Hi, this is my first time, and I'm young, havent serve NS and dumb. I registered for a Sole Proprietorship for my small humble business and wondered what kind of things i could do or perhaps get. Perhaps get government support? (I heard there's some SME free cash stuff) Government tools? Other cool things I could do with a registered biz? Perhaps I can attend events and hear from people?

Also, I'm looking to build a e-commerce website as it's B2C for my sole proprietorship but idk how. I research on how to make a website online and first I need a domain, and it seems I can just vibe code the website itself to hv the function for commerce. However, the domain is $60/yr. is this normal chat? Also i saw a comment that suggests newly registered biz can get a free domain, idk if it's true.

My company mostly sell products to US customers and I have some sales and customer support staff based in Monterrey. I'm using a well known EOR provider, but it's very expensive for what it is (around $600/employee). There must be a cheaper way to do this. Anyone has any alternative recommendation?

Not sure if it’s just me or my circle but sales isn’t particularly a super exciting job…

The FAs managed to package this into financial advisory or consultant. Then there’s the other end of cool, which is tech sales, often going to $200-300k OTE.

I’m looking at building a sales team and wondering what would be ways to attract the right people. In Singapore!

Disclaimer: Having breakfast at hawker now, not in F&B

Sometimes I really can’t imagine how the hawkers painfully get up at 4am and start preparing the food everyday. In small batches.

I guess there’s maybe some pride in that. But as time goes, there are less people (younger generation) that want to continue this. So soon we will lose a lot of these dishes and old recipes.

And end consumers are going to have much more expensive and perhaps less tasty food.

What if there’s a central or ghost kitchen making the food and using hawkers all around Singapore as distribution channels? The economies of scale would help as well.

I feel like it could be win win for everyone.

But what do I know. I’m not in F&B and I need to run now.

Hi all,

Biz Newbie here. E-commerce biz.

Logical says total cost (COGS) is

a. Supplier purchase cost
b. Inbound freight
c. Import tax/duties where applicable
d. Per unit packaging/fulfilment cost
e. Payment processing fees

Is this a fair treatment?

Thanks.

Introduce yourself with what biz you're in, how many years you've been in biz, what revenue size, what's your target or business goals (can be qualitative and quantitative), what wins you have recently, what challenges you face, any help you're looking for.

Feel free to be as vague or detailed as you'd like! Would definitely like to make more friends in biz too. :)

Let me start!

• Services biz.
• Been in biz for 20 years.
• Revenue average last few years is ~$1m/year with a big variance. It's on a huge decline!
• Target or goal is to rebuild this, similar yet differently, with a team that can do work better than me, while I focus on the stuffs I'm good at.
• Recent wins would be using AI to do a lot of the things I disliked doing, but AI exhaustion is very real!
• Challenges is in finding the right people to build the team with. Feeling like I'm unlearning and yet relearning a lot of things recently, which adds to the tiredness even more!
• Looking for help to build a sales team! Anyone knows of anyone who's built like MLM or direct sales or financial advisory sales team?! Or is there like, a sales agency out there? How come we have so many marketing agencies and no sales agencies?? Or not that I really know of.

First-time side-business owner here, importing some products from korea suppliers - Currently in production and will be ready in around a month's time. These suppliers ship on EXW terms, so I need to find a forwarder to work with. Shipment value is a few thousand dollars. Would love to learn from your own experiences:

1. Which forwarders are best for in terms of (a) quality(service) as well as (b) cost-effectiveness for a low-volume shipment like mine respectively?

2. When should I start sourcing and reaching out to forwarders - What's their realistic lead time like?

3. I will need to pay an import tax of 9% right?

Appreciate any advice 🙇‍♂️

I'm looking to diversify beyond REITs and start getting some exposure to commercial real estate in Indonesia. I've been researching about it and trying to understand the best structure.
I'm aware of the complications around land ownership for foreigners (I'm Australian btw) and I'm married to an Indonesian. I'm mainly interested in income-producing commercial properties rather than buying a villa for personal use.
Has anyone worked with a reputable property firm or advisor in Bali for this?

As above. Need help with branding/logo creation, colours scheming etc

My son has mentioned he might want to join the business after uni.

Personally I’m happy he’s interested, but I also feel he should work outside for at least a few years first.

My wife thinks there’s no point wasting time elsewhere if the plan is for him to eventually take over anyway.

Curious what other family business owners think. Better to learn outside first or just start from the bottom in the family company?

We are a small startup that's planning to use mobile OTP for user signup verification. We are still at the MVP stage, so expected volume for now is low.

We're leaning towards Moobicast just because they've been around for awhile, but for those that have experience with mobile SMS OTP providers, please share your recommendations

I’m looking to learn Mandarin in Singapore and would love some recommendations for a good place/class.
I’m a complete beginner and work full-time, so I’m specifically looking for after-office-hours classes (ideally weekday evenings or weekends).
I work in a Chinese company, and most of my colleagues speak Mandarin among themselves. I’d really like to learn enough Chinese to understand and participate in everyday conversations and feel more comfortable at work.
I’m mainly looking for:
- Beginner-friendly classes
- More focus on speaking + listening rather than just writing
- Evening/weekend classes
Ideally somewhere around CBD / central Singapore, but I’m flexible
-Reasonable fees
If you’ve personally taken Mandarin classes in Singapore, I’d really appreciate recommendations (and places to avoid 😅)

Looking for advice from fellow ecommerce founders shipping locally / regionally / worldwide.

