Being an entrepreneur is challenging, and even more so if you have to start it off alone.
We talk to two young entrepreneurs, Joash Lee and Kelly Chua, who quit their full-time jobs in search of something more meaningful.
After a few stints in corporate jobs after graduation, the two realised one thing in common: A 9-to-6 job wasn’t suitable for them after all.
“I’m still relatively young. If this business doesn’t work out, I can always look for a job again. On the other hand, if I put this dream of mine on hold, it’d be harder for me to step out when I get so absorbed into the corporate world a few years later.”
Joash is now a full-time photographer while Kelly is the owner of Petalfoo, a brand which provides various floral products and services, such as floral styling and confetti bouquets.
How It All Started
Joash and Kelly were university mates who used to study together.
Fast forward to a few years later, both are trying to carve out a career on their own — after recognising what they want to do long-term.
“After a failed relationship last year, I decided to pour my heart and soul into improving my photography. A golden opportunity presented itself when one of my friends was heading to Perth for a work trip.”
“I casually asked her if she and her fiancé would like to have some pre-wedding shots taken there, since they were going to get married. They readily agreed, and I worked on my portfolio since then.”
For Joash, it came to a point of frustration and regret when he had to turn down various requests for shoots on weekdays due to his full-time job.
“In early 2017, I was juggling a full-time job and wedding photography on weekends. April and May are usually the peak period for weddings, and that’s when I had back-to-back shoots every weekend, and I was pretty burnt out.”
Similarly for Kelly who had been interning in a PR firm, handing in her resignation letter to start her own business wasn’t a difficult decision to make.
Corporate Jobs Gave Them The Skills They Need Now
Joash started out with digital marketing for a social media agency, then in corporate communications in a local security firm. The biggest difference of the two stints would be dabbling in both digital in a start-up and advertising using traditional media.
“My Instagram handle is @joashxlee, but I wanted a separate account for my work stuff so I just added the “Photography” behind it. I didn’t really think much about the name, it just happened that this name stuck around!”
As for Kelly, she started interning at a PR firm before becoming an Uber driver for a short period of time.
“Both experiences have helped me develop (soft skills) through the way I connect and interact with my clients, be it via emails, social media platforms, or even at networking sessions.”
“Also, getting to know some of the most supportive colleagues and passengers-turned-friends, has played a big part in allowing me to grow my business.”
Paying homage to her late father, businessman Chua Yat Foo, Kelly named her flower business Petalfoo, meaning ‘full of petals’. It was originally spelt as “Petalful”.
On Working From Home
Not being stuck in an office job has its perks – every day is a different experience for Kelly.
“On days I’ve got orders, I head out to buy flowers, return home to prepare the bouquet, and arrange for courier to have it picked up. On days that I’m less busy, I try to run the delivery myself.”
“When I’ve completed all the orders for the day, I get down to replying emails and enquiries, sending out invoices for upcoming orders, doing up proposals, tidying my work space, photo-editing, content creation for social media, coming up with new ideas to launch the next month, and so on.”
Kelly relates that every order is customised, and that ordering flowers in advance and have it delivered to a place is almost impossible. The biggest plus, however: This ensures that she has the upper hand in picking out the freshest blooms for every bouquet.
On a similar note, freelancing has given Joash plenty of flexibility to have meals with family and friends, on top of his daily work commitments.
“A typical day starts off with a cup of coffee. I always make it a point to start editing by 9am, otherwise I’ll just nua at home the whole day.”
“If I have a shoot, I prepare my equipment the night before and make sure to get plenty of rest (for me to achieve optimum results”.
When asked about a struggle most people don’t know about self-employed entrepreneurs, both agreed that it is loneliness which make the days hard.
“It can get very lonely. You don’t have colleagues to lunch with at fixed hours, and being an entrepreneur requires you to be self-motivated and focused – you face most challenges stemming from your business alone. Until your business (grows) and you are ready to hire, it’s going to be a one-(wo)man show.”
Most Memorable Experiences With The Clients
“I do family portraits. (Usually), just as the clients’ kids start to warm up to you, the shoot (will probably) be done. It always pains me to say goodbye to the kids because I really enjoy spending time with them.
