Believe in the power of community. On some days when you feel big goals are impossible, or when you feel like giving up, you need to lean on your like-minded community. You can even “borrow” motivation, and in turn “return” with your own inspiring stories to pay it forward.
In this special column called the “TLC x Fempreneurs Series”, we will be featuring inspiring Female Entrepreneurs (Fempreneurs) in short. You will be able to have a sneak peek at their mindsets and their daily habits.
Meet Cher Yip
Cher Yip, the co-founder of CAS Garage, has been featured on several platforms such as Hercar.sg, The Komoco Chronicle, BBC TopGear Singapore. Read on to find out her motivation in the male-dominated automotive industry.
Tell us a little about yourself.
Hey, my name is Cher Shin and by short people call me Cher. Last name, Yip. =)
I am in the Automotive Industry at 1 Kaki Bukit Avenue 6, Autobay name CAS Garage, dealing with accident claims, servicing and repair. Not too long ago, we got another unit to do panel beating and also spray painting.
What got you started on your business?
My husband. He had been in this industry for many years. After we got married, we spent a year traveling and when we settled down back in Singapore, we decided that we should revive his old business, Aldrin Automotive. That was when we changed its branding and name to CAS GARAGE – that was how it all began!
I have never expected myself to be in this industry. I can imagine myself doing car sports and all but not have a workshop and to be in this male-dominated place. Well, everything happened for a reason, no?
What were some difficulties you faced in your life and how did you overcome them?
I totally have no idea with the Automotive World and I chose to set this up with my husband. I know I had to learn from scratch. Starting up a Company is neither easy nor hard if you put your heart to learn, to read and handle. It is a massive learning curve and at the same time still implementing my forte in Marketing to this industry with the changing Marketing tradition. That is already a handful but there is no reason why I should back out. So, yes move forward, be firm, be strong and make it work!
When I stepped in, I was quite shocked with the “aging industry”, many of the workshops here are owned by the older generation and they know completely nothing about the digital world but it is already evolving. In the end, I was settling majority of online documentations or submissions for some of the bosses and updating them on some upgrading of systems, etc.
But you know, having to work here it is like being in a little “kampung” of uncles. We treat each other with respect and it feels very family in our lane. They are more willing to share their experiences and give the best of advice. Most of them call out to me as “Xiao Mei” (though my age does not fit this at all, haha!) and many are willing to give a helping hand or buy food for one another! The benefit of being a woman in a male dominated place. *Chuckles
What is your vision / personal motto?
Never stop learning. There is always room for improvement and there is no age to it!
Who inspires you?
My parents. Life is not a bed of roses for them. It is what they have been through that made them who they are. They set a very good example of how I should view life and work hard for what I want in my life.
Do you have any word of advice for other ladies who are starting their business / starting to pursue their dream?
There is always a trial period for any business that you want to start. A lot of tweaking of ideas and there will be one that will work. If you get the momentum right, direction right, it may not be the most comfortable in the beginning but you will eventually reach your goal. All it takes is time. Don’t give up.
How do you think you can help ladies to feel confident and empowered?
You can do it! Never think of yourself as something small and vulnerable. I believe that in life, everything is planned for but you just need to activate that “switch” and your road will be challenging and fun. Along the road, you learn and change. You will definitely gain something along the way!
What excites you most about your industry?
Overall, I think meeting new people excites me as a whole. In this industry, I met many lady drivers and who are totally crazy about their ride. I love and enjoy talking to them and their knowledge can be better or on par with the men I met. I guess naturally everyone thinks of men when it comes to fierce rides and thrill-seeking drives but after being in this industry, I realized there is a handful of women who has that equal interest and can be better too!
This naturally gave me the gush to try different things with my ride like Malacca drifting, go on Sepang Track and long distance drives! *love*
What have you learnt recently that you hope the other ladies can take back?
There is no limitations to what we can do! The switch as mentioned is up to us whether we want or do not want to do it. Sometimes, getting out of your comfort zone allows another whole new world to come into your life. Learn to accept and enjoy the new zone.
This epidemic might have caused a lot of industries to go sluggish but at the same time it is also forcing many of us to think out of the box and/ or do some self-reflection. It is a time to really cheer each other on to keep up the fighting spirit.
What do you do in your free time as self care? How do you unwind?
Oh, I love yoga! My love for yoga started due to peer pressure actually. I have never thought of yoga as an exercise that can build one’s strength until I attended a friend’s lesson a couple of years back. After knowing that few poses, I never really stopped practicing just to sweat it out. Heavy sweating sessions thrills me. Haha! That’s how I unwind. It’s a definite overall workout that just takes a couple of minutes from your daily activities.
What is one thing you are grateful for?
I am a very family person and I am always grateful to them. Their continuous support and love is a form of mental strength to me.
Let us know more about what you do!
CAS Garage Pte Ltd specializes in getting your vehicle fixed. Be it repair and servicing, spray painting or panel beating. We have the right guy in the right department to get your problems solved.
Our main field is to assist you with arranging Third Party Reporting, Own Damages etc and submission of reports to relevant insurance companies, in any case of unforeseen accidents. We give a hassle-free solution to any vehicle mishap on the roads.
Connect with CAS Garage!
Website: https://www.casgaragesg.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cas_garage_sg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CASGarageSG
Are you a Fempreneur too?
Connect with us – we’d love to feature you! Say hi to us at [email protected] or reach out to us via our social media.
Read TLC x Fempreneur Series:
- Anna Lim, Limmy’s
- Connie Go, Gosford Leather
- Angelina Tan, BeauLab
- Marine Lim, Absolute PR
- Rina Lee, Rina Lee Jewellery
- Ezza Yusof, 2morrow Official (Malaysia)
- Julie Yim, Lilin+Co (Malaysia)
- Nadia, HelloBello (Malaysia)
The rest of the Fempreneur interviews can be found here.