Straits Club, a passionate Malaysian cuisine concept in Singapore's competitive F&B landscape, began with a founder's culinary vision but quickly encountered the harsh realities of regulatory compliance. As James Ong navigated the complex world of GST management, high-volume transaction reconciliation, and stringent corporate filings, these back-office demands threatened to overshadow his core business focus. This success story explores how ATHR's industry-specific expertise and genuine partnership approach transformed Straits Club's operational chaos into a well-oiled compliance machine, allowing the founder to redirect his energy toward what truly matters—delivering exceptional dining experiences.
James Ong founded Straits Club, an F&B concept rooted in his passion for Malaysian cuisine. But as the business took shape, it wasn’t long before the financial and regulatory pressures became overwhelming. Like many early-stage founders, James faced the steep learning curve of managing proper accounting systems, navigating Singapore’s complex tax landscape, and keeping up with corporate compliance requirements.
With limited time and resources, these back-end responsibilities became a major source of stress — threatening to derail progress and distract from building the core business. What he needed wasn’t just technical help, but a reliable partner who could take ownership of these critical functions and allow him to focus on growth.
Running an F&B business introduces unique accounting and tax challenges. James quickly found himself dealing with:
Add to this the rigid compliance rules for corporate filings and tax deadlines, and the pressure grew fast.
That’s when James was introduced to ATHR Corporate Services — and everything changed.
More than just offering accounting services, experts from the ATHR team took the time to understand the F&B-specific demands of James’s business.
"They’ve been an absolute lifeline for our start-up, providing not just outsourced help, but a true partnership we can rely on"
— James Ong, Founder & Director, Straits Club
At ATHR, we understand that founders wear many hats. Our goal is to lighten that load by providing not just services, but genuine partnerships. For start-ups in the F&B space, we offer sector-specific expertise that helps avoid common pitfalls and gives founders the clarity they need to make informed decisions.
We pride ourselves on being responsive, proactive, and human. Whether it’s managing statutory requirements or offering guidance on financial planning, our team becomes an extension of yours — focused on your success, every step of the way.
“I can't express enough gratitude for the incredible support and service from the ATHR team, especially Victoria, Tracy, and Wei Han. Their understanding of our needs goes beyond expectations, and they always respond with such care and promptness. They’ve been an absolute lifeline for our start-up, providing not just outsourced help, but a true partnership we can rely on. We deeply appreciate their unwavering dedication, amazing attitude, and personal attention every step of the way.” - James Ong, Founder & Director of Straits Club
The ATHR Content Team is a group of professional writers from Singapore and the Philippines, committed to delivering informative, practical, and engaging content for business owners across Southeast Asia.
