Expatpreneur Awards 2017: This Singaporean Mom's Love For Her Child Made Her A CEO

This month, we’re celebrating the successes of savvy expatriates and Singaporeans, as well as the setbacks they overcame, to make life better in Singapore in our Expatpreneur Awards 2017.

“My friend Google was not yet around,” Sharon Wong, Founder and CEO of motherswork jokes while expressing frustration over the then-lack of information about safe, stylish car seats, strollers and more.

“By the time I was pregnant with my third, I had a portfolio of contacts of brands from around the world.” What to do with all of that research? “Open a baby store!” she says.

That was 18 years ago, once the family had settled in Singapore.

She’s since launched five motherswork stores in Singapore and seven in China.

More on The Finder:
Expatpreneur Awards 2017: This Expat Couple Moved To Singapore As An “Adventure Together”
Expatpreneur Awards 2017: For This Singaporean Couple, Family Comes Before The Family Business

Read more about Sharon and motherswork below ((find out how we picked the awardees here)!

“motherswork is a natural extension of me as a mother,” Sharon muses. “Each stage of my children’s lives has helped shape me as a parent and, in turn, shape motherswork into what it is today.” Which is? “The brands speak for themselves.”

Equally, anyone who knows the story behind motherswork would see it as a testament to Sharon’s love for her children.

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How did motherswork come to be? Sharon explains: “My Economics and Tax education taught me the accounting side of a business, costing, pricing, etc. My experience working for a multinational FMCG [Fast Moving Consumer Goods] company taught me about building brands. My travels exposed me to ideas. These are the pillars on how motherswork was conceptualised.”

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“In any business, there will be many challenges. Without them, it would be such a boring journey,” says Sharon, who actually opted to close her first motherswork outpost in Hong Kong, despite it being profitable, because she couldn’t be more “hands on” from Singapore.

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Sharon makes no compromise when it comes to our children and their future, so every product motherswork carries must meet at least four of our 11 motherswork values. These values range from “multistage” and “original – innovative” to “reliable” and “kind to the earth.”

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By Sara Lyle Bow, The Finder (Issue 280), March 2017

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