Setting up your own business in S’pore can be easy if you get the right help

At some point in your life, many of you have probably entertained thoughts of quitting your job, and becoming your own boss.

It’s easy to see the appeal. After all, you get to control your own working hours, because you’re the boss.

There are also fewer pay disputes, given that you’re your own paymaster.

And if you ever have issues with feeling unappreciated at work, running your own business will ensure that your boss is always aware of all the hard work you’ve put in.

Sounds good, right?

Setting up a business isn’t that easy

Let’s say you are finally done with being someone’s employee, and you’re planning to fulfil your childhood dream of setting up a cafe in your neighbourhood.

You prepare your Latte art, which you have spent years perfecting at home, and find an appropriate space with plenty of foot-traffic to rent.

You then give the place the decor you’ve always dreamed of, and can’t wait to get started..

This is it, right? This is when you live out your dreams as an entrepreneur, and focus on growing your boutique coffee empire.

Well, not exactly.

For one, are you aware that to operate a Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) in Singapore, you have to register with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA)?

You also have to pay taxes on your business revenue, which are separate from your personal income taxes, and require separate filings.

And if you hire employees, it gets even more complex, since you now have to handle various accounting and payroll matters as well.

What does all this mean? This means that before your entrepreneurial dreams can take off, you will need to be able to deal with the sheer amount of administrative work that comes with starting your own business.

Admin work can be rough, but you can always get help

Even if administrative work is your personal nightmare, it doesn’t mean you have to drop your dreams of being an entrepreneur.

It simply means that perhaps you can benefit from seeking professional help.

Enter Sleek: a one-stop solution for companies who require accounting, payroll, human resource (HR) and corporate secretarial services.

By using Sleek, you can focus on transforming your ideas into reality, and leave the relatively more mundane work to the professionals.

Caterspot, a B2B food delivery platform, did exactly that, when they enlisted the services of Sleek to meet their corporate secretarial needs.

The company’s CEO and co-founder Camillo Paredes lauded Sleek as an extremely tech-friendly company, with easy-to-use features that make documentation a breeze.

“I think what made Sleek stand out is the fact that [they] have this tech component. Having the ability to have a centralised dashboard, where you can keep track of all of your documentation; that makes it super easy to use,” said Paredes.

Completely paperless

Sleek’s edge in the market is being completely digital, as the company aims to become every entrepreneur’s operating system.

This means that Sleek’s clients no longer need to trawl through emails or physical files for company documents, as Sleek can provide them with an intuitive dashboard which stores all the company documents after they are signed (electronically, of course).

Keep in mind that the corporate services industry in Singapore has traditionally been paper-based, and Sleek’s affinity with technology becomes even more impressive.

In fact, Sleek has bucked the trend by being the first Asia Pacific (APAC) provider to become carbon neutral, which they did by digitalising most processes, and by growing enough trees to offset the remaining carbon emissions.

Sleek is always ready to respond to your needs

Sleek is also a great option for budding start-ups, because of their extensive experience in working with new business owners.

The company intimately understands the needs of their clients, and are always ready to clarify their doubts.

Just ask Navneet Kaur, the founder of Yours, a personalised skincare brand.

She first heard of Sleek via word of mouth when she started her entrepreneurial journey, and thought Sleek was a right fit as the company had a keen focus on start-ups.

“For me, I was looking for a partner who can actually be supportive, and understand the start-up mentality, or the mindset that new founders could have,” she explained.

She also credited Sleek’s communication team for always being receptive to her questions, even responding to “the dumbest questions” she posed.

Kaur said that in dealing with Sleek, she has never had to follow up on any outstanding issues, given that any enquiries she posed tended to be answered within two hours.

“So for me, that responsiveness, and that feeling that I know if I need something, you know somebody is there. So Sleek has been there for me, so it was about that responsiveness that I’ve got that has impressed me the most,” she said.

Sleek is leading a digital revolution

In addition, Sleek is also one of the very few selected vendors in Singapore to get the Productivity Solutions Grant (PSG) and the Digital Resilience Bonus (DRB), which is a testament to how it has successfully incorporated new technological solutions into its business.

With the PSG, local Singaporean entrepreneurs can claim 80 per cent of their yearly fees with Sleek, which makes the service even more affordable.

If you’re unsure whether you’re eligible for the grant, or if you’ve any questions, Sleek is just one quick message away.

Remember, if you’re running your own business, time saved is money well spent, given that endless amounts of paperwork can dull even the brightest ideas.

Perhaps it’s time to give Sleek a try, in order to save your own sanity in the long run.

Top image via Sleek/YouTube.

This sponsored article by Sleek made the writer wish he could use Sleek to settle his work claims.