Two weeks after opening her dream enterprise, a horror-themed artwork jamming studio in Singapore known as Scuro, Merida Lim was already pondering of quitting.
“I used to be so unhappy as a result of I felt prefer it wasn’t a viable enterprise thought, however I used to be trapped as a result of I signed a two-year lease,” Lim, who’s now 20, informed Enterprise Insider. “If I had been to violate that lease, I might pay hundreds and hundreds of {dollars}, which is insane to me as a 19-year-old.”
The weeks main as much as Scuro’s grand opening in October 2024 had been a whirlwind of preparations. Lim and her buddies spent about two weeks portray the shophouse partitions black, assembling furnishings, and establishing decorations.
Merida Lim
Opening up round Halloween generated buzz for Scuro, incomes a number of thousand {dollars}, however enterprise fizzled out because the seasons shifted to