Give a thoughtful Christmas gift: From documentary-style family portraits to professional home organisation

Christmas may be the season of gifting but it’s also a season of excess. Sometimes, the gifts we shell out for inadvertently become clutter for someone else. This Christmas, we’re opting to give our loved ones a meaningful experience instead.

Fuelled by their passion, these five female solopreneurs offer unique services that reflect their values and beliefs. Another bonus: When you gift these services to a loved one, you’ll be supporting a small business run by a woman as well.

DOCUMENTARY-STYLE FAMILY PORTRAITS

Tired of photographs of Instagram-perfect people in Instagram-perfect houses, and highly edited studio shots? You won’t get that with Red Bus Photography, which specialises in unposed and largely undirected documentary-style family photos.

“I do not need well-groomed houses or pretty clothes, well-behaved children or perfectly trained smiles. Where other photographers see mess, I see the richness of real life and the opportunity to organise this into images,” said founder Kerry Cheah.

What you get: Raw and real portraits that capture a genuine moment in the family’s life.

In fact, Cheah often starts shooting the second you open the front door. After introducing herself, she unobtrusively shoots in the background while the family goes back to their daily routine or enjoys a few planned activities together.

Price: Regular sessions cost S$1,095. For gifting, she offers customised mini sessions based on the giver’s budget, starting from S$495 for a photo session and a selection of edited images.

Meet the female solopreneur: A former civil servant, strategy consultant and casual shutterbug, Cheah, 45, was inspired by motherhood to experiment with documentary-style photography. After many shoots with her family and friends, she began offering documentary-style photography to other families.

“Every family shoot gives me a little rush,” she said.

One of her most memorable shoots was an ‘end of life’ shoot: “A client hired me for an ‘end of life’ shoot for her friend who had terminal cancer. The shoot was joyful and poignant.”  

PROFESSIONAL HOME ORGANISATION TO OPTIMISE YOUR SPACE

Modern life can be hectic, chaotic and overwhelming. Neat With Naki’s Home Organisation service helps tame some of that chaos.

This is not a cleaning service. Rather, it customises each person’s space for their lifestyle and preferences.

“If you’re someone who loves denim clothing, I’ll create a denim bar in your closet. If you bake puff pastries as a hobby, I’ll create a section in your kitchen dedicated to that. If you travel a lot, I’ll create a grab-and-go station of all your travel essentials,” said founder Nakita Saldhana.

“This creates a new way of life optimised to help you flourish in the space,” said Saldhana. “Just remember, if you are gifting this to a friend, let your friend know that this is a judgement-free and confidential experience.”  

Price: S$85 per hour. Final cost depends on size and scope of work. A kitchen may take eight to 10 hours.

Meet the female solopreneur: Suffering from burnout after the COVID-19 pandemic, Saldhana, 35, left her job as a program manager in the tech industry. Finding great fulfilment in organising spaces, she started a home organisation business this year, and has organised 20 homes over the past three months.

“A disorganised space is where I thrive. It fuels my brain and is often a full-body workout. The end result is immensely gratifying,” she said.

A HAIR MAKEOVER AT HOME

For the social butterfly with many festive parties or big nights out to sparkle for, book a housecall hairstylist for her. Whatever the style and outfit for the night, Jacklyn Tan Hair Studio can elevate the look with an elegant updo or Blackpink-inspired braids, all in the comfort of your friend’s home. Founder Jacklyn Tan also offers makeup services to complete the look.

Price: Hairstyling costs between S$150 and S$200, and makeup costs between S$100 and S$150. Additional transportation fee varies from S$15 to S$25.

Meet the female solopreneur: The former principal at a hair design training centre, Tan, 62, had some 30 years of hairstyling experience under her belt before she started offering housecall hair and makeup services during the pandemic.

Her services are not just for the glam crowd. “One of the most rewarding parts of the job is helping homebound clients such as the sickly, aged, immobile and bedridden people enjoy such hair services in the comfort of their home,” she said.

CREATE A CAPSULE WARDROBE WITH A FORMER FASHION EDITOR

For the friend who has everything but can never find anything suitable to wear, Sortorial’s Declutter service helps by editing out 25 to 40 per cent of unworn or unflattering items. It focuses on colour palettes that compliment clients’ skin tone, and styles that suit their personality and lifestyle.

“You need to declutter and sort out what you have before you are able to define your style. A capsule wardrobe should have no more than 50 items, including shoes and accessories,” said Debby Kwong, the founder of Sortorial, a business offering style solutions.

“It guarantees that what you own is versatile and flattering so that you don’t waste precious time putting on bad outfits in the morning.”

Price: S$350 for a two-hour session.

Meet the female solopreneur: A former magazine fashion editor and stylist, Kwong, 35, used to dress A-listers and models for a living. In 2018, she pivoted from this high-fashion role to start a one-woman business for everyday folks.

“I love fashion for its transformative powers. But fashion is also one of the most pollutive industries. I want to help the average woman and man make better fashion choices without contributing to landfills,” she said.

LEARN RECIPES PASSED DOWN BY WORD OF MOUTH

This is not just a cooking class, it’s a home invitation. Cookery Magic’s small and intimate cooking classes are hosted in a quaint landed property in the East full of antiques, pottery and art pieces.

Here, food docent Ruqxana Vasanwala will share her lifelong love and memories of cooking with guests, recipes she has collected and adapted throughout her life. Take your pick from her Indian, Malay, Nyonya, Chinese and Singaporean cooking classes.

If you can’t decide, Vasanwala recommends her Malay cooking class with her signature beef rendang and sayur lodeh (spiced coconut milk stew with vegetables and tofu). “I learnt this sayur lodeh recipe from my friend’s late mother-in-law – one of the greatest cooks ever,” she said.

Price: From S$110 to S$130 a person, for a three-hour session.

Meet the female solopreneur: At five, Vasanwala was peeling off recipes from Nestle Ideal milk tins. At seven, she started cooking – and spent her whole life collecting recipes from her family, friends and total strangers.

Vasanwala was a technopreneur until the dot.com bubble burst. At the same time, she was jolted by a health scare to radically change course. She veered towards her two greatest passions for a living – cooking and entertaining at home.

“I come from a very small Indian sect called the Dawoodi Bohra. In our community, we entertain a lot. We don’t throw parties and dance. We go to someone’s house and sit down to a nice meal, and then invite them to our house for a nice meal.

“We never say ‘let’s go to a restaurant’. Most of the people in the community are really good cooks so you really have to up your game,” laughed the 62-year-old.