They met on Tinder at the age of 19. Now, they're married and run

When Kai Yang Chan and Jiayi Zhuo met on Tinder at the age of 19, neither of them imagined it would lead to marriage. Six years later, they're not only married but also business partners.

"I downloaded Tinder because I was so bored at school, so I would just swipe in class," Zhuo said. "Neither of us expected we'd end up together," she said.

"Personality-wise, we're very different," she added, adding that although she's more introverted, her husband is the life of the party.

Today, Chan and Zhuo run the Singapore-based bakery "CakeInspiration." According to documents, her business generated revenue of over 850,000 Singapore dollars (about $650,000) in 2024 and is on track to surpass $775,000 this year.

The company is known for its custom cake designs, and its clients include family offices, hospitals, and even global celebrities.

A Family Affair

CakeInspiration began in 2010 as a home bakery run by Zhuo's parents.

"My parents actually started [the business] when I was nine years old," Zhuo said. "I've never been much of a student, but I love hands-on work. So I love baking, dancing. I love making all these little beautiful things." From the early days of the business, she often helped design cakes.

Then, when the pandemic hit, sales dropped drastically, and the business needed cash to keep afloat. With her parents thinking about retirement, Zhuo knew it was time for her to get involved.

A Family Affair

CakeInspiration began in 2010 as a home bakery run by Zhuo's parents.

Zuo said, "My parents started [this business] when I was nine years old. I wasn't much interested in studies, but I love trying my hand. So I love baking, dancing, and making all these beautiful little things." From the early days of the business, she often helped design cakes.

Then, when the pandemic hit, sales dropped drastically, and the business needed cash to keep afloat. With her parents thinking about retirement, Zhuo knew it was time for her to get involved.

Aiming for the Stars

Like Zuo, Chan's passion extended beyond academics.

"I wasn't particularly interested in studies, [but] I always loved the idea of ​​entrepreneurship and doing my own thing," Chan said. "Since I was 16, I started my own small startups, selling whatever I could find. I would sell sneakers, buy them, clean them, and sell them. You know, I did whatever I could to make money," he said.

In 2022, he decided to join the family business full-time with his wife. They introduced a new strategy: instead of selling directly to individual consumers (B2C), they suggested selling to other businesses (B2B) to create a more consistent source of revenue.

In addition, they focused on building the company's brand online. Along with building his presence on social media platforms, Chan began targeting celebrities and influencers visiting the city.

In June, three Korean-American content creators—Evelyn, Erica, and Emily Ha—were in Singapore for a beauty store pop-up event. When Chan learned they were in town, he saw an opportunity to surprise them with a cake.

"It was really funny, because they were in Singapore for a beauty store pop-up... They posted a story of themselves at a hotel, and I thought: 'Hey, this looks so familiar. I know which hotel this is,'" he said. "So I just made a cake and then we went to the hotel."

Chan and his team quickly made a special cake for the sisters and timed the delivery to coincide with the end of the Ha sisters' event. "Obviously, after the pop-up, you have to go back to the hotel to change, right? Yeah. So I went there at the same time," he said.

Coincidentally, his timing was perfect. As he arrived at the hotel entrance with the cake in hand, he met his sisters—and they surprised him. One of the Ha sisters later shared a video of the cake on social media, which eventually garnered over 500,000 views.

This interaction laid the foundation for the company's celebrity marketing strategy. To date, Cake Inspiration has created custom cakes for artists like Lisa of the K-pop band Blackpink, Russell Simmons, G-Dragon, and others.

Despite common advice to avoid working with your partner, working together as a couple has actually been a huge advantage for Chan and Zhuo. While Chan is most adept at partnerships, marketing, and external affairs, Zhuo is most adept at handling day-to-day operations and all internal matters.

"We don't have any conflicts at work because our roles are very clear... so we generally