I see my life as a series of escape rooms. My first room was after dropping out of university. Naturally, dropping out seemed like a taboo thing in a typical Asian household. And I know despite getting words of encouragement and support from my family and friends, I still felt like a disappointment. I believe that was where I hit rock bottom. Even though I was feeling somewhat down, I saw the dropout as a sign from above. A sign that I could finally chase after my dreams. And I
was reminded of my longtime dream, which was to open up my own restaurant. I did what I thought was the best next move. I booked the solo ticket to Jakarta, Indonesia. I spent days eating as many at as many food stalls as I could, speaking to many restaurant owners, and learning as much as I could. And along the trip, I realized that this wasn't just a dream. It was something that I wanted to build. And I remember telling my mom, "Ma, maybe it's time I finally
open up a restaurant." And her response was, "Are you sure you want to open up a restaurant? You don't even have any FNB experience. You've never worked in any FnB establishment, let alone run a business. And this was exactly why I knew my mom had to be my business partner. She saw the technical truths where I failed to sometimes. It wasn't glamorous. It was a foot stall in Singapore Polytenic. And ironically, my university was situated within Singapore Poly Technique. And the food court that I open
up my food stall was my usual food court that I go to during my breaks and funding came from whatever savings I have accumulated during my national service and we were bootstrapping all the way through. I was selling batmi, an Indonesian dry noodle dish that I grew up eating and I look forward to having every single time I go back to Somarang, Indonesia, which was my mom's hometown. And I look forward to having it with my cousins and late uncles. And this was the main reason
why I wanted to sell me. I wanted people to have a taste of my childhood. That small stall might look like nothing to some people, but it was enormous to me. That was where I learned the ropes of FnB from scratch. I managed to escape the 9 to5. Instead, I got to do 12 to 16 hours instead. And I still remember our first few months was such a culture shock. My mom and I had to stay all the way till 1:00 a.m. on some days just
to make sambal in time for the opening of the stall the next day at 10:00 a.m. But this was the part that was testing me the most. My ex-classmates were now my customers. I no longer have to ask them questions about engineering. Instead, I'm asking them what we would like to have for lunch right now. And this was where I I learned that every customer had a choice. And every time someone came back, I thought to myself, wow, they trust me. And that was when I
realized my first escape room was cleared. The next escape room was much bigger. Our very first restaurant at Kulon. We were selling the same cuisine, central Javanese style bati, but with a proper seating, proper bowl, proper presentation. And it was as if our previous store went for for a complete makeover. At this point in time, I was juggling my part-time degree at SUSS. Finally doing a degree, a major that I was happy to do and enjoy. It was a bachelor of science in business. Thankfully, the
classes were were mostly virtual. I I get to attend classes while doing dinner service at the back of the Kulon kitchen. Bluetooth heads headsets on while cooking bi for the customers. So, in case you ask, is that even possible? The answer is yes. I've been through it and survived. But suddenly, it wasn't just about feeding people. We were hosting birthdays, celebrating anniversaries, people coming with their dates, introducing them to a cuisine they've never tried before. And that was when I realized I wasn't just serving meals
anymore. I was looking after moments that actually mattered to people. You learned very quickly that you can't be callous with a thing like that. And I got good I got good at it. Good enough that people started to know me as a bi guy. When I graduated from university back in 2024, I could have stayed in that comfortable room for years. But knowing me, I'm up for the next challenge. So, I thought to myself, how about a ramen shop? And this was my next escape room,
a ramen restaurant. On paper, it probably looked like a bizarre pivot. And honor ramen was a place where I wanted to push my creativity still appreciating Indonesian flavors while respecting the Japanese elements that make a ramen. And people asked why would someone known for Indonesian Bi even jump into ramen. But the loudest skeptic wasn't in the room. It was my own voice in my head. And I keep hearing this is not you. Stay in your lane. you are the bi guy and that's where I learned
that sometime we get so comfortable sheltered within the identity that we have built that we forget to push ourselves to grow into anything else. What is the challenge if we keep staying in the same room? So after my ramen adventure I was ready to level up. Not long after opening Honor Ramen, I was asked to lead Rasa Indonesia Singapura, an initiative backed by the Indonesia's Ministry of Trade and the Indonesian Embassy here in Singapore. Suddenly, I wasn't representing one restaurant. I was helping to champion cuisine
from the thousands of Indonesian islands in the Indonesian archipelago known as Nusantara. I had to work alongside brands that I've admired using food as a form of diplomacy, gastro diplomacy, if you will. But I remember being in a room and thinking, surely there's someone much more experienced than me, someone much older who has been in industry much longer than me. I was only 28 at the time. And that was the one of the main obstacles that my council members and I had to overcome. how to
bring food entrepreneurs to work together. Food entrepreneurs that came from various different uh levels of background, uh various levels of experience, all in the same goal and mindset. Perhaps you've heard of Jtown Cafe, a bar shop at Midpoint Orchard. They've been around far longer than mine, about 17 years, and they are considered the pioneer bar shop in Singapore. Through this initiative, I got to be friends with the owner and we had get to share our thoughts and get to support one another. And that's where I
learned that through this initiative, there's always room for us to grow and it's always better when we grow together. The fifth challenge almost stopped me at the door too, but for a different reason this time. Back in 2024, Newaru was looking to develop the factory block and they are looking for tenants that fit the profile that they were looking for. My Bi brand was one of them. When we received the invitation, it wasn't excitement. It was more to disbelief. New Buaru, home to some of the
most thoughtful and independent Singaporean brands, wanted my brand to be part of them. Naturally the first thought that I came to mind was how can I market my humble bi the food that I grew up eating to newbaru. But now I get to introduce the dish that I grew up eating to new audiences that I would have never imagined. You see many people when faced with new challenges or new escape rooms they hesitate and ask am I ready? For me, my journey made me realize that
instead of saying am I ready, I like to ask myself this, what is the next room? And over time, without even realizing it, that became the framework I used to make almost every important decision in my life. Society encourages us to think about the whole building. The perfect job, the perfect five-year plan, the perfect versions of ourselves. People tend to compare their chapter ones with someone else's chapter 10, forgetting that they don't just teleport up there. And people often ask me how I built multiple businesses,
took on new challenges, and found the confidence to keep saying yes. The truth is, I never thought that far ahead. I wasn't trying to build a restaurant group. I wasn't trying to become a leader. I was simply walking into the next challenge, into the next escape room. And every room left me with something that I didn't have before. The first gave me trust, the second gave me responsibility, the third gave me perspective, and the fourth gave me leadership. And none of them were things that I
could have learned by standing outside the room. So perhaps to anyone who is feeling this now, somewhere in your life, there's probably a room you've been standing outside of. a conversation, an opportunity, a new chapter in your life. Maybe you've been wanting and waiting to feel ready. So, if there's one thing I I hope you remember today is this. You don't have to become the person you your dream requires before you begin. You become the person because you begin. Because the biggest mistake isn't dreaming too
big. is trying to worry about the whole building when all you need to do is really walk into the next room. Thank you. [music] >> [applause]