At just 22, Daphne Goh dove into the café world with a marketing degree, a $200K startup fund, and a passion for coffee—launching her first café, Assembly. That’s where she met Shirlynn Eng, a linguistics graduate who, despite receiving a full-time offer as editor, continued working part-time in the kitchen for a year. When Daphne was ready to open her second café, Atlas, she knew exactly who to call—and invited Shirlynn to join her as a partner.

In this episode of NOTG, Melvin Lim chats with Co-Founders Daphne and Shirlynn. They look back to their unconventional journey—how they grew from The Atlas Group of Cafés from one café to a collection of six uniquely crafted brands. They share what it was like building something from scratch, the tough calls, the self-doubts, and the importance of finding the right people and holding on to trust. They also reveal the behind-the-scenes realities most people don’t see in the F&B world—like managing peers of the same age, and realising that leadership means aligning expectations and standing firm—even with friends.

If you’re thinking of starting your own venture or leading a team, there’s a wealth of wisdom waiting for you in this episode!

00:00 Introduction