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.

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.

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.”

Chew said that in the early days, he and his brother did anything and everything that people were willing to hire them for, and they would go as far as to set an alarm at 4 a.m. to make sure they could respond to early messages from potential customers.

Throughout this time, there were many hard lessons learned and some jobs they shouldn’t have taken, Chew said in hindsight.

″[Maybe] expectations were completely different, or perhaps they were just really cheap and it was a pain for us, or … they were not very nice people,” he said. “We just took whatever came our way because we kind of believed the societal belief that we were lower than the rest or not as respected, so we were kind of just grateful for whatever we got.”

It wasn’t until 2021 when both brothers decided turn Repair.sg from their hobby into a full-blown business that it began to grow and scale. The two also decided against attending university so they can focus on the business instead.

The Chew brothers are part of a wave of Gen Zers who are choosing blue-collar industries over white-collar ones, or over attending university, in some cases.

While the two enjoy their work, they’ve faced lots of pushback by their parents and strangers alike, said Chew. “Growing up, our parents always [told] us things like: ‘If you don’t study hard, you’re going to end up doing a manual labor job, and it’s going to be awful. Don’t you want to sit in an office with aircon?’” he said.

″[And] when we started speaking [with customers] … they would tell us to our face: ’You guys are kids. You guys should be studying in school and not doing this kind of work. This is for people that quote, unquote, don’t make it in life,” he said.

Due to the societal stigma around blue collar jobs, Chew says he and his brother tried to keep their business a secret for a while.

“We were always very insecure about what we did, because while we did enjoy it, the negativity did get to us. So we made it a point to not publicize that we were doing this,” he said.

However, he has now recognized that fundamentally, the work they provide creates great value for customers. Additionally, he enjoys the job, and loves that he gets to work with his brother — which was ultimately more important than how others view their vocation.

“I’m optimistic for the future of the space,” he said, adding that in the last few years, he’s seen an uptick in the amount of younger people entering blue-collar industries. In fact, Chew says some of his friends have left their white-collar jobs for blue-collar ones, and “a lot of them are happier than they ever were.”

“I’m happy that I didn’t listen to anyone else and [kept going], because if I were forced to sit in an air conditioned office five days a week, typing away at a computer, I don’t think I would experience the same amount of happiness, fulfillment, joy that I do running this business with my brother today,” said Chew.

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Colder weather and, for many, some time off for the holidays makes winter a perfect time of year to “catch up on reading,” according to billionaire and avid reader Bill Gates.

“There’s something about the quieter days around the holidays that makes it easier to sit down with a good book,” Gates wrote in a blog post published on Tuesday that includes his latest annual list of holiday season book recommendations.

Gates’ list of “recent favorites” includes a wide variety of authors and genres, from a book by a Harvard psychologist that dissects the concept of “common knowledge” to a fictional work about an aging night janitor in an aquarium. The list also features a media mogul’s recent memoir, a book that Gates calls a “hopeful, fact-driven overview” of the current climate crisis, and a nonfiction political bestseller about government regulations and American innovation.

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“Each of these books pulls back the curtain on how something important really works: how people find purpose later in life, how we should think about climate change, how creative industries evolve, how humans communicate, and how America lost its capacity to build big things — and how to get it back,” wrote Gates.

Here are the five books Gates recommends reading during this holiday season:

‘Remarkably Bright Creatures’ by Shelby Van Pelt

Told partially from the perspective of an octopus, Van Pelt’s 2022 novel meets Gates’ top condition for any work of fiction, he wrote: “I want to read about interesting characters who help me see the world in a new way.”

Gates, who turned 70 in October, also wrote that he related to the book’s human protagonist: a 70-year-old widow named Tova, a janitor working the night shift at the aquarium housing Marcellus the octopus. The book follows a developing friendship between Tova and Marcellus, and Gates referred to it as a thought-provoking exploration of “relationships and getting older,” particularly struggles with loneliness and the search for meaning as one enters the final chapter of their life.

“Van Pelt’s story made me think about the challenge of filling the days after you stop working — and what communities can do to help older people find purpose,” wrote Gates, who has previously said that retirement “sounds awful.”

‘Clearing the Air’ by Hannah Ritchie

Hannah Ritchie is a University of Oxford data scientist who Gates has previously touted for her “surprisingly optimistic” analyses of the ongoing fight against climate change. Her latest book — which published in the U.K. on Sept. 18, and is set to publish in the U.S. in March 2026 — “is one of the clearest explanations of the climate challenge I’ve read,” Gates wrote.

In “Clearing the Air,” Ritchie focuses on 50 questions about the climate crisis — like, whether renewable energy alternatives are too expensive to be effective, or if it’s too late to limit global warming and avoid further climate disasters — offering answers that are “realistic about the risks but grounded in data that shows real progress,” Gates wrote.

