Meet Jaycie, a dynamic and resilient entrepreneur who is the pillar of two thriving businesses—JP Conceptz and JC Recruitment Agency Pte Ltd. Through JP Conceptz, she provides a comprehensive range of automotive services, from car servicing and mechanical and accident repairs to auto detailing and spray painting. Meanwhile, at JCR, she leads a passionate team focused on connecting top talent with outstanding companies through customised recruitment solutions.
Her entrepreneurial journey is also a deeply personal one; having once struggled with depression, she has emerged stronger and more determined to inspire others through her story of perseverance and success. Today, she balances her twin passions for business and personal growth, dedicated to making a difference in the lives of her customers, clients, and community.
What inspired you to venture into two very different industries, one in automotive services and the other in recruitment?
I started off with automotive by chance. I used to work part-time in the automotive industry. One day, my ex-boss said he wanted to expand into an authorised workshop. I helped him with some connections, he managed to get the funding he wanted, and that’s how the one-stop services started.
Because I was the one who brought him the connection, he appointed me to be the main person to run the whole show.
As for recruitment, while I was running the automotive business, I was also recruiting staff. One day, one of my vendors, an overseas supplier and recruitment agency, suggested we work together. I agreed, went to get the license, and that’s how I started in recruitment.
What are some of the biggest challenges you face while running two businesses?
Well, the biggest challenge I face is time. Thankfully, my car workshop is quite independent. I have a very good manager managing the one-stop workshop for me, which gives me peace of mind.
However, some customers still prefer to message me personally, and I still need to attend to them. Even though the workshop is almost running on autopilot, personal service and customer contact remain a challenge.
For JP Conceptz, what do you think sets your automotive service apart from others in the market?
When we first started the car workshop, my investor asked me what our unique selling point would be. I said our unique selling point is honesty. He was surprised.
I explained that honesty is the best policy in business, but unfortunately, many car workshops don’t have a good reputation. I told him that if we wanted to do this business, we had to be honest, but this required his understanding and support.
Thankfully, he supported my thinking, saying that his reputation was worth far more than a few thousand dollars. At first, it was very tough because our customer base was small, but over time, we grew through trust and word of mouth.
I believe there are other honest workshops out there too, but we really pride ourselves heavily on honesty.
When we first started the car workshop, my investor asked me what our unique selling point would be. I said our unique selling point is honesty. He was surprised.
In the recruitment space at JCR, how do you ensure you are matching the right talent with the right opportunities?
This is a very good question. We match based on the information provided by both the employer and the candidate. Sometimes employers only realise what they truly want after interviewing candidates.
Similarly, with candidates, CVs don’t always tell the full story, so we always call the candidates for a preliminary chat. This helps us gauge their seriousness, personality, and suitability beyond what’s on paper.
From what I understand, you used to suffer from depression. What gave you the strength to step out of it?
My main source of strength was my children. I came from a very broken family, and my mother was absent for most of my life. I felt that if I could be strong enough to live my life and be present for my children—even if it was just checking on their day or giving them moral support—that would be something good I could do for them.
At the time, I had lost everything: my savings, my house, my children, and I had no family support. I had nothing left except myself, and I even owed telecoms $3,000 due to my second ex-husband.
I had no academic qualifications either—not even a diploma or degree; I had only completed Secondary One. I thought my life was impossible to turn around. But even if my life was hard, at least being there for my children would mean I had done some good.
What do you think makes a good entrepreneur?
I really hope I am a good entrepreneur! I think a good entrepreneur must be a people person. During my degree course, one of my lecturers said something very interesting: no matter what position you are in, you need to deal with people.
You have customers, staff, colleagues, partners—even if you are running a one-man show, you still need to deal with your customers because they are your paying masters. So, it’s very important to build good human relationships.
A good entrepreneur should take care of their staff, cultivate a good company culture, and understand the customers’ needs. Customer service is extremely important—customers are always right, but we also need to educate customers properly when needed.
Balancing employee welfare, customer satisfaction, and good values is what makes a good entrepreneur.
What are your long-term goals for both JP Conceptz and JCR Recruitment, and do you see them evolving or expanding further?
For JP Conceptz, my long-term vision is to improve our social media presence because everything now revolves around social media.
We are also hoping to cope with the growing volume of enquiries by leveraging AI services to handle some of the online enquiries, as manpower remains very intensive, even for the admin team.
For JCR Recruitment, the plan is similar: strengthening our social media presence. Recruitment still heavily depends on human input. AI can help with some tasks but not with important things like chatting with candidates to understand their personalities.
In recruitment, quality is more important than quantity. Although the market is very saturated and we can’t charge a premium price, I hope that by leveraging technology, we can manage a bigger volume without compromising too much on quality.
What’s your vision for Singapore in the next five years?
Some time ago, a government authority called me for a survey. Now I understand why—there are disruptions in the economy, and the government is concerned about our future. Inflation is very scary.
For example, three years ago, a foreign technician’s basic salary was around $1,500. Today, for the same person, it’s $2,800. The labour market has become a price war—companies are throwing higher salaries to attract talent, and we have to match the market rate to keep our staff.
If inflation continues at this pace, companies will need to increase prices just to break even. I don’t think prices will come down anytime soon. Therefore, I believe the best strategy is to achieve economies of scale and cope with volume—again, bringing us back to the importance of leveraging technology to survive and thrive.
Connect with Jaycie: JPConceptz and JCR-Agency.
Jaycie is a member of Rainmaker, a revolutionary movement that rallies like-minded people together based on the values of Love, Authenticity, Respect, Kindness and Youthfulness (LARKY).
