She said: "Good, reliable Malaysian service staff are also hard to come by, so it's very important to retain such staff.

"Time management is also essential, especially in the food and beverage business.

"If you do not allocate your time wisely, money becomes somewhat of a moot point."

The 34-year-old, who appeared in the Channel 8 dramas Be Happy and The In-Laws, is now working with MediaCorp on a freelance basis.

This arrangement provides flexibility in her schedule. She's also in talks to appear in future shows, although nothing has been confirmed yet.

Her income from entertainment varies wildly, which is part of the reason why she is devoting more time and effort to setting up and running businesses.

XBW is her first business venture and she has plans for further expansion, subject to the availability of locations.

She said: "The rental is quite costly, more than a five-digit sum (in Malaysian ringgit) each month.

"It's quite worth it, though, because the outlet gets a lot of customers. We've been seeing some regular customers after about two months of business."

She added: "I have plans to invest in other potential XBW outlets, possibly in Johor Baru or Penang. "The location is very important. Even if it costs a bomb, it'll be worth paying for, because your costs will easily be recouped by the good flow of customers."

Hong said that although the new outlet has yet to turn a profit, the money spent is counted as part of the cost of building up XBW's presence in Malaysia.

She said: "The money will come."