Here’s an excerpt from the conversation:
Andrea Heng, Host:
Your father (went) through bankruptcy during the Asian financial crisis. A lot of families were hit hard. Yours was not excluded from this and your mom took on multiple jobs. You all moved into a one-room flat … how did going through that ordeal shape you into the entrepreneur you are today?
Rachel Lim:
What I went through with my family – going through bankruptcy together, staying in a one-room flat together – and not just (a) one-room flat, we’re literally just in one room. And I think it really taught me a lot about the value of money, hard work and to also be frugal. I remember days when we would, as a family, just walk past coffee shops and see the ban mian stall and be like, “Oh, maybe we can have this once a month.”
Andrea:
Ban mian, the thing that we have every day?
Rachel:
We take it for granted. Back then to us, we could only walk past and wish, “Okay, it will be a treat once a month for us.” That also really taught me in that sense that, “Okay, I need to learn to work hard for money.” Money is like a means to an end.
