Interview with Ryan & Esther (Habitat Coffee)

I knew Ryan & Esther since the late 90s, when we were all still in school. Was even colleagues with Ryan at Skin Couture for a while. But i never knew it was their dream, all along, to start a cafe that specialises in making coffee. 

Fast forward to years later when i met them at a church member's wedding. I was leading praise and worship while Ryan was the guitarist. And as usual, his very lovely wife, Esther would be beside him, supporting him as he played. And then we chatted and try to do a bit of catch up over that 30-60mins break we had before the wedding starts. Then, he begin to share that they are actually in the midst of setting up their own business. I couldnt recall if he told me its coffee business but i do recall that they are going to be their own bosses. 

So the next thing i know, Habitat Coffee was started. Just like that. Well, at least to me it seems easy, but the truth of the matter is that it hasnt been easy for them. They prayed and prayed and worked hard and toiled for Habitat. The rest is history. 

Let us take a look at how this coffee thingy all got started and how they have come so far to where they are now. 

"TGS: The last i heard from both of you was that you are in the midst of setting up a cafe that sells coffee. The next thing i know, it was set up and officially opened for business. So how did all these got started?

Ryan & Esther (RE): Starting a cafe has always been on the back of my mind since I was of a pretty young age. It's just that I did not find a focus on what kind of a f&b business I would like to venture into. Not until I found the love for the art of making coffee which actually spurred me into this current venture of mine. 

 

TGS: Habitat Coffee shot to fame locally within a short span of 1 year (correct me if i am wrong pls), and now, so many people are queuing to have their chillax time in Habitat. Were there any difficulties so far from set up to where it is now? If yes, what are they?

RE: The start has always been a very rocky start. And in fact, we nearly had not enough to pay out for the following month in the early months due to lack of experience and no crowd to support the business. The difficulties we faced then were plenty. Some of which would be inexperience, financial back up and poor brand image.

 

TGS: What is the ONE thing that people will think about when it comes to Habitat Coffee? Eg: Food, Beverages, Services, etc.

RE: Consistent & good gourmet coffee, truffle fries, affordable brunch food & a rowdy good time. 

 

TGS: I believe many have been to Habitat Coffee thus far. Name a few famous persons that have been there.

RE: 

Ladyironchef

Diya & Carrie Yeo (chabansheng)

Chen Li ping

Felicia chin

Priscilla Chen

Terence cao

Ya hui

Belinda lee

Lai Yi ling

There are more but I can't recall now.

TGS: Any future plans (or of expansion) for Habitat Coffee? The last i went, it was so full! In a good way, of cos!

RE: Expansion plans are on hold at the moment because our baby is on the way and family is of top priority now until it all settles down. 

 

TGS: In both of your opinions, what factor(s) contributed to the success of your dream?

RE: It would be hardwork, hardwork and more consistent hard labour work. Not only working smart but working tirelessly improving our craft.

 

TGS: What advice would you give to anyone that has dreams but is afraid / worried to step out into action?

 

RE: Plan well, prepare relentlessly & risk wisely.

Don't let inexperience and lack of knowledge get the better of you. Dreams can only become a reality when garnered with knowledge and hardwork. "

So, if you haven been to Habitat Coffee before, you should repent! 

Just kidding! :) 

Really, you should go try their coffee and signature dishes. Just be prepared to expect some queue during weekends. The last i went, there was a queue! 

And also, once again, if you have a dream that have yet to live it out, STOP giving excuses and reasons that it cant be done. Its all in your mind. 

And to both Ryan and Esther, i am sincerely happy for the both of you that you are living out your dream now. I pray that Habitat Coffee will continue to grow and expand the way both of you wishes in your hearts! 

Gambatte!! 

www.habitatcoffee.com.sg 

A throwback shot with them at their wedding :) 

An Interview with Silverkis

Today's post is a rather special one. Because its going to be like a post-cum-dedication kinda thing and the person that i want to make special mention is the uprising local Make Up & Skincare Blogger, Silverkis! 

To be honest, i was really contemplating for a long while as to whether i should return to the blogging world or not. And one of the person that really inspires me tons is her. Her spirit of excellence, consistency and never say die attitude amazes me and inspired me to return to the blogging world. So this post is dedicated to anyone that has a dream but have no courage to live it out yet! 

We know each other through our hubbies. They are buds. My first impression of Linda is that she is very classy and more of the 'Ang Moh' type, which might be tough for us to really communicate as i am not as fluent at English compared to her. But her warmth and friendliness melted my heart! Somehow there were common topics and we hit off...not too bad! Haha... 

