From S$10,000 salary to hawker stall: This 30-year-old chooses Hokkien mee over tech job

Alvin Tan, a 30-year-old former technology worker, has chosen to work at a hawker stall selling Hokkien mee after being laid off from his S$10,000 tech job. Despite earning less, Tan has greater control over his future and is learning about the financial realities of self-employment. He began his business by cooking at home and giving away free samples, gradually opening his own stall in Geylang.

Initially, his Hokkien mee sold for S$5 to S$6, but he later increased prices to S$6 or S$8 a plate. Tan's stall generates up to S$19,000 a month, but 45% of that goes to ingredients, leaving him with about 20% of the earnings. He must sell around 45 plates to break even, but has sold fewer than half that number for months. Despite challenges like rising costs, Tan is optimistic about the future and hopes to hire a permanent worker once his business grows. He emphasizes the importance of starting small and gaining traction before scaling up.