Why age, education and skill sets no longer pose setbacks for SME bosses

MJ Heng, the owner of speciality store Sweet Musings, along Sago street, a tourist hot spot in Chinatown, recalls: "Business was tough in the first six months. I almost went bankrupt."

Recognising the enduring popularity of durians in Singapore and the fact that they would be a unique selling point to attract new customers, Mr Heng decided on an overhaul of his business, to focus on the King of Fruits.

But although his customer-centric mindset has helped his small business flourish after a pivot to selling durians, he continued to come up with innovative marketing ideas - such as adopting digital payments to attract Chinese tourists. Age, education and skill sets are no longer defining factors in a world where technology is changing the nature of jobs and work at a rapid pace. Mr Heng, a sprightly 60, acknowledges that consumer preferences between people of his generation and the younger crowd are vastly different.