Why did Ong Ai Li and Josh Chua return to Malaysia after years in Singapore?

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Ong Ai Li and Josh Chua returned to Malaysia because of cost and family closeness, plus a desire to grow by running their own business
Ong Ai Li and Josh Chua returned to Malaysia after almost two decades away in Singapore because they wanted to be closer to family and because financial considerations made coming home the better move. Josh Chua had reached the ceiling in his career as an executive chef at Yardbird in Singapore, and he told Ong that they should take a chance by being their own bosses for two years. They said the costs of living and working, together with the goal of building a new venture in Malaysia, drove the decision.
They weighed financial costs and the prospect of saving more in Singapore before choosing to come home
The couple said they had done “the maths” when considering job offers and living costs, and at the time they concluded they would save more money in Singapore. Even so, they ultimately left Singapore because of costs and their desire to be closer to family after years away. The plan was framed around a two-year window to try running their own business, starting with Nude.
Josh Chua described career limits in Singapore that pushed them to look for growth elsewhere
Josh Chua, 42, said he had worked up to executive chef at Yardbird but had hit “the ceiling,” with no further step on the corporate ladder. He told Ong, “Let’s take a chance. Two years to try being our own bosses,” linking the move to growth for both of them rather than staying in the same career track in Singapore.
Family proximity became a decisive factor in the return
Ong Ai Li and Josh Chua repeatedly tied their return to being nearer to family, stating that this, alongside costs, led them to leave Singapore and come home. After almost two decades away, they found that Malaysia required different day-to-day navigation, including licensing steps described as “rocket science,” with 15 separate steps and delays tied to public holidays.
After returning, they focused on building Nude as a brand without taking salaries
Once back in Kuchai and then Bangsar, they said they did not take salaries, explaining that taking pay would force prices to rise “like 10 times the price.” Their approach was to build a brand first and test whether Malaysia would support it, with salary being one of the first cuts while they focused on the food and operations of Nude.

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Why did Ong Ai Li and Josh Chua return to Malaysia after years in Singapore?

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