Season 1 - Episode 7 | Unleashing Entrepreneurial Talent into Social Enterprises to Help Marginalised Women: Ms. Shelley Siu

Social enterprises, or businesses that are looking to solve social problems, are usually started by someone who has a personal motivation, passion, or connection to the issue.

Come join Dr. Ramesh and Ms. Shelley Siu, who is a woman on a mission - The mission to help marginalised women and give them the skills and support needed to start a small business. Despite being the privileged daughter of the President of a bank, Shelley has an unquenchable fire to give back. Follow the colourful life story of the maven behind the iconic Singapore Shawl, as she unleashes her entrepreneurial talent into social enterprises that give hope and empower women to build a livelihood.

To learn more about Entrepreneurship with Dr. Ramesh, get your copy of The Big Jump into Entrepreneurship 2.0 on Amazon.com or www.Dr-Ramesh.com.

If you're interested to view the artfully designed Singapore Shawl Collection, do contact Shelley at Email: shelleysiu45@yahoo.com.sg or WhatsApp message: +65 84887205. 

Shelley is also looking for like-minded social entrepreneurs to continue driving the legacy of the Singapore Shawl in supporting employment and additional skills development for marginalised women. 

Host: Dr. Ramesh Ramachandra, Author, Podcast Host and Founder of Talent Leadership Crucible

Guest Speaker: Ms. Shelley Siu, Founder of The Singapore Shawl, Author of Barrier Breakers - Women in Singapore

#ShelleySiu #SingaporeShawl #BarrierBreakers #WomenInSingapore #singaporewomen #genderequity #entrepreneurship #womenentrepreneurs #entrepreneurs #asianwomen #asianbusiness #womenempowerment #womenpower #Dr.RameshRamachandra #bigjumptintoentrepreneurship2.0 #asianpodcast #womenpodcast #genderequality #breakthebias #socialenterprise #socialbusiness #socialentrepreneurs 

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Transcript

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To learn more about Entrepreneurship with Dr. Ramesh, get your copy of The Big Jump into Entrepreneurship 2.0 on Amazon.com or www.Dr-Ramesh.com.

If you're interested to view the artfully designed Singapore Shawl Collection, do contact Shelley at Email: shelleysiu45@yahoo.com.sg or WhatsApp message: +65 84887205. 

Shelley is also looking for like-minded social entrepreneurs to continue driving the legacy of the Singapore Shawl in supporting employment and additional skills development for marginalised women. 

Host: Dr. Ramesh Ramachandra, Author, Podcast Host and Founder of Talent Leadership Crucible

Guest Speaker: Ms. Shelley Siu, Founder of The Singapore Shawl, Author of Barrier Breakers - Women in Singapore

#ShelleySiu #SingaporeShawl #BarrierBreakers #WomenInSingapore #singaporewomen #genderequity #entrepreneurship #womenentrepreneurs #entrepreneurs #asianwomen #asianbusiness #womenempowerment #womenpower #Dr.RameshRamachandra #bigjumptintoentrepreneurship2.0 #asianpodcast #womenpodcast #genderequality #breakthebias #socialenterprise #socialbusiness #socialentrepreneurs 

Lai Yun  00:05

Dr. Ramesh and I have just driven up this tranquil, green, hilly area. We've come to meet with Ms. Shelley Siu, who has for decades been driven to make a difference in the lives of women in need and in crisis. The personal life story she shares with us here is interesting, but more importantly, we learn about her social enterprises, including her signature and iconic Singapore Shawl business, which supports and empowers marginalised women in Singapore.

Dr. Ramesh  00:39

After the 2003 market crash, Shelley started to provide pro bono training to many retrenched executives, on how to start a small retail business. In particular, she was passionate about the billion-dollar pushcart business in the U.S. and recognised that it was an easy pivot for small retail businesses in Singapore. And not only did she advise others, she also started on social enterprise to sell the iconic Singapore Shawl. This is really interesting because all this was being done while she was at the peak of her career, with absolutely no retail experience at all. In fact, what she was doing prior to that was that she was a highly sought-after corporate trainer and a conference speaker, and would often command several thousand dollars a day. Now in her late 70s, Shelley’s well-positioned to retire. However, her creative streak and passion to contribute and make a positive difference keeps her very, very busy. So here we are, at Shelley's home, enjoying a wonderful cup of hot tea, and some snacks that she has prepared for us. 

