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Landing a job in Singapore is an opportunity that no one wants to miss out on given how difficult it is to secure one. Once the chance falls into one’s lap, most would assume that it will be held on for as long as one can.
For Eugenia Poon though, the chance of opening a gelato shop of her own was more than enough to compel her into leaving the life she had built in Singapore for a decade behind and set up shop along the bustling streets of SS2.
Changed 5 jobs over 10 years in S’pore
Eugenia’s career journey in Singapore began in 2013 with the help of her brother, who assisted her in securing her first job as a customer service officer thanks to his then role of recruiter.
When I asked how was her job experience in Singapore, my mouth was left slightly agape when she told me she switched jobs “every year”, adding that she changed a total of five jobs over a 10-year period across multiple industries.
But her answer for this seemingly alarming show of job turnovers soon left me nodding my head in agreement and having a newfound respect for the 29-year-old.
“I’m a person who’s constantly on the lookout for better opportunities and to improve myself in the process. By doing so, my eyes have been opened to many things I didn’t know of previously.
Being too comfortable at the same job is a risk in itself because life is unpredictable. In my opinion, changing jobs isn’t a bad thing as it opens more doors in the future and prevents you from being limited.
A new perspective on gelato
According to Eugenia, she has always considered herself as one who’d gravitate towards cakes than ice-cream on any given day, which makes her future decision to open a gelato shop all the more surprising.
This was all thanks to a popular gelato shop in Singapore named Birds of Paradise (not to be confused with the plant), where it’s known for its unusual but delicious ice-cream flavours like white chrysanthemum, sea salt hojicha, and spiced pear.
As soon as Eugenia got a taste of Birds of Paradise’s offerings, she immediately fell in love with it and the experience completely changed her perspective on gelato as a whole.
“During my frequent travels back to Malaysia, I went to several gelato shops in the Klang Valley and from there, the idea of making gelato like how Birds of Paradise did popped up in my mind.
“As such, I wanted to set up a business of my own, a childhood dream of mine, where I can explore and make gelato with ingredients that are commonly overlooked such as lemongrass and serai for others to try.
“Like me changing so many jobs back in Singapore, I’m a person who doesn’t like to be ‘imprisoned’ inside a box and would rather come up with new things for people to try and let them know that there might be something they might like after trying it,” she said.
‘Are you crazy?!’
As expected, Eugenia’s decision to ditch her job and permanent resident (PR) status which she obtained in Singapore and open a gelato shop in KL didn’t sit well with her parents, who voiced unhappiness over it.
“I was leaving behind a rather good paying and stable job and naturally, my parents had a lot of doubts as I had no prior experience in the gelato business and had to start from the ground up.
“Aside from my parents, several of my close friends both in Malaysia and Singapore were in disbelief and warned me about how difficult it will be for me to find another job in the future if I were to go ahead with my decision,” she shared.
While Eugenia acknowledged her family and friends’ fears, she stood her ground and didn’t waver in fulfilling her lifelong dream of having her very own business.
If I were to fail, at least I can say I tried because for me, I’d truly regret it if I never gave it a try at all.
Eventually, her determination won out and her parents finally gave their full blessing and support, leading to the birth of Dimpled in June 2024.
Dimpled
I was intrigued by the name Eugenia had chosen for her gelato shop so I couldn’t help but to dig further and interestingly, the reason is way more wholesome than you think.
“Firstly, both me and my partner Acker have dimples and secondly, I want my customers to have such a wide smile that their dimples appear after eating my gelato. After all, desserts are supposed to make people happy, right?” she said with a laugh.
Heartwarming name aside, Eugenia then shared the personal costs she had to bear in order to bring Dimpled into fruition, where it took a good bite out of her savings.
She explained that the key factors for the high costs were the machines which were imported from overseas, giving the building a complete makeover, as well as sourcing premium ingredients such as Sicilian pistachio all the way from Italy for the shop’s best-selling Pistachio gelato.
Interestingly, Eugenia told me that she learnt the basics of gelato making from a friend who had been in the industry for years. From there, as they always say, the rest is history.
“After learning the basics of making gelato, I was virtually on my own when it came to building recipes. I watched plenty of YouTube videos observing how the experts did it as well as doing my own in-depth research. As such, there was a lot of trial and error involved.”
Eugenia also told me that she churns between 200kg and 250kg of gelato per week but there have been times where the supply would run out, especially during the weekends due to heavy foot traffic.
Being a one-woman show
Since Dimpled’s opening two months ago, Eugenia said she’s extremely blessed to see a steady stream of customers walking through its door.
Despite Dimpled’s growing success, this is not to say that she didn’t face any challenges either.
“Currently, my biggest challenge is manpower. I have a total of five workers, but the making/churning of gelato is fully done by me. We haven’t hired a chef that’s able to do exactly what I’m doing right now and it’s quite tiring to be honest,” she admitted.
When I asked whether she was open to the idea of training her existing workers and passing them the skills of gelato making, Eugenia said it’s on her mind but added that it’s still too early to say as Dimpled is entering its third month of operations.
“I still need to monitor the situation and see whether any of them are interested. If they are, then only will I train them.”
‘At least I tried’
While Eugenia has plans to further expand Dimpled in the future, she said that her main focus for the time being is quality control, constantly improving existing recipes, and finding ways to ensure there’s a steady supply of gelato to serve, particularly during the weekends.
As for what kind of advice she would offer to those who harbour dreams of being an entrepreneur, Eugenia cautioned against diving headfirst into it without proper planning.
“Whenever you tell people that you have this crazy dream that you want to fulfill, there will definitely be doubters.
If you have a dream, act on it. But before that, ask yourself whether you have the capability and resources to do so. At the same time, maintain a positive mindset and have faith in what you’re doing.”
Looking back at her decision to open Dimpled, Eugenia said it was worth the risk venturing into an industry she had little knowledge of, adding that there was “nothing worse than not trying”.
“If this really were to fail, I’d probably get myself a desk job. After all, it isn’t a matter of life and death so what’s the worse that could happen?” she said with a slight chuckle.
“All of the hardships and struggles that you go, it will bring you somewhere one day. For me, I’d really living in regret if I never took the first step in giving it a shot.”
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