\n<\/p>\n
What he kept coming back to is a memo he wrote to staff during that period, titled ‘Time for resilience and gratitude’. “I remember sitting down to write it, thinking: what do you say to people who are scared, when you’re scared, too? You can’t pretend everything is fine. But you also can’t let fear be the loudest thing in the room.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the end, the founders shared their honest thoughts with the staff who chose to stay and fight through it with them. The memo, he adds, was about more than keeping the business afloat. “It was a reminder of why we do this.”<\/p>\n
Despite Wok Hey\u2019s size today, the pressure hasn\u2019t let up. \u201cIf anything, the stakes are higher now,\u201d says Chia. \u201cEarly on, if we failed, it was just us picking up the pieces. Now there are families depending on us \u2013 our staff\u2019s families too.\u201d Wok Hey HQ today has employed around 30 staff.<\/p>\n
The early years were especially gruelling for both men, who are married with children. \u201cIt was seven days a week,\u201d recalls Chia. \u201cLong nights dealing with store fit-outs, contractors, technical issues on-site, then still needing to be back in the office the next morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were so consumed by building the business that we often had little energy left when we got home. Our spouses carried much of the family load on their own. They didn\u2019t sign up for a startup life, but they held the fort,\u201d Huang adds. Both say their spouses were supportive from the start. Huang, in particular, recalls telling his partner to give him two years to give it a shot.<\/p>\n
That early chapter also left a lasting mark on them, physically. \u201cWe both put on weight,\u201d quips Chia, who estimates he gained around 6kg due to the sheer volume of food tasting and recipe testing during Wok Hey\u2019s early R&D phase. \u201cI\u2019m still trying to lose some of it now.\u201d<\/p>\n
His subsequent keto diet eventually inspired Wok Hey\u2019s cauliflower rice option. \u201cThat was partly personal motivation,\u201d he laughs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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