Dr. Ramesh  01:58

Shelley's someone very dear to me, I've known her for 21 years. And we first met when Shelley was looking at publishing her book on the "Barrier Breakers" and I was really honoured that she selected me to be one of the chapters and I have the opportunity to get to know you then, Shelley. Recently, I was moving homes and I found that book again. I realised that in spite of the changes around me, and how my own perspectives have changed over time, it was actually a rewarding journey that I've had. And I was curious as to what had happened with all the other women – There were 13 of us. And I was also curious about how you would share your story. Yes, that was 21 years ago. And if we can go down memory lane and just look back at your impressive life. Start with the "Barrier Breakers", what was the inspiration around the "Barrier Breakers" book? It was year 2000, and you want it to be the first online publication.

Shelley  03:01

It actually happened by accident, because I happen to meet somebody who was an E-Book publisher, Lillian, Lillian Koh. And so she said, "Why don't you do it?" And I said, "Okay, I will do it." I sat through six months, interviewing women I thought who could share and inspire us. Six months, I didn't do anything else. I put aside everything. And I sat down and did the book. What was good was, I wanted to launch it in the year 2000 because it was a new millennium. So I said, "Hey, it's time for women to really be featured." I picked the women who I thought would be able to inspire us. And the rest was history. 

Shelley  03:50

It was very interesting that we had different places to do the interviews. For Dr. Anamah Tan, who is such a role model for Singaporean women and men, too. We did it in the powder room of the Tanglin Club, because it was too noisy outside and too many distractions. So, we were seated there. Very beautiful. And that is something that Dr. Anamah Tan and I still talk about today that we were there, doing the interview. And then of course, Ramesh "the techie" at that time. I think you and Lillian were the first two techies we knew. The rest were just consultants. And of course, we've got people like Teresa Hsu, a role model, too. Despite her age, she was doing yoga. She was doing food distribution to the poor and the needy. Such a fine example for us. The rest were professionals. 

Shelley  04:52

So, it was my honour that all of them decided and agreed to come on board. What made it even more significant was that the Canadian High Commission came into the picture through Vivian Cheong, one of the ladies, another techie. And she introduced us and the Canadian High Commissioner at that time was very pro women empowerment and "Wired Women". 

Dr. Ramesh  05:23

Yes. 

Shelley  05:23

Because they had a group called the Wired Women Society of Canada. They came on board. They supported us. We launched it with the boss of Singtel because they wanted to be in this too, being technical. It was great. We had such a big blast, a lot of publicity in the papers. My face was seen everywhere with the hard copies of books at MPH, in the newspapers and all. Subsequently, the High Commission organised a trip for us as a delegation to Soft World Conference in Vancouver. And there in Vancouver, their minister for what was it?

Dr. Ramesh  06:14

You mean Deputy Minister, Kevin Lynch?

Shelley  06:21

Yes, he put us together with the Wired Women. And that was so fun. It was the first time I saw Vancouver. After that, I wanted to go back to Vancouver. It was such a beautiful place. And Canadians are so nice. 

Dr. Ramesh  06:35

Shelley, coming back to the book "Barrier Breakers". I remember you had these beautiful orchids graced the cover of the book. What was the inspiration behind that? You obviously have a close connection with our Singapore national flower, the Orchid. So tell us more.

Shelley  06:50

Yes, I have always been a gardener. My name is Shelley – “Girl from the meadows." So, I became a gardener. When I was 50 years old, my sweet darling husband named an orchid after me. It was a surprise. He got the school of Horticulture's principal, they said, "Let's choose a flower for Shelley. Let's not tell her anything. We'll take her to the farm." And so, one bright sunny day around my birthday, I was taken to this orchid farm where the hybridiser was, and the hybridiser was David Lim, dear David. And he said here, "Here are the orchids that are not named yet. And we have saved them for VIPs who come to Singapore to have them named after them." So I said, "Okay, I like this cream coloured one." I chose the cream coloured one with stripes like tiger stripes. And they call it "Phalaenopsis Shelley Siu". I thought that was the best birthday gift any woman could get. Because it has to be registered with the Horticultural Society of Great Britain. And you've got to pay a fee to have that registered. So, it's down for posterity. I thought why not have the women in my book have an orchid named after them. And I also support the local hybridisers because it's very hard work to get an orchid hybridised. It is very difficult. It takes time. You don't know how it would turn out. And so we went to the farm one day, eight of us trotted down to the farm owned by Ron, How Wai Ron, who is a very active member of the Orchid Society of Singapore. And so we went down and they chose their orchids. I know Ramesh chose two! 

