For Melody Tan, entrepreneurship was never simply a career choice, it was a personal mission to prove that a quiet, often overlooked child could create meaningful impact with her own hands. Growing up as the middle child of three, Melody often felt caught in between. Petite and reserved, she frequently felt invisible within her own family. This early sense of being underestimated became a driving force. Melody resolved that she would seize every opportunity rather than regret missed chances.
Financial resources at home were limited. As a child, she received only fifty cents a day in primary school and ten dollars a week in secondary school. Saving was difficult, but Melody quickly learned how to create value from scarcity. Weekends were spent navigating the bustling corridors of People’s Park Complex, hunting for beads and chains she could transform into necklaces to sell online. She experimented with baking cupcakes for friends before cupcake shops became a trend, and she organised group orders from Korea’s Gmarket, collecting payments and coordinating shipments at a time when online shopping was still novel.
Each of these early ventures offered more than just pocket money. They were lessons in independence, resourcefulness, and resilience. Melody recalls the excitement of packaging her first handmade necklaces, the smell of butter and sugar as she experimented with cupcakes in her parents’ kitchen, and the nervous anticipation of waiting for payments through old-fashioned bank transfers. These experiences shaped her confidence and taught her the value of seeing a project through from inception to completion.
Even a small kindergarten memory left a lasting impression. Melody remembers being asked to spell the number “seven.” She got it wrong, and her teacher withheld a sweet. While minor, the moment stung and highlighted the importance of encouragement. “Mistakes should be opportunities to try again, not reasons to withhold rewards,” she reflects. This philosophy would later shape the way she nurtured her team, emphasising growth and learning rather than fear of failure.
Trust and Early Support
Melody’s father played a quiet but pivotal role in her development. When she needed a bank account to receive payments as a young entrepreneur but was too young to open one, he lent her his. That trust gave her freedom to experiment and fail safely. It also reinforced a critical lesson: progress requires both initiative and support. These early experiences would become cornerstones of her leadership philosophy, emphasising trust, responsibility, and empowerment.
The First Big Break: Pop-Ups at Gardens by the Bay
The transition from small ventures to serious entrepreneurship came in December 2016. Melody and her co-founder, Woody Hein, signed up for a stall at Christmas Wonderland in Gardens by the Bay, marking their first large-scale F&B pop-up. At the time, Melody was still employed full-time as a marketing communications executive. Her workdays ended at 6:30 pm, but her true entrepreneurial hours began afterward.
These pop-ups became both a classroom and a proving ground. Melody and Woody had to learn quickly: balancing costs, managing queues, and scaling recipes for larger crowds. They started with personal savings, and each pop-up’s profit funded the next. Despite their lack of experience, every challenge offered invaluable lessons.
Opening night brought a pivotal moment. Melody was nervous, bracing for disappointment, but was stunned to see a long queue forming outside their stall. For a moment, tears welled in her eyes. Woody nudged her with a reminder: “There’s no time to cry, we’ve got customers to serve.” That night, Melody realised that entrepreneurship was not just about effort, it was about impact. People were not just engaging with her work; they were willing to pay for it. The validation fueled her determination to build something sustainable.
The Rise and Fall of Early Cafés
By 2019, Melody and Woody were invited to open two cafés within Gardens by the Bay, a milestone that signaled recognition of their growing expertise. This opportunity was both exciting and daunting, representing a chance to establish themselves in one of Singapore’s most iconic locations.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted their plans dramatically. Sales dropped by 90 percent almost overnight. Tourists vanished, locals stayed home, and foot traffic disappeared. Despite pivoting to an e-commerce model selling artisanal bakes and bottled brews, both cafés eventually closed. The experience was painful, but it also reinforced a core lesson: resilience is essential for survival.
Rather than succumb to defeat, Melody viewed the closures as an opportunity to start anew. She and Woody were determined to “rise from ground zero,” a conviction that inspired the birth of Rise Bakehouse in 2022.
Launching Rise Bakehouse
The first Rise Bakehouse store opened in Potong Pasir in a modest 600-square-foot space under an HDB block. Despite its small size, the ambition behind the store was enormous. Demand quickly exceeded supply, prompting Melody to double her manpower, invest in new mixers and chillers, and work late nights to keep up with orders.
