Debunking the myth of being 'overqualified'

SELF-described "tea girl" Rebecca Chiu can often be seen behind a hawker stall preparing drinks, clearing clogged drains and - when the occasion calls for it - even catching cockroaches that wander in.

Those were some of the everyday tasks that the founder of Thai iced tea startup Soi 55 - which now has several outlets across Singapore - took on when she first started her business in Golden Shoe Food Centre.

So what's the deal about Ms Chiu that makes her different from the many hawker stall operators out there? Well, this plucky young entrepreneur also happens to be a qualified lawyer. She tells The Business Times Weekend: "I would go to the shop during lunch sometimes to work, and then return back to the office with tea stains on my outfit."