Dr. Ramesh  08:46

Yes, I chose two and I named one after my mother and another after my grandmother.

Shelley  08:53

Yes. And I was told that it's a record-breaking orchid naming day - Eight orchids named in one day. So after that, I said, "Wow, let's have the book cover with all the orchids." And it's very Singaporean. Singapore is known for its hybrid orchids besides its Vanda Miss Joaquim. And so we came up with this cover. And it's so beautiful. I decided to also design a shawl. 

Dr. Ramesh  09:24

Yes, that's right!

Shelley  09:26

So, I have a shawl with all these orchids, and it's called, "Barrier Breakers". I use the shawl to raise funds for the Orchid Society. And it was the Orchid Society who gave me my very first runway platform where all the local girls friends - Only friends because I couldn't afford then, at that time, to pay models. So, we had fun we had our friends who modelled and Mrs. Mary Tan was the guest of honour. We raised funds for the Orchid Society. So, that's a beautiful story of 'Barrier Breakers'. And so that's history. 

Dr. Ramesh  10:04

You know, the one regret that I had about that whole book project was the fact that you did not share your own journey in the book. Because you're super, super awesome.

Shelley  10:16

Well, thank you so much, Ramesh. I'm always a bit shy talking too much about myself, a bit shy. I've been brought up that way, to be modest. I don't know whether that's being modest, or it is what do they call it? Impostor Syndrome. Now for us to learn, that we must never look down on ourselves and think too little of ourselves. My husband just reminded me just now. He said, "You think too little about yourself." But yeah, we were brought up the old school way. Never talk about yourself, never brag and never boast and here I am on the air. 

Dr. Ramesh  10:56

About time! So, what I like to do now, Shelley, is to ask you to share with us how you came about with the Singapore Shawl, that whole journey. From an entrepreneurial perspective that as much as it is exciting to start and run a business, what is more important, especially in today's world, is the ability to have an entrepreneurial mindset. And I think you're someone who has demonstrated that time and time again throughout your entire life journey. 

Shelley  11:28

Thank you, Ramesh. I have been told that by other people, too. During my training HR consultancy days, I used to travel a lot. And whenever I travelled, I could see opportunities in so many things, which people never saw before. And they said, "Wow, Shelley, you've got lots of ideas." And I said, "Yes, I've got lots of ideas, but also need a lot of support." Without which, nothing will take off. If you want to go fast, you go alone; If you want to go long, for a long time, you have to go together with a team.  

Shelley  12:01

I used to go on my mission trips. I went to China. I went to many, many provinces in China. I wanted to do training and development. And it was something I enjoyed very much and I still do.

Dr. Ramesh  12:15

Shelley, can you tell us a little bit more about your teaching career? 

Shelley  12:19

I was a teacher for about 20 years. My father said, "Ha, I'm not sending you to the university, you are going to end up in the kitchen and looking after babies. So, why don't you go and teach- Half say at home and half day at work?" And so, I was a very good daughter, very filial. Not like now where they want to do their own thing, young people now. I said, "Okay." And I enjoyed teaching, I enjoyed standing in front of the class, I enjoyed sharing my knowledge, I enjoyed using different methodologies. I was one of the first few who had boys do home economics. I said, "Why is it that boys don't have to?" Boys should do that, and girls can do technical, drawing, metalwork, and all. Yeah, we have to be given a chance to do everything. And we should not segregate what we can do and what we can't do because as the eldest child of a family, I had to do a lot. 

Dr. Ramesh  13:27

Shelley, I'm really curious to know about how it was growing up in those years, and what was that turning point that had you look at becoming independent, and why is it that today, a lot of your work is about empowering women? 