Like Ritchie, Gates has touted the environmental movement’s progress — from increased use of solar and wind power to the popularity of electric vehicles — and rejected a “doomsday outlook” of climate change that the billionaire worries could distract us from other areas of concern, he wrote in a separate blog post in October.

Gates has spent decades, and billions of dollars, on combatting climate change. He recently drew some criticism from scientists for arguing that some of the resources earmarked for climate initiatives would be better used on issues like welfare and poverty.

“If you want a hopeful, fact-driven overview of where climate solutions stand, this is a great pick,” Gates wrote of Ritchie’s book on Tuesday.

‘Who Knew’ by Barry Diller

Barry Diller, the billionaire IAC and Expedia chairman who also co-founded Fox Broadcasting, published his memoir in May 2025. Even though Gates considers Diller a longtime friend, he wrote, the media mogul’s book “still managed to surprise and teach me a lot about him, his career, and the many industries he’s transformed.”

Diller is credited with inventing concepts like the made-for-television movie and TV miniseries during his years as an entertainment executive. Later, Diller “was early to see the internet’s potential and willing to bet on it when others weren’t,” including buying Expedia from Microsoft in 2001 and building IAC into one of the earliest media and internet conglomerates, Gates noted.

Gates considered Diller’s book to be insightful about the mogul’s rise to corporate power, he wrote — and “raw and honest” about Diller’s personal life, including a decision to come out as gay earlier this year at age 83.

‘When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows’ by Steven Pinker

“Few people explain the mysteries of human behavior better than Steven Pinker,” Gates wrote about the professor of psychology at Harvard University who studies how humans interact. Pinker’s latest book, which published on Sept. 23, “is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn more about how people communicate,” Gates wrote.

In “When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows,” Pinker explores how “common knowledge” shapes so many aspects of our lives, including how we communicate and work with others. And as Gates wrote: “Most people would benefit from understanding how common knowledge props up every conversation we have,” and how to used that shared understanding to more effectively collaborate with others.

“Although the topic itself is pretty complicated, the book is readable and practical, and it made me see everyday social interactions in a new light,” Gates wrote.

‘Abundance’ by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson

Written by two journalists — Thompson is a contributing writer at The Atlantic and Klein is a columnist at The New York Times and co-founder of Vox — “Abundance” offers “a sharp look at why America seems to struggle to build things and what it will take to fix that,” wrote Gates.

Klein and Thompson argue that regulations, particularly some championed by progressive politicians, have stymied U.S. development in areas ranging from infrastructure and affordable housing to scientific breakthroughs. To fix the bottleneck, the writers propose an “abundance agenda” that would promote spending on development while cutting back on red tape to help accelerate the pace of new projects.

The book has critics on both sides of the political aisle, and Gates wrote that it “doesn’t have all the answers.” However, the writers “are asking the right questions” based on Gates’ own experiences working with government agencies on large-scale global health and climate technology projects, he wrote.

“I’ve seen how the bottlenecks discussed in ‘Abundance’ impede progress in global health — whether we’re trying to improve seeds, design better toilets, or eradicate polio,” Gates wrote. “Sometimes the science itself is hard. But often, the logistics and execution are even harder.”

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The holidays are supposed to bring joy and connection. But for many of us, they bring stress and fraught family dynamics. 

As a couples therapist, I hear the same question every year: “What do I say when my relatives make critical or overstepping comments?” Conflict with extended family is one of the most common reasons couples can feel distant and resentful towards one another. When they come to me, they want to know how to set clear boundaries and not fall back into old patterns.

With their relatives, many people often mistake a request (e.g., “please stop doing that”) for a boundary (e.g., “here’s what I will or won’t do”). Remember that true boundaries are about intentionally protecting your peace.

Here are six phrases to set boundaries with your family this holiday season.

You can use this when a family member says something like you’re raising “soft” kids or, “That’s not how we did it and our kids turned out fine.” You will invite differences without inviting debate. 

You might offer a follow-up conversation, asking, “Would you be open to hearing more about the parenting research we’re following?” 

If your family member isn’t interested in hearing this, or continues to argue from their perspective, avoid engaging in conversation around your parenting choices.

Use this response if someone starts the game of compare and despair, with lines like “You’re spending more time with her side” or “But we always do Thanksgiving together.”

Many couples today are redefining the holidays and choosing rest, presence, and connections over obligation and duty.

Let go of the idea that there is a “right” way to spend the holidays. Make a decision from your values as a couple. 

Use this when a relative undermines your partner with comments like “You know how he is…” or “He’s never been great at that.” 

