COMPANY
AWARDS
Nominees 2007 | 2006 Awards  | 2005 Awards | 2004 Awards  | 2003 Awards |  Photo Gallery  |  Criteria for Candidates

Back to 2003 Nominees List

Mr Yip Kwok Hoong of Tiong Bahru Porridge Pte Ltd

Interviewer
Name: Joseph Chia Hsiangyang
Interviewee
Name: Clement Yip Kwok Hoong
Company Address Block 84A Lim Liak Street #01-11L Singapore 161084
Email -
Date of Interview 15 January 2003

Mr Clement Yip is a 49 year-old hawker who has a wealth of experience in the food and beverage industry, after taking on the footsteps of his father. He is married with 3 children and has a dedicated wife to help him run the business.

Mr Clement Yip himself was a graduate in his early days, having graduated from then Nantah University of Singapore. He worked as a sales representative for a few years before finding his true direction to take over the reins of his father's business. "You could have more satisfaction and self-actualization doing your own business rather than working for someone". Mr Yip thus learnt the ropes and cooking from his father at a time when most, if not all, of his peers are busily climbing the corporate ladder to a successful career. "Having the ability to take humility and the perseverance to conquer and differentiate oneself, especially in the hawking industry which is often regarded as lowly, is a virtue". Even his father tried numerous times to discourage him, as do most parents who wanted their children to work for MNCs or the Government as a respected white-collar job worker.

In retrospect, Tiong Bahru Porridge started out as an itinerant push-cart stall in the late 1950s in the Tiong Bahru area and it was only in the late 1960s that the Government rounded up all these hawkers and provided them a place in the now Tiong Bahru Market at Lim Liak Street.

Mr Clement Yip thus displayed his flair for business and constantly innovated his porridge to suit the taste of customers. The first few years were difficult for Mr Yip as he had to retain and expand his customer base at the same time, trying to establish a good rapport between customers. According to him, the most difficult part about running a hawking business was finding good service staff and knowing how to accept and tolerate picky customers. Also, the dynamic fluctuating supply of goods and events presents a challenge. The 'Nipah' epidemic had a considerable impact on his business; the government imposed stringent regulations on imported foodstuff following the incident, making it difficult for him to get his ingredients from Malaysia, especially pigs' viscera.

Today, Mr Yip owns four stalls and had four franchisees. His porridge has won numerous accolades from various editorial reviews. His clientele ranges from all walks of life, but mostly from the middle-income families to top executives, who will park their Mercedes along Lim Liak Street to savour his porridge. Mr Yip strongly believes that being hardworking helps and politeness is a must. He hopes to expand overseas, and let the international scene taste his authentic traditional Cantonese porridge.

It takes patience and tolerance to succeed in business, not to mention a certain element of luck. Mr Yip is grateful for the help and support of his family members, especially his wife, and his partners. "Pamper your customers well and they will keep coming back but there must always be a limit". Sometimes it does not help when you give in to customers all the time, and let them influence you in all your decisions pertaining to costing and pricing.

As of now, Mr Yip continues to work about 6 days a week in his stalls, serving his customers and assisting in the delivery of porridge to the franchisees. He is driven by a passion to succeed, and the numerous challenges ahead are deemed not as setbacks but as interesting problems and "bets" he is most willingly to take on.

Interview With YIP KWOK HOONG

The interview was held at Tiong Bahru Market, at 4p.m. on 15th January 2003. The interview lasted for about 50 minutes.

How shall I describe your business?
I would say that I'm in the food and beverage business.

How did you get started in this business?
Well, I was looking for directions in life and I realized that doing business was ultimately what I want. It was quite natural that I took over my father's stall after he retired and tried to expand his business. I also wanted to give myself a challenge and see how far I can go. That was how I got exposed to F&B business.

Do you have children in business?
No, They are all still studying. But occasionally, I allow them to help out in the stall. I adhere to the good old traditional adage of earning money is difficult, but spending it is easy, and I always tell them that if they want money, go earn for it. Nothing comes easy, and I pay them accordingly.

Are you expecting anyone of them to take over your business?
I don't force or compel them to take over the business. I allow them to make their own decisions and I have no preferences over which type of jobs they should take after they graduate. After all, life is all about choices, and I respect their choices.

Does your wife work?
Yes, she does. I'm usually running around my other stalls, and my wife takes care of our main stall at Tiong Bahru Market. Customers can always rest assured knowing that either my wife or myself will be present to ensure that our porridge is always consistently cooked to high standards. My wife was a former administrative officer for many years, but she decided to join me in the F&B business when I took over the reins of Tiong Bahru Porridge.

Did you have to get a license to do business here?
Yes, of course. I had to acquire a Food and Beverage license, and also get myself inoculated with typhoid vaccine, as required by the Ministry of Environment.

How easy was it to get this license?
Oh, it was fairly easy. Getting the required licenses doesn't really present a problem.

How long do you think you will stay here?
As long as I can, or until I cannot continue due to health problems or unforeseen circumstances.