Shelley  13:46

I was thrown into the leadership role. Mom and dad went to work. We had Cantonese Amahs, looking after us, but our Cantonese Amahs were very old school. And they only sayang the boys, and they bullied the girls. And they always said, "Oh, you're gonna get married. You don't belong to the family anymore." And from then on, I started becoming a feminist. I stood my ground. And I always fought with the maid, because the Amah gave my brothers all the drumsticks and I had the other parts of the chicken. So, I started finding myself and standing up for my rights. And that was how I started. I also understand that so many women, so many women like me, never self-actualised because, at that time, they either became secretaries, or they became nurses, or they became teachers. And whatever they brought home, their salaries, they had to help to support the family. Not many of us at that time, as Pioneer Generation members, went to the University. I started the Singapore Shawl to help the marginalised women because I realised we want the respect that they should give us. And so I started the Singapore Shawl. 

Shelley  15:11

At that time, when I started, I didn't even know that it was called a social enterprise. In the year 2003, I started going to the hotel fairs. And then I saw that they had bazaars. And I said, "Hey, I think I can do something to help the women of Singapore.” Give them jobs. Some were breast cancer survivors. Some were caregivers at home. I had one who had a child who was in a wheelchair all the time, and she couldn't go out to work. I wanted to help these people. Because to me, success is to make a difference in the lives of people. It is to make use of what God has given you – The gift to make life better for people. I think you should start in your own backyard first. So, I did that. I enjoyed designing. And the first time I started this business, I had no budget, at all, to order goods, which came in thousands. My orders would be very small. But I found a very dear Indian company. He was also young and just starting out and we are still friends. He carried his little suitcase of samples, went to look for me at C.K. Tang. Both of us sat at the stairwell to meet and to talk business. So, I said, "I'm very small. I can only order 20 pieces of this and 20 pieces of that. And also, I don't want my designs to be all over. I wanted them to be exclusive.” And so he said, "That's okay." In the beginning, it was always money upfront. But after that, they didn't even ask for payment. So, I'm so grateful to partners like that, in the beginning. And of course, I couldn't have my own design, my own graphic artwork then. I chose and selected shawls, but added my own embellishments to make them different. Now, nobody wanted to do that because you've got to pay for labour. Some shawls are damaged when you are handling them. I added our Joaquims, added embellishments, crystals. And that differentiated my shawls from other competitors' shawl. So yes when you start business, you have to say, "What makes me special? What makes me different?" So, that's how I started.

Dr. Ramesh  17:43

They call that, the unique value proposition of any business. And I think you have instinct where you can just pinpoint, here, this is where I'm going to work on it and make it special.

Shelley  17:55

Yeah. And nobody had the Singapore Shawl. So, the first time I went to STB myself, I said, "How should I call my shawl?" "Should I call it, Shawls by Shelley?" And I found that it was a little difficult to many "sh" there. And then they said, "Why not The Singapore Shawl?" So, I had the blessings and I called it 'The Singapore Shawl' and no regrets. Because the Istana wanted the Singapore Shawl. The ministers and the ministries wanted the Singapore Shawl. Eventually, I came up for men, I had shirts with the orchids on them. I had a lot of fun. So, I think, first of all, you have to use the gifts that God gives you to touch lives and to make the world a better place. And in doing so, we become very happy and joyful, and the joy will transcend to how we think and what we do. And this affects the circle of people around you. And it brought me a lot of compliments. 

Shelley  19:02

So, that was designed for me, "The Singapore Shawl". Yeah, but I found that having all these Ah Mng’s and Ah So’s at my counter had problems. They were looked down by, sad to say, some of the management staff. They were looked down by customers. And I found that I had to stand up for them and fight for them. For example, I had one couple come to the counter, looked at so many pieces of shawl, made them take out from the drawers, our stocks. And they were criticising so many pieces. I think it was about 20. I was standing at the side away, just observing what was happening to my dear Auntie's and Ah So’s. Eventually I said, "This is too much." I went up to them. And I said, "Hi." I said, "I see that you're not happy with our shawls. In this case, we will not sell you our shawls." And then the guy said, "Where is the boss? I want to speak to the boss." I said, "I am the boss." Then he said, "Oh, then I want to see the store manager." I said, "Yes, please, I will go and look for them for you." And he spoke to the store manager. And I thought, "Wow, probably I would be called up." But I was not called up at all, because I explained the situation.  

