Banker-turned-hawker sells S$7 NYC Levain-style cookies at Golden Mile Food Centre

Even so, he does not regret his career switch.

“It has been a great five years, even with the hardship and difficulties,” he said.

Those experiences, including the unsuccessful expansion of Wen Li, made him more cautious when starting Ate Cookies. He spent over a year bidding for a stall at a rental rate he was comfortable with before securing his current unit, investing around $40,000 (US$31,450) in the setup.

Unlike his other venture Wen Li, Ate Cookies is largely a one-man operation. His parents help part-time with some administrative and operational work, but Wong handles most aspects of the business himself.

“The hard thing about solo venturing is I’m the brain, body, hands and legs,” he said.

He deliberately chose a concept that could be managed without a large team. “I wanted something that I liked and that I could do alone. I decided it was going to be cookies.”

Wong, who has a five-year-old son with his wife, an office administrator, is still learning to balance running two businesses with family life.

Like his parents, Wong’s wife initially questioned why he had chosen the more difficult path of being a hawker compared to a banker, but eventually understood what he hoped to achieve.

She remains fairly hands-off and rarely asks him questions about either business. Wong believes this is her way of avoiding putting additional pressure on him.

“I think she just doesn’t want to stress me too much,” he said with a laugh.