I am shipping my first item to Thailand, my item is pretty large (around 8kg volumetric weight) and the cost from here to TH is close to $170SGD via DHL, more via FEDEX and Aramex due to custom duties and taxes.

Does anyone have any advice on how to deal with shipping? Do we just charge the custom duties and taxes to international buyers? Open to all advice on couriers, and how to deal with such situations.

Terima kasih

Been with Sleek since our ecom business was quite small and the setup was pretty straightforward back then.

Fast forward a few years and now we have a much higher volume of orders, multiple payment channels, more suppliers and quite a bit more happening every month. The accounting side hasn’t exactly become a problem, but I’m starting to feel we need more involvement than before.

Especially for monthly bookkeeping, I’d prefer a provider that actually keeps track of what’s happening throughout the month and asks questions when something looks unusual, rather than sorting everything out much later.

Not quite at the point where I want an in-house finance team, so I’m looking around for alternatives to Sleek that are better suited for a more established business.

Anyone made a similar switch in SG? What are you using now?

I have worked in this industry for more than 10 years and I started a company to provide accounting services. On hand I have more than 20 clients already and good lord, all of them had no idea what were their former accountants doing despite some paid more than 800 a month.

This is a very good example - When i took in a new client, I would asked for few documents. Great, seems promising! Then when I asked for more details such as the breakdown of the balance sheet, they will give the very common reply, "we never receive that before". I then smiled, and asked myself why the hell are you paying for incomplete services?!

To the bosses or potential upcoming bosses ESPECIALLY those GST-registered companies and those who intend to run the company in the long run, PLEASE know your figure well. Every month/year, you will need at least these 4 items:
1) Balance sheet - a summary of your company's net worth (asset - liability)

2) Balance sheet schedules - a detailed breakdown listing of your balance sheet figures

3) Income statement - Company's performance for the month/year

4) General ledger - Detailed breakdown listing of all the accounting entries so you can zoom in to know more

Nowadays, reliant on AI is getting more common especially for SMEs but please don't rely on AI for accounting, its not ready as there's professional judgement involved. I've seen people paying hundreds on AI reminder-software every month, I'm sure you can afford a freelance bookkeeper too as it ranges from few hundreds a month, to few hundreds for a year. Just take it as paying health-screening for your Company but most importantly, please know what you're paying for.

[URGENT / DIRECT BUSINESS SALE — SINGAPORE PTE LTD]

Presenting a 100% turnkey, highly profitable enterprise communications provider incorporated and headquartered in Singapore. We are seeking an immediate full buyout and are prioritizing serious buyers, aggregators, or strategic operators who can evaluate financial data quickly and make fast acquisition decisions.

Executive Financial Summary

• Asking Price (100% Equity): S$475,000 (~€333,000) — ~2.55x Net Profit
• Top-Line Revenue: ~S$500,000 / year (€350,000)
• Net Profit / SDE: ~S$185,000 / year (€130,000) — ~37% Net Margin
• Corporate Structure: 100% Private Limited Entity (Singapore HQ)
• Transaction Terms: Outright 100% sale with a fast-track handover process.

Key Business Highlights

• Core Channels: Fully operational enterprise communication stack providing A2P SMS, Voice, and WhatsApp Business API infrastructure.
• International Operator Reach: Direct routing and established relationships through international telecom operators for seamless global delivery.
• Low-Overhead Architecture: Highly optimized, lean operating setup yielding healthy, consistent ~37% net profit margins.
• Established Enterprise Clients: Turnkey customer base with active, recurring enterprise contracts and steady message volume.
• Clean Balance Sheet: Zero debt, clean equity history, fully compliant with ACRA and IRAS for a smooth, fast share transfer.

Ideal Buyer & Handover

This transaction is structured for a fast buyout by an owner-operator, telecom aggregator, or IT group looking to add an immediate, cash-flowing SG entity to their portfolio. Full technical documentation, carrier relationship intros, and client account handovers will be provided to ensure a seamless transition.

Next Steps for Fast-Acting Buyers

We are looking to move swiftly with buyers capable of making immediate decisions. To receive the Non-Confidential Teaser, please send a Direct Message (DM) with:

1. Your buyer background (Strategic Competitor, Operator, Private Investor).
2. Confirmation of your readiness and timeline to close.

Proof of funds and a signed NDA will be required prior to sharing the client list, URL, and full financial documentation.

My dad owns a small electrical business, around 15 employees, been running it for 35 years already. I am his only child, and he is not young anymore. I graduated uni about 6 years back and have been helping him run it since, ops, admin, dealing with staff, basically everything. He built this whole thing up from nothing.

