I had a wonderful opportunity to chat over coffee with Abel Neoh to explore the nuts-and-bolts of his electronics business that he started in 2010. The interview was rich, textured, and brimming with insights. His insights came in handy for my PhD research about small businesses, so I decided to capture the key points in…
Staying with the story
Chrissy Lim is no stranger to starting and steering quality businesses. She is the founder of Paperplane, a visual storytelling studio, and her trail of remarkable projects includes Quickcut and Kitchenomics. In this interview, Chrissy looks back on her business journey and shares an honest perspective on what it takes to strike out and wander into business for the first…
Working in a Virtual Reality
The award-winning book and documentary “Guns, Germs, and Steel” introduced the gripping theory that the fate of human development is intimately connected to our physical environment. The author Jared Diamond provides a convincing case that unique geographical circumstances— rather than intellectual brilliance— enabled some societies to progress faster than others, combating illusions of cultural superiority…
Practical tips to your first 10,000 users
Like a bright-eyed child sprinting around gleefully and exclaiming – “Look at this! Look at this!” – entrepreneurs who design something cool naturally want to tell it (and sell it) to the world. And then begins the long gruelling journey of discovering that not everyone cares, and embarking on the path of improving your proposition…
Carpet Trade
A mother-and-daughter team from Iran are bringing the rich tradition of carpets to Singapore. Iran is known for their exquisite Persian carpets which made up 13% of their total exports in 2012. The largest buyers were Germany (29%) and Japan. If you have a curiosity for the flow of commodities around the world, you might…
Two strategies to stand out: specialization and spectacular service
Why we love flowers Things are “just things” – plain physical objects that clutter our material world. However, humans are obsessed with attaching deeper meaning to objects, and corporate powers often manipulate us into believing these stories of significance. For instance, De Beers released a viral marketing slogan “Diamonds are forever” to persuade us that…
Dry Season
Ah Xin began working in the provision shop as a sprightly 10-year-old, enthusiastically helping her parents. Fast forward fifty years, and her vibrant spirit still shines through as she stocks her cozy little store with an array of dried and preserved goods: dried red chilli, dried fish, dried mushrooms, dried chrysanthemum flowers, dried tofu… you get…
Temple of Knowledge
Little Prayer Shop August is the month of the 7th month of the lunar calendar for Buddhists and Taoists. The gates of the Afterlife open and ghosts of the dead return to Earth to linger among the living. Families make offerings to appease the souls of the dead and pray for their well-being in the Underworld, and…
Housework
“This shop was started by my father-in-law. When I got married, I started working here with my husband. 38 years already. But now, no new customers, all from before.”
Intense & Intimate
I don’t always get a chance to chat with the traders. For instance, just as I took this photo, a flock of older Chinese and Malay women surrounded me on all sides and essentially nudged me from the scene so that they could pick through the vegetables while firing an endless bullet of questions to…
The early bird catches the… fish!
Mr Ang has been selling fish at the Jurong East market in Singapore for the past 50 years (he’s 75 years old), following after his father who also sold fish. However, he advised his son not to pursue the business, especially with his higher education, so his son now works “in an air-conditioned office”. Mr….
Doll Me Up (Chapter 5): Family Life
People living in the Arctic region have about a thousand words for “snow” because they are sensitive to the quality of snow for everyday decisions like sledding, catching seals, building houses, and so on. Meanwhile, Singaporeans have a colourful package of words to describe the weather such as “damn hot” “super hot” “so hot cannot take it”…
Doll Me Up (Chapter 4): Growing the business
It come as no surprise to learn that businesses are constantly reinventing themselves to stay relevant, where “brick-and-mortars” are becoming “click-and-mortars” and fresh strategies are needed to remain valuable. Those who cling stubbornly to routines from the past are quick to go extinct. A prominent businessman in Singapore, Dr Theyvandran, put it bluntly. “A business cannot stay stagnant….