Shelley  20:41

And then another time. The management would tell my staff when I was not around "this and that". And I told my staff, "Don't say, yes. Tell them to speak to me." And if you're not in the good books, even though we were doing very well, and store location is so important. We were always upfront at the main door because we were able to bring in sales. But if they're not happy with you, they will relocate you. And one day, one of our president's wives went on her own. And she said, "Shelley, where are you? I cannot find you." And I said, "Oh, Mrs. Tan, I'm here behind the wall." She came behind the wall. And I also had another very VVIP leader here. When they come, they're very low key, no pomp and ceremony at all. And even though we offered to carry the bags for them to the car, they said, "No." And that's Madam Ho Ching. She was very low-key, very appreciative, and she bought my shawls to give away as gifts to other VIPs. And then we have one piece called, "Temasek". I designed the piece called "Temasek". She bought the "bamboo shoot" from me, too. 

Shelley  22:08

So, those are some of the anecdotes I can tell you. And I also stood on my two stubborn feet. And I refused to give in when one of them said, "Shelley, we want to have guaranteed sales from your counter, from everybody." I was doing very well at that time. But it was not high enough for them.

Shelley  22:33

Yeah. So I said, "Sorry, if you're going to do that, I'm going to leave." And I told Madam Yu-Foo. Madam Yu-Foo said, "Hey, I know the boss. Let me speak to them." I said, "No, it's okay. It's my battle." And so, even though we did very well there, we left. And I found out after we left, they did not impose that term on all the other vendors. So, I was the sacrificial lamb. But it was like cutting your nose to spite your face. So, they lost me. Of course, other malls were welcoming me. But it was sad. Because we were really doing very well, their top three, top five in terms of turnover. In fact, for me, I enjoyed doing presentation. I had that carried over from my training days. 

Shelley  23:28

On Saturdays, I would go to the counter, I would stand on my little soapbox, and I would speak to the crowd. I would say, "Can you name the name of this Orchid?", "When was it named the National Flower of Singapore?" And all these trivia questions were very good for Singaporeans and for tourists. And I would give up little, little gifts and that drew a big crowd, so much so that the management said, "Shelley, can you do it at our main door downstairs and draw in the crowd?" And you said, "I'm so sorry. I would like to draw the crowd at my counter and not be at the main door." Because that would be so funny for me, as it was, I was the only one professional standing on a soapbox, on Saturday afternoons doing my own thing. But it was fun, and it made a lot of difference. 

Dr. Ramesh  24:18

And it created the shopping experience.  

Shelley  24:20

Correct. And they all looked forward to that because I gave up gifts, scarfs, little scarfs. I was very happy doing it even though my family was dismayed. My former consultancy staff, they were dismayed. And who else? Oh, Professor Gopinathan came to the counter and said, "Shelley, what are you doing behind the counter selling shawls? I'm gonna get Gim Ling to come and collect you." Because retail was frowned upon? 

Dr. Ramesh  24:51

Yes. 

Shelley  24:52

Now, it's different. Now, the millennials are doing new things. So, even though with the degrees that they have, they are still doing their own thing. So I was ahead. 

Dr. Ramesh  25:03

Now they call this artisanal, whether it is making soap or coffee, or shawls. It's about expressing yourself.

Shelley  25:13

Yeah. And no stigma at all.

Dr. Ramesh  25:15

There must have been some personal crisis that you encountered in your life. And I remember some years back, you mentioned about the time when you had left Singapore to go to Macau, and then you came back. And I was wondering whether you could share that period in your life and how you overcame that and what did you do? Because people are living in such a disruptive time right now, whereby it's so uncertain that they're not sure what they can do. Maybe you can inspire them with what you did.

Shelley  25:54

I think we need to learn to pick ourselves up. I was a go-getter. Even though I was really cloistered within the four walls of the classroom, my heart and my soul were always searching the world. What can I do out there? What can I learn from the outside world? And so, when my father who was a bank president in Macau, he founded the bank there. He passed away very young, at age 59 of cancer. We were invited by the chairman to over as a second-generation family. Of course, I jumped at the opportunity, even though my children's education were affected. Why? They were in good schools here. When they first went over there, even though they went to an English school, everything was in Cantonese. And so, I had to have a Cantonese teacher come and provide tuition for my daughter in Cantonese. 

