When a breakup left a former Singapore Airlines (SIA) cabin crew with a failing business, she decided to take matters into her own hands.
Amber Tan, who now owns and runs Pao Ge Seafood at Jurong Fishery Port by herself, had initially started the wholesale business with her ex-boyfriend in 2023. They met while she was working as a model after leaving SIA in 2019.
The 35-year-old told Shin Min Daily that she had trusted the man when he claimed he was well-versed in business. She subsequently invested her life savings of $170,000 into Pao Ge, while he had put in $60,000.
Amber added that she had originally planned to buy a house with the money.
However, the business suffered from the get-go. Amber’s ex-boyfriend was unable to keep up with payments to suppliers and operational costs, and she would have to shoulder most of the responsibility, she told 8world.
Amber also got pregnant during this period. At five-months pregnant, she stopped putting money into the business as she intended to save money to raise her child, she told Shin Min Daily.
Her ex-boyfriend then became completely indifferent to the business. He would drop Amber off at the fishing port and go gambling, she recounted.
By 2025, the business was close to collapse. Amber and her ex-boyfriend’s relationship was also rocky as he had cheated on her repeatedly and the couple eventually parted ways, reported 8world.
Speaking to AsiaOne, Amber said that after she and her ex-boyfriend separated, he ran out on some suppliers, leaving her to deal with the outstanding payments.
“They had no choice but to contact me and ask for help. The company is under my name. It was easy for him to just create a complete mess and walk away,” she told us.
Despite the breakup and struggling with postpartum depression after giving birth to her daughter, Amber was determined to keep the business afloat.
She recounted that in December last year, the company account was down to only $300. At that moment, she had seriously considered giving up on the business, reported Shin Min Daily.
She immediately pushed the thought away. If she gave up, she would never get her $170,000 back, Amber told the Chinese evening daily.
Amber saw no other way out of her situation besides taking a leap of faith. She pumped more of her savings into paying off the suppliers and continuing the shipments of fish, she told AsiaOne.
She even worked part-time at a wet market for two months to learn how to handle fish.
Amber now sorts out seafood, fulfils online orders, alongside utilising her online following to make videos about her job and to sell her seafood to a wider audience by hosting livestreams.
‘There is always light at the end of the tunnel’
The mother of one continues to do her best to maximise her profits, even fulfilling deliveries that weigh over 10kg on her own to save $10 in transportation costs.
She told AsiaOne that she also let go of the employee she had hired to run the stall and started heading down to the fishery port herself in order to cut down costs.
This decision saved the company from going under, she added.
When asked about the support she has received from others throughout her journey, Amber said: “I would like to thank all the people at fishery port who supported me, even silently.”
She recounted how she initially got stares from the mostly older, male vendors who were likely wondering what a young girl like her was doing at a “smelly” fishery port.
“Slowly after they knew my story, some of them came up to encourage me,” she told AsiaOne.
“Some uncles are so nice. When I purchase items from them they will say ‘aiyo never mind la you take home and eat’.”
“All the support I have received, I will remember always,” she added.
Speaking about her wishes for the future, Amber expressed her hopes for the wet market trade to flourish instead of dying off, stating that all the goods there are picked with discernment and love.
The hard work and smells of fish isn’t a problem for her. “It honestly doesn’t faze me,” she said. “It’s honest work and it’s a skill that I can keep for a long time.”
She also hopes that her story is a reminder for those in a similar situation to love themselves and give themselves a chance.
“There is always light at the end of the tunnel,” said Amber.
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bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com
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