Not many would walk away from a high-flying career, earning six figures a year. But Sheaufen Tay and Sharlyn Koh chose to take that leap.
Once colleagues at KPMG, the duo decided to forge their own path, breaking into the jewellery industry. It’s a crowded space where success is far from guaranteed, but the risk has clearly paid off.
Their brand, Mondays Made, which specialises in demi-fine jewellery, now has two outlets in Singapore—just less than two years after its launch. The company is also on track to achieve multi-million-dollar sales this year.
We spoke with Sheaufen and Sharlyn to uncover how they built the brand from the ground up and scaled it into a growing presence in the jewellery market.
How it all started
The idea for Mondays Made first took root in 2020, when Sheaufen began helping her sister run a modest Facebook Live business during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
The business sold natural gemstone jewellery, and what started as a casual side project quickly gained traction. Within a few months, sales jumped from just S$3,000 to S$20,000 per livestream—largely driven by a loyal following who tuned in regularly. Many of their pieces would sell out within minutes.
As they continued to build a stronger rapport with their audience, Sheaufen and her sister began designing their own pieces, marking a turning point for the business.
That’s when things really “picked up,” and within a year, the duo claimed to have scaled the home-based venture into a S$5 million operation.
But Sheaufen wasn’t satisfied.
Over time, she realised there was potential to build something more lasting—something brand-driven, not just sales-led. “Switching to a brand-led model [would give me] more creative freedom. [I] could take the time to craft designs [I] loved and that meant something, instead of always thinking about what would sell fast during a live,” she shared.
With bigger ambitions in mind, Sheaufen envisioned creating a brand with global reach, and to bring this vision to life, she teamed up with Sharlyn to launch Mondays Made.
One year of R&D & a S$300K investment
From the start, Sheaufen and Sharlyn had a clear vision: the duo didn’t want to just build a local brand; instead, they wanted to build something that could one day go global.
“That meant we were incredibly intentional about every detail, from the quality of our gemstones and materials to our products, packaging, and the website experience.”
All of Mondays Made’s designs are created in-house by the duo, with a strong emphasis on wearability, craftsmanship, and storytelling through design. They also developed proprietary bracelet designs with fully adjustable mechanisms, allowing customers to get the perfect fit without compromising on style.
But delivering that level of quality and thoughtful design came at a price. Just to get the brand off the ground, Sheaufen and Sharlyn claimed to have invested around S$300,000 of their own savings.
A big part of that investment went into sampling—they worked with numerous suppliers to test different materials, finishes, and packaging options, often going through multiple rounds of revisions to get every detail just right.
“It wasn’t the fastest or cheapest route,” said Sheaufen, “but we knew we had to get the foundation right if we wanted to build something meaningful and long-lasting.”
Some of this groundwork was done while the duo were still working at KPMG. Eventually, though, both left their corporate careers and dedicated nine months to working on the brand full-time.
In total, it took just over a year from the initial idea to the official launch of Mondays Made in February 2024.
“The first few months were quiet”
When Mondays Made first started out, the duo noted that although there were already a number of brands excelling at minimal and dainty jewellery styles, not many focused on natural gemstones and original designs—an edge that set them apart.
That niche gave them a competitive advantage, but building brand awareness was a different story.
“As a completely new brand, it was tough getting people to notice us,” Sheaufen recalled. “The first few months were quiet, and that was honestly quite hard.”
Moreover, most of their budget had been invested in product development and brand building ahead of launch, leaving little room for outsourced marketing. With limited resources, they made the decision to learn digital marketing from scratch.
“We had to [learn how to] run ads ourselves. We spent hundreds of hours watching tutorials, testing campaigns, and tweaking creatives.”
It took time, but eventually, things began to click. The brand’s ads started reaching the right audience, and sales began to pick up.
And it wasn’t long before it caught the attention of Frasers Property, who approached Mondays Made with an opportunity to do a pop-up at The Centrepoint. After several discussions, the brand was offered a kiosk unit in a prime location within the mall.
“They were looking to bring in fresh, younger brands to revitalise the space, and we were excited by the opportunity,” said Sheaufen.
At the same time, the team had been receiving daily messages from customers asking if there was a physical store—so when the offer came, the decision felt like a natural next step. They committed to the space, and in less than six months since the brand’s inception, Mondays Made launched its first physical outlet.
Building a global brand
Overall, Sheaufen and Sharlyn’s experience running the first store has been overwhelmingly positive—so much so that it paved the way for the opening of a second outlet at VivoCity recently on July 26.
But the duo isn’t stopping there. Over the past year, Sheaufen and Sharlyn have rapidly scaled the business and begun laying the groundwork for international expansion.
“One of our key milestones was a collaboration with US-based influencer Miki Rai in May 2025,” Sheaufen shared. “The response far exceeded our expectations—the collection sold out within 10 minutes of launch, and we had to open a large pre-order almost immediately to keep up with demand.”
Today, international sales account for nearly 50% of Mondays Made’s monthly revenue, in line with Sheaufen and Sharlyn’s goals of establishing the brand as a global name in jewellery.
While Singapore has seen some fashion and accessory brands make it internationally, we haven’t yet seen a local jewellery brand break through on that scale—and we hope to be the first.
- Find out more about Mondays Made here.
- Read other articles we’ve written on Singaporean startups here.
Featured Image Credit: Mondays Made
