Jeanette Aw may be regarded as a successful entrepreneur and patissier, but she had her fair share of struggles and naysayers when she first started her patisserie Once Upon A Time in 2021.
In a recent episode of Mediacorp’s baking contest Crème De La Crème 2, the 44-year-old, who’s a celebrity judge alongside Fann Wong, shared her emotional journey after hearing contestant Lin Wei Feng speak about his challenges when starting his own business.
“Initially many people paid attention to my business probably because I am an artiste. Some people said that I was using my fame to sell desserts,” Jeanette recalled, with tears in her eyes.
“But I really wanted to prove to everyone that I’m capable, and I needed time to let people believe in and like the things I do,” added the Le Cordon Bleu-trained baker.
In a follow-up interview with zaobao.sg, Jeanette opened up about the struggles she faced as an entrepreneur.
“As an artiste, while I got a lot of support, there was also immense backlash,” she said, adding that only someone who has been through similar experiences could truly understand how difficult it was for her.
The hardest part for Jeanette was convincing those around her that she was serious about her business.
“Some people thought that baking was just a hobby to me. I also had some chef friends warn me that F&B is one of the toughest industries to be in,” she recalled.
And indeed it is. Jeanette admitted that she had considered giving up many times.
She often questioned why she wanted to start her own business, though these thoughts were fleeting.
Fortunately, her passion for creating new desserts kept her going. She felt motivated and excited every time a customer enjoyed her creations.
Now, after three years of hard work, Jeanette is confident that people recognise her commitment to her craft and that she has what it takes to be an entrepreneur.