Should you ever start a business with your mum? These mother-daughter pairs tell us how they make it work

My mum and I can barely agree on where to have lunch, so it’s with the greatest respect and admiration that in celebration of Mother’s Day this year, CNA Women presents three intrepid mother-and-daughter duos who have decided to work together.

Where does mothering stop and work bossing begin? Who gets to make the ultimate decision? Does office politics spill over into family dinners? We can imagine the blurring of lines when one works with relatives, and a mother-daughter dynamic can be a particularly complex one.

But these mother-daughter pairs have survived and thrived, across the wellness, fashion and F&B industries. They tell us how they make it work. 

HER WELLNESS CLUB: WORKING TOGETHER – IT’S NOT A STRETCH

Mum-daughter duo: Pek Li Jun, 37, and Cheo Hock Kuan, 70

Pek Li Jun’s mum used to pamper her with enticing mother-daughter bonding time, such as shopping trips, nice lunches and teas, and holidays. But since they started working together in 2020, these indulgences have fallen by the wayside.

“Me going on holiday means that I’m not at work, which is not ideal for my mum. So she books holidays without me now,” joked Pek.

Previously a creative director in advertising, the mother of a 22-month-old boy is the executive director of Pilates Connect and co-founder of HER Wellness Club, a health and wellness club she opened with her mum in February.

Her mother, Cheo Hock Kuan, has a more sanguine view of things: “The best thing about working with Li Jun is that I get to see her much more than at weekly visits or occasional trips overseas.”

The former CEO of Temasek Trust before she retired in 2022, Cheo’s encounter with the transformative benefits of pilates in her mid-fifties led her to acquire boutique pilates studio SmartFit Pilates in 2019. Her daughter started managing the studio in 2020, and the duo acquired The Moving Body group in 2021, before starting HER Wellness Club together earlier this year.

“Pilates also saw me through my own pregnancy from 2021 to 2022, which sparked a greater interest in pilates for women’s health,” Pek told CNA Women. 

At the same time, the mother and daughter, who are both certified pilates instructors, felt that movement alone was not enough, and HER Wellness Club was born, with an aim to foster a community for holistic wellness that extends beyond physical wellness into nutrition, and mental and emotional wellbeing.

On being in business with her mum, Pek said: “It is very meaningful, though not always easy. We end up hijacking family conversations when we’re not careful.

“My mum is one of my best friends, and my role model growing up. It is fulfilling to work with my mum as I feel that our values and priorities are aligned, and because I get to, and have to, see her regularly for meetings.

How does the pair make it work? Lots of respect, recognising each other’s strengths, and copious amounts of love.

Said Cheo: “Being in this business together brings the opportunity to go deep on matters of common interest and exploring solutions to address challenges.

“For sure, there are disagreements which at times have led to unhappiness. But it’s part and parcel of engagement. Our love for each other means that we know the disagreements are not personal, but a difference in opinion and experience.”

YEOMAMA BATIK: MOTHER AND DAUGHTER MEET PRINTS CHARMING

Mum-daughter duo: Desleen Yeo, 33, and Wenny Tan, 62  

The origin story of well-loved Singapore fashion label YeoMama Batik, is as random, felicitous and adorable as its mother and daughter founders.

It all began when Desleen Yeo, who calls herself the YeoDaughter aka the CEO, or Chief Everything Officer, of the business, left her full-time job at an events agency in 2018 and was recovering from ankle surgery at home.

Her homemaker mum, Indonesian-born Wenny Tan – YeoMama – who was in Yogyakarta, and had made a casual morning call to check in on her daughter. “She asked me: ‘How’s your ankle? Are you recovering well? There’s a lot of batik here – shall we sell it in Singapore?’” said Yeo. “And I gave a casual ‘Okay, lor’.”

And so began their mother-daughter adventure. “We had no design background, nor did we understand the batik or clothing business, or the fashion industry in Singapore,” Yeo told CNA Women. “At that time, I looked upon this random idea as something for me to do and kill time while being immobile at home.”

