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Serangoon North coconut shake shop paid over S$6,000 in promotions, gains 'almost zero response'
After seven months of business, the owner has yet to pay himself a salary.
October 29, 2026, 09:30 AM
Image from bestfoodysg/IG
The owner of a coconut shake shop at Serangoon paid more than S$6,000 in an effort to boost their reach.
However, he claimed that it amounted to "almost zero response".
In an interview with Instagram page @bestfoodsg, the owner of Coco Fwens shared both the struggles of running his own business, as well as what made him decide to open one.
He even revealed that he has not drawn a salary after seven months of business.
Initial hopes
Coco Fwens, run by a husband-and-wife duo, is located opposite Serangoon CC.
The owner, Pradeep Pannirselvam, shared that when he and his wife brought their dog to be groomed one day, they noticed an empty retail space next to the pet groomer.
After doing some research, they concluded that there were "not too many coconut shake shops" in Singapore despite being a very popular item.
They therefore decided to "give it a shot".
However, they soon discovered the difficulty of F&B in Singapore.
When business was slow, he said, they would sell only four cups a day.
S$6000 spent
He thus engaged food bloggers to promote his shop on their platforms.
Despite paying them more than S$3,000, Coco Fwens gained "almost zero response" from their marketing efforts.
Undeterred, he paid another S$3,000 to a food-promotion Telegram group for just a single post.
But that did not get him much business either, he said.
"Before signing up, they showed impressive results and promised good exposure. But after spending the money, the response was almost zero.
Honestly, it hurts. For a small business like ours, $6,000 is a lot of money. That money could have helped us survive a little longer."
From the experience, he learned that cheap rent "doesn't mean it's always going to be a very good location," he said.
He added that another lesson was that a good product was no guarantee that a business would have a steady flow of customers.
No blame
At the end of it all, however, Pradeep does not blame anyone for how business has been turning out.
"Running a business is all about trial and error. If you never try you'll never know," he remarked.
In fact, he stated, perseverance was the essence of running a business.
Even when they do not get any customers, he claimed, he does not take a day off, keeping the shop open.
"I just want to keep the business alive and survive," he said.
He remains hopeful as many of his customers "keep coming back" for his drinks.
"Full support of my wife"
Another source of support is his wife, who also helps out at the shop when she can.
Even though the business is "not where [they want it] to be" yet, his wife has "never complained" or thought of giving up.
This is despite him going seven months without drawing a salary.
Pradeep shared that he and his wife met in secondary school and reconnected after 20 years before getting married.
They both came from lower-income backgrounds, he shared, where money was not always a given.
He believes this contributes to their similar values.
His goal is to build a "better life and a better future for [his] family".
