affordable and delicious. And some food shops have delicious food, but their service is so bad. As a result, they end up closing.”

He believes his style of management is largely responsible for his businesses’ success. “Being general manager, if we want the staff to do one thing or follow us, we should try to explain the reasons to them rather than blaming or putting pressure on them. By doing like this, it could show that we are not polite and also lead our staffs to become discouraged.”

Recently, Somrach decided to open his newest venture, Mo Mo Milk Green Tea and Mochi. His target clientele is young people, he said, and the venue comes equipped with Wi-Fi and comfortable seating for customers to study, chat and use the internet.

The streamlined, modern décor is also designed to appeal to young people, he said, adding that many choose to host their birthday parties there.