For the second round of Young Glory, we were tasked to help small local businesses around us overcome COVID-19 struggles and thrive in the new normal.

This hit close to home for us because we’ve seen first-hand the damage that COVID-19 has done to the small businesses in the tiny island of Singapore—especially brick and motar stores that were already struggling to survive amidst the e-commerce boom pre-COVID. 

We came to realise that there was a very real, everday, annoyance that COVID-19 has brought about for all Singaporeans. It comes in the form of a tiny little square that serves as a literal barrier to entry to anywhere in Singapore, under the guise of helping with contact tracing. Presenting SafeEntry, something even you (and my grandma) should be familliar with by now.

Here’s how we used this compulsory annoyance that has been added to the everyday lives of Singaporeans, to our (or small local businesses’) advantage.