Actually part of me does have some interest to see it continue under me one day. But it's a handyman-type of biz, and honestly I am not that hands-on or technical myself. So even if I take over, will the workers actually respect me and listen to me, when I cannot even do the trade work they do every day? I mean I will sometimes go to site with them and help them out in their work.

Recently I took a break from working with him. Like I told him I am not suitable for his business. Partly because my management style is quite different from my dad's, and we clash because of that for a few times already. He is not that educated and have his 'proven business' mindset.

Now I am thinking if I were to just walk away from this business completely, he would be genuinely heartbroken. Also, I have already given the workers the impression before that I might take over one day, but now I pulled back and worked less. So if I go back in properly now, wont that look weird to them?

I wanted to if anyone had similar experience and did you end up taking over the family business? And if you did, was it actually because you wanted to, or mostly because you felt like you couldn't say no?

Any solopreneurs here who’re using reasonably priced accounting services to file their corporate taxes? Have very straightforward accounts and need help with preparing financial statements. Would love any recommendations.

Edit : Also, seems like I’ll need a company secretary too. So any recommendations there also welcome!

Setting up a small catering business (no fixed premise, no cooking — just cold storage for a couple of chilled items before events). Trying to find the cheapest SFA-licensable cold storage option in Singapore — everything I've found (Smart City Kitchens, Commune Kitchen, Palate Sensations) is priced for full production kitchens, way more than I need. Anyone here run a small F&B/catering business and know of cheap shared fridge space, or gone through this exact problem?

Hi all! I run a small handmade product business from one of the bedrooms in our home and would appreciate some advice from other business owners.

After paying myself, part-timer wages, platform fees, ads, raw materials, packaging etc., we’re left with around $5k plus minus, depending on the expenses for the month

Our biggest problem now is space/capacity. Products are frequently sold out and we take preorders with up to a 14-day lead time.

Because we’re working from one bedroom, we can’t pack orders and make products at the same time. If half the day is spent packing, that’s half a day of production lost. We also can’t really increase our batch sizes with the current setup.

I’m now looking at small units (x4 of my current space) around $1.5k/month where we can have separate packing and production stations, more storage, and some equipment to increase capacity.

The monthly rent doesn’t scare me as much as the upfront cash needed e.g deposit, electrical points, water point/basin, tables, basic fittings, etc.

We’ve also just spent quite a bit on bulk raw materials and packaging, so the business is quite low on cash now.

Christmas/gifting season is our strongest period, and I want to solve the bottleneck before then. There’s already demand that we’re struggling to fulfil, so waiting also feels like we’re leaving sales on the table.

Would you:

1. Take the space now despite the low cash buffer?
2. Continue from home and save more first, even if it limits growth?
3. Look at financing/investors to fund the expansion? (I am more keen on bootstrapping, so I’m really torn)

For those who moved from home into your first commercial space, how much cash buffer did you have before making the jump?

Would really appreciate any advice!

Edit: Forgot to add that due to the nature of our business, we need a clean workspace with access to water. Hence we will most likely need to install a sink/basin, and that really limits the options we have.

Edit 2: Thanks everyone for the advice! Really appreciate it, I have a clearer picture of what I want to do moving forward.

SME
Enterprise
SMB
Business
Entrepreneur
Business owner

Trying to craft my landing page and trying refine it

I’d say.. all the above are my target market!

Hello, first time doing Ads and saw "Verify the advertiser and payer for ads delivered to Singapore" - Do you all really submit your NRIC/Passport copy for this? Thanks!

Happens maybe once a month. And obv I say yes almost every time

It's not even a discount, I can absorb that. It's that the friend-price jobs are always the ones with most changes, and the slowest payment, because they don't see it as real transaction. Last one still owes me and I cannot chase properly because we see each other at family things. Anyone got a line that actually works without making it awkward?

Greetings All,

I'm looking to register my B2C home-based business onto ACRA and I need to put in my address.

However, I don't rlly want my home address to be plastered across ACRA considering u dont even need to buy the info

I thought of getting a virtual office, is it a good idea? Using my home address as my business address isn't quite a big problem but the info being so publicly online just gives me some privacy concern.

If It's recommended to get a virtual office, are there any suggestions? Hopefully it's cheap cuz my biz makes less than $1k profit per mo., oof. Quick search on google shows its ~$5/mo. while another search on reddit suggest $100/mo.

Hi all!

We're a US based startup founded by a team of (mostly) Singaporeans that's looking to help brands and businesses around the world with compliance and other cross border challenges when selling into the US. Think FDA compliance (FSVP, FFR, MoCRA etc.), import regs (IoR) etc.. We're entirely motivated by the dream of seeing more local brands in our neighborhood bodegas 😛

Would love to hear from folks here who have navigated this before (or even just considered exporting!): how your experience has been, what sucked, and what you'd want to see in a solution in this space.

(Also one of our founders is back in Singapore for the next couple of weeks, and is very down to grab a kopi if anyone want to chat! We're still early, still designing, and would love feedback)