The Financial Coconut Podcast

Jeremy Ko’s first gym died after about a year.
No triumphant founder montage. He was fresh out of NS, knew fitness, but did not yet know how to run the business. That failure gave him the thing he could not buy from a franchise deck: context.
More than a decade later, he says his group has 25+ gyms, alongside fitness equipment, sports supply and climbing businesses.
The part worth stealing is not “work harder”. Jeremy’s model got stricter. He starts with demand and catchment, works backwards into rent and costs, and asks whether the concept can scale without the founder becoming the permanent receptionist, troubleshooter and cleaner.
His sharpest line for anyone romanticising entrepreneurship: if you only create one outlet that needs you every day, you may have bought yourself a job.
For TFC’s working-professional crowd, that is the real tension. Leaving a salary can create freedom… or swap one boss for rent, payroll and leaking roofs.

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🎧 The Financial Coconut:
Your weekly source for empowering financial knowledge and unlocking possibilities. We explore personal finance, investing, and entrepreneurship to help you build a richer life. Join us as we explore personal finance, investing and more.

Get ready to take control of your financial future and live your best life, financially wise: https://linkin.bio/thefinancialcoconut

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⚠️ Disclaimer:
The content discussed in this episode is intended for educational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. The information provided is based on our understanding at the time of recording and may not reflect the current regulations or market conditions. The opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily represent those of The Financial Coconut. Please do your due diligence before making any investment or financial decisions.
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Help us get to know you better: http://bit.ly/thefinancialcoconut-survey
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most people try to make their jobs sound more impressive. Shaik Nifael does the opposite: "I clean longkangs for a living."
He left school without the conventional qualifications his parents had hoped for and ended up doing the work he had been warned about growing up. At first, even Shaik was embarrassed by it. Then something shifted: engineers were listening to his advice, clients relied on him when buildings had problems, and he realised the job people looked down on was highly technical and hard to replace.
That experience became the foundation for Jetters Incz.
Along the way, Shaik took a S$1,900 management trainee salary, learnt sales the hard way, and later secured S$200,000 in backing from businessman Kelvin Neo. Jetters has since grown into a waste-management business reported to be generating around S$3 million in annual revenue.
This isn’t a "school doesn’t matter" story. It’s about what happens when you stop judging a career by how impressive it sounds and start asking where the real demand, skill and opportunity are.
Hit the link in bio to watch the full episode now.
#WiseAndShine #TheFinancialCoconut #SingaporeCareers #Entrepreneurship #SingaporeBusiness

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🎧 The Financial Coconut:
Your weekly source for empowering financial knowledge and unlocking possibilities. We explore personal finance, investing, and entrepreneurship to help you build a richer life. Join us as we explore personal finance, investing and more.

Get ready to take control of your financial future and live your best life, financially wise: https://linkin.bio/thefinancialcoconut

📍 LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE
Spotify
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🔗 CONNECT WITH US
Get daily tips, insights, and community:
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📺 MORE FROM OUR NETWORK
Discover our other shows and deep dives on YouTube

⚠️ Disclaimer:
The content discussed in this episode is intended for educational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. The information provided is based on our understanding at the time of recording and may not reflect the current regulations or market conditions. The opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily represent those of The Financial Coconut. Please do your due diligence before making any investment or financial decisions.
Learn about our events
Help us get to know you better: http://bit.ly/thefinancialcoconut-survey
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Would you buy an ETF just because it is cheaper, more tax-efficient and easier to access from Singapore?
With new UCITS ETFs coming to SGX, that choice is about to become much more relevant for local investors.
But convenience is only one part of the equation.
In this episode of Chills with TFC, Reggie, Dawn, Chuin Ting Weber and Kang Wei Chin unpack what investors should actually look at before choosing an ETF: the index underneath it, withholding tax, brokerage costs, bid-ask spreads, liquidity and whether “passive” really means passive.
They also get into a surprisingly important question: when an ETF says “World”, how much of the world are investors actually getting?
The ETF wrapper may look simple. What sits inside it can be very different.
So if two ETFs track similar markets, what matters most to you: lower fees, tax efficiency, easier access or broader diversification?
Watch the full conversation on YouTube.
#ChillsWithTFC #TheFinancialCoconut #SingaporeInvesting

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🎧 The Financial Coconut:
Your weekly source for empowering financial knowledge and unlocking possibilities. We explore personal finance, investing, and entrepreneurship to help you build a richer life. Join us as we explore personal finance, investing and more.

