Mini Monsters started off in 2008 as the Education Outreach arm of award-winning Dua M Pte Ltd. The company aims to revise an interest in the Malay language by offering an interesting and fun approach to the teaching of the language.
Its motto “Berhibur and Belajar” (Entertain and Educate) sums up the company’s philosophy in its approach of developing educational materials, courses and syllabus that are relevant to today’s generation of children. We interviewed Rilla Melati Bahri, Director of Content Development and Co-founder of Mini Monsters.
We’ve heard of stories of successful entrepreneurs playing dual roles in juggling personal and working life. While it’s common to hear of women doing that, Rilla seems to excel in it.
By day, Rilla actively plays the role of content creator for Mini Monsters. In the afternoons, she’d be busy running off for a shoot for her social issues talk show, “Rudy and Rilla” which has gotten her top spot in Mediacorp for 6 seasons in a row since it was first aired. While she admits being a single mom is a 24/7 full time job, Rilla is on top of her game and certainly at her finest despite challenges she faced as a female Malay entrepreneur.
Q: What are some of the difficulties you face as a female entrepreneur in Singapore?
I think Singapore is one of the safest countries in the world for a woman to become an entrepreneur, it is a waste if you don’t become one.
Complete mobility is important when you are venturing out on your own and a woman can be super mobile without fearing for her safety here. The only difficulty I encounter in Singapore is not about being a woman but more so about being Malay. The difficulty in going onto the mainstream platform and convincing Singaporeans at large that there are good companies that are helmed by Malay Singaporeans.
I don’t understand why when Malays are outstanding, their achievement is only celebrated within the community. That only the community ought to know them and recognise them. The rest of Singapore seems oblivious to their existence. Either that or the same Malay individual is showcased again and again. That is the difficulty I face. How do I exist beyond being just a token representation of a Malay female entrepreneur in Singapore.
Source: https://ladyboss.asia
