21-year-old mum's journey from troubled student to mobile repair business owner in Geylang
Once a rebellious student who felt lost about her future, a 21-year-old mother now runs her own mobile repair business in Geylang with her husband.
Stomper Shih Ting, who recently gave birth in September, told Stomp she wanted to share how her life took a turn in a direction she never expected.
"I want to share my story of how I became half-successful at 21 years old," she said.
Shih Ting runs ZhangXin Repair, a mobile repair business located at 340 Geylang Road.
She began working part-time at the age of 14.
"I was a Covid-19 vaccination safe ambassador," she shared. "I was in charge of station workers and checking vaccination statuses at a shopping mall.
"After I started working part-time, I never asked my parents for an allowance."
However, she was a 'rebellious' student in school.
"I didn't listen to my teachers at all," Shih Ting said.
"When I was in ITE, I was late for classes for an entire month, I dyed my hair and had to spray it black. I was really lost in life."
She studied Information Technology (IT), including coding languages such as Java, but struggled to see a clear path forward.
"I didn't know what I could do with what I learned or what jobs I could get after graduating. At that time, artificial intelligence (AI) was already out, and people could just code using AI.
"It can generate all the codes I took forever to memorise in just seconds," said Shih Ting.
At 18, she was posted to a mobile repair shop for an internship, where she met her husband.
Shih Ting admitted she did not have a good relationship with her parents during her rebellious years, as she was juggling school and part-time work and often came home late.
"My mother's nagging became really irritating to me," she said. "I started talking back and spent less time with my family.
"However, I've since appreciated that family plays a very important role in my life. My husband is older than me, so he guides and teaches me a lot. That's a good thing because I still have a long way to go.
"After we got together, my relationship with my family improved a lot. Now, whenever we have big decisions to make, we talk to our parents and ask for their opinions."
She shared a Chinese saying that resonates with her: '家和万事兴'. It means 'harmony in the home brings success in everything'.
But finding her footing in business proved to be another steep learning curve.
"I had never faced these kinds of situations before. There were many communication issues with customers, but I slowly got used to it.
"What I heard the most was, 'So young ah, do business very hard lah, won't last de lah.'"
Her shop is located near Geylang Lorong 18, an area often associated with the red-light district.
"When I do online advertising, there are some awful comments, 18+ comments like, 'Chicken there nice or not'," Shih Ting said.
"At first, I was very angry because it had nothing to do with what I was posting. I replied to some of them to defend myself.
"Slowly, I understood that everyone has different viewpoints, and if that's what they think, then so be it."
She added that navigating such an environment at a young age can be challenging.
"Walking along these roads is very difficult, especially when you're young and people make nasty comments. But I want to tell everyone that at the end of the day, you must rely on yourself."
As a business owner, Shih Ting said she has recognised the importance of leadership and responsibility.
"I'm responsible for my workers because I need to feed them.
"When hiring, I realised that not everyone works the way I expect because everyone has their own strengths and skills. Each and every one of them plays an important role.
"I believed that treating workers well would make them work better, but slowly I realised that some people take it for granted, and I had to let them go."
Now balancing her roles as a business owner and a young mother, Shih Ting said the journey has not been easy — but it has made her more grounded.
"Being a mother at 21 years old is very young, and there have been a lot of awful comments," she said. "But I have a stable income and my own house. That's why I feel ready for the next stage of life."
Looking ahead, she hopes her story will encourage others who feel uncertain about their journey.
"I want to tell people who feel lost that it's normal at some point in life," Shih Ting said. "I was lost for a year and needed guidance. I didn't have it until I met my husband and we planned our path together."
"There's still a very long way for me to go," she added.
