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Diving into entrepreneurship during a pandemic? It’s possible
Introducing 21-year-old co-founder of Singapore’s first co-studying and tuition space. JORDON ANG explores how she manages her commitments while starting her business.
Denyse Tan Jia Wei, 21, a second-year Philosophy, Politics and Economics student at Yale-NUS College, juggles her academics, co-curricular activities and her business. PHOTO: DENYSE TAN
Ms Denyse Tan Jia Wei, was only 20 years old when she kick-started and co-founded Singapore’s first co-studying and tuition space, Afterhours Study, in November 2020.
When she graduated from Mass Communication from Ngee Ann Polytechnic, she had plans to study at New York University. However, due to the pandemic, her plan to study overseas was crushed. It then motivated her to make her time worthwhile in Singapore, which pushed her to start a business.
Customers patronising the co-studying space at Afterhours Study. PHOTO: DENYSE TAN
Recalling her main motivations for starting the business, Ms Tan says, “Ever since Poly[technic], when you have to do a lot of group projects, and you try [to] find [study] spot[s] outside of school… And sometimes I get distracted a lot at home… So, I go outside, but obviously, it is not very sustainable for my wallet.”
She laughs, then adds, “During circuit breaker, most students stay with their families. Their families have to work from home, and you share that same space doing work a lot of times. I think that really highlighted the need for having a properly safe, conducive and also an affordable environment for students to be in.”
And thus, this marked the start of how Afterhours Study was born.
However, starting this business was no easy feat. Ms Tan faced two obstacles when she started the business. First, finding investors is crucial. She had to find and source out investors who agreed, understood and resonated with the business plan. With determination, she overcame that obstacle and managed to find investors who supported her business plan.
Second, when Afterhours Study was about to open its doors to people, she was transitioning from Polytechnic to get ready to enter Yale-NUS College. She says it was a big shift because the Mass Communication course was very “practical driven”, and she had to transition into a course where it’s “very academic”. On top of that, her college focuses on “residential experience”, where she had to get used to living on campus.
“Generally, there was a lot of fear for me,” says Ms Tan in regards to the challenges she faces.
But it was her strong support systems around her that kept her going.
Afterhours Study co-founder Tan Peng Yu is a student enrolling into Bachelor of Business Administration at the National University of Singapore, is also a friend of Denyse for eight years. In the business, Peng Yu handles logistics and admin, while Denyse focuses on branding, marketing communications and media efforts.
PHOTO: DENYSE TAN
Particularly, Ms Tan counted on the support of Mr Tan Peng Yu, 21, her close friend and the other co-founder of Afterhours Study.
Mr Tan says, “She is an independent, very competent and headstrong person. [She] definitely has the fire and drive in her to do something once she sets her heart and mind to it.”
Located at Leng Kee Community Club, a 5-minute walk from Redhill MRT Station, Afterhours Study attracts students through social media platforms.
Ms Faustina Lim, 18, a second-year student at St Andrew’s Junior College, is one such student who went down to Afterhours Study recently due to its affordable pricing (starting from as low as $2 per hour) and ambience.
Ms Lim says, “I didn’t have to worry about being chased out like in cafes.”
Denyse Tan (centre) with some of the members of the Yale-NUS Student Government. Over the past month in Apr 2021, Denyse took over as the President of the Yale-NUS Student Government.
PHOTO: DENYSE TAN
With many competing commitments such as balancing academics, being the president of the Yale-NUS Student Government and running Afterhours Study, Ms Tan depends on productivity apps such as MinimaList and Forest while using the Pomodoro Technique. She says, “By forcing myself to fix a time limit and to focus on doing things, I don’t get distracted that easily.”
She adds, “A lot of times, as an entrepreneur setting out, you don’t really know where exactly it’s [going to] go.”
“You will never be ready, so just dive into it.”
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