“There was once when I mailed a Christmas card to a family, (and) the client WhatsApp-ed me a recording of her boys saying thank you. (I was) so touched.”
“I’ve been to a few weddings where I saw my photos printed out onto A2 and A3 canvas. That really made me beam with pride.”
Happiness, in Kelly’s books, often comes in the form of genuine words of appreciation from her customers.
“I usually (send out) a follow-up text to my clients after delivery and the event. One of my clients ordered a confetti bouquet for his girlfriend’s graduation, and I followed up with him after the delivery with tips on how he can capture a nice video for her when she pops the bouquet.
“Most clients (will) usually reply with a simple word of thanks, but this client went on (further) to say that “the bouquet looks amazing”, I provided “good service” and that he’d “definitely order more”.”
“This was really memorable as I never expected to receive such kind words of appreciation for merely doing my job.”
Overcoming Difficult Times
As with any course of life, running a business comes with a unique set of problems.
Kelly reveals that on top of dealing with stress, she also faces self-doubt. With only 24 hours a day, having to sort out every aspect of the business can seem overwhelming at times.
But with the unending and relentless support from her mother, Kelly opts to remain optimistic and resilient in overcoming the odds.
“The unpredictable flow of income will also lead me to question if I’m truly cut out to run my own business, or if it’s better to just return to a full-time job.”
Joash, having done several “exposure” shoots with zero returns, reveals one of the most frustrating thing he has been facing:
“Many of (the clients) said that they have no budget to cater for a photographer, and (have) requested me to lower my rates to suit their budget. (This isn’t right because) if I can’t afford something, either I’ll save up and buy it, or don’t buy it at all.”
“Photographers shouldn’t have to lower their rates to cater to your needs just because you “don’t have the budget”.”
Additionally, engaging a photographer can be costly, with high maintenance fees and extensive time spent on post-editing processes.
“People tend to underestimate the amount of preparation done for shoots”.
“I was on unfamiliar territory. Even though I researched (extensively), it’s different when you’re on the ground. There was one location where we went to the sand dunes; a sand particle found its way into one of my camera lenses.”
Joash had to improvise and work with his other lenses. For him, that was one expensive lesson learnt. He added that the uncertainty of the location also provided room for creativity.
“We were chasing sunsets and golden hours, the adrenaline just kept pumping and my creative juices were (overwhelming).”
Working Together To Make Others Happy
“We styled two pre-wedding shoots together, and that was a real learning experience for both of us. We learnt how to manage expectations and how to handle difficult vendors and/or clients.”
Joash explains, “As a florist, Kelly interacts with many different vendors. She constantly gives me tips and is always looking to help. I’m grateful to have such a fellow selfless colleague.”
Kelly feels the same about Joash.
“He understands the challenges you face, relates to your struggles, and more importantly, encourages you!”
Alternative Career Options
We asked them what else would they be doing, if they had to switch careers:
Joash says, “Not many people know this but I wanted to be a hawker. I was deciding between setting up my own carrot cake (or) coffee stall and being a full-time photographer. I love Cai Tao Kuey and coffee, and I was sick and tired of having lousy CTK and coffee everywhere, so I wanted to set my own stall.”
Meanwhile, Kelly exclaims that she would be a wedding planner.
Hopes For 2018
Kelly successfully set up her first flower bar set-up for a wedding this year and it was very well-received. Flower bars is a fairly new concept in Singapore, and pushing this idea out for wedding or events is indeed a lucrative venture.
“Petalfoo is working towards being a Flower Bar expert in 2018! We did our very first bar for a wedding this year, where guests got to hand pick their own flowers and create their very own bouquet!”
When I ask them for tips for aspiring entrepreneurs, they had this to say:
Joash:
Never stop learning. Be humble. I didn’t study photography, but I read extensively on it during army. I don’t think you need a diploma or degree to take nice photos (although it would be helpful). I guess in this industry, experience is essential.”
Kelly:
1) It’s okay if things don’t go as planned; embrace those experiences and learn from them!
2) Dare to be different; that’s the only way to stand out!
3) Be patient with yourself!
