SINGAPORE — Launching a successful business after graduating from a university is no small feat, but doing so following a series of personal and academic struggles makes the story even more remarkable.
In a post on TikTok celebrating her business’ second anniversary last Thursday (July 25), Ms Lee Yi Xuan, a graduate of Nanyang Technological University (NTU), detailed her experience of starting her apparel company, Two Towns Apparel.
It earned her praise from online users who lauded her perseverance and resilience through tough times.
Two Towns Apparel offers a range of products including bags, tees and sweatshirts. Customers also have the option to customise their own shirts with personalised embroidery and other unique details.
Ms Lee, who was from NTU’s business school, said that while she was taking a master’s degree, she was managing a full-time internship and grappling with personal heartbreak.
Her TikTok post has attracted more than 220,000 views and more than 8,000 likes, with many calling her journey “inspiring”.
TODAY reached out to Ms Lee but she declined to be interviewed.
‘ROLLER-COASTER RIDE’
In a 23-slide photo carousel on TikTok, Ms Lee detailed how she established her clothing company in 2022.
After graduating from NTU with a degree in banking and finance, Ms Lee pursued a master’s degree in financial engineering, envisioning a stable career in the finance sector after graduation.
Determined to build an impressive resume, she “made a crazy decision” to take on a full-time internship at a bank here while studying.
This gruelling period left her constantly fatigued, relying heavily on coffee to get through her demanding days, where she had to attend night classes three times a week on top of morning classes on Saturdays.
Ms Lee wrote in her TikTok post that rushing from Raffles Place to NTU was “no joke”, often resulting in her having to eat her dinner during her classes.
She would study on the train, during lunch breaks and late into the night.
She credited her friends whose support and encouragement proved crucial during this time.
“Couldn’t have done it without my friends who generously shared their assignment answers with me and (picked) up my slack in projects,” she wrote in a photo caption.
Ms Lee then faced a personal setback when she said she found out about her boyfriend’s infidelity through social media. The emotional toll of this discovery was significant and she admitted that she “was lost (and) skipped school for a while”.
However, the breakup with her boyfriend then also taught her an invaluable lesson about choosing her own path to happiness.
Realising that she did not want to be confined to a conventional nine-to-five job, she decided to take some time to figure out her future direction.
Ms Lee explored different interests such as modelling and baking.
She started a home-based bakery business named Parkbean Bakery, even though she said that she only “had experience baking horrible tasting cookies”.
While doing this, he got to bake macarons for an event by Swiss luxury watch manufacturer International Watch Co.
The success and flexibility of her baking business gave her the time and confidence to start another venture: Her own clothing company.
Ms Lee invested in an embroidery machine and learned how to use it, spending hours mastering the art of embroidery to offer personalised designs.
However, as the business began to take shape, she found it increasingly difficult to balance the demands of running her new clothing brand alongside her baking business.
Ultimately, she decided to shift her focus entirely to her burgeoning apparel business, channelling her energy and creativity into making Two Towns Apparel a success.
RESILIENCE AND DETERMINATION AN INSPIRATION
Many TikTok users lauded Ms Lee’s resilience and sheer determination in navigating through her challenges before finding her true calling.
One user said: “I don’t know who you are but I admire your sheer resilience and determination (to juggle) school and work at the same time. Not every fledgling student has it to pull it through, good job.”
Another user commented that Ms Lee’s post “gave her some hope in her life”, explaining that as someone who is graduating and feeling uncertain about her future, she found Ms Lee’s journey particularly inspiring.
Many others posed questions to Ms Lee, asking her how she learned to handle an embroidery machine from scratch, for example.
For the young woman whose career seems like it has only just begun, she wrote in her TikTok post to her followers: “I hope this inspires (you) to take a leap of faith in whatever your heart desires, big or small!”
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