Asiatree closed after three years. “The market was probably not ready at that time,” Mabel reflected. But she remained in Perth, pivoting into real estate. Her business acumen and creative flair led to a thriving rental property business; a portfolio of three houses eventually grew to 25.
Real estate suited Mabel well, as she had always loved architecture and design. “I had wanted to be an architect but didn’t pursue that path,” said the creative entrepreneur, who studied gemology in Los Angeles. She put her passion for styling spaces to good use, furnishing interiors for house showings.
FOR THE FAMILY
Beyond work, the move to Perth was largely for her daughters, who were in primary school when the family left Singapore. “My husband and I were working so hard and coming home late, with the girls waiting for me to revise ting xie with them,” Mabel recalled. To keep up with the academically intense system in Singapore, she was also spending heavily on tuition.
“I asked myself: Why am I paying S$2,000 (US$1,550) a month for Chinese tuition, Maths tuition, and so on? At that time, I had to go out and work in the family business, so my girls spent more time with the helper than with me – it didn’t make sense,” Mabel said. After the move, her daughters changed dramatically. “They looked forward to school. Their school had a no-homework policy and activities like show-and-tell,” said Mabel.
During the first three years, the couple worked hard to balance business and family life – picking the girls up from school before returning to run the shop with them. But they were spending much more time together. “We could have dinner at six o’clock, and the girls were with me most of the time. On weekends, we did horse riding, surfing, music courses, et cetera. I didn’t pay a single cent on tuition; the money went to these activities,” she smiled. Her older daughter now works in the coffee industry while her younger daughter works for her.