Comments that pit you against your partner are subtle but corrosive. They invite triangulation, where one person is pulled into taking sides. This ends up harming the couple’s bond. 

This boundary reaffirms unity: You and your partner are allies, not adversaries. It also teaches your in-laws that your marriage is its own family system and deserves respect.

This is a great blanket statement for dealing with hot-button subjects like politics, fertility, family planning, or body image.

For some family members, the only way they know how to create connections is by trying to get a rise out of you. This kind of communication tactic can lead to frustration or resentment.

But you don’t owe anyone an explanation. You’ve made life choices that make sense for you, and you are not on anyone else’s path or timeline.

Repeating your boundary with calm clarity can help you stay grounded and maintain a sense of agency. 

You can rely on this response when a relative enforces food rules to your kids like “You have to finish all of your dinner before you get dessert.”

Even in extended-family spaces, you remain your child’s parent. Assertive, respectful communication not only reinforces boundaries but models self-respect for your children. 

This is a way to teach them to trust themselves, and say “no,” in a kind, clear and firm manner.

Use this phrase when guilt appears in the form of lines like, “It’s too bad you couldn’t stay longer.”

You can be compassionate without taking on someone else’s disappointment. Guilt is often a way people express longing or loss. Acknowledge the feeling without absorbing it.

Many families are consistent and predictable: If they’ve done something before, they’ll likely do it again.

When you stop expecting them to suddenly change, you can focus on what you can control: your preparation, your boundaries, and your presence. 

Dr. Tracy Dalgleish is a clinical psychologist, couples therapist, and relationship expert. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Forbes and Time, and her research has appeared in peer-reviewed academic journals. She is the host of the parenting podcast Dear Dr. Tracy and the author of ”You, Your Husband and His Mother″ and ”I Didn’t Sign Up for This.”

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Every relationship has its rough patches. But what really matters is how you and your partner interact on a regular basis.

As a Harvard-trained psychologist, I’ve found that the happiest couples don’t avoid conflict — they navigate it by speaking to each other with appreciation and respect. Unfortunately, I’ve seen a lot of marriages end due to poor communication and an unwillingness to change.

So if you use any of these phrases with your partner, your relationship is more successful than most others:

It’s tempting to become overly focused on things you don’t like about your partner, and to point them out at every chance you get.

But it’s important to highlight the good in their actions. Happy couples express gratitude for each other’s efforts. It’s a great way to make everyone feel valued.

Similar phrases: 

• “I appreciate that you work so hard to support our family.”
• “I’m grateful that you take the kids to school because it helps me get things done in the morning.”

The healthiest couples don’t just love each other, they like each other, too.

Loving someone is an intense feeling of affection; liking is about seeing them for who they are and acknowledging the attributes you enjoy about them.

Similar phrases:

• “I like that you are so passionate about staying healthy.”
• “I like how devoted you are to your hobbies.”

We all have different upbringings, vulnerabilities, values and beliefs that shape how we think relationships should work.

If your partner reacts to a situation in a way that you don’t understand, telling them that you want to know them better is key to resolving conflict and bonding at a deeper level.

Similar phrases: 

• “I don’t know why this is so upsetting to you. Please help me see your perspective.”
• “I want to work through this together, and I need to understand you better to do that.”

Disagreements are inevitable, but it’s important to still support each other through active listening.

You have to be willing to suspend your desire to be “right” or to get your point across — long enough to hear and empathize with your partner’s perspective.

Similar phrases: 

• “I’ll stop talking now and really try to listen to your point of view.”
• “I want to hear your side of things, even if we ultimately disagree.”

When things don’t go right or as planned, healthy couples know that both partners play a part in the situation.

Taking responsibility for our role in those conflicts — and genuinely apologizing — is critical to repairing rifts.

Similar phrases: 

• “I didn’t communicate my feelings in a respectful way to you, and I’m sorry for that.”
• “I didn’t like the way you acted last night, but I also need to apologize for lashing out.”

Forgiveness is hard. It requires being vulnerable, letting go of something that caused you pain, and changing your feelings towards your partner.

But studies have shown that couples who practice forgiveness are more likely to enjoy longer, more satisfying relationships. 

Similar phrases: 

• “I know we can’t change the past, so I’m actively trying to let it go and move forward.”
• “I made a mistake and I’m trying to forgive myself. I hope you can forgive me, too.”

Being in a relationship is a choice. Reassuring your partner that you’re still choosing to be with them and to work through challenges will help create a sense of safety and stability.

Similar phrases:

• “Even when times are tough, I still choose to be with you.”
• “I’m here and I want to make this work with you. We’re a team.”

If you can find humor (or playfully tease each other) during tense moments, your relationship might be stronger than you think.

The happiest couples are able to break tension and recalibrate the mood by finding room for an authentic smile, silly banter or a lighthearted joke.