It’s since been six years of creating fresh and modern yet down-to-earth pieces featuring batik, a traditional fabric that had been stereotyped to look a certain way.

YeoMama Batik has garnered a colourful community of customers-turned-friends and fans, who dress their entire family in twinning batik togs come special occasions such as Chinese New Year. The brand also recently held its first overseas trade show at Fashion World Tokyo.

“It warms our hearts to connect with our customers in real life and to see families and couples coming to our shop to get matching pieces, regardless of their age and body shape,” said Yeo.  

Yeo manages the creative and business side of things, from product design, collection planning, supply and finance, while overseeing marketing, retail and operations.

Tan is the brand’s beloved model, who helps with design, quality control and communication with tailors and suppliers. Yeo’s dad, brothers and husband make up the cheerleading and support team on the sidelines. 

Yeo said: “This journey has brought us closer, and we’ve been able to put ourselves in each other’s shoes and communicate a lot more. There are times when we don’t see eye to eye, but at the end of the day, we learn to step back, listen and compromise.”

The generation gap, instead of being a weakness, becomes the secret weapon in a business like this, with both parties showing off different skills and perspectives.

“I bring to the table my guts and creativity, and the desire to try 1,001 things out,” said Yeo. “YeoMama brings her communication and public relations skills. Watching how my mum communicates with the crafters and suppliers makes me feel that there is always a way to balance business with the human side of things, and to always be kind and humble.”

“I’ve also learned from my mum that work is not everything,” added Yeo. “Many times, she had to ask me to pause and take a break. YeoMama is a very bubbly and confident auntie and when I grow old, I want to age like her.”

TEASPOON OF LOVE: TWO’S COMPANY, TEA’S A CROWD

Mum-daughter duo: Lydia Lim, 34, and Paulyn Yeo, 61

The mother and daughter say their bond is unbreakable, like superglue. Or perhaps it’s something more akin to sticky yeast dough, as Lydia Lim and her mum Paulyn Yeo must have spent many hours kneading, mixing and decorating together, since the start of their home baking business in 2014.

“The early days were tough,” said Lim. “My mum and I would both be baking and there were fights and all. I was doing everything from baking and taking photos to managing customer enquiries and orders.

“Eventually I went back to my marketing career and juggled that with running Teaspoon of Love. We split up our roles so we could be more focused, with mum managing operations and orders, while I did the branding, marketing and research. We develop and test recipes together.” 

The duo’s business has evolved from customised cake orders or birthday cakes to their current focus on simple bakes and tea. “What we enjoyed more were the daily bakes, loaf cakes and cookies, which were things you’d want to have with a cup of coffee or tea,” said Lim.

They decided to build a lifestyle brand around specialty tea and bakes, with a smaller and more curated menu of cakes, cookies and loaves, as well as a focus on tea products.

The result is a collection of pure teas such as loose-leaf Silver Needle tea and Phoenix Dancong Oolong Peach Nectar tea, as well as lifestyle products like candles and aromatherapy oil, all tea-inspired, of course.

“My mum and I were always intrigued by tea,” said Lim. “We loved all the different teas, and wanted to create beautiful bakes and tea-infused treats to enjoy with it.

“Tea is just like wine. It’s very much about terroir – the place, environment, climate, weather will create different teas.”

And it seems there is demand for the art of tea – Teaspoon of Love’s products are often sold out, and the brand has had numerous successful Chinese New Year campaigns, and has worked with brands such as Love, Bonito, Sulwhasoo, and Tiffany & Co.

As with all great partnerships, there is synergy. Yeo, a former nutrition consultant, said: “My daughter is super creative; it’s like second nature. I’m a workhorse who can execute things well.”

Added Lim: “My mum’s great customer service skills help us handle difficult situations – she loves talking to people.

“I think we’re stronger because we work together. I trust my mum’s motherly wisdom, and call her my ‘old ginger’. We respect each other’s decisions in our areas of expertise, and we work hard and have lots of fun together.”