DIY Terrariums In Singapore: Jeely's Terrarium
This is not a sponsored post
Growing A Garden of Dreams
Two
years ago, Jewel Yu Ka-Rei was just a typical science student at Meridian Junior
College (MJC). Science was never her forte - she’d rather be at home baking or
practicing her taekwondo moves –but she wanted a challenge. Junior college is
tough, and she soon found herself struggling to maintain her grades. She was
then faced with a tough decision- to leave and continue her studies at a local
polytechnic, or stay for the next two years. Eventually, Jewel left MJC to
pursue a diploma in International Business at Singapore Polytechnic (SP), where
she went on to achieve her dreams of being a young entrepreneur.
 |
| Follow Jewel at @jewelmilky! (Credit: Instagram @jewelmilky) |
Today,
18-year old Jewel is the founder of Jeely’s Terrarium, a small business in
Singapore selling do-it-yourself (DIY) terrariums. Inspired by the theme of
“growing your dreams”, Jewel hopes her business will encourage aspiring young
entrepreneurs in Singapore to achieve their ambitions. “My team and I chose to
work with plants as we are nature lovers,” said Jewel. “Because of
this, most of our brainstorming ideas eventually came down to plants.”
 |
| Jeely's Terrarium (Credit: Facebook @jeelysterrarium) |
 |
| The founders of Jeely's Terrarium (Credit: Instagram @jeelysterrarium) |
Jeely’s
Terrarium has two lines of products – Pre-made themes and the DIY Terrarium
Kit. 10% of their proceeds are donated to Club Rainbow, an independent charity
in Singapore. According to Club Rainbow’s website, donations will be used to sustain
their programmes and support children with chronic illnesses. “As Jeely’s
Terrarium is about dreams, we hope our business can also help these children
achieve and grow their own dreams, just like how the plants grow,” said Jewel.
 |
| Jeely's Terrarium DIY terrarium kit (Credit: Facebook |
As
seen on the Jeely’s Terrarium website, pre-made terrariums come in four themes:
Love, Friendship, Childhood, and Fantasy. Limited-edition themes are also
available for Valentine’s Day, which is just around the corner. The price of a
terrarium ranges from S$20 to $35, depending on the design’s complexity. Each
terrarium is attached with a small booklet with a story by Jeely’s Terrarium.
“This is to make sure that our customers would not only be buying a terrarium,
but also it’s story,” said Jewel.
 |
| Jeely's Terrarium pre-made theme (Credit: jeelysterrarium.wixsite.com/jeelysterrarium) |
 |
| Jeely's Terrarium's pre-made theme: love, for Valentine's Day (Credit: jeelysterrarium.wixsite.com/jeelysterrarium) |
 |
| Jeely's Terrarium's pre-made theme: friendship (Credit: jeelysterrarium.wixsite.com/jeelysterrarium) |
While
her terrarium business has only been in the market for 1 month, it has already
showed tremendous success. “As this is my first startup, I was very surprised
that it exceeded my expectations,” she said. “We even managed to breakeven and
make profit.”
But
of course, failure is the mother of success, and Jewel faced several
discouraging moments during the start of the business.
“A
few weeks ago we organized a story-writing competition on Instagram. Though we
promoted the competition through posters and social media, we didn’t have
enough submissions,” said Jewel.
During
the business’ early stages, Jewel and her team submitted their businesscampaign on Kick-starter in hopes of achieving a S$500 funding goal. “We only
managed to raise S$10!” Jewel said with a laugh. However, this set back did not
deter her and Jewel is persevering with the mental and emotional support from her
family.
“I
won’t give up easily because I’ve put in so much effort into this business,”
said Jewel. “One day, I hope to see my products being sold in shopping malls
around Singapore.”
When
she is not busy managing Jeely’s Terrarium, Jewel is an adventurous teenager
who loves travelling and is a fan of K-pop. When asked about her fashion style, Jewel says
that she is highly influenced by Hollywood and Korean fashion, and loves
Bershka and Pull & Bear clothing.
 |
| Jewel loves traveling (Credit: Instagram @jewelmilky) |
Jewel
advices young entrepreneurs in Singapore to always be determined and
passionate. “While educational qualifications do not guarantee 100% success,
foundation is important and you must always be careful in your planning and
research, especially on your target audience. You must also have confidence and
faith,” said Jewel. “With this, your business will be a success.”
Check
out Jeely’s Terrarium on social media for pictures, giveaway contests, unboxing
videos and other updates at:
YouTube:
jeely terrarium
0 comments