Me and My Money: Hustle culture inspired young entrepreneur to launch oral care brand

SINGAPORE – Young entrepreneur Lenney Leong may not have a background in dentistry, but he is dedicated to putting bright smiles on people’s faces.

Mr Leong’s mission – or hustle, as he would term it – began in 2023, when a dentist’s advice to switch to an electric toothbrush for better plaque removal led him to found SmileFam, an oral care brand offering teeth whitening and other solutions.

“I have always been driven to create solutions that address market needs... I observed that most households still rely on manual toothbrushes and have yet to transition to more efficient electric toothbrushes,” he says.

SmileFam claims to have developed Singapore’s first “Omni Cleaning” electric toothbrush, which has a wireless charger for more convenience and allows users to adjust cleaning intensities to suit different teeth sensitivity levels and tackle plaque build-up from habits such as smoking or coffee and tea consumption.

Mr Leong, 27, says learning about the oral care industry from scratch has been a continuous journey, more so given that he studied in an entirely different field, earning a diploma in digital film and television from Temasek Polytechnic.

“The most critical aspects were conducting thorough research to understand what truly matters to consumers in Singapore, consulting local dentists and navigating regulatory requirements,” he notes.

But Mr Leong’s passion for entrepreneurship has paid off. SmileFam has sold more than 5,000 products in Singapore and Malaysia and is now preparing to expand to the United States, with its products already available on Amazon’s US website.

“The hustle culture has always resonated with me. To me, it is not just about working hard, but also working smart and allocating resources to the right places at the right times for maximum impact,” he says.

“That’s why when the opportunity to start SmileFam came about, I pursued it wholeheartedly.”

Mr Leong, who is not married, lives with his parents in a four-bedroom HDB flat in Toa Payoh. He also owns a one-bedroom studio apartment at Poiz Residences in Potong Pasir.

Q: What do you invest in and why?

A: I am now primarily focused on real estate investment and managing my two businesses: Get Customers, an advertising agency, and SmileFam. I am planning to expand Get Customers beyond Singapore.

I was previously concentrated on investing in index funds, such as the S&P 500, which delivered solid returns. I maintained a disciplined strategy, investing $1,000 on the first day of each month to steer clear of emotional decision-making and market timing. I have reinvested most of my earnings back into my businesses.

My most valuable assets are my businesses and properties, including both residential and commercial real estate. They are collectively worth above $1 million.

Nowadays, to diversify risk, I allocate my investments as follows: 50 per cent in real estate, 40 per cent in my businesses and 10 per cent in cash holdings for emergencies and my businesses.

Q: Did you collect anything when you were younger?

A: I don’t really invest in any tangible assets as it requires a different area of expertise. But when I was around 17, I used to accumulate cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, but I reduced my holdings as it was too speculative and there was a lot of emotion and time spent monitoring the charts.

Q: What was your first exposure to investing and what was your first investment?

A: My first exposure to investing was Google Finance, where I could do a mock portfolio and add in stocks of companies I liked when I was 17. I added my favourite companies such as Starbucks, Google, Nvidia and Apple. Had it been real, it would have been a great portfolio of the best investments.

My first significant investment was an industrial property – a 1,109 sq ft unit in Ubi that I rented out to other companies.

Q: What has been your biggest financial mistake?

A: My biggest financial mistake was being impulsive when it came to investing – I bought a lot of stocks out of Fomo (fear of missing out), and also sold them too early.

If I had had the conviction to buy more properties, and held on to the stocks I believed in which had good fundamentals, I would have managed to grow my money more.

Q: What has been your best financial decision?

A: My best financial decision was buying my first industrial property back in 2019 and learning about property investment.

I bought it for $420,000 and managed to rent it out consistently from 2019 to 2024. I managed to sell it for close to $530,000 in 2024. It was one of the best financial decisions because it made me quite a bit of money.

Besides that, this success has allowed me to multiply my property investment portfolio where I bought more properties such as residential and commercial properties.

To date, I have five properties in my own portfolio and it’s growing steadily. With these properties, I have managed to hit above $1 million in net worth, which I am very thankful and grateful for.

Q: Money-wise, what were your growing-up years like? How did these experiences shape your outlook on personal finance/investing?

A: When I was growing up, my mum worked in a restaurant, and my dad was a taxi driver. I am proud of both of them for their honest work in raising my brother and me.

They instilled strong values in me, shaping my perspective on money and life. To me, having the right values is more important than how much I earn. Growing up, I also learnt the importance of hard work.

Working part-time jobs in restaurants and hotels as a waiter gave me a glimpse of the effort my parents put into providing for us. It motivated me to work towards a different path, one where I could give them a better life.

Q: What was your childhood dream?

A: My childhood ambition was to be able to work in a field related to the internet. I also wanted to travel the world without worrying about cost.

Q: What was your first job?

A: My first job was doing part-time work at a retail outlet where I was serving egg waffles to customers. I was earning $7 an hour back then.

Q: What do you drive?

A: I do not drive any car but I plan to buy one soon.

Q: What does your perfect day look like?

A: My perfect day would start with waking up in good health and feeling grateful for my family, loved ones and friends. Having the freedom to pursue what truly matters to me would make it ideal.

Money Matters

Q: What would you do if you suddenly had a windfall of millions?

A: If I had $1 million in cash today, I would allocate a portion to charity and another to my parents so they can enjoy what they wish. The remainder would be combined with my savings to fund the down payment for a landed property, with some set aside as emergency funds.

Q: If you suddenly had only $100 to your name, what would you do with it?

A: I would begin thinking creatively about how to raise my first $100,000. My focus would be on pursuing a sales-oriented career or starting a business with strong sales potential.