Business with a Heart:
Deborah Chew, Co-Founder of Caelan & Sage
By Audra Lim
Deborah Chew may be petite, wear a cheeky grin and have a girlish charm about her, but they only belie the fact that she is the self-professed whip cracker in her company, Caelan & Sage, a creative thinktank that provides strategic communications solutions through public relations, training, design and events. Nanzinc.Com catches up with the 34-year-old managing director during a break in her jet-setting schedule.
How and why did you set up your own business?
I had worked in various organisations from different sectors – F&B, hospitality, education. Having gained corporate and public service experience, I decided I wanted to do more with my time and energy. A few friends and I talked about putting our work experiences to good use, and so we started exploring how we can turn our passion into business. Collectively, we realised we were passionate (and good at!) design, marketing, training, communications and coming up with creative solutions.
Without prior business experience, we decided that prudence was the way to go. So we shortlisted the services we could provide based on our skillset then and our passion, and very little capital requirement. We decided to create a company focusing on providing creative solutions for our clients focusing on strategic communications through visual communications (design and branding), physical communications (event management) and training. That’s how Caelan & Sage was born.
We spoke to many experienced people, including ex-bosses, to formulate a credible business plan, and at the heart of it all, we laid the foundation with values that drive us personally in our lives – commitment (to clients, to excellence) and service (with respect and care), core values which today, we are proud our team still embodies.
What were the greatest challenges you faced in setting up Caelan & Sage?
Our initial challenge was cashflow. My business partner and I don’t come from rich families, so we had to be more careful with what the company spent on. We didn’t have an office space initially and would meet clients at their offices or at cafes. That saved us rental. We got our hands dirty and did everything until we could afford to employ staff members. We have a philosophy of not owing our vendors and partners money because we believed that if we took care of them, they would take care of us.
Being new, we also faced the challenge of convincing both vendors and clients that we were not fly-by-nights. Sincerity and quality work soon won them over.
Not having a steady stream of income was scary initially; we had left stable income jobs to take the plunge. Wanting to build up the company coffers, we took the strategy of not paying ourselves a fixed salary, but on a project basis. This way, we pushed ourselves to bring in the deals, deliver the work well, so we can make money for ourselves and the company. Money came in only when clients paid up, so spending , both in the company and personally, had to be curtailed.
When did you realise that your efforts at being an entrepreneur was worth it?
I was planning for our annual staff retreat in 2008. Usually, the team will head off to some nearby resort to relax, and at the same time, plan for the following year. In that year however, I wanted to push ahead for Project Happy Feet (PHF), an overseas community project, and was torn between getting my team involved in it and doing the retreat. I shared with the team my vision for PHF and what I wanted to do.
It surprised me that they all said, “OK, let’s do the PHF treat as part of the retreat!” They knew it wasn’t going to be a relaxing trip like the previous years, but they shared in my vision and decided to take the less comfortable option instead. The unanimous support I got from the team and me being able to juggle work and my passion for doing more for the community made me realise that I could only do something like that as an entrepreneur, where I have to autonomy to make out of the box decisions and be responsible for them independently.
What is Project Happy Feet, and how did it come about?
Project Happy Feet started out as a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project of Caelan & Sage. A friend of mine and I took a trip to Siem Reap in 2007 and brought along school supplies, sweets and slippers to give away to the village children there. It broke my heart to know that we didn’t bring enough slippers and many children had to be turned away because we didn’t have enough to give away. That was when I conceptualised Project Happy Feet.
In 2008, I interested my team at Caelan & Sage to head with me to Siem Reap once again to visit the village children. This time, I was determined to provide more than sufficient slippers. That year, we raised close to SGD25,000 just amongst family and friends and bought more than sufficient slippers for the children of six villages. We also bought school supplies, disbursed scholarships, repaired homes and supported the rice programme run by the Catholic Church of Siem Reap.
Following the success of PHF in 2008, and with the full support of the Caelan & Sage team, friends and family, in 2009, we formally set up PHF as a not-for-profit organisation that aims to improve the lives of under-privileged children and youths in developing countries by supporting organisations and initiatives that empower them through training and education. To date, our efforts have reached thousands of children both in Siem Reap and Hanoi, and also in Singapore.
Share with us more about Deborah, the business owner.
To my clients, I’m the serious one that they know they can depend on to get things done to the best possibility.
To my vendors, I’m the client that pushes them to deliver top quality work without compromise.
To my staff members, I’m the perfectionist whip cracker who ensures deadlines are met. But they also see me as the ‘mother’ who pushes them to excel, teaches them how to get things right, and ensure that they eat well. I am also their friend, listening to their problems and ensuring that they are physically, mentally and emotionally well.
How has life changed for you now that you are running your own business?
I am a much happier person I must say! Life everyday is a learning experience to push me to greater heights. I’ve met many people through the course of my work that has greatly inspired me to be a better leader, a better manager and a better businesswoman.
Name 3 tips for women who would like to start their own business.
- Start with your passion. Your energy will wear out fast if you’re not enjoying something that you are doing. I totally enjoyed the drive that came with starting the business. There was so much to learn and be done, but I never seem to run out of steam simply because I was loving what I was doing.
- Be prudent. The mindset from being an employee to a business owner has to be shifted once you become your own boss. Spend only when absolutely necessary and when you can afford it, and not based on potential business.
- Manage your time. It’s easy to be engulfed by work especially when you’re starting out. Take time out. Spend it with friends and family. Or take some time out for yourself. It keeps you sane and prevents burn out.
Are you one of those who say “I want to be a millionaire by the time I am X years old”?
Yes, I am, but not for myself. I’d like to raise millions of dollars for PHF so that I can expand the outreach much more. Money is just a means to an end.
Complete this sentence: “In 10 years’ time, I…”
In 10 years’ time, I want to be able to look back and be proud of how much both Caelan & Sage, its brands and Project Happy Feet have grown. I want to be able to say “I’ve made a difference”.
