When AI revolutionises home living: Butler’s Jonathan Lam on the future of real estate

Lam’s entrepreneurial journey began after six successful years in finance following his graduation from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He says he gained invaluable experience and collaborated with high-level leaders. Yet despite those achievements, he felt a growing pull towards something more.

“I started questioning if there was something beyond finance,” he recalls. “I wanted to push my limits and create something of my own rather than for a bank.”

While still at the bank, he launched Butler with Angues Chan in 2019. The company initially offered housekeeping subscription services to property developers, who then provided them to their tenants. The idea was born out of a personal frustration: the challenge of booking dependable housekeepers. He and his busy colleagues often relied on word-of-mouth recommendations, competing for the same limited weekend slots.

A year later in 2020, Lam took the leap into full-time entrepreneurship, leaving his career in finance to fully commit to Butler. He still remembers the quirky housekeeping requests they received from early clients, such as washing dishes with water warmer than 32 degrees Celsius or wiping the floor strictly from left to right while kneeling down.

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Since the launch of the housekeeping platform, Lam monitors market trends to ensure a strong product-market fit by understanding and adapting to emerging client needs. To accelerate growth, he steered the company toward a tech-driven approach, emphasising AI.

But without a background in technology, Lam had to navigate the complexities of hiring specialised talent, securing substantial capital, and dedicating time to developing a new product from the ground up. This naturally led to a temporary cash-flow gap, compounded by the risk of competitors or clients replicating their ideas.

Undeterred, Lam pressed on. “Don’t get bogged down by worry,” he says. “There’s no such thing as a bad idea; success hinges on execution.” Rather than building a broadly applicable system, Butler strategically honed in on the real estate sector, utilising his team’s deep industry knowledge to cost-effectively enhance clients’ living experiences.

Following the pivot, the company secured its first deal with a Hong Kong service apartment provider in 2022. Fast-forward to 2024, the platform has served over 15,000 tenants across more than 60 property estates in Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia. Its revenue surged threefold, and it managed to turn a profit by the fourth quarter.

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Lam likens running a business to a high-stakes game of chess—a metaphor shared by his mentor and investor Steven Lam, co-founder of Hong Kong logistics platform GogoX. “You have finite resources, and every move comes at a price.”

He believes the entrepreneurial journey is full of risks and uncertainties, where a big deal or a policy change can completely change the game. But he also feels it has been a massive driver for his growth. “You’re thrown in at the deep end. You either learn to swim, or you go under.”

Over the past six years, he has immersed himself in every part of the business, gaining valuable insight, especially in handling rejection: “You’ll get a lot of ‘nos’, but ‘no’ doesn’t have to be the end of the line. You need to figure out what’s behind the ‘no’ and work to turn it into a ‘yes’.”

To support fellow founders in Hong Kong, he organises monthly dinner gatherings that allow open discussions about challenges and ideas that might not come up in more formal settings. The largest gathering, which took place last December, brought together 30 entrepreneurs.

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Lam is particularly excited about the evolution of AI, especially AI agents, to enhance Butler’s operations. “Gen Z and Gen Alpha are seeking experiences. With hardware becoming increasingly similar across developers, the software, which is the living experience it could provide, becomes the key differentiator. That’s where we come into play, helping our clients stay ahead of the competition.” 

He notes that while much of the conversation in property technology has long centred around hardware—such as cleaning and security robots—the technology has now matured. However, software remains an underexplored frontier, despite its immense potential. “There hasn’t been enough focus on software, probably because it’s difficult to explain and comprehend. We should talk more about it in the future of real estate,” Lam says.

Below, we ask Lam a round of quick-fire questions to understand what makes him tick.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

Jonathan Lam (JL): I enjoy photography because it’s like freezing a moment in time. I’ve also become interested in wellness content and hitting the gym. It helps with discipline and encourages me to outperform my old self, which is essential for an entrepreneur.

What is your biggest corporate pet peeve?

JL: Ghosting people. It’s so unprofessional.

What’s an unusual housekeeping request Butler has received?

JL: During Covid-19, a resident asked the receptionist to open their mailbox and read their letters aloud on the phone, as they couldn’t return to Hong Kong due to travel restrictions.

What are the biggest pros and cons of being an entrepreneur?

JL: The biggest pro is the constant learning and growth mindset. Every day is different—one moment you’re handling HR, the next it’s accounting, fundraising and marketing. The downsides are the risk and instability, unlike a typical job with a clear career path and the ability to plan your life straightforwardly.

This article is part of Founder Stories, a series dedicated to discovering the untold stories and challenges of today’s entrepreneurs on their climb to the top. Meet more Gen.T Leaders of Tomorrow 2024 from the Real Estate & Hospitality and Technology sectors. 

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