Similar phrases: 

• “We should get some fresh air. Want to do something fun today?”
• “I know I’m a lot sometimes. Let’s take a breather from the tough topics and watch a comedy.”

This one is simple but always worth reminding. Verbally expressing your romantic love for one another keeps the relationship alive. And when you say it, make sure you truly mean it.

Dr. Cortney S. Warren, PhD, is a board-certified psychologist and author of “Letting Go of Your Ex.” She specializes in marriages, love addiction and breakups, and received her clinical training at Harvard Medical School. She has written almost 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and delivered more than 75 presentations on the psychology of relationships. Follow her on Twitter @DrCortneyWarren.

Don’t miss:

• An 85-year Harvard study found the No. 1 thing that makes us happy in life: It helps us ‘live longer’
• Here’s the No. 1 phrase used in successful relationships, say psychologists who studied 40,000 couples
• Harvard-trained psychologist: If you use any of these 8 toxic phrases, ‘your relationship is in trouble’

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People with narcissistic traits often have an inflated sense of their own talents, achievements and significance in the world. They’re sensitive to criticism and struggle to have any empathy or appreciation for others.

This self-centered focus on their own needs is usually at the expense of everyone around them, which makes communicating with them challenging. You may be left feeling dismissed, criticized or invisible.

As a Harvard-trained psychologist, I’ve found that there are seven phrases you’ll hear from highly narcissistic people:

Narcissists see themselves as special and better than everyone else. They believe that other people should feel grateful to be in their orbit because they are all so flawed in comparison.

Similar phrases: 

• “You don’t deserve me.”
• “You should feel relieved that I haven’t cut you out of my life.”

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Many narcissists are chronically disappointed by others. In response, they may put those people down with cutting, hurtful and mean-spirited insults.

Similar phrases: 

• “You’re such a loser.”
• “No one else would ever want to be with you.”

Narcissists often resort to manipulative tactics like threats or intimidation to keep people invested in the relationship because they feel safer maintaining control, rather than sharing power.

Similar phrases: 

• “Be careful or you’ll push me away.”
• “I’ll ruin you if you cross me, and no one will want to be associated with you.”

It’s hard for people with narcissistic traits to empathize with others. As a result, they rarely see the other person in a relationship as an independent individual with their own thoughts, feelings and experiences.

Similar phrases: 

• “My feelings matter more.”
• “I’m usually right.”

Narcissists have a strong desire to feel superior to others. One way they do that is by putting people down. They tend to make negative comments about everyone else — friends, family or even unknown acquaintances — to build themselves up as part of a separate, special kind of person. 

Similar phrases: 

• “Your friend is lame. Why do you hang out with them?”
• “These people have nothing to offer me.”

When a narcissist is upset, they’ll blame others for their feelings instead of acknowledging their role in the situation. Rather than holding themselves accountable, they’ll complain about how unfair other people are.

Similar phrases: 

• “If you just did what I asked you to do, I wouldn’t be so upset right now.”
• “I wouldn’t be yelling if you didn’t make me so angry!”

People with narcissistic tendencies are good at stonewalling — cutting off communication to show how upset they are. They will pretend to not be affected, while giving you the silent treatment.

Similar phrases: 

• “I’m fine. What are you even talking about?”
• Saying nothing at all.

The best way to respond to a narcissist is not to react at all. Pause in the moment, but don’t leave the conversation entirely. Don’t yell or become defensive.

After a deep breath, you can say, “I need to think about this before I respond, so I’m going to need a minute.” This will give you time to collect your thoughts and notice your emotions. More importantly, you’ll be less likely to say something you might regret later.

Then, set clear boundaries. Here are some examples:

• “I hear you, I just don’t agree with you.”
• “Thank you for sharing your perspective. When you’re open to hearing mine, I can share it.”
• “It sounds like you’re having a lot of feelings right now. I am here to listen if you’d like, but if you put me down or intentionally try to hurt me, I am going to walk away because it isn’t healthy for me to be called names.”
• “I want you to know that I see you and I hear your perspective. I just have a different one, and that’s okay with me.”

Remember, while a narcissist may continue to communicate in harmful ways, their words can’t have power over you unless you let them.

Their most common communication tactics are manipulation and control. That is a reflection of who they are and how they experience their world, not a reflection of you and your values.

Dr. Cortney S. Warren, PhD, is a board-certified psychologist and author of the new book “Letting Go of Your Ex.” She specializes in romantic relationships, addictive behavior, and honesty. She received her clinical training at Harvard Medical School after earning her doctorate in clinical psychology from Texas A&M University. Follow her on Instagram @DrCortneyWarren or Twitter @DrCortneyWarren.

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