January 2023 was supposed to mark a new beginning for Sukaimi Sukri.
The 47-year-old had remarried and was looking forward to building a new life with his wife and his two daughters from his previous marriage, now aged 21 and 13.
Then, in the same month, he was retrenched.
For more than two years, Sukaimi had worked as a Customer Success and Marketing Director at an international systems integrator, helping companies on their digital transformation journeys.
Suddenly, the job and the security that came with it were gone.
But rather than wait for another opportunity to come along, Sukaimi decided to create one for himself.
He partnered with a former colleague based overseas to start a company providing similar digital services.
Sukaimi handled business development, while a team of developers overseas handled the technical work.
For about a year, things went well. Then came more bad news.
His business partner had fallen into debt and needed to withdraw the money he had invested in the company.
Sukaimi soon discovered there was another problem. The overseas developers they had been working with had not been paid for nearly three months.
Just over a year after losing his job, Sukaimi was staring at another ending.
He could walk away, find another full-time job and concentrate on providing for his family. Or he could try to save what they had built.
“I could play the victim and tell all the developers that I had been working with, ‘Sorry, I cannot help. I need to find a full-time job,’” he said.
“Or I could find money, rehire the team and continue to service my clients.”
For Sukaimi, there was really only one choice.
He started Code&Canvas Pte Ltd and took over the work himself.
But keeping the business going meant first dealing with what had been left behind.
Sukaimi pooled whatever resources he could find. He even sold some of his belongings to settle the outstanding salaries owed to the developers.
The unpaid salaries were not his doing. That did not matter much to him.
“It has to do with my reputation and, personally, it is not how I would want to run things,” he said.
People had done the work and were waiting to be paid. Sukaimi wanted to do right by them.
But there was another responsibility waiting for him at home.
His daughters were still studying. There were household bills to pay. And without the security of a regular salary, there was little certainty over how much money would come in each month.
Sukaimi was trying to keep a young business alive while making sure the uncertainty did not spill over to his family.
It was during this period that he remembered something he had almost overlooked.
He was an NTUC member.
Following his retrenchment, Sukaimi had visited the NTUC website because he was considering whether to pursue the matter, as he felt what had happened to him was unfair.
While looking through the website, he came across information about financial assistance available through the NTUC-U Care Fund.
He decided to apply.
Sukaimi received assistance through the CapitaLand-U Care Resilience & Enablement Fund, or CAP+Ure Fund, which supports eligible NTUC members facing sudden financial hardship.
It was not going to solve every problem he had.
But at a time when every dollar mattered, it meant one less thing to worry about.
“With the support of NTUC Care, the journey became more bearable,” he said.
For Sukaimi, the help came at a time when he was trying to rebuild his livelihood while continuing to provide for his family.
And financial assistance was not the only support that helped him through the uncertainty.
There was also his wife.
Their marriage had begun at almost the same time Sukaimi's working life was thrown into uncertainty.
What was supposed to have been a fresh start became a period of retrenchment, financial pressure and the ups and downs of trying to build a business.
Through it all, Sukaimi said his wife gave him something he needed just as much: peace of mind.
“I was blessed, I guess, to have found this other partner,” he said.
“She provided a stable ground for me to have a clear mind to do what I needed to do.”
It allowed him to concentrate on what was in front of him.
And there was plenty to do.
Today, Sukaimi continues to run Code&Canvas.
He has also been preparing himself for whatever changes may come next.
He completed a Full Stack Developer programme with NTUC LearningHub, adding technical skills to his experience in customer success, marketing and business development.
If the past few years have taught him anything, it is that circumstances can change quickly.
A job can disappear. A business partnership can fall apart. Plans made for one year can look very different a few months later.
What matters, Sukaimi believes, is knowing what you are trying to protect.
For him, the answer has always been his family. That is also why he believes workers facing retrenchment or financial hardship should not hesitate to seek support when they need it.
“Think about your family first,” he said.
It is a simple piece of advice, but one Sukaimi has had to follow more than once.
When he was retrenched, it meant finding another way to earn a living. When his business partnership collapsed, it meant deciding to start again.
And when things became difficult, it also meant knowing when to accept a helping hand.
Click here to see if you are eligible for any NTUC-U Care Fund assistance.
