The iPhone era had a problem.

Bigger screens. More mobile games. Batteries dying everywhere. Affordable powerbanks were almost impossible to find in Singapore.

We acquired Funky Chargers — the supplier, the Facebook account, the inventory — and built from there. We didn't just sell powerbanks. We designed cute ones.

Demand grew. So did we.

As demand increased we sourced for bigger capacity powerbanks. These became our bestsellers. The community around Funky was growing — not just the products, but the people.

Our first real office. And the friends it brought.

We moved from home-based to our first office at 23 Harper Road. Something unexpected happened — people who came for self-collection somehow became friends.

Regulars would pop by during lunch just to chit-chat with "Uncle" — my father, who helped tend the office while we were still working full-time. He became the unofficial face of Funky.

"Uncle was just unpacking boxes with a penknife one afternoon when a customer thought he was being threatened. We still laugh about that one."

Some customers become part of the story.

There was a little girl we called Mei Mei. Her mother would bring her over every time we launched a new powerbank design. She collected every single one. No questions asked. Just pure joy.

"We built products. But somewhere along the way, we built something else too."

Then Xiaomi arrived.

Our signature powerbank — the heart of Funky — was suddenly competing against a giant we couldn't outprice. We were too small to fight on cost. Demand shifted almost overnight.

This was the moment we had to decide: pivot or fold.

Around this time, one of our co-founders left a full-time career in finance — while completing a part-time ACCA — to focus on the business entirely. No safety net. Just commitment.

We went wider. It worked.

We brought in products missing from Singapore at honest prices — the Rapoo slim wireless mouse and the Rolton portable FM radio. Both exploded on Qoo10 overnight.

Then Lazada — newly launched in Singapore — reached out and asked us to open a store. We said yes.

"Sometimes being forced to change is the best thing that happens to you."

More products meant more space. Always more space.

We outgrew our warehouse near Paya Lebar MRT in under a year — our landlord forced us out. In 2016 we moved to Arumugam Road. We stayed for 7 years.

We grew bigger, stronger, and during COVID — when physical retail shut down — online was the only game in town. We were ready.

Our best year. Our hardest year. Same year.

COVID brought record online sales. It also brought a newborn. My only worker couldn't leave home due to curfew. Orders kept coming. I was packing alone, on minimal sleep, running everything.

"I remember sitting down for a short break and just breaking down in tears. Not from weakness — from the weight of it all. We shipped every order. We didn't miss a single one."

Growth came. Then the market changed.

We hired more staff. Rented more units. Grew fast. Then overseas sellers flooded local platforms. Brands moved online. The landscape shifted under our feet.

In 2023, our packer resigned. I froze headcount. Nobody wanted to step in — and then the team quit together. I was back to doing everything: marketing, customer service, packing, sourcing, platform management. Alone.