'I came home and cried': Millennial jeweller-turned-fishmonger reveals tough transition when taking over business from single mum

Starting a new job means having to cope with a transition period of some sort.

While many in the working world can attest to this struggle, Kendrick Lee's experience is rather unique – having gone from donning a suit and tie as a Pandora salesperson to selling fish at a wet market stall in Jurong.

Apart from both being customer-facing roles, there aren't too many similarities between the two jobs.

It has been eight years since Kendrick made the career switch.

While he has gotten the hang of being a fishmonger, the first few months weren't easy.

"I came home and cried a lot," he admits.

The 32-year-old tells AsiaOne that he was previously thriving as a Pandora salesperson, and it was hard at first to fight off the sense of regret at his decision to opt for a different career path.

Everything seemed to be going swimmingly for Kendrick at the time.

He was in his early 20s, earning commission-based pay and had earned himself a transfer from his initial Millenia Walk outlet to the lucrative Ion Orchard outlet.

He spent three years working at the Ion Orchard outlet and even gained a promotion. 

What more could he ask for?

But in 2016, he'd have a major life decision to make.

Kendrick's single mum runs a fish stall, Tang Seafood, a family business that has been around for about three decades.

"Have you ever considered taking over the family business?" his mum asked.

Due to age, she no longer wished to carry on as a fishmonger. She was in her 60s back then.

Kendrick explains: "She used to work with my dad, but he passed away when I was 17."

Family first

After mulling over his mum's offer for a couple of days, he came to a decision.

"In the end, I still went for the fishmonger [option] because it's still my family and my mum's business."

Being a fishmonger is tough work – waking up early in the morning and working irregular hours throughout the week is the norm.

And Kendrick could see that this was taking a toll on his mum, who was getting "very tired".

She brought him up by selling fish and he was keen on repaying the love by taking on the mantle.

So he tendered his resignation with Pandora and swapped his suit and tie for gloves and an apron instead.

Growing up, he'd help his parents out at their fish stall on the weekends.

But running the stall on his own was going to be a completely different kettle of fish, and Kendrick was about to have to deal with challenges aplenty.

Learning the ropes

Kendrick chuckled as he recalls those first few months of being a fishmonger.

It seemed like his mum handed him the keys and allowed him to make decisions from the get-go.

One vivid memory he shared with us was of a visit to the fishery port.

"My mum literally just threw everything [at] me and asked me to go and buy myself. Of course, she provided [some] guidance but it was challenging."

He tells us that his mum would keep quiet when he made mistakes as she wanted him to realise these errors on his own.

Only then would she step in to provide assistance.

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But, at times, even customers would notice the mistakes. 

He's had experiences of customers complaining about the supposed lack of freshness in the fish sold at the stall.

Such feedback would sting, but Kendrick would remind himself that mistakes are part of the steep learning curve.

Another major obstacle early on was the struggle to gain profits.

Kendrick even considered throwing in the towel in those early days.

The mother and son would have honest conversations with each other, and he'd mention to her that she made being a fishmonger look easy.

Kendrick often received words of encouragement, with his mum saying there was no need for him to rush the learning process.

"I don't want to try already," he would say. But even then, he'd still wake up at 1am and head over to the fishery port before going to the wet market to sell his fish.

Over time, those thoughts of giving up on the fish stall would disappear.

Deep down, Kendrick knew that he'd do all it takes to ensure the family business lives on.

Ignoring doubters 

After getting the hang of the requirements of the job, earning the trust of customers was another battle entirely.

His age seems to put him at a disadvantage. After all, millennials in wet markets aren't exactly a common sight.

Kendrick had to deal with unpleasant comments from strangers, and they'd question his knowledge of fish or whether his produce is of any quality.

"They won't buy [my fish]. They'd just make negative comments," Kendrick says.

How does he deal with their negative remarks?

"In the market, I don't have time to listen and entertain [them] because I have customers to serve."

Kendrick is aware of the freshness and quality of the fish he offers so he makes a conscious effort not to engage with people criticising him.

When asked if he's settled in this profession, the reply was swift.

"I see myself doing this in the long term, and I wish to go [even] further like providing fish to restaurants. But one step at a time, there's no rush."

ALSO READ: 'I didn't know what to do with raw fish': Widow takes over late husband's fish soup stall to raise 3 daughters

amierul@asiaone.com

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