Get ready to take control of your financial future and live your best life, financially wise: https://linkin.bio/thefinancialcoconut

📍 LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE

Spotify
Apple Podcast
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🔗 CONNECT WITH US
Get daily tips, insights, and community:

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Discover our other shows and deep dives on YouTube

⚠️ Disclaimer:
The content discussed in this episode is intended for educational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. The information provided is based on our understanding at the time of recording and may not reflect the current regulations or market conditions. The opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily represent those of The Financial Coconut. Please do your due diligence before making any investment or financial decisions.
Learn about our events
Help us get to know you better: http://bit.ly/thefinancialcoconut-survey
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A customer watched her live stream for SIX months before buying anything. The reason? "You're not someone that fly by night."
Dawn sits down with two homegrown Singapore care brand founders - to break down how small local players actually win in a market dominated by Korean giants and Western imports.
It's not bigger ad budgets. It's not paid magazine awards (those are scams - they tell you why). It's the founder showing up, every day, on TikTok Shop, on Telegram, at Artbox booths, until the trust compounds into customers who buy 38 times instead of once.
If you're building a brand in a saturated category, skincare, F&B, fashion, anything, the playbook is in here.
#TFCBusinessShow #SingaporeBusiness #FounderLed #Ecommerce #SmallBusinessSG #Skincare

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🎧 The Financial Coconut:
Your weekly source for empowering financial knowledge and unlocking possibilities. We explore personal finance, investing, and entrepreneurship to help you build a richer life. Join us as we explore personal finance, investing and more.

Get ready to take control of your financial future and live your best life, financially wise: https://linkin.bio/thefinancialcoconut

📍 LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE
Spotify
Apple Podcast
YouTube

🔗 CONNECT WITH US
Get daily tips, insights, and community:
Instagram
TikTok
Telegram
Whatsapp
Newsletter

📺 MORE FROM OUR NETWORK
Discover our other shows and deep dives on YouTube

⚠️ Disclaimer:
The content discussed in this episode is intended for educational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. The information provided is based on our understanding at the time of recording and may not reflect the current regulations or market conditions. The opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily represent those of The Financial Coconut. Please do your due diligence before making any investment or financial decisions.
Learn about our events
Help us get to know you better: http://bit.ly/thefinancialcoconut-survey
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At 24, Nicholas thought he was choosing between photography and film production.
Then he spent 36 hours in a concrete cell.
Lights on around the clock. Air-con blasting. Almost nothing except time to think. And one question kept coming back:
“Is this all my life is worth?”
The arrest didn’t instantly give him a new career. But it forced him to question the path he had spent years building. Then came another reality check: his four-year university degree cost about S$32,000, while just two days in hospital came to S$43,000. Seeing how his father’s financial planning helped him through that moment changed how he understood the work.
Nicholas eventually went from a decade in fine arts to financial consulting — carrying lessons from sport, art, relationships and one of the most difficult periods of his life into a completely different career.
Topics covered:
What happens when the career you studied for stops making sense
The arrest that left Nicholas in a cell for 36 hours
Why a pain-relief cream led to interrogation, a raid and arrest
Facing the possibility of major hip surgery at 24
The S$32K degree vs S$43K hospital bill that changed his perspective
Moving from fine arts and photography into finance
Starting a new career with almost no relevant technical background
Why freedom at work still requires discipline
How around 50 character references changed his view of relationships
Why trust became central to the way he works
How creative skills can still matter after a major career pivot
Why your career does not have to become your identity
Nicholas's advice to younger people: trust the process and bet on yourself
Practical, candid conversations on work, money, and everything in between. Like, follow, and subscribe to Wise & Shine for more.
#WiseAndShine #CareerPivot #CareerChange #SingaporeCareers #GenZCareers #TheFinancialCoconut

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🎧 The Financial Coconut:
Your weekly source for empowering financial knowledge and unlocking possibilities. We explore personal finance, investing, and entrepreneurship to help you build a richer life. Join us as we explore personal finance, investing and more.

Get ready to take control of your financial future and live your best life, financially wise: https://linkin.bio/thefinancialcoconut

📍 LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE
Spotify
Apple Podcast
YouTube

🔗 CONNECT WITH US
Get daily tips, insights, and community:
Instagram
TikTok
Telegram
Whatsapp
Newsletter

📺 MORE FROM OUR NETWORK
Discover our other shows and deep dives on YouTube

⚠️ Disclaimer:
The content discussed in this episode is intended for educational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. The information provided is based on our understanding at the time of recording and may not reflect the current regulations or market conditions. The opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily represent those of The Financial Coconut. Please do your due diligence before making any investment or financial decisions.
Learn about our events
Help us get to know you better: http://bit.ly/thefinancialcoconut-survey
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.