WITH S$2.43 left in his bank account, a baby on the way and debt of over S$200,000 from various reasons such as closed businesses, home loans and travel expenses, Brien Chua still chose to take the entrepreneurial path less travelled over returning to his stable finance career.

"I was very hungry, and my high-risk appetite meant that I was willing to give up everything to become a founder," he said.

Today, he is the chief executive officer (CEO) and founder of Houze, one of Singapore's largest homeware superstores. However, the journey to get here was not smooth sailing nor easy.