All Eyes On: Dennis Tay

Tell us about yourself

My name is Dennis Tay, I’m 32 this year and I’m the founder of Naiise, which has an online store and 6 physical stores in Singapore. Our flagship store which opened in May 2016 spans about 8,5000 square feet at The Cathay.

What were you like as a youth?

I was a rather playful kid but I’ve always had an interest in entrepreneurship. I started my first mini business at the age of 17 doing tutor matching services, started an events company when I was about 22, and co-founded a creative agency a few years after.

Tell us about how your brand grew from back then to now

Naiise began as a pure e-commerce online store selling design products from a variety of designers, and back then I was the operations, marketing, and delivery guy! Over the last three years, we’ve grown from a one man team to a team of 80 people, organised 6 pop-up stores and subsequently opened 6 physical stores around the island. In addition, we’ve also significantly grown the number of brands carry, and today represent almost 900 brands from different countries across the world.

Who made a significant impact on your life that led to your success?

My wife (who is also my Marketing Director), my family and definitely my team. We’re a close knit team and they have always been very supportive of everything that I did, and always trusted me to make a difference. This keeps me going, even when times get tough.

What advice do you have to youths who have a dream to set-up their brand/business?

Never ever give up, don’t be afraid of challenges and keep pursing your passion. It’s not going to be easy, but it will be rewarding at the end of the day.