Additional Coverage:
- After 9 rejections, she landed her dream job as a Singapore Airlines flight attendant. Six years later, she quit to open a hawker stall. (newsbreak.com)
After working as a flight attendant for six years, Cherry Tan left her dream job to start a hawker food stall with her husband in Singapore, despite facing lower pay but longer hours. Tan had aspired to be a flight attendant since she was a teenager.
She pursued her dream persistently, applying ten times before finally securing the job with Singapore Airlines. She enjoyed the work, which allowed for significant work-life balance.
However, by her fifth year, the job began to lose its allure, and concerns about career stability set in. Concurrently, her husband, Duncan Hsu, was eager to launch his own business after working as a hotel chef. Seeing an opportunity, the couple invested about $23,000 to open Kiang Kiang Taiwan Teppanyaki, a hawker stall inspired by Taiwanese flavors, featuring various grilled meats and sides.
Though leaving her $4,600 monthly salary as a flight attendant was financially challenging, Tan saw it as a step towards a bigger goal of growing the business. Despite the demanding 12-hour workdays, six days a week, Tan still managed to save more money, as her spending reduced significantly.
Initially skeptical, Tan’s parents were concerned about her transition to the hot and cramped hawker stall environment. This business is notoriously tough, with low startup costs but high physical demands and slim profits. Experts like KF Seetoh, founder of Urban Hawker in NYC, caution that success isn’t guaranteed without thorough preparation.
Despite the early challenges and initial slow business, her TikTok videos and media coverage drew interest, and Tan’s customer service skills from her airline days helped build rapport with customers.
Now, as her own boss, Tan takes pride in her role, part of a broader effort to preserve Singapore’s hawker culture, which is recognized by UNESCO. She emphasizes the importance of a new generation embracing this challenging but rewarding lifestyle.
Tan is fulfilled with her new venture, even though she misses the overseas cuisine she enjoyed as a flight attendant. She believes that if more young people are willing to endure the hawker lifestyle, it can be a gratifying career choice.
Read the original article on Business Insider.