ELIKA FITKITCHEN by FOOD REBEL OWNER

It’s not just great food, but awareness and education – making a real difference to customers’ health. We want them to know the why, not just the what. And that’s why we also include cooking classes, workshops so that it’s about a lifestyle, not just a product. Passion runs much deeper than just making a profit.”

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I’LL HAVE WHAT SHE’S HAVINGMARCH 14TH, TUESDAY | 7 - 9 PM

A SNEAK PEEK

HEALTH & WELLNESS COACH

What inspired you?

Once I graduated, I built my career of over 10 years working at top global HR services firms with Fortune 500 clients. Because of my ambitious personality, I went full-out and burnt out from extreme exhaustion and insomnia. From all the stress-induced binge drinking, I developed an inflamed liver had crazy sugar levels from all the processed food. This burnout was the turning point for me, inspiring Elikafit. I realised there were many like-minded high-driven professionals who were not getting the right balance of nutrition. Most Singaporeans see salads as tasteless, bland and blah. But that doesn’t have to be the case– there are so many exciting healthy options in places like Bali or Australia – why not here?

What are some of the difficulties venturing into a new industry with no experience?

In such a competitive industry with high turnover (6-12 months) and with zero F&B experience, where 1 in 10 survive the first 12 months, it was my biggest challenge to get Kitchen by Food Rebel to survive. I didn’t do extensive marketing but customers kept spreading by word of mouth, and soon it was featured as Number One on TimeOut Best Health Cafe in Singapore and next week CNA will be interviewing me.

I had to once hire a whole new team in 24 hours because my chef decided to quit after 4 months – but I found that my HR experiences came into play and you realize your past experiences help you with your current challenges!

What challenges did you face be-ing a woman in the field?

Being a black, female, foreigner running a business is quite an anomaly. People used to come in and talk directly to my ops manager, and he would point them my way saying: ‘uh, actually, she’s my boss’”.

At 34 years old, many assumed that my hus-band was the one who financially supported this venture – but we went into the café busi-ness together and this is actually my whole life savings. Not saying he doesn’t support me – he does but he also tells me “your cra-zy”.

I think sometimes entrepreneurial women find it difficult to ask for help because we want to prove that we’ve got it altogether. Because what we do is often emotionally driven, we need the support.

What piece of advice can you offer to others hoping to do the same?

My piece of advice would be to tell others to “Know your strengths, and your weaknesses”. I know many want to try and improve on their weaknesses, but I’d say to harness your strength.

If you focus on your strength, people can overlook your weaknesses. Be comfortable with your weaknesses, accept them – but know that others have strengths that are meant to fill in the gaps for you, and get them onboard.”

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FOR MORE DETAILS GO TO: bit.ly/unicorn14mar

www.foodrebelsg.com