Business

At age 16, he spent $23 to buy a website domain. 9 years later, his blue-collar business brings in $1.3 million a year

Almost a decade later, what started as a blue-collar side hustle by two brothers, now has over 20 employees and is on track to bring in about $2.3 million in 2025, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It.

Published

7 months ago

November 24, 2025

OCHEFA

411 Views

Image credit: CNBC

Growing up, Zames Chew thought he wanted to work a white-collar role at a company like Google, but his career took a different turn.

Today, the 26-year-old runs the Singapore-based handyman service Repair.sg, alongside his 24-year-old brother and co-founder, Amos Chew.

In 2024, their Singapore-based company Repair.sg brought in 1.7 million Singapore dollars (about $1.3 million), according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It.

“When I was younger, my dream was always to work in big tech,” said Chew. But one day in early 2016, he discovered a gap in the market.

“Our parents were looking for a service provider to fix something around the house,” said Chew. “I was just looking online, and … there [seemed] to be nowhere to find service providers [online] back in the day.

So I was like … let me put together a website and see what happens from there.”

So, at age 16, Chew spent 30 Singapore dollars (about $23) to buy a website domain name, had his father help him register the business, and Repair.sg was born.

Starting a side hustle at 16

As kids, the Chew brothers loved being hands-on.

“My brother and I would do everything together. That means building Legos, building PCs, taking things apart,” said Chew.

”[We] have always been building projects together, and it has [been] our dream to … work together when we became adults.”

The two were able to realize this dream during their teenage years after starting Repair.sg.

The company gained momentum slowly until the last few years when its growth started to soar, said Chew.

For the first three years of the company, the brothers were still in school, so they had to squeeze in work for the business in between classes, or during their evenings.

What a lot of people don’t know is that there’s a lot of education … [and] licensing behind some of the services that we do, and it goes beyond just taking a screwdriver and hammer [to] things,” he said.

So they spent years acquiring the knowledge, skills and licenses necessary to run their business.

In addition, before the business scaled, they would take on most jobs themselves such as replacing lights, and fixing furniture.

“For the first seven years, up until perhaps even early 2024, [the business] was basically at the brink of death most of the time,” said Chew. “We were young and weren’t very good business owners.”

Credit: CNBC

Business

CBN revokes 46 MFBs’ licences

According to the revocation order, the action became necessary because of one or more of: insufficient assets to meet liabilities; closure of operations without the CBN approval; and inactivity and cessation of financial intermediation.

Published

13 hours ago

July 1, 2026

OCHEFA

15 Views

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has revoked the operating licences of 46 Microfinance Banks (MFBs).

CBN’s Ag. Director of Communications, Mrs. Hakama Sidi-Ali disclosed that the revocation becomes effective today.

She emphasised that the revocation was in accordance with its powers under Sections 12 and 13 of the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA), 2020.

“The revocation was approved by the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. OlayemiCardoso, following the banks’ failure to meet the regulatory requirements for continued operation as licensed financial institutions,” she said.

Others were: failure to commence operations within 12 months of licence approval, and failure to maintain minimum capital funds unimpaired by losses.

Business

Naira Exchange Rates Wednesday July 1, 2026

Published

22 hours ago

July 1, 2026

OCHEFA

23 Views

BLACK MARKET RATES

US DOLLAR (USD) Buy ₦1, 395 Sell ₦1, 405

GREAT BRITISH POUND (GBP) Buy ₦1,850 Sell: ₦1,870

EURO (EUR) Buy ₦1, 580 Sell ₦1,600

CANADIAN DOLLAR (CAD) Buy ₦1,030 Sell ₦1,100

SOUTH AFRICAN RAND (ZAR) Buy ₦75 Sell ₦90

UAE DIRHAM Buy ₦350 Sell ₦370

CHINESE YUAN Buy ₦180 Sell ₦200

GHANA CEDI (GHS) Buy ₦95 Sell ₦110

WEST AFRICAN CFA Buy ₦2, 380 Sell ₦2, 460

CENTRAL AFRICAN CFA Buy ₦2, 220 Sell 2,300

AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR Buy ₦800 Sell ₦900

CBN OFFICIAL EXCHANGE RATES

US DOLLAR (USD) ₦1,370. 68

GREAT BRITISH POUND (GBP) ₦1,825.05

EURO (EUR) ₦1,572.98

SWISS FRANC (CHF) ₦1,705.00

JAPANESE YEN (JPN) ₦8.50

CHINESE YUAN (CNY) ₦203. 32

WEST AFRICAN CFA (XOF) ₦2.41

WEST AFRICAN UNIT ACCOUNT (WAUA) ₦1,875. 81

SAUDI RIYAL (SAR) ₦367.19

SOUTH AFRICAN RAND (ZAR) ₦84.12

Business

FG Moves to Sheild Pig Industry from Deadly Swine Fever

Published

23 hours ago

July 1, 2026

Charles Flames

36 Views

The Federal Government has intensified efforts to protect Nigeria’s pig industry from the growing threat of African Swine Fever, a highly contagious livestock disease.

The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, says the government is strengthening biosecurity measures, disease surveillance, and stakeholder collaboration to prevent the spread of the disease and safeguard livestock production nationwide.

Speaking during a technical presentation on the status of African Swine Fever in Nigeria, the Minister commended the Chief Veterinary Officer of the Federation, Dr. Yakubu Yanet Ago, for sharing lessons from a recent study visit to Denmark.

He said that the experiences gained from the visit would help Nigeria develop practical solutions to livestock health challenges and improve preparedness against disease outbreaks.

Maiha highlighted Denmark’s pig traceability and compensation system, where every pig is tracked from birth and farmers contribute to a dedicated fund that provides compensation during disease outbreaks.

According to him, such a model encourages early disease reporting, strengthens transparency, and could be adapted to support Nigeria’s livestock sector.

The Minister also pointed to Denmark’s strict biosecurity measures, including mandatory disinfection of vehicles transporting pigs and controls to prevent contact with wild animals.

He stressed that biosecurity should be viewed as an investment rather than a burden, noting that strict movement controls and farm access restrictions have proven effective in containing disease outbreaks.

To strengthen disease prevention, the Minister directed relevant departments to map livestock movement routes, identify major pig markets and commercial farms, improve animal traceability systems, and deepen collaboration with pig farmers, state governments, and development partners.

He also called for stronger surveillance systems, improved laboratory capacity, and greater investment in veterinary research.

In his remarks, the Chief Veterinary Officer of the Federation, Dr. Yakubu Yanet Ago, described African Swine Fever as a devastating viral disease with mortality rates of up to one hundred percent and revealed that outbreaks have been recorded in about twelve states.

He revealed that the Federal Government’s response focuses on improved surveillance, farmer education, and stronger biosecurity, while urging greater cooperation among all tiers of government, increased funding, and alignment with international disease control strategies to achieve long-term eradication of the disease.