Tag: inspiration
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Juicy competition
Night after night, a familiar sight unfolds on the bustling street corner. The vendor’s cart takes centre stage, drawing a lively crowd. Customers call out the names of their fruit juice – watermelon! mango and orange! avocado! He gives a nod to confirm that he’s heard the request, and whips up the juice on the…
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“If the stock is stuck, our cash is stuck.”
Two book lovers named Shannon and Mike fell in love with the idea of starting a bookshop together in 2009— and they did it. Ten years later, their shop is an iconic destination for other book lovers, and they even started a second brand. Shannon walks us through the life of a business owner in…
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“This is a different space.”
How to keep a bookshop meaningful in an era of online shopping: one business owner shares their approach.
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Give them something new to discover
Kenny Leck runs an iconic store in Singapore called BooksActually. It is a local bookstore that specializes in carefully curated books, vintage goods, and odds-and-ends that book lovers universally tend to love. They offer an assortment of items such as notebooks, tote bags, and sealing wax, celebrating the art of writing and communication. BooksActually has…
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Canvassing the city
I stumbled across a store stacked floor-to-ceiling with an incredible collection of paintings. The owner showed me around, introducing himself as “Art.” True enough, I noticed his unmistakeable signature on each canvas. While curious, I refrained from questioning his choice of pseudonym. “Art” has witnessed a fragile existence in his homeland. The Khmer Rouge’s brutal…
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Timeless Gems
Marilyn Tan was a seasoned family lawyer when she decided to quit her job to spend more time with her children as a stay-at-home mother. Brimming with energy, she started experimenting with jewellery designs and, today, Marilyn Tan stands among Singapore’s most acclaimed jewellers. In this interview, Marilyn describes the shift she experienced when she took her…
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Bogotá, Colombia
Shopkeeper Stories is a project that celebrates small business owners around the world, and it is an honour for me to feature a guest entry from Juan Manuel who introduces us to a music shopkeeper in the city of Bogotá, Colombia. Juan worked as a consultant at a bank for many years with a degree in…
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“Not what you know, but who you know.”
If you’re looking for practical advice on running a business, you’ll find a wealth of information online. But, what makes these interviews truly invaluable is the firsthand insight gained from the rough-and-tumble experiences of ordinary people who took bold steps to turn their ideas into reality. Each person has their own unique strategies that worked…
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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”…
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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.…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
Shopkeeper Stories 