Once a rebellious student who felt lost about her future, a 21-year-old mother now runs her own mobile repair business in Geylang with her husband.<\/p>\n
Stomper Shih Ting<\/b><\/span>, who recently gave birth in September, told Stomp she wanted to share how her life took a turn in a direction she never expected.<\/p>\n “I want to share my story of how I became half-successful at 21 years old,” she said.<\/p>\n Shih Ting runs ZhangXin Repair, a mobile repair business located at 340 Geylang Road.<\/p>\n She began working part-time at the age of 14.<\/p>\n “I was a Covid-19 vaccination safe ambassador,” she shared. “I was in charge of station workers and checking vaccination statuses at a shopping mall.<\/p>\n “After I started working part-time, I never asked my parents for an allowance.”<\/p>\n However, she was a ‘rebellious’ student in school.<\/p>\n “I didn’t listen to my teachers at all,” Shih Ting said.<\/p>\n “When I was in ITE, I was late for classes for an entire month, I dyed my hair and had to spray it black. I was really lost in life.”<\/p>\n She studied Information Technology (IT), including coding languages such as Java, but struggled to see a clear path forward.<\/p>\n “I didn’t know what I could do with what I learned or what jobs I could get after graduating. At that time, artificial intelligence (AI) was already out, and people could just code using AI.<\/p>\n “It can generate all the codes I took forever to memorise in just seconds,” said Shih Ting.<\/p>\n At 18, she was posted to a mobile repair shop for an internship, where she met her husband.<\/p>\n Shih Ting admitted she did not have a good relationship with her parents during her rebellious years, as she was juggling school and part-time work and often came home late.<\/p>\n “My mother’s nagging became really irritating to me,” she said. “I started talking back and spent less time with my family.<\/p>\n “However, I’ve since appreciated that family plays a very important role in my life. My husband is older than me, so he guides and teaches me a lot. That’s a good thing because I still have a long way to go.<\/p>\n “After we got together, my relationship with my family improved a lot. Now, whenever we have big decisions to make, we talk to our parents and ask for their opinions.”<\/p>\n She shared a Chinese saying that resonates with her: ‘\u5bb6\u548c\u4e07\u4e8b\u5174’. It means ‘harmony in the home brings success in everything’.<\/p>\n But finding her footing in business proved to be another steep learning curve.<\/p>\n “I had never faced these kinds of situations before. There were many communication issues with customers, but I slowly got used to it.<\/p>\n “What I heard the most was, ‘So young ah, do business very hard lah, won’t last de lah.'”<\/p>\n Her shop is located near Geylang Lorong 18, an area often associated with the red-light district.<\/p>\n “When I do online advertising, there are some awful comments, 18+ comments like, ‘Chicken there nice or not’,” Shih Ting said.<\/p>\n “At first, I was very angry because it had nothing to do with what I was posting. I replied to some of them to defend myself.<\/p>\n “Slowly, I understood that everyone has different viewpoints, and if that’s what they think, then so be it.”<\/p>\n She added that navigating such an environment at a young age can be challenging.<\/p>\n “Walking along these roads is very difficult, especially when you’re young and people make nasty comments. But I want to tell everyone that at the end of the day, you must rely on yourself.”<\/p>\n As a business owner, Shih Ting said she has recognised the importance of leadership and responsibility.<\/p>\n “I’m responsible for my workers because I need to feed them.<\/p>\n “When hiring, I realised that not everyone works the way I expect because everyone has their own strengths and skills. Each and every one of them plays an important role.<\/p>\n “I believed that treating workers well would make them work better, but slowly I realised that some people take it for granted, and I had to let them go.”<\/p>\n Now balancing her roles as a business owner and a young mother, Shih Ting said the journey has not been easy \u2014 but it has made her more grounded.<\/p>\n “Being a mother at 21 years old is very young, and there have been a lot of awful comments,” she said. “But I have a stable income and my own house. That’s why I feel ready for the next stage of life.”<\/p>\n Looking ahead, she hopes her story will encourage others who feel uncertain about their journey.<\/p>\n “I want to tell people who feel lost that it’s normal at some point in life,” Shih Ting said. “I was lost for a year and needed guidance. I didn’t have it until I met my husband and we planned our path together.”<\/p>\n “There’s still a very long way for me to go,” she added.<\/p>\n![\"21-year-old](\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/stomp\/c3593c2814d30088439be800aa0b332b815716d9d2d63f6d64d9082c87fb2f97\/WhatsAppImage2025-12-10at55426PM1.jpg?w=360&f=webp)
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