Operator Notes on Expansion, Caution, and Cash Flow

What happens after you decide to expand? This is my unfiltered breakdown — across operations, cash flow, and the mental load of growing without burning out the brand.

👋🏼 Hi, I’m Shantanu — I run Xandro Lab, a science-first longevity brand based in Singapore.

We started with a single product and a mission to make longevity research more accessible. Today, we’ve built one of Singapore’s fastest-growing longevity brands, with a strong repeat base, a lean team, and a differentiated product line.

I write this newsletter to document the behind-the-scenes of what it takes to build and scale a consumer brand from Singapore — from the high-conviction decisions that move fast, to the quiet, uncertain ones that keep you up at night.

Over the last two months, I’ve been navigating the slow, sometimes uncomfortable process of expansion.

We decided to test two new markets: the US and Malaysia. We didn’t make a big announcement. There were no launch countdowns or global aspirations painted on LinkedIn. It was quieter than that — a few internal timelines, some documents in motion, and a lot of figuring things out while trying to keep the Singapore business steady.

The plan was simple on paper. For the US, we’d ship inventory to a local warehouse, launch a TikTok Shop, set up pay-later options, and slowly build presence through content and ads. For Malaysia, we’d complete product registrations and explore DTC sales first, and local marketplaces including Shopee and TikTok Shop later.

But somewhere between the idea and the execution, things started to slow down. And not for lack of intent. The friction came from elsewhere — delayed paperwork, slow-moving compliance, no boots on the ground, and my own tendency to hold back decisions until I feel there’s stability.

This post is a reflection. On the friction between wanting to grow and needing to be careful. On what it means to protect cashflow while still trying to move forward. And how, even when you have momentum in one market, replicating that elsewhere takes a completely different kind of energy.

📌 What You’ll Read Today

1. Where We Thought We’d Be

2. What’s Slowing Us Down

3. The Cost of Caution

4. A Familiar Conversation

5. So What Happens Next?

6. If You’ve Been Here Before

7. End Note from Bali

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1. Where We Thought We'd Be

We were aiming for a July 4th soft launch in the US.

The idea was to get inventory in place, open up a local TikTok Shop, and start testing with creators and early buyers. We had the right signals — overseas traffic to our site, USD payments already in place, and regular orders from US.