S’porean man, 55, who went to jail multiple times, now founder of a successful moving company

Sitting alone in a jail cell, often left to their own thoughts, one of the few highlights of an inmate’s day is when the call comes for a family visit.

But when Don Keuk was last in prison, his family often did not show up when he expected them to.

As time passed, he realised their visits were becoming less frequent, almost as if they were losing hope in him.

"I can feel that my family was not trying to tell me straight in the face, but their actions, I can feel that they are almost giving up hope on me," Keuk told me, recalling one of the darkest periods of his life.

It was not his first time behind bars — but he was determined it would be his last.

Younger days

From a young age, Keuk admitted he had mixed with the "wrong crowd" and engaged in activities that went against the law.

While he was guarded about specifics, he said there were many "business opportunities" at the time, and he made "a lot of mistakes".

By his early thirties, Keuk had built a family with his wife, a daughter and a son. Still, the life of crime followed him.

That was how he lived, and that was how he earned his money.

Looking back now, the 55-year-old reflected that if you break the law in Singapore, you can "never escape".

Eventually, he landed in prison again — breaking his family apart.

Yet in hindsight, that time behind bars became a "blessing in disguise", he said.

Turning point

When did things begin to change?

Keuk pointed to two defining moments in his life, both tied closely to his family.

The first came during his time in prison, when his family began visiting him less frequently, even though they never openly expressed disappointment.

"From their actions, I can feel that they are almost giving up hope on me by the visits getting lesser and lesser," he said.

"That made me feel that I have to stop all my nonsense as time goes on."

The second came months after his release, when a close friend shared that he had recently seen Keuk’s parents.

"He told me: 'They are getting old. Your kids are growing up. You are getting old as well.' Then this sentence triggered something in my mind," Keuk recalled.

Turning over a new leaf

After his release, Keuk spent months thinking about what he could do next.

In his former line of work, money was "pretty easy come, easy go".

This time, he wanted to earn it the "hard way".

He applied for what he believed was one of the toughest manual jobs available — lashing work at the Port of Singapore Authority.

The job involved heavy equipment and physically demanding labour, securing shipping containers on vessels.

For nearly three years, Keuk poured his energy into the work, clocking long hours and embracing the grind.

"That is almost also another turning point. It told me that if you want to live a simple life, treasure every dollar you make and use every dollar to improve your life," he said.

Starting Reddot Movers

A few years later, Keuk decided to start a business.

That was how Reddot Movers was founded in 2003.

Why a moving business, though?

Keuk said simply that the opportunity presented itself, and he took it.

With limited resources and the help of a friend already in the industry, the two partnered up to get the business off the ground.

It was far from smooth sailing.

Keuk went through trial and error, and eventually parted ways with his business partner.

Along the way, he said he learned many lessons — chief among them, the value of sincerity and service.

By focusing on a service-oriented approach, he found his business grew steadily, largely by word of mouth.

Relationship with son

As Keuk rebuilt his life, one person was quietly watching his transformation — his son.

Growing up, Shawn Keuk described himself as a very "angry boy".

He did not fully understand what his father had done, but he knew his father was absent and his parents’ marriage had fallen apart.

"I only have my sister and my mom growing up, so it was very tough. People talked about things that I don't understand. It just affected me a lot, mentally," he said.

As the years passed and Keuk rebuilt his life from scratch, Shawn said he began to feel pride in his father.

"My dad literally came from nothing and I am very proud and very happy that he made it, because at last, people will no longer look at him the way he was," he said.

Working together

Determined not to let his father’s efforts go to waste, Shawn decided to join the family business.

He had no desire to do so at first, just like Keuk had no desire to let him join.

But as years passed and he became more mature, Shawn said he wanted to help his father grow the business.

A few years ago, he came onboard to help with sales and marketing.

The transition was "naturally not going to be easy".

"We don't often see things [eye to eye], because he's more operationally strong. For me, I'm just more on the strategic side, more on sales and customer service," Shawn said.

Still, the pair learned to complement each other.

While their relationship may not mirror that of your average fathers and sons, Shawn said it has improved significantly over time.

Keuk, who was stoic as he listened to his son's words of pride, said he never stopped loving his children.

He acknowledged that he may have hurt his children when they were younger, but has since tried his best to understand and listen to them.

Shawn agreed: "The whole relationship didn't resolve overnight. It took many years, and he can vouch for that. We often fought, we argued, but slowly, step by step, we reached a point where we can now have a proper conversation," he said.

Top photos by Aiman Nadzri/Mothership and courtesy of Shawn Keuk