“I have always wanted to be financially independent and self sufficient, not needing to rely on my parents for money, so I can travel to places I want and buy the things I like,” explains Crystal Cheng, who is also the Public Relations Director of
Crystal’s culinary adventures are not a sudden development, however, as she started her first business Bakes & Crafts in 2013, selling more traditional pastries that she learnt to bake on YouTube. Realising the competitive nature of the industry, she decided to overhaul her business and came up with Loco Loco instead.
“We’re looking into entering shopping malls, so we hope that a clearer branding will help,” she says of the catchy name that is starting to catch onto Singaporeans.
We sit with her to chat on the ups and downs of the student-preneur life; how and why an undergrad would choose to sweat it out at
Photo by: All Aflutter SG
1. How often do you set up shop at pasar malams or bazaars?
We work at pasar malams back to back, in fact, as they are great platforms for selling our products and reaching out to heartlanders. The
4. What are some challenges you faced when setting up Loco Loco?
Some of the main challenges we faced were high rental costs. It is commonly thought that rental at pasar malams is cheap, but the rental for the usual spaces, such as those near the MRT, is approximately $4,000 for 16 days excluding the electricity costs and the cost of having a sink at our station. Places like Geylang Serai cost about $15,000 for 32 days, also excluding electricity and utilities. Thankfully we didn’t have to pay the entire rental bill upfront and in that sense, it is quite flexible.
Secondly, we also had manpower issues. It is very hard to find someone who is willing to work in such a tough environment without regard for the pay. Most of the people working for us are my partner’s friends and friends of friends.
5. Why do you choose to sweat away in a pasar malam despite being en-route to earning a degree at SMU?
In my opinion, a degree is just a degree. I chose SMU not because I wanted to pursue a higher qualification, but because I wanted to meet more people and benefit from the opportunities that SMU can offer—such as being able to go on student exchanges, and joining SMU Eagles Inc. Entering SMU with such an open mind widened my options beyond simply the corporate workforce or the usual career route. My business degree would also provide a safety net if my entrepreneurial journey doesn’t work out. I love the knowledge I have gained, and enjoy the real-world simulations that the classes in SMU offer—I don’t wish to lose touch of these valuable lessons even if I am a successful entrepreneur.
