Chow Keat Yeng, or Keat for short, is a two-timer. By day, she works hard at her marketing job. By night (and weekends), this energetic 30-year-old hangs up her power suit and slips into the role of Principal of Artistic Expressions, a speech-and-drama school, of which she is the owner Nanz Inc gets in on the act with this superwoman. By: Audra Lim Most people either run a business, or are employed in a full-time job. You do both. You either have great time management skills, or have 48 hours a day. Which is it? I guess it’s the former as I...

Choo Yilin is the founder of a Choo Yilin Artisan Jewellery, a luxury jewellery label based on sustainability and modern style. NanzInc finds out how she was inspired to start this business from scratch. By: Ng Lin-Li Why did you start Choo Yilin Artisan Jewellery? I’ve created jewellery for a long time, first as a side business-cum-hobby when I was working full-time in 2004 as an analyst. Making jewellery was a creative outlet for me and I sold these pieces at independent luxury boutiques in Singapore. In 2007, I moved to Bangkok because...

Fashion designer Jo Soh, 33, has been making waves in the regional fashion scene since her Hansel collection first made it to the Australian runways in 2003. Since then, she’s picked up a number of awards, including Singaporean Designer of the Year (ELLE Awards 2009) and has also set up a her first Hansel boutique on Stamford Road. Jo shares with NanzInc how she established her label. By Melanie Lee How did you become a designer? I’ve known I wanted to be a designer since I was 12. I love to draw and make crafts, and I was in the art club...

For most of us, just starting one business (or even thinking and researching one) is stressful enough. Meet Artika Sulaiman, who is involved in three! Nanz Inc catches up with her to see how she does it (and how we can catch some of that business savvy). By: Melanie Lee Artika Sulaiman is just 27 years old but has already set up several businesses. She is the Business Development Manager and one of the founders of Krish Restaurant, as well as the Director and creator of Sloane Elizabeth Robertson, a fashion merchandising business that sells exclusive...

You know you want to set up your own business, but how exactly are you going to go about doing this? Try this fun questionaire to familiarise yourself with your entrepreneurial traits. When you were young, you wanted to be: Nancy Drew Xena, Warrior Princess Princess Diana Which of the following statements best describes your idea of a successful business? An organisation that recognizes the importance of building up a strong relationship with the community. An organisation that has established a stable flow of...

For a business person, just like any other public figure, how the public views you can affect your sales, your media coverage and the trust others have in you.  Nanz explains why keeping a good public image — and not just good looks — is a wise investment. You would think that being a model I waste hours grooming myself, but on the contrary, I do not spend hours deciding what to wear and adjusting my face with makeup. I may have done that when I was a teen and my confidence was at a low. During my modelling days, I learnt to dress quickly...

Nine years ago, trendspotter Faith Popcorn wrote EVEolution, a book that predicted the spending power of women and explained how to market to them. We take a look at this book and how accurate Popcorn was and still is today. Faith Popcorn has been predicting social trends for over three decades.  She has been spot on about things like the rise of designer coffee companies like Starbucks, and the growth of online communities like MySpace. Popcorn and her team’s amazing “ability” to predict trends is not so much based on crystal ball gazing...

In business, if something proves not to work, don’t be half-hearted — close it down. Nanz shares the tough lesson she learned. I was trying to close down Bubble-Bags and U-Neek, two retail chains that I founded after the ONE.99shop which did not have the mass appeal I had hoped. I spoke to the landlords to release me from my lease, but having my signed document in their hands, they were not very obliging.  So I was put in the spot of having to pay for the remaining lease amount even if I shut down the stores. I tried to work around my problems...

Nanz shares the painful lesson that this proverb turned out to be for her.   I first heard this saying when I was a little girl. I heard it many times more as a grown-up, but never understood the wisdom behind it – until now. Indeed, some proverbs are really very wise! When I started the ONE.99shop business, I had two reliable sources to depend on. I had the savings in my bank account and I had my family. I used my savings as start-up capital and my family as my primary and dependable source of labour. This is not unusual with many other small...

As an entrepreneur, it’s worth your while to take a good holiday sometimes. Your journey can become a precious asset — a source of inspiration. As a fashion model, I travelled to many countries. My job took me to places all over the world: Japan, Germany, Sweden, Indonesia, Hong Kong. I was getting paid to look good, and, at the same time, given the chance to get a glimpse of another culture, way of life and business. When I travel, I waste nothing. My eyes are drawn to the things that are close to my heart. My passion is retail shops. Whenever...