What We’ve Done To Our Businesses And Selves To Align With Singaporean Behaviour

Earlier this year, one of our interviewees, Christine Yong, who achieved the perfect score in the IB exams, wanted to know how entrepreneurs and artists in Singapore have changed or adapted their businesses, works and public image to align with Singaporean behaviour, and if they had any struggle doing so. Here is what our other interviewees said in reply to that.

Q: Entrepreneurs and artists in Singapore, how have you changed or adapted your business, works and public image to align with Singaporean behaviour? What were your struggles when doing so, or did you have no struggle?

HT, who made and sells Spiderman web shooters:
Personally, I haven’t changed any of my business or public image to align with Singaporean behaviour.

Russell Pensyl, who is an interactive media artist:
I don’t think I ever mastered that… the best I think we can do is to listen to others.

Jeshua Soh, who dropped out of school, started a business at age 19 and started another business in Myanmar:
For J Rental Centre, a peer-to-peer camera rental, creative spaces and event logistics rental platform that I started, we added new e-payment methods while retaining cash as an option. This would cater to the growing demand for Singaporeans keen on using PayNow, Paylah GrabPay and Credit Cards as well as the demographic who still prefer hard cash as a means of settling payments. We did, however, go fully cashless for creative spaces, knowing that we’re targeting a more savvy audience and to ensure that renters turn up for their booked time slot.

Evelyn Eng-Lim, who built her own retirement farm:
Advocate and promote local produce to our customers by introducing them to local kampong [village] vegetable recipes. Educate and explain Climate Change.

Elizabeth Seah, who has been cosplaying for 24 years:
Since 2012, I’ve moved my offline stores online. It gives me the freedom and flexibility for many other things that I’ve been wanting to do over the years. There are pros and cons for sure, but I’m glad I made that move. I ended up having a real LIFE, more time for my creativity, myself, and those who matter to me.

Pranoti Nagarkar, who invented the Rotimatic:
Ours is an Indian product—we sell to the non-resident Indians, mostly in the USA and in Singapore also—so we didn’t really have to change. And I think as entrepreneurs, you always have that freedom to be right, right? You don’t have to change anything.

Rishi Israni, who married and built a million-dollar business with the inventor of the Rotimatic:
I haven’t changed anything. Of course sometimes you try and be a little bit more conventional, you don’t try and be too unconventional, but we have not changed anything. It’s made some things harder to do but we’ve not changed much.

Sy, who founded LUCK-IT and interviewed all the people in this article:
Honestly, I’ve always struggled with resonating with the Singaporean mass market myself because my own interests are not mainstream and vice versa. I’ve since learned it helps to focus instead on the overarching similarities governing those differences, which you can then use as a basis for connection. In terms of dealing with all sorts of behaviour, what works for me is to focus on the end goal of both parties and ignore emotions. And if all that doesn’t work, one can always just skip the Singapore market to sell direct to the global market these days.

Gwern Khoo (featured in top photo), who is a Michelin Bib Gourmand certified hawker:
No special adjustment required. Human behaviour, their thinking, their needs and wants are quite universal. You just need to understand human behaviour.

Have YOU ever changed your business, works or public image in order to align with Singaporean behaviour? Drop your answer into the comment box below if so and we’ll add it to this list!

Photographs courtesy and copyright of those featured. Interviewer: Sy
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