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http://edvantage.com.sg/edvantage/features/people/464250/Student_start_up_I.html
Teen's start-up selling oats takes off
Joanna Seow | The New Paper | Tue Sep 28 2010
Her business has netted a $300 profit in three months.
FOOD excites Sophia Lim.
So much so the 18-year-old decided to launch her own start-up selling homemade oat creations.
"My dream is to reinvent oats and make them (into) something people can eat any time," said Sophia, who prepares the food herself, with some help from her mother.
The teenager,who is in the National Junior College's Integrated Programme, has come a long way from being teased by her friends for her healthy packed lunches of lean meat, vegetables and sweet potato.
Her start-up, "oh, it's OATS!", netted a $300 profit in three months.
What's the secret to her success?
A base of cooked oats is topped with a customisable selection fruits and nuts. The concoctions can be eaten chilled or semi-frozen.
Whole oats are a good source of dietary fibre that aids digestion. They also contain calcium, iron and Vitamin E, she said.
Sophia uses the concept of a stage (the oat base) with characters (nuts are heroes and fruits are heroines) to describe each creation.
"We provide the stage and the characters and customers set the scene," she said.
When she started off in July, Sophia sold her oat cups mostly to friends and relatives to test the market.
Today, orders can be made on her website, www.oohitsoats.moonfruit.com, which she designed.
The oats sell for between $2.50and $4.65 per cup.
For orders less than $55, she charges an additional 15 per cent of the tab.
Customers arrange a meeting place where they can collect their orders, which must be made three days ahead. She takes bookings for up to two weeks in advance.
The bubbly teenager said she never thought of running a business until June, when she joined the school's Innovation and Enterprise co-curricular activity.
Training programme
Through it, she attended an entrepreneurship training programme run by a private company.
Called the Entrepreneurship Boot Camp Intensive, the two-day, one-night camp helped her "develop the idea into a viable business plan", said Sophia, who hopes to take up a course related to business and nutrition after her A levels this year.
When Sophia first started out - she came out with the recipes herself - she tried to get as many people as possible to sample the oats.
She ended up with about 20 orders per day, taking her up to four hours a night to prepare.
Now she handles about three to four orders per day, which takes up to two hours to prepare.
Her mother, housewife Serena Lim, helps her to cook the oats on some nights.
Mrs Lim said of her daughter's venture: "It has really helped her grow. Her start-up has been a learning process which has opened her eyes to the realities and complexities of the business world."
Sophia plans to expand the start-up after her A levels.
"I envision having a small shop or a kiosk," she said.
This article was first published in The New Paper.
Teen's start-up selling oats takes off
Joanna Seow | The New Paper | Tue Sep 28 2010
Her business has netted a $300 profit in three months.
FOOD excites Sophia Lim.
So much so the 18-year-old decided to launch her own start-up selling homemade oat creations.
"My dream is to reinvent oats and make them (into) something people can eat any time," said Sophia, who prepares the food herself, with some help from her mother.
The teenager,who is in the National Junior College's Integrated Programme, has come a long way from being teased by her friends for her healthy packed lunches of lean meat, vegetables and sweet potato.
Her start-up, "oh, it's OATS!", netted a $300 profit in three months.
What's the secret to her success?
A base of cooked oats is topped with a customisable selection fruits and nuts. The concoctions can be eaten chilled or semi-frozen.
Whole oats are a good source of dietary fibre that aids digestion. They also contain calcium, iron and Vitamin E, she said.
Sophia uses the concept of a stage (the oat base) with characters (nuts are heroes and fruits are heroines) to describe each creation.
"We provide the stage and the characters and customers set the scene," she said.
When she started off in July, Sophia sold her oat cups mostly to friends and relatives to test the market.
Today, orders can be made on her website, www.oohitsoats.moonfruit.com, which she designed.
The oats sell for between $2.50and $4.65 per cup.
For orders less than $55, she charges an additional 15 per cent of the tab.
Customers arrange a meeting place where they can collect their orders, which must be made three days ahead. She takes bookings for up to two weeks in advance.
The bubbly teenager said she never thought of running a business until June, when she joined the school's Innovation and Enterprise co-curricular activity.
Training programme
Through it, she attended an entrepreneurship training programme run by a private company.
Called the Entrepreneurship Boot Camp Intensive, the two-day, one-night camp helped her "develop the idea into a viable business plan", said Sophia, who hopes to take up a course related to business and nutrition after her A levels this year.
When Sophia first started out - she came out with the recipes herself - she tried to get as many people as possible to sample the oats.
She ended up with about 20 orders per day, taking her up to four hours a night to prepare.
Now she handles about three to four orders per day, which takes up to two hours to prepare.
Her mother, housewife Serena Lim, helps her to cook the oats on some nights.
Mrs Lim said of her daughter's venture: "It has really helped her grow. Her start-up has been a learning process which has opened her eyes to the realities and complexities of the business world."
Sophia plans to expand the start-up after her A levels.
"I envision having a small shop or a kiosk," she said.
This article was first published in The New Paper.
