One Kueh At A Time towkay Nick Soon’s handmade soon kuehs sell out in five hours almost every day. His secret? Working to a soundtrack of hymns.
8 DAYS: You gave up your financial consultant job to be a hawker. Why the career change?
NICK SOON: I had enough of corporate life lah. I’d been a financial consultant for over 20 years, and the global financial crisis [in 2008] woke me up. My income went down by 40 per cent, so I was desperate to get out and start my own business. I tried several [ventures], but none of them were very successful. I invested in gold, had a watch dealership and my last business [before going into F&B] was an art gallery. It lasted only three months even though it took me half a year to prepare for the opening. (Laughs) My parents have been making kuehs at home for over 30 years and selling them to friends and relatives, so I thought, why not Show me the kueh: try my hand at that?
What’s your life like these days?
I started out working six days a week, and it was so tiring. Now I work five days a week, from 5am to 5.30pm. Folding soon kuehs is very time-consuming, but I avoid using a machine ’cos my customers want the handmade stuff. It just tastes different. After I close my stall at around 2pm, I can sit down and make kuehs. It’s quiet, and I can listen to hymns. Sometimes if my partner is free, she’ll drop by to help out. It’s hard to find an assistant. I’ve been through several but none of them lasted. One of my friends comes by to help me three times a week now.
Do you have time for a breather?
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