And suddenly one day, i was told that she started blogging! To be honest, i was skeptical abt the blogging world. Because it depends on who your targeted audience is. If ur audience is you, you & yourself, then thats not hard. But if its people outside your circle of immediate friends, thats tough. And so she started her blog and of cos as a supportive friend, i signed up for post updates sent via email by her blog. I remembered receiving a few emails (even now still! ) on new posts from her blog, on a weekly! And then in her IG, her followers were also increasingly increasing! From hundreds to one thousand to two thousands and now in  the three! I finally realised what it means to live out one's dream. She was consistent & determined. So i decided to have a mini interview of her. 

(TGS - This Gal Shines, SK - Silverkis)

TGS: Its an apparent fact that you love comestic and skincare. So how did it all get started?

SK: I was born with very sensitive and easily irritated skin… growing up was tough as I was always suffering from bouts of eczema all over my body and face.  So I learnt at a very early age the importance of taking proper care of my skin.  Also, I was blessed with a mother who also believed in using proper skincare – she bought me my first facial wash from Shiseido when I was 10!   

TGS: Were there any difficulties at the initial stage of setting up the blog and getting everything going? What are they?

SK: Setting up a blog isn’t hard these days given the number of free hosting sites around.  But getting some sizeable traffic was certainly a challenge.  I researched and tried all the “tricks” out there… how to get the search engines to crawl my site, getting my site rankings up the search results, etc.  There are quite a number of things you can do, but if you picked a good blogging platform to begin with, most of that is already taken care of for you.  Ultimately, it is about generating the right content that people want to read, being timely in releasing updated information, and being good to your followers.  It also helps to be active in other platforms such as forums and social media sites like Instagram and building up a reputation as somebody who really knows what she is blogging about!

(Source: silverkis IG)

TGS: Any interesting experiences on blogging to share?

SK: I still work a full-time job in a very boring industry that is totally not beauty-related.  And sometimes the lines get blurred between the roles – when to switch into beauty blogger mode versus work.  When I first started blogging, I was so intent on getting as many people to visit my site that I was not very careful about segregating.  And then later on when my search rankings started creeping up, if you googled my name my beauty blog pops up.  It never occurred to me until one day a colleague stopped me in the corridors and asked me for recommendation on eye cream!  And along the way she mentioned that xyz from another department told her that I blogged about eye creams! 

TGS: You have been invited to a few events and they looked so fun! Who are some of the famous blogger(s) that you have rubbed shoulders with so far?

SK: Umm…. I don’t really get starry-eyed around “famous” people… they’re all just people to me, and I am more interested in getting to know everyone on an individual level rather than by their Instagram followers or blog subscribers.  So I can’t really name names la!

TGS: List 3 things that keep you going, even til now. 

SK: (1) Getting to know my readers well really drives me on!  It is the best feeling when a reader leaves me a comment to tell me they liked what they saw, or they appreciated my frank opinions… I sometimes get readers who hop over to my Instagram and leave me comments there as well.  I’ve also gotten to know some much more established bloggers overseas who I am big fans of, and they have started to follow my blog… it lets me know that I’m doing something right after all!

(2) I love seeing how the beauty industry evolves… it sounds geeky but I love checking out new product innovation (e.g. this year we saw a whole bunch of liquid cheek – lip dual-use products launched, and this summer a whole new formulation for eyeshadows, etc etc).  I also love discovering new brands such as Neuth that is just starting out but already I love their products!

(3) Of course, being recognized for my work really fuels me.  The other day I was at a Chanel event for customers (not a media event for bloggers) and somebody turned to me and asked if I were Silverkis!  I was embarrassed of course, but it really feels good to be gaining recognition.  And more brands are starting to reach out with invitations and product samples… it lets me know that my blog is finally reaching a critical mass and the industry is starting to take note!

(Source: silverkis IG)

TGS: What are the future plans for your blog? 

SK: Only God knows… ;)

TGS: What advice would you give to anyone that has a dream but doesnt dare to step out into action yet?

SK: Well… then it’ll always remain just a dream wouldn’t it?  Dreams are nice… you just have to decide if you want to actually live it.  Little steps aren’t hard… so just take it 1 baby step at a time, and trust God to pave the way!

So for all YOU who has a dream,  its never too old or too young to realised it. Start by taking baby steps and you will be one step nearer to realising them! 

If you would like, pls follow Silverkis at her IG name, silverkis . 

And also follow her blog (silverkis.com) , she gives honest reviews on skincare and cosmetics and there are even giveaways from time to time! 

Lastly, to Linda, keep on keeping on, for you'll never know who you impact tomorrow! 😘😘