How is the Government's view on your type of business?
Well, small businesses like hawking usually takes a back seat from the Government's point of view. They usually focus on manufacturing and attracting MNCs to invest in Singapore. As a result, the culture, working environment and regulatory framework of hawkers and small F&B outlets are not of international standards. The environment and image of hawkers can be much improved with proper education and training.

Who are your main customers?
We cater mainly to the neighborhood residents living in the surrounding vicinity of the stalls and middle-income families who usually come here for dinner and supper.

What have you learned about the doing business so far and tell me some of your best day in business.
Never underestimate the importance of your inner motivation. I always tell myself that in order to succeed, you must first believe in yourself. Also the workers and staff are very important. In the food and beverage industry, it is a team business, and I believe that you have to treat and pay your staff well to cultivate loyalty. But sadly, good employees are difficult to find too. Singaporeans are generally too picky and do not want to work long and hard hours, serving people. The best day in business is when even foreigners and tourists praised the quality of my porridge, telling me that it is the best porridge that they had ever tasted-smooth and authentically Chinese-style. I even had foreigners who thus became regular patrons as a result and they swear by my porridge. That is enough encouragement for me to go on.

What about your worst day
The worst day will be the periods of monsoon seasons whereby the rain will dampen most clients' mood to eat out; especially Tiong Bahru Market is an alfresco dining area.

How do you spend your spare time? Any hobbies?
I work about 6 days a week, so I have very little time to exercise! I try to spend time at home with wife and children. I do like to collect certain antiques though, for example porcelain and Chinese Ming vases. During my national service days, I jog a lot, but not anymore now.

Do you have a mission or motto?
I have always believed in providing my customers with the highest standards when it comes to food and one must always be prepared to work hard. If one has the right working attitude and have the interest in the job, he will go very far. Passion is the foundation for excellence.

Do you have any partners?
I had my wife, brother-in-law and my brothers as working partners. They are all very supportive and I am glad that our relationship is still going strong.

Tell me some stories that would give me an idea of the hardships involved in starting a business from scratch. What are some of the things you have had to overcome to succeed?
This line of business is very time consuming. I spend long hours at work nearly every day, and this means less time to spend with my family. To expand and satisfy your customers' needs is a challenge already, and finding good service staff in Singapore will be a big headache. Most Singaporeans are very fussy over jobs; they want high pay and short working hours, and they complain a lot. It is much easier to find dependable workers in Malaysia, but the government has a policy such that a restaurant can only hire foreign workers after the first three months of operation and they don't usually approve their work permits to hawkers. They are deemed too small a business to have workers.

Ever felt like giving up before, how many times, when does it happen and why?
Business can be tough in the first couple of years, but I have always had a never-say-die attitude, and I believe that behind every dark cloud, there will always be a silver lining, and even if your luck is in the doldrums, it will pick up consequently, so look on the bright side.

Who would you say are your competitors?
All the hawkers in Singapore of course, especially those who sell porridge! How you manage products is very important, and I guess what differentiates us from our competitors is that we have our signature porridge that is very much difficult to duplicate. Also, branding itself is the top priority for me and once you have achieved to establish a niche, it will be hard for competitors to take it away from you.

Have you ever thought of banding together with one of them to start a joint venture?
Well I don't reject the possibility to work together, but it is important for both parties to share the same philosophy. I have a long-term business mindset, and I believe that a win-win situation will be the best resolve if ever possible.

What would happen if you got sick, who would run your business?
Most of my family members have been with me for many years now, and they are capable of running the place for me when I am away. However, there will definitely be some hiccups here and there, and that is a reason why I make it a point not to fall sick.

What would you advise young people to do today in starting a business?
Perseverance and optimism are some of the important qualities to succeed in business. Not only that, I think they need to know that it takes patience and tolerance to succeed in business, and you have to be prepared to put in many hours of hard work. Treat your customers well and they will keep coming back.

Do you have a role model or mentor?
I admire Sim Wong Hoo of Creative Technologies. He was one of a kind who does not give up easily and you can see the flame of passion in his actions.

Do you have any retirement plans?
Not now. I am still capable of continuing and I believe one should do work while he is still able to, especially since I am still passionate about what I'm doing. Also, I had to support my family, as my children are still young.

Where do you see yourself 20 years from now?
Well I would like to retire one day and see my business well taken care of, and being run by people who are as passionate as I am.

If you are chosen as one of the 38 winners will you attend the prize presentation ceremony?
Sure, no problem.

Will you be comfortable with the press and TV asking you many of the same questions if you are a winner?
I've done several TV interviews on food before, so I'm quite comfortable with that.

Do you have any objection to this interview being posted on the Community Web Site (NTUC Income) or published in the newspaper prior to being chosen?
No, I have no objections.

Before I go any other story you would like to tell me?

That's about all.

Thank you for your time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Copy 2006 - Spirit Of Enterprise - All Rights Reserved