From Ground Zero ...

My business is not the result of a rich dad investing in me, nor is it a tech start-up that was the darling of the venture capitalists looking for the next unicorn candidate. After 16 years of starting from ground zero, I wonder if bootstrapping, being slow and steady, will pass the baton to the next generation. I have spoken to many entrepreneurs, business leaders, and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, and many often ask me one question: "Can you teach entrepreneurship? How do you motivate entrepreneurs to work on the ground and embrace hands-on experience?

To establish a business, it is imperative to act decisively rather than overanalyse, as excessive deliberation may inhibit one's entrepreneurship aspirations. We have steadfastly maintained our initial retail boutique since our incorporation, navigating the complexities of the retail sector in Singapore. Our numerous challenges include the substantial increase in goods and services tax, which rose from 7% to 9% between 2022 and 2024, representing a nearly 30% hike. Additionally, the competitive landscape of e-commerce, exemplified by platforms such as Amazon and Alibaba, necessitates continuous innovation, improvement, and ideation to affirm our retail presence at the Mandarin Gallery on Orchard Road, where we have remained since our establishment. This strategic approach has led us to acquire liquor licences, enabling the retail of Japanese whiskies, sakes, and umeshus. We remain fundamentally committed to our vision: positioning Atomi as the leading brand recognised for its Japanese designs and comfortable lifestyle. By exclusively retailing products made in Japan, we can offer a diverse range of items, including tableware, fashion, furniture, and alcoholic beverages.

We have returned to an expansion phase following a temporary withdrawal from Malaysia and Hong Kong before the COVID-19 pandemic. A key distinguishing feature of Atomi is our self-funding model, which allows our growth to be driven solely by organic demand; moreover, we are actively leading the company from the forefront. Our customers are well-informed about the company's ownership, and all our atomi angels acknowledge that the management team invests more hours than their counterparts. In entrepreneurship, alpha males tend to be predominant within management teams; however, this is not true at atomi. Most of our atomi angels comprise successful and brilliant women from diverse nationalities and ages, including full-time employees, part-time staff, and interns. We have only three male interns in our 16 years of operation. We aspire to attract more talent; however, with the significant support network provided by the Singapore Government, including vouchers and the protective safety nets offered by families for education, housing, marriage, and childcare, it is challenging to find young individuals willing to step beyond their comfort zones, move past secure managerial roles, and embrace entrepreneurship.

As we approach the final month of the first quarter of 2025, we anticipate entering the spring season with various new consulting projects, events, and roles. Notably, we aim to facilitate the international expansion of several Singaporean brands, with Japan as the primary destination. Concurrently, I am finalising a series of initiatives for lifestyle brands to integrate these efforts under the Atomi consulting ventures in Tokyo, Japan. While these initiatives will adopt various strategies and modes of entry into the Japanese market, we are planning to inaugurate an Atomi shop in Tokyo, through which we will present our interpretation of the Go-To-Market strategy focusing on "Singaporean brands in Japan." Ideally, our objective is to curate a Japan edition of Atomi, comprising brands exclusively from Singapore, and we have prepared the brand owners with the necessary localisation strategies for the Japanese market before we depart from our small, sunny shores to the Land of the Rising Sun.

Embracing the growth mindset is of considerable importance to me. While articulating this concept through writing, lecturing, and sharing may appear straightforward, its implementation presents significant challenges. In the contemporary digital landscape, content creation across various subjects has become remarkably facile, owing to the ubiquity of information, the internet, and tools such as ChatGPT. However, the genuine difficulties manifest in execution. We are currently observing an era characterised by individuals willing to confront these challenges and implement even the most straightforward ideas, in contrast to those who lament the difficulties associated with establishing the necessary infrastructure before taking initial actions.

"Would you be interested in joining the Atomi Way and venture to Japan?" - Andrew Tan, atomi, Singapore