Singaporean social enterprise The Caffeine Experience is a home for ex-offenders, a place where ex-inmates are accepted despite their pasts. Its co-founder, Matthew Poh, who is an ex-convict, is helping ex-inmates rehabilitate back to society one cup of coffee at a time. Nobody understands dejection and losses better than ex-convict Matthew Poh, 50, who has…
When a stressful career-related health crash sent Kellie Phelan on the search for more meaningful day-to-day, she discovered that her passion for making things by hand fulfilled her local community’s hunger for learning new skills. She started teaching people how to bake, grow food, knit – and set up a DIY school for adults: The…
There’s a lot of pet stores in the world, but how can you stand out from the competition? Many pet stores have acquired and kept their customers through loyalty programs. In fact, Vision Critical says that members of loyalty programs generate between 12 to 18 percent more revenue as compared to non-members. Other brands engage…
In 2020, Ben and Jerry’s brand loyalty rose by 20%. That’s an impressive rise, especially in a year where most brands suffered. It’s especially impressive when you consider the number of premium ice cream competitors on the market. Ben and Jerry’s is a different kind of company. Spend a minute or two looking at their…
Did you know that building brand loyalty for your cafe can boost your overall profitability and save you money? Bain & Co released a report done on cost-cutting measures for businesses and the results were stunning. The study found that a 5% rise in customer retention can boost profitability by 75%. With such a statistic…
Being a restaurant server is hard work. You have to be likable to excel at your job. The best servers exhibit traits like multitasking, a cheerful spirit, and the ability to know what’s on the mind of the customer before they speak. However, as an individual much of your personality has already been formed so…
Pamela and William set out to quench the thirst of Shanghai, one bottle at a time, by starting Dou Ji Artisanal Beverages. Here is their Merchant story. Like many other couples, Pamela Poon and William Ng had to postpone their wedding in 2020. Unlike other couples, they chose to channel their disappointment and energy into…
Mario loved chai so much he started a side hustle to share his love with the world. After years of dedication and difficulties, he was finally able to focus on the business full-time. Here is his Merchant Story. Mario Minichilli grew up in one of Melbourne’s ‘hospitality families’, spending his youth in and around their…
Sara worked by herself as a one-woman shoemaking business. When she finally decided to pass on her skills, she founded a school instead – and found a community of warm friends who helped her build her school, grow her business, and fill her days. This is Sara’s story of how she started the Chicago School…
In these difficult times where companies are retrenching staff – sometimes in less than savoury ways to cut costs – morale in the workforce is generally low and employees typically feel unmotivated. Some even choose to leave their jobs voluntarily as their company culture took a turn for the worse during the pandemic, showing that…