Not many would stroll away from a high-flying profession, incomes six figures a 12 months. However Sheaufen Tay and Sharlyn Koh selected to take that leap.
As soon as colleagues at KPMG, the duo determined to forge their very own path, breaking into the jewelry business. It’s a crowded house the place success is much from assured, however the threat has clearly paid off.
Their model, Mondays Made, which specialises in demi-fine jewelry, now has two retailers in Singapore—simply lower than two years after its launch. The corporate can be on monitor to attain multi-million-dollar gross sales this 12 months.
We spoke with Sheaufen and Sharlyn to uncover how they constructed the model from the bottom up and scaled it right into a rising presence within the jewelry market.
How it began
The thought for Mondays Made first took root in 2020, when Sheaufen started serving to her sister run a modest Fb Dwell enterprise in the course of the COVID-19 lockdowns.
The enterprise bought pure gemstone jewelry, and what began as an off-the-cuff facet venture shortly gained traction. Inside a couple of months, gross sales jumped from simply S$3,000 to S$20,000 per livestream—largely pushed by a loyal following who tuned in usually. Lots of their items would promote out inside minutes.
As they continued to construct a stronger rapport with their viewers, Sheaufen and her sister started designing their very own items, marking a turning level for the enterprise.
That’s when issues actually “picked up,” and inside a 12 months, the duo claimed to have scaled the home-based enterprise right into a S$5 million operation.
However Sheaufen wasn’t glad.
Over time, she realised there was potential to construct one thing extra lasting—one thing brand-driven, not simply sales-led. “Switching to a brand-led mannequin [would give me] extra inventive freedom. [I] might take the time to craft designs [I] cherished and that meant one thing, as a substitute of all the time occupied with what would promote quick throughout a reside,” she shared.
With greater ambitions in thoughts, Sheaufen envisioned making a model with world attain, and to carry this imaginative and prescient to life, she teamed up with Sharlyn to launch Mondays Made.
One 12 months of R&D & a S$300K funding
From the beginning, Sheaufen and Sharlyn had a transparent imaginative and prescient: the duo didn’t need to simply construct a neighborhood model; as a substitute, they needed to construct one thing that would at some point go world.
“That meant we have been extremely intentional about each element, from the standard of our gems and supplies to our merchandise, packaging, and the web site expertise.”
All of Mondays Made’s designs are created in-house by the duo, with a robust emphasis on wearability, craftsmanship, and storytelling by design. In addition they developed proprietary bracelet designs with absolutely adjustable mechanisms, permitting clients to get the right match with out compromising on type.
However delivering that degree of high quality and considerate design got here at a worth. Simply to get the model off the bottom, Sheaufen and Sharlyn claimed to have invested round S$300,000 of their very own financial savings.
A giant a part of that funding went into sampling—they labored with quite a few suppliers to check totally different supplies, finishes, and packaging choices, usually going by a number of rounds of revisions to get each element good.
“It wasn’t the quickest or least expensive route,” stated Sheaufen, “however we knew we needed to get the inspiration proper if we needed to construct one thing significant and long-lasting.”
A few of this groundwork was executed whereas the duo have been nonetheless working at KPMG. Ultimately, although, each left their company careers and devoted 9 months to engaged on the model full-time.
In whole, it took simply over a 12 months from the preliminary concept to the official launch of Mondays Made in February 2024.
“The primary few months have been quiet”
When Mondays Made first began out, the duo famous that though there have been already various manufacturers excelling at minimal and dainty jewelry kinds, not many centered on pure gems and unique designs—an edge that set them aside.
That area of interest gave them a aggressive benefit, however constructing model consciousness was a distinct story.
“As a totally new model, it was robust getting individuals to note us,” Sheaufen recalled. “The primary few months have been quiet, and that was actually fairly arduous.”
Furthermore, most of their finances had been invested in product improvement and model constructing forward of launch, leaving little room for outsourced advertising. With restricted sources, they made the choice to be taught digital advertising from scratch.
“We needed to [learn how to] run adverts ourselves. We spent lots of of hours watching tutorials, testing campaigns, and tweaking creatives.”
It took time, however finally, issues started to click on. The model’s adverts began reaching the fitting viewers, and gross sales started to choose up.
And it wasn’t lengthy earlier than it caught the eye of Frasers Property, who approached Mondays Made with a chance to do a pop-up at The Centrepoint. After a number of discussions, the model was supplied a kiosk unit in a primary location throughout the mall.
“They have been wanting to usher in contemporary, youthful manufacturers to revitalise the house, and we have been excited by the chance,” stated Sheaufen.
On the identical time, the staff had been receiving day by day messages from clients asking if there was a bodily retailer—so when the provide got here, the choice felt like a pure subsequent step. They dedicated to the house, and in lower than six months for the reason that model’s inception, Mondays Made launched its first bodily outlet.
Constructing a world model
Total, Sheaufen and Sharlyn’s expertise working the primary retailer has been overwhelmingly constructive—a lot in order that it paved the best way for the opening of a second outlet at VivoCity just lately on July 26.
However the duo isn’t stopping there. Over the previous 12 months, Sheaufen and Sharlyn have quickly scaled the enterprise and begun laying the groundwork for worldwide enlargement.
“One among our key milestones was a collaboration with US-based influencer Miki Rai in Could 2025,” Sheaufen shared. “The response far exceeded our expectations—the gathering bought out inside 10 minutes of launch, and we needed to open a big pre-order nearly instantly to maintain up with demand.”
As we speak, worldwide gross sales account for practically 50% of Mondays Made’s month-to-month income, consistent with Sheaufen and Sharlyn’s objectives of building the model as a world title in jewelry.
Whereas Singapore has seen some style and accent manufacturers make it internationally, we haven’t but seen a neighborhood jewelry model break by on that scale—and we hope to be the primary.
- Discover out extra about Mondays Made right here.
- Learn different articles we’ve written on Singaporean startups right here.
Featured Picture Credit score: Mondays Made
Elevate your perspective with NextTech Information, the place innovation meets perception.
Uncover the most recent breakthroughs, get unique updates, and join with a world community of future-focused thinkers.
Unlock tomorrow’s developments immediately: learn extra, subscribe to our publication, and grow to be a part of the NextTech neighborhood at NextTech-news.com