Doll Me Up (Chapter 3): Marketing
Nazlin Hilal, founder of Doll Me Up Cosmetics, shares some strategies that she uses to ‘put wheels on her business’ and sustain spectacular standards of service. Nazlin has a warm and affectionate personality, so it’s easy to see why people like her: she is sincere about providing value to her customers, and has a lovely way of…
Doll Me Up (Chapter 2): Creating a product and brand
The peril of neglecting branding: don’t let others define you Nazlin Hilal realised quite early that she needed a “brand” to propel her growth in the cosmetic business. When we imagine a brand, we usually imagine a giant household name such as Nike. However, small businesses can also create a brand, even if the brand…
Doll Me Up (Chapter 1): Starting a business
We wish it were easier, but there is no zipline to our dreams. Our reality is a messy terrain of endless adaptation, and we have to zig-zag through a world riddled with risk. The adventure of starting your own business seems daunting, but it beckons flirtatiously to those with patience in the journey. The journey…
Doll Me Up: Introducing Nazlin Hilal
I’m sitting across the table and watching Nazlin handle one of the toughest negotiators in her studio. “Danish. You need to listen to this.” Danish eyes her confidently, and does not relent. I watch as he ponders his next strategic move, peering from the back of her chair where she cannot see him. “Oh Danish, I’m in the middle…
15 minutes in a hawker centre in Singapore [Part II]
Urban Runway The hawker centre in Singapore is noisy and spontaneous and the centre of gravity for much of our routine social action. In this post, I’d like to present 10 scenes of activity in exactly the same place. Far from the glitz and glamour of Marina Bay Sands, this is the ordinary picture of life that most of…
15 minutes in a hawker centre in Singapore [Part I]
Urban Runway While drinking a mug of sugarcane juice, I took out my camera to document the people walking by in the exact same spot. This set of photos captures the mix of the crowd from “suits” to “slippers” to “stylish seniors” on bikes. Welcome to the tropics of Singapore! You can see Part II of the…
Little Red Dot
Get ready for Singapore! An island, a city, a state, a nation. When the nation was mocked for being a “little red dot” because you can hardly see its territory on the global map, Singaporeans took this mockery in stride and transformed the moniker into a fashionable brand name: “Little Red Dot”. One might even…
It never hurts to ask
It never hurts to ask! When Lou Flemming was a 17-year-old teenager in Baltimore, he spotted the owner of Faidley’s Seafood running a food stand at a festival. There was a long and winding line of customers waiting for their crab cakes, so Leo walked over to the owner, Bill Devine, and asked him whether he needed…
Everyday is a new day
Nova is a shopkeeper at Lexington Market in Baltimore. He shares his advice for dealing with the vagaries of business. “Every day is a new day! Don’t be discouraged. Just because something didn’t go right one day doesn’t mean it won’t go right tomorrow. Come back, and try again.”
Food Stamps
Many stalls at Lexington Market (Baltimore, USA) display bright signs declaring that they accept “Food Stamps” (or the “Independence Card” — visible in the earlier post with the butcher.) Misconceptions about social welfare float loosely in public conversations: who receives welfare, why they receive welfare, should they receive it, and how much. About 1 in 7 Americans…
First Steps
I like asking business owners how they got started because it usually tells a story of confronting change and uncertainty. Henry is from the Dominican Republic. When I asked him how he got started selling jewellery at the Lexington Market in Baltimore (USA), he didn’t miss a beat. “How I got started? Straight from the…
Getting Fresh
When I asked Leo whether I could take his photograph, he glared at me: “You trying to get fresh with me?! Are you getting fresh with me?” Stunned but unfazed, I looked right back at him and joked: “What? You? Never!” He broke into a wide grin, but his eyes quickly brimmed with tears. He…
Bringing home the bacon
A butcher shop at Lexington Market in Baltimore (USA) Microbusinesses typically offer a pathway of upward mobility for immigrants and, today, many stall owners at this market are Korean. Bill Devine, the owner of Faidley’s Seafood, explains the transition of vendors: “Wave after wave of new immigrants. This guy over here isn’t Krause anymore, he’s…
Underground Music
The streets can be a fierce world for buskers who are exposed to the mercy of city police. However, musicians in San Francisco can perform at train stations for free as long as they stay outside the paid zones such as the platforms and trains. You don’t need to pay any rent to use this…
“Without music, life would be a mistake.”
Location is absolutely crucial for businesses that rely on walk-in customers, and you have probably met many vendors and musicians making use of city streets around the world. Rodney Byrd plays his saxophone on the street next to Ghirardelli Chocolate in San Francisco. “I’ve been playing for 20 years! The sun’s not out today, but it’s beautiful over…
Bucket Man
Larry Hunt – the “Bucket Man” – has risen as a cultural icon of San Francisco by playing his plastic drums for more than 20 years on the city streets, yet he gets regularly harassed by the police for being a public nuisance because of the ‘noise’ he creates. The police have confiscated his drums,…
Embracing serendipity, and other tips for running a retail business
“One woman, one mid-life divorce, one teenage child, one personal makeover, one day at a time, making it all work on one world wide media web, connecting all the dots.” Your curiosity can fuel a business Entering into Caravanserai is like stepping into a global village where your senses will be tantalized by the artistry…
Smokin’ Hot Ideas
Lauren and Ryan knew that they wanted to start a business together, but they didn’t know exactly what it would be until they went on a road trip together in 2013 and ran out of “vape juice” – the nicotine for their e-cigarettes. “We came across the vaping idea last year when we were travelling…
His-Story of the USA
Christian is a walking Wikipedia! He can narrate the historical context for everything in his shop like a true storyteller. His journey in the antique industry began in his 20s when he got hooked on the history of art while helping his father. “My dad collected a lot of Japanese art, so I would research…
Windows of Opportunity
Rich Trager travels around the world to take photographs for his business. Travelling to disrupt an established sense of order I really like Southeast Asia. On my last trip, I travelled to Bali, India, Nepal, Cambodia. I was also in Singapore for a day. I like the region– it’s chaotic, yet it moves at a slower…
Mandala Maker
Zb.Doros grew up in Poland and currently lives in San Francisco where he devotes himself to the art of making mandalas. How did you end up in the USA? Times were tough in Poland for intellectual dissidents. I came to this country to get political asylum. My family had to stay behind in Poland, and I migrated…
A Twist on Vintage
How do you start a business selling jewelry? We chat with Linda La Touche in California who describes her journey. In the whirl of life changes, the jewelry was constant. My parents always encouraged me in the arts, from dance to music to art. When I decided to start a family and quit school, I started making…
Kopi-ng with change
Singapore has been ranked the most expensive city in the world, yet there are few modern cities left in the world where you can get a strong and shiok (awesome) cup of coffee for less than a dollar at hawker centers located in almost every corner, with each cup of coffee customized to your exact desire with…
Body-more Art (Baltimore)
What does it take to be a tattoo artist? We speak with Dave Wah who draws back the curtains on his journey, and shows us how his curiosity evolved over the years into a serious profession. Follow your curiosity “When I was about 17 or 18 years old, I kept wondering: “How do they do it?…
Shop-key-per
Katy started her locksmith business in San Francisco in 1969, and describes how she took a long-distance course… without the Internet! “It was called a correspondence course. They sent me the lessons in the mail, so I would do the lessons and send it back. For example, they would send me a lock to pick, so…
Come along for the journey!
