Tracy Lee Now Runs A Maid Agency; Says She Wants To Be More Than A Stay-At-Home Mum To Her 3-Year-Old Son

Congratulations on the opening of your maid agency! How long was it in the pipeline?

It took us about two months from the day we started planning to the day it was launched. We originally wanted to have our official opening on June 19, which is my birthday, but we couldn’t because of the government's COVID-19 regulations then. We started taking in customers through referrals at the time, but just couldn’t find a time to have a proper opening ceremony. In the end, we decided to do without it and announced it [on social media] in July.

So why a maid agency?

My partner Magdalene has been running her own agency for a while. She wanted me to be her spokesperson for the new branch, but I suggested that we be partners instead because I like the values and mission that her company has.

What are these values?

First off, we’re not a charity and we won’t do things that cause us to lose money (laughs). But we believe in being ethical about our business. Right now, transfer maids are very in demand but there was one case where we paid for a helper’s air ticket home because we felt that she wasn’t suited to work here.

We didn’t want to transfer her to our other customers, or to other agencies. She had attitude problems at her old employer and after speaking to her, we knew that she wouldn't change. This is why I enjoy working with my partner — I know that both of us believe in going the extra mile and aren’t blindly chasing profits.

Does that mean you’ll reject helpers that return to their old agencies because of issues with their past employers?

No. What we believe in is listening to both sides of the story. Sometimes it’s a matter of the helper and employer not being suitable for each other. It doesn’t mean that either party was in the wrong. It just means that things didn’t work out between them. It’s only those who refuse to do basic chores or have attitude problems that we will send home.

How involved are you in the day-to-day operations?

I’ve mostly been taking care of my friends who are looking for helpers. The other clients are handled by my partner and our staff because they have way more experience in this field. I’m still learning the ropes so I’m doing other things such as marketing.

How is business?

Maids are very in demand now but there’s only so much we can do because of the longer wait times [due to restrictions put in place in light of the COVID-19 pandemic]. I just took a look and we have 11 clients who have paid deposits and are waiting for their helpers to come in. The wait time is anywhere from four to six weeks.

We don’t believe in bringing in batches of maids and making them sit in the agency like fishes in a tank, waiting for someone to pick them. The process for our agency is that we get to know the requirements of each employer, interview various maids, then arrange for a call between the helper and potential employer to see if everything is good. If both parties are agreeable, we’ll start the entire process.

We saw that your agency helped Elvin Ng hire a helper recently.

Yes! (Laughs) Elvin approached me to say that he and his family needed a helper, and the interview was conducted by Elvin’s mum since she’s the one who’s usually at home. I was very confident that [the helper we arranged] would be able to handle the chores in Elvin’s place because she used to work at a four-storey landed property. [Ed: Elvin and his family live in a three-storey semi-D.]

Did you have any bad experiences with helpers that made you want to start an agency of your own?

Thankfully not. But I’ve seen helpers outside who use their phones and ignore the kids when walking them home, or let the kids run around on their own and not care about them at all.

Are you very particular about your own helper?

I became more particular after I had my son. Before that, my only requirements were that they do the chores, don’t bring strangers home, and don’t steal. I only realised how important it was to have a helper who loves children after I became a mother.

Does being the co-owner of the maid agency mean that you spend less time with your son?

The reason I chose to be part of an employment agency is because I can spend most of my time working from home. Of course, we have meetings but I schedule my time so that I’m only busy when he’s at kindergarten or taking a nap. I feel that being hands-on with him is important.

A lot of people do wonder why you're working so hard. You certainly aren't struggling financially, to put it crassly.

There have been people who joke that I don’t need to work [to provide for my family] but I feel that I’m not someone who can just be a tai tai (laughs). I need to keep track of what I’m doing and stay in touch with the world.

When my son grows up, I don’t want to feel like I no longer have anything that I'm good in, and I don’t want him to feel that I’m just a stay-at-home mum. I do all these for the sense of fulfilment I get when I help others, rather than for the profits. For example, for my online marketplace, I’ve had customers tell me that the supplements [that they buy from me] have helped them become healthier, and that made me really happy.

How do you strike a balance between being a full-time mummy and your businesses?

My son is my priority so there are things that I’ve given up because I’ll have to spend too much time outside. For example, I wanted to learn TCM but I spoke to some of my friends, including [TV host-turned full-time-TCM-physician] Pornsak, who said that I would have to spend quite a lot of time attending practical classes, so I gave up on the idea since in-person attendance is very important to graduate.

I don’t want “Hold on” to become the phrase that I say to Ben Junior the most; I want to become his best friend as he grows up so bonding is very important.

Do you think you'll have to give up being a working mum when he starts going to primary school and you would have to monitor his school work?

(Laughs) I think I’ll have more time for myself when he grows up! Perhaps because I’m from Malaysia that's why I’m a bit more relaxed about this. I’m not the kind of parent who will insist on sending him to all sorts of tuition classes, neither am I very particular on the primary school he goes to. My so-called work-life balance is basically just me arranging my entire life around him (chuckles).

Photos: Tracy Lee