Interestingly, the breakthrough came not from elaborate cream cakes or trendy drinks but from humble teacakes. Unlike chilled products, they could be kept at room temperature, making them ideal for wholesale and sustainable for the business. Social media attention turned the modest shop into a viral success, with long queues forming outside the store. This early triumph proved that thoughtful adaptation, persistence, and focus could turn setbacks into new beginnings.
Building a Team and Culture
Melody’s belief that people are the heart of a business shaped how she recruited and managed her team. She prioritised attitude, dedication, and heart over technical skills, emphasising the importance of commitment and willingness to try. Onboarding programs introduced staff to the brand’s story, service standards, and attention to aesthetics. Regular “open table” meetings fostered collaboration, allowing team members to reflect on feedback, share ideas, and suggest improvements.
During the pandemic, Melody demonstrated her loyalty to her team. Even as sales plummeted, she and Woody delivered bottled cold brews themselves across Singapore and maintained employee salaries. Many staff stayed through the crisis, motivated by her example of shared perseverance. Watching employees grow into leadership roles became one of her proudest achievements, reinforcing her philosophy that nurturing people is as critical as nurturing the brand.
Embracing Challenges and Setbacks
The entrepreneurial path was never smooth. Melody experienced self-doubt, financial pressures, and the emotional weight of leadership. Closing two cafés within two years was disheartening, and COVID-19 represented the darkest period of her journey. However, she refused to let setbacks define her.
Each challenge was a lesson in resilience. Melody learned to celebrate small victories, practice self-compassion, and maintain forward momentum even when uncertainty loomed. She also discovered the tension between empathy and authority, balancing care for her team with the responsibilities of leadership. Through it all, she maintained a belief that perseverance and adaptability were just as important as skill or experience.
Recognition and Expansion
As Rise Bakehouse grew, recognition followed. Collaborations with international brands, including a limited-time café pop-up with Korean beauty brand Laneige, demonstrated that the business had earned credibility beyond Singapore. Yet Melody remained committed to creating a distinctly local identity.
In April 2025, she launched Rise Bakehouse Heritage, a 2,000-square-foot flagship in Chinatown. The store celebrated Singaporean heritage through design and menu offerings, blending vintage tiles, nostalgic décor, and curated corners that were both familiar and contemporary. Locals and tourists were drawn not just by coffee and cakes but by the cultural experience, reinforcing Melody’s goal of establishing a Singaporean lifestyle brand rooted in creativity and community pride.
Leadership Philosophy and Vision
Melody’s approach to leadership has evolved. Initially hesitant to delegate, she learned the importance of empowerment, clarity of vision, and open communication. She encourages a growth mindset within her team, framing challenges as experiments to be learned from rather than failures to fear.
Giving back is central to her philosophy. Rise Bakehouse participates in charity drives, youth programs, and local initiatives. Melody views these acts as integral to defining success; not in terms of profit alone, but in cultivating an environment where employees grow, customers feel valued, and the community prospers.
Resilience as a Guiding Principle
Melody sees her journey as intertwined with Singapore’s story: both began with scarcity, faced setbacks, and built strength through resilience. Looking ahead, she plans to expand Rise Bakehouse across the country, exploring franchising while maintaining a focus on sustainability, including biodegradable packaging, QR code ordering, and sourcing from local suppliers. She also hopes to mentor young women entrepreneurs, demonstrating that passion and purpose can coexist.
Her story illustrates that entrepreneurship is a process of trial, adaptation, and persistence. From a quiet child making necklaces for pocket money to the founder of a multi-outlet F&B brand, Melody’s journey emphasises that success is not about flawless execution but about creativity, perseverance, and a commitment to people and community.
Website: https://risebakehouse.sg/
AUTHOR BIO
ALAN KOH
Alan Koh is the Founder and CEO of Impossible Marketing, a group of companies renowned for hyperlocal marketing strategies tailored to businesses in Singapore. His professional journey began in the banking sector, where he quickly rose through the ranks, garnering eight industry awards in just four years.
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