Ex-NYP student's father disapproved of his business then son hired him
His father disapproved of him leaving his sales manager's job to start Intellie International, a distributor of audio visual equipment, in 2009.
But Mr Bryan Tan, now 37, persisted.
His business did so well he even hired his dad, Mr Tan Kim Jiang, 66.
Intellie International is a 10-man company that generates $3 million in annual revenue, with clients like Microsoft and IBM.
But it was not easy for the graduate from Nanyang Polytechnic's Diploma in Electronics, Computer and Communications Engineering course.
As a young entrepreneur back then, Mr Bryan Tan lacked the funds to hire help.
Seeing his struggles, his two buddies from the same course in NYP, Mr Charles Wang, and Mr Lim Chun Khai, both 30, pitched in to help.
Mr Wang, an assistant sales director of Intellie International, said: "We did everything ourselves - demonstrations, training, installation, drilling holes and making deliveries."
The trio agreed the skills and knowledge they gained from NYP helped.
Mr Bryan Tan said an entrepreneurship module helped them with the business.
He said: "We were taught to brainstorm about having a business - the cost, resources required, how to market. The lecturers would teach us what's feasible and try to correct the way we think too."
When Mr Bryan Tan's business became financially stable, he asked his father to join the company.
Mr Tan Kim Jiang, who is now the technical support manager at the company, said: "Initially, there were a lot of risk factors to consider before setting up a company.
"I understand that for the first few years, he struggled with a small team. It has finally paid off and I am proud of him."
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