5 Things We Learnt After One Year of Running a Loungewear Brand in Singapore

After one year of building TB Project — a small loungewear brand based in Singapore — here are a few lessons we didn’t fully anticipate.

Coming from a corporate finance background, the shift into building a physical product brand has been humbling, chaotic, and sometimes unexpected.

1. Your counterparties are also small businesses

There’s a learning curve when you come from the corporate world, but you quickly start to appreciate how personal everything is when working with small manufacturers and partners.

Motivations differ. Timelines differ. Babies are born, floods delay deliveries, and sometimes the vibes just don’t match.

You learn patience, and you get used to people bringing their whole selves into the business in a way you’d never see in a big bank.

And honestly, it’s quite beautiful.

2. The importance of community

There’s nothing like learning from people who’ve done it already — especially within the small business and creative community in Singapore.

You almost never have direct competition. The product is different, the marketing is different, the audience is different.

We love sharing what worked (and what didn’t) for us, and we always want to hear how others are navigating their own journeys. In Singapore, we particularly love Launchpadand SGAB.

3. Offline still matters

Touching the product. Trying it on. Speaking to founders. Building real-life connections.

We’ve done pop-ups and in-person events in Singapore this year: a table styling workshop, and our Christmas pop-up at Design Assembly.

These experiences reminded us how important physical spaces still are — especially for something as tactile as loungewear.

Thank you to everyone who made time to come by, say hello, and support us in person. It truly means a lot.

4. You get to do a thousand new things — and you’re bad at all of them

Nothing humbles you faster than struggling to print marketing materials at Sunshine Plaza or spending half a day fixing Shopify payments.

In corporate, you’re rarely thrown into so many unfamiliar tasks at once — so you can keep feeling competent.

Here? Just brace yourself for what’s coming.

5. Getting feedback from your audience

Assume nothing.

You’d be surprised how many blind spots appear when you create purely based on your own taste and assumptions.

Feedback is incredibly valuable — and we appreciate every message, comment, and conversation more than you know.