By Leow Si Wan & Amanda Tan

Recession can lead to serious business

MRS Brenda Wong, 28, was retrenched from her company six months ago.

As if that was not enough, the former marketing manager then discovered she was two months' pregnant.

Jobless and now expecting, she decided to tackle a third challenge, and enrolled in the Jewellery Design & Management International School (JDMIS) to learn a new craft.

She went on to take four jewellery design courses, spending an average of $1,800 on each.

Now, she is the proud owner of Desbre Jewellery, an online fashion jewellery business. She plans to open a physical store next year, once the dust has settled around the new baby.

Like Mrs Wong, other Singaporeans are seeing the bright side of dark times.

They are retraining - in order to go into business.

A check with 50 students enrolled in private academies teaching courses in food, beauty and wellness, and fashion and design, found that 70 per cent aimed to start their own companies using their newly acquired skills.

Of these, close to half are in various stages of carrying out their plans.

Fifteen schools told The Straits Times that they had seen enrolment for their courses increase by 10 per cent to 40 per cent over the past year.

At 14-month-old JDMIS for example, the intake for its courses has jumped from 70 students a month last year to 100 a month this year.

Schools have also noticed that more students are in for the long haul.

Said Haji Md Yusof Ismail, 50, chief executive officer of Ain Society: 'I see more students taking their lessons seriously, moving on from beginner to intermediate to advanced stages.'

Ain is a voluntary welfare organisation offering courses such as sewing.

Mr Paalu Ramasamy, 41, master teacher of Tirisula Yoga, has noticed a growing number of students who go on to start their own studios.

He said: ' About 10 per cent go on to have their own school. This year, based on the 80 or so I've taught, I already have 20 to 30 students keen on opening their own studios.'

One of them is Ms Adeline Lum, 23, a teacher, who is setting up a studio with two partners.

She said: 'The economy is very uncertain now and I think setting up my own business, and in an area I am passionate about, is less stressful. I need not worry about getting sacked.'

Indeed, it is the uncertainty of the job market which has persuaded many budding entrepreneurs that they have little to lose by charting their own course.

Said Ms Gloria Goh, 36, a sales manager who spent about $1,300 learning how to make jewellery and is now selling some pieces through referrals: 'I thought it was time for me to treat my hobby seriously, just in case anything should happen to my job.'

Others see opportunities in a slow market.

Mr Edmund Tan, 53, who opened Ed's Creation, a hand-crafted jewellery store in Shaw Centre a month ago, said: 'When the crisis started, I thought that it was now or never to start my own business because costs would be lower.'

He said he was paying less than $2,000 a month in rent, at least $1,000 lower than in boom times. He is also saving on salaries, employing retirees in his shop for $7 to $8 an hour.

It is heartening to see Singaporeans adapting to the realities of the economic situation, either by picking up new skills for new jobs or venturing into business, said the National Trades Union Congress' assistant secretary-general, Mr Ong Ye Kung.

Still, he advised entrepreneurs to go into business with their eyes open, as running one's own concern comes with risks.

Mr Alwyn Tay, 27, an engineer, agreed, saying: 'Setting up a business is a dream for many people but if I did so, I would find a niche and offer a unique service.

But for those who have always dreamt of being their own bosses, now is when the iron is hot enough to strike.

Said Ms Rosalind Lim, 42, a former general manager who set up a health food kitchen and cafe Onaka last month: 'In any case, you would need a couple of years before a business stabilises. Right now, rental charges and salaries are more affordable.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times.