Shopkeeper Stories is all about people who bring their creative energy to our cities with their small businesses! Join us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter (@ShopkeeperStory) – wherever you might be – so that you can see the latest photoshoots as they happen, and we’ll let you know when we’re in your city! Be dazzled, learn something new, and…
Magic Lamps
You will meet Ali at a shop that sells carpets and lamps along Arab Street in Singapore. These street shops are like windows of observation into the world. “Many interesting people come here. One time, two friends who had been separated for 15 years found each other by chance in this shop.”
Mud & Metal
When you’ve been in the art and jewelry business in Baltimore for almost 20 years like Carol, you witness changes in the way people relate to one another. She observes: “There’s been a shift in what material things mean: we are buying less gifts for one another, and putting more money into learning, and being…
Eggs-posure
How to store eggs You don’t have to refrigerate eggs that you get from the farmer’s market, they keep well outside like this. But, if you buy eggs from the supermarket that have already been refrigerated, then you need to keep refrigerating them. However, since we haven’t refrigerated these, you can leave them out. You’ll…
Sea Jewels
“When I was young, my grandfather used to take me to the California coast, and whenever we were there, he’d pick up garbage along the shore to throw away – he was the first conservationist that I knew. While he was busy picking up other people’s trash, I would collect the sea glass. Of course,…
If you’re going to San Francisco…
“…. be sure to wear some flowers in your hair!” We communicated using fragments of Mandarin that I know consisting mostly of 3 introductory sentences: “How are you?” (Ni hao!) “I speak a little!” (We hui shuo yidian dian) “I am a Singapore person.” (Wo shi xinjiapo ren) And then, in response to…
Spinning Tales
“People have told me that this shop should be a TV sitcom. We’ve had very spirited conversations on all sorts of things, and discussions about politics would get especially heated. That’s one thing I really miss, because we used to do it every week.” You really don’t want to see this… “Once we were talking about tattoos,…
Boutique Bus-iness
While chatting with Stacey Chambers, it was priceless to see people’s expressions as they boarded her bus. Their eyes invariably lit up as soon as they caught sight of the interior design. “Ohmygod, this is sooo cute!” “You mean the clothes are IN the bus?! I love it!” “Wow!” [speechless joy] Stacey came up with a unique…
Like eating with family
“What’s the secret to making good pasta?” All the pasta at Daniela’s is homemade. “The secret…”, Daniela ponders on this for a moment: “I think the secret… is to work very, very hard!” Daniela’s family emigrated from the island of Sardinia when her husband was offered a position at the National Institute on Drug Abuse in Baltimore. “My mother…
Tastes like Greek to me
“I am the cashier, the designer, the server, the therapist…. yes, even a therapist! Sometimes I have to go into the kitchen to manage the emotions of the staff… as a business owner, you wonder, maybe you are actually superwoman!” Elli immigrated to the United States with her husband from Greece to build their dream of…
Convenience Shop
“It’s become very difficult for small shops. Big supermarkets import in large quantity for all their chains and can make their prices lower. But, here, we have personal service and trust. You can choose exactly what you want, in any quantity, and see it for yourself outside the package. Also, the supermarket has long queues….
Budding Business
About 40 years ago as a teenage girl, Madam Soo started helping her mother collect flowers for a living. She recalls the back-breaking labour spent picking jasmine buds from morning till night, because they had to be plucked before they would blossom. When the government bought their garden in Lim Chu Kang to turn into an…
Shopkeeper Stories 