At Prime, we hold our clients’ stories close to our hearts. For the month of August, we are spotlighting Kristen, the dynamic business owner behind SWISH! Swimming and Tonic Pools in Singapore.
Originally from Australia, Kristen has seamlessly integrated into the Singaporean business landscape, with insights offering a personal perspective on navigating life as an expat business owner. With Prime by her side, Kristen manages her busy schedule, balances her ventures, and explores new opportunities while maintaining quality time spent with her family.
“Having a car in Singapore has just been a non-negotiable for us”, shared Kristen. “I have two young kids and I drive them to and from school. I am busy with my businesses so I don’t really have the chance to navigate public transport.”
“The most important thing for me in having a car is that one-on-one time that I have with my kids, driving them to and from school. It is that 15 minutes of conversation that we don’t always get, and that is really special.”
Recommended by friends, Kristen first got to know about Prime through word-of-mouth. “I am very aware of how difficult it is to find great customer service, so when you come across a business like Prime that is doing it, you don’t take it for granted”, said the business owner who currently employs 25-27 staff across her businesses, priding themselves in providing service excellence through her ventures.
“If there was one word to describe Prime, I would say exceptional”, said Kristen. “They were responsive every time when I had questions, many questions, whether it was for personal car rental or business car rental.”
Like any other sharp-minded entrepreneurs, Kristen saw the opportunity to bringing the culture of swimming from Australia to Singapore. “In Australia, the culture is there from the minute the child is born, it is just a non-negotiable that you would have your child learn to swim, and you would be involved in swimming”, shared Kristen. “Then, you would create these natural swimmers – these people who are strong across different water bodies.”
Founded in 2014, SWISH! prides itself on the philosophy that learning to swim is an essential life-saving skill, and that unlocking the joy of swimming will give a child the confidence to achieve much more. As Singapore’s only dedicated indoor and outdoor swim school, SWISH! offers temperature controlled pools in the lush surroundings of Dempsey Hill for a shiver free swimming experience.
As a non-permanent resident expat business owner in Singapore, there were bound to be challenges when it comes to setting up or running your business here locally. “I am only limited to running one business, and there are so many more that I know I could do, that I could build to employ more Singaporeans just like I have with Swish”, shared Kristen. Despite some challenges, Singapore is still a conducive and supportive environment for entrepreneurs. “During the pandemic, there were exceptional help from the government, so Singapore was really a frontrunner in that respect.”
Kristen’s new venture is Tonic Pools, that was recently started as a natural offshoot from SWISH! Swimming through a decade’s worth of understanding what it takes to manage a good pool. Drawing from her experience in managing Swish, Kristen realized that there are many pools here that are not adequately maintained and that people often lack knowledge in this area. Therefore, she started Tonic to address these issues. “To manage a good pool, there is that pool water that is good for skin, clothing, eyes, sinuses, and also for the condition of the pool – the equipment, lining”, said Kristen. “Pools are expensive, so we started a pool maintenance company to hopefully bring that level of expertise into residence and eventually, commercial settings.”
To learn more about SWISH! Swimming or Tonic Pools, visit their respective websites by clicking their linked names. If you are looking for high quality and dedicated car rental services, feel free to enquire with us today to know more about our current attractive packages offered.