Shelley  27:00

And yes, I enjoyed my life. They're very status-conscious. Bank president’s daughter, you can't be riding in your car and giving a lift to other people, you've got to hold your status. And when I went down, I'm a very hands-on person. When they had events and all, I said and I told my husband, "Let me come down and help." They said, "No. A president's daughter must never come down and help and do all these things." And I found it very strange. Even going to the market. "Why must you go to the market? Why doesn't your Amah go to the market?" I said, "I enjoy looking at all the fresh vegetables, the jumping fish, and all that. I enjoy it." "And why must you go out in the evening in wintertime to teach night classes in your church?" At that time, I was teaching the migrants from China. They all left China, they came out into Macau, looking for a better life. I taught them English in my church. And that's how I work as somebody who is doing God's work, loving our sisters and brothers. And so, we had a nice life. It was a highlight. It was entertainment every day, playing mah-jong with tai tai's, wearing that same tai tai ring to be in the club, that frivolous. But the time came, when I said, "This is not me."

Shelley  28:27

I want to do something more meaningful. And so I gave up all that. And I got a job at the university. And it was not difficult for me to get a job because our bank was already awarding scholarships. And I was on the scholarship panel. And so, I got a job, trotted to work, driving my car, a well-dressed tai tai. Then I said, "Oh, I might as well take up some classes." And so at the age of 35, I became a student again. They allowed me to lock my office door, trot off to class, sat down there amongst all the young students and did what I loved most. That was language, communication, literature. And they accepted me very well. And I was able to contribute. In fact, I overworked. One of the habits of an entrepreneur is not knowing to say 'No'. And forgetting the time limit that you have. So, everything was, “Yes, yes, yes, yes.” I took on the supervisory role of their exams, GCE O'level. What to do when the typhoon strikes? Oh, wow, I had to make all those difficult decisions. And I overworked and I came down with symptoms of TB.

Shelley  29:59

I failed In the patch test. And you know something? It wasn't only me; my whole family came down with symptoms of TB. But I was the only one who was looking torn, who was losing weight, who was coughing a little bit. And that worried the whole family. So, we packed up very quickly and came back to Singapore. I didn't want to because they were going to offer me other positions there. And I enjoyed so much working with the young students there. I was part of the cheerleading team and all that. So, I had to come home. I was sick. I had no job. We sold our house in Macau. We had no house back in Singapore. We squatted with my mum. And that wasn't really the best situation for us. It was very depressing. And I was asked whether I wanted to go back to teach. I said ‘Yes’ to the ministry. But when I went into the classroom, I was suddenly overtaken by this fear of going back to the classroom and marking 44 compositions. So, I said, "No, thank you." And the principal was very upset with me, so was the ministry. 

Shelley  31:21

But what did I do? I said, "What can I do?" So, when I got better, I started doing part-time training. I was training in one of our private schools. And then later on, I went on to the U.S., where I picked up training skills and came back and became a training consultant. How did I build myself up when there were so many well-known, established trainers? Well, I joined the American Society for Training and Development. Okay, I went up to meet all the American gurus overseas, I adopted the methodology. I became an alumnus member of Disney University, at that time, and I was known for my service quality training, the passion model, P-A-S-S-I-O-N. For me, my model was PASS-IT-ON. So, from telephone skills to communication skills, to so many other skills. And my model was very popular. I became trainer for SIA, for the fortune 500 companies, we called them MNCs at that time. 

Shelley  32:43

And whenever I had the opportunity, I would market myself. How? By speaking at conferences free as a guest speaker. And I later on threw in my shawls, I sponsored door gifts. And after that, it was history. My training days were very good days, too. I didn't have to work the whole month, just a few days in a month. And then later on, of course, I went into branding, company branding. Why? Because branding has a segment of brand delivery. And so I did the training for brand delivery – How your brand promise has to be a part of your brand delivery. And I enjoyed that, I still enjoy it today. I enjoy training. I enjoy teaching and meeting people. 

And one of the things my husband said about me.

Shelley  33:15

He said, "Networker". I am. I'm a big-time networking person. 

Dr. Ramesh  33:48

And this is before social media. 

Shelley  33:50

Yeah. Before social media. 

Dr. Ramesh  33:51

So, it's old school. And what is old school networking?

Shelley  33:54

Oh, wow. First of all, when you go out to meet people, you have to be present. You have to show yourself. You have to be known for, first of all, integrity. Keep your promises and have integrity. Now from integrity, you don't stay there, you move up to the next level – credibility. When people see that you are credible, they believe you. And from credibility you have to be visible. You have to go up to the visibility level, where you are seen, where people know you and you become a brand. It's not like, "Oh, who is that lady?" Ha! They know straight away – Visibility. From visibility, you become a celebrity. And then of course, we become a legend! So, those are the stages and I used to teach people in networking. And in networking, you don't go only for what you want. You have to build a relationship first. Build a relationship with a person and then share with a person what you can give to the person, then the person, in networking, would return the favour. And that's what networking is all about. And you meet all kinds of people. I am very effective, highly effective networker. I am very hospitable. I enjoy sharing.

Dr. Ramesh  35:17

Yeah, just like our afternoon tea here.  

Shelley  35:19

Yes, even our personal trainer every time he comes in, "I feel so spoiled." That's because we enjoy being hospitable. And then you know what he said about me? Not good as an entrepreneur, I use too much of my heart and not my head. So, I need support from somebody in my team who will balance up this for me by being the head. I am right brained. I need somebody who is left. I am empathetic, resourceful. Yes, I see things in opportunities and a lot of things and I know where to get what I want. In Singapore, I drive around. I'm over hard-working. I'm a workaholic. And he still says I'm ambitious and a hard driver. And of course, feminist. 

Dr. Ramesh  36:13

Absolutely. 

Shelley  36:15

Fighting for women. 

Dr. Ramesh  36:16

I will say you're not just a change maker. But you're a game changer.

Shelley  36:21

Wow. Let's go on from here. Change more of the game. Make it a bigger game for more women, for people who are old. Don't give up on yourself. Don't let people trot you down. I'm always for the underdog. I have been known as somebody who will always fend for the underdog.

Dr. Ramesh  36:51

How would you describe "Thriving"? 

Shelley  36:53

To be on top of any situation. Change happens. So for me, I turned around from being a teacher, went up the ladder to be a trainer, corporate trainer, and then saw that we needed to help the Aunties and Ah Mng's and Ah So's during the dot-com bust, 2003. A lot of PMETs were retrenched. There was a little article about me and 300 of them came from my talk, how to start your own little business. And so I said, "Okay, let me train you." We started a little pushcart business. And then, what do we sell? I say, "You sell Singapore! I want you to start selling the same things are the little knickknacks that other countries are selling as souvenirs. You sell Singapore." And that's how I pivoted, from teaching to training, to social entrepreneurship. And now, to speak up for the downtrodden. I had been very much inspired by John Lewis, who was the civil activist of Good Trouble. He says, "Get into good trouble, necessary trouble and help redeem the soul of the people." Correct? Yeah, get into trouble. It doesn't matter. "Never let anyone, any person, or any force dampen, dim, or diminish your light. Let your light shine." And another one, "You cannot be afraid to speak up and speak out for what you believe in. You have to have courage." "Find a way to get into the way to get into trouble, good trouble, necessary trouble. You may not have chosen that time. But the time chose you." 

Dr. Ramesh  39:02

That's so apt. 

Shelley  39:03

Wonderful. I'm so inspired by him. And also now we're talking about racism. Not only ageism, racism. I'm very sensitive about this. And whenever I see situations whereby they don't include the minorities, I speak up. I speak up and people may not like me, I don't care. And I’ll give you a little anecdote about my Tudung story. Tudung is a shawl, right. Tudung is called the 'Tudung' because it's worn that way by another race. And so, on the head of my dummy model, mannequin, I had this Tudung, and the management came after me, "Please take down that Tudung." And I said, "Why?" I refused to take it down. I left it. It is also a shawl. It is a scarf. Okay, in Europe and all, the ladies were Tudungs. Beautiful. Elegant. But a few months down the road when they opened a store in Malaysia, they invited me, "Shelley, bring your Tudung." I think we need to know when you are right, you make your stand and you don't have to worry. Stand up for what you believe in. 

Dr. Ramesh  40:31

I wanted to ask about your spiritual journey. What is spirituality in your life?

Shelley  40:41

It's always God Almighty. And then when you have an idea, God bless the idea. Show me signs. And if you go ahead, and nothing comes in a way, you just thank God for the opportunity. You thank God for the idea. Because for me, everything comes from God. That's my belief, and I fear of God. And I will never work with anybody who doesn't fear God, who doesn't have integrity. I'm also donating my shawls to help my church raise funds for their missions. But I think missions overseas, they should look at missions locally first, because we have a lot of needy people in Singapore. It is not just oversees.

Dr. Ramesh  41:32

Wonderful. And do you think that it's possible to live a simple life? 

Shelley  41:38

Yes. 

Dr. Ramesh  41:40

How would you do that?

Shelley  41:41

So, what's a simple life? Different people have different meanings of a simple life. 

Dr. Ramesh  41:47

Absolutely. 

Shelley  41:48

Yeah. My simple life. I would love to have a garden. My garden, the plants, the growth, the creation of different plants. It is all God. We see God in a garden. The house doesn't have to be big, enough for us. A garden. And then for me, music is important. Like today, I was listening to my BBC classic. And of course, a roof over your head. Enough to spend, you don't need to go shopping anymore. Some of my clothes have lasted me for ages. We take good care of them. They are not very trendy, up-to-the-minute fashion. It doesn't have to be. For us, I think we should be classic dressers and not just trendy. I don't eat a lot. I eat healthily. I don't gorge myself. My simple life, yes, do I need to be on a cruise? I don't have that anymore. Because I've been on, I've done a lot of what luxury cruises are like and I travelled a lot. And now of course, my husband can't travel. So, that's out of my to-do list. It is to be here in Singapore, to work for the community, to develop the community. I'm doing gardening for the community. They're asking us to do Community in Bloom. We are growing vegetables to donate to the one roomers, the rental apartments. So, they have asked me to be a Green Ambassador. I've signed up. We have the experience.

Dr. Ramesh  43:39

It has been a wonderful session to reconnect and to hear your journey, Shelley, and to be inspired once again about what's possible. Thank you for your hospitality and the amazing work that you're continuing to do. Thank you, Shelley.

Lai Yun  43:58

Thank you, Dr. Ramesh and Ms. Shelley Siu. We will be exploring issues around ageism in future podcasts and would love to hear more from Ms. Siu as she's brimming with ideas and thoughts around the topic. 

If you're interested to view the artfully designed Singapore Shawl Collection, do send a WhatsApp message or email to Ms. Siu. She is also looking for like-minded social entrepreneurs to continue driving the legacy of the Singapore Shawl in supporting employment and additional skills development for marginalised women. Contact Ms. Siu at shelleysiu45@yahoo.com.sg or +65 84887205. 

Lai Yun  44:48

Next up, we have Mr. Paul Tan who has more than 20 years in assurance, taxation, and corporate advisory experience. Join us as we jump right into the topic of entrepreneurship with Mr. Tan as he shares his journey through the full business lifecycle from the founding, running, and to the eventual exit of his professional services consulting firms. 

Bio
Ms. Shelley Siu

Shelley Siu was the Founder/Executive Director of –

1) Shelley Siu Intl (Singapore, USA, Malaysia) – an organization with networks within the Asia-Pacific region and the USA.

2) Corporate Charisma Intl Pte Ltd – one of Singapore’s earliest organisations providing brand positioning to large organisations in the Asia-Pacific region.

Shelley herself trained in Brand Delivery.

3) Femme-Net.com Pte Ltd – a platform for online women entrepreneurs. She authored Singapore’s first e-book, “Barrier Breakers – women in Singapore” to showcase how different local women from diverse backgrounds have succeeded in their laudable visions and missions for the community.

With her wide experience and passion in Service Quality training as Disney University’s alumnus member, she has developed and trained the following organisations using her PASSION and PRIDE Models –

The Parkway Healthcare Group                   
Mount Alvernia Hospital 
Thomson Medical Centre                               
The Ministry of Health
Visa International                                                         
Jurong Town Corporation
National Computer Systems
AIA                     
Singapore Airlines, SilkAir 
Singapore Polytechnic
Bank Negara, Malaysia              
Malaysian Institute of Management

Since 2004, Shelley shifted her focus from training corporates to the needy and marginalised in Singapore, and founded The Singapore Shawl Pte Ltd, one of Singapore’s earliest social enterprises. TSS actively partners non-profit organisations e.g. SAWL, BCF, and humanitarian groups in raising funds for the needy and disabled – to contribute towards her focus on closing the widening inequality gap in Singapore.

Shelley has been featured in the Straits Times, Asiaweek, Mediacorp, the Singapore Tatler, and contributed articles for the print media. She was an active grassroots Chair-person and has won several National awards in Gardening. Shelley was Nominee, President’s Design Award 2014.