
CNA938 Rewind - A Letter to Myself: Pastries, purpose, and perseverance — Why Serene Ong started her vending machine business
CNA938 Rewind
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Serene Ong, a mother of three and a former cabin crew member, decided to start her own vending machine company in October 2024. The machines serve fresh artisanal pastries from local bakeries. While business has been brisk for several of her machines, she had to overcome many initial challenges. Serene shares why she took a risk, the reaction of her family, and what she's learned about business — and herself — through this journey.
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Independent Singapore
4 hours ago
- Independent Singapore
‘Make space for Singaporeans to dream': Business struggles spark debate featuring Calvin Cheng over rent, manpower, and the future of local business
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See also Stories you might've missed, June 16 'I am often served by young, inexperienced and/or disinterested local service staff who never see F&B as a long-term career,' he said. 'If the government really wants to do something, they should relax the quotas on foreign manpower.' Cheng concluded that excessive government intervention in the market often leads to unintended consequences: 'When local entrepreneurs shut down, everyone loses their livelihoods anyway.' Yet Cheng's criticism of young local workers in the F&B sector has struck a raw nerve among many Singaporeans, especially youth and their families, who see part-time service jobs not as careers, but as lifelines. In a country where the cost of living continues to rise sharply—from transport fares to food prices and education costs—40% of polytechnic and university students take up part-time work at cafés, fast-food chains, or bubble tea outlets simply to make ends meet. For some, it's pocket money. 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Independent Singapore
13 hours ago
- Independent Singapore
Should I stay in my government job, or should I look for a new one?
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CNA
15 hours ago
- CNA
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