"We must first learn to find joy in what we create before we take the next step to embark the journey of creating many other works."
Time flies. We've passed the 3rd year just last October. We are moving forward, and not that we are not excited about turning 4 this year, it just seems rather surreal at times. We've been so caught up with the many things (that has got to do with work), we have lost track of time.This year, we hope to work towards organizing and prioritizing our time better. Having more me-time for a good breather, and a necessary break to take in new inspiration and at the same time, to create one.
We all need that.
We get random people coming into the store with faces that are filled with great curiosity. We thought to ease all the awkwardness, we will take the first step to sharing with you more about this little bakery called Cupplets & the humans behind it!
So today, we've decided to come up with 5 FAQ about CUPPLETS.
1. Is this place run by students?
Cupplets is run as a private business. The humans behind the counter ranges in age- from 19 to 28 years old.
2. Do you all do EVERYTHING at the store?
Yes we do! We have been squeezing behind that counter to churn out cakes and coffee. We love it there! Don't belittle that small working area, its potential hasn't been maximised just as yet!
3. Why do you choose to run a cafe+bakery in a school?
We have tried tendering other schools, but the response was not to our favor. We thought a school environment would be a better fit for us with the student crowd available. We just want to create a simple coffee place serving coffee and cakes. When the opportunity came with the space available in Ngee Ann Polytechnic, we grab it and tried again. But, we guess, the journey was made different this time. We were dealing with more than cakes and coffee.
4. What inspires you to create your work?
People, environment, and nature. We both love people-watching. We get inspired seeing the works of others or the colors of nature. Its beautiful. It takes a lot of heart to bring your craft and imagination together.
"You need to first have a good amount of passion for something to drive you forward to DO SOMETHING. Sustaining that passion takes more than inspiration, it takes hard work and determination. You see now, the whole cycle of creativity. "
5. Is it tough running a business?
Yes and No.
You get a balance of good and bad. Starting on your own comes with a baggage of uncertainty- Is your business going to sustain? How should you price your product? Should you do this, should you do that? The pile of questions is never ending. You face business at its rock bottom, and you learn to find solutions for revival, and then you face it at its peak.
"At the initial stage, we seem like we were betting on a horse race. If it fails, it fails. If it goes on, we hang on. But later on when business becomes more stabilized, you realized that you are not playing card games anymore. You take things more seriously. You have a load of responsibility to look after, not just the orders, your staff's welfare and the relationships you build over time. We need to learn to love what we are doing- every aspect of it, because at the end of the day, we are running a business not a hobby. We believe in hard work & heart-work. There is more than cake that we handle on a daily basis. It takes a lot more patience, acceptance, and graciousness than just thriving forward. You got to do the first before you can achieve the latter."
Looking forward to the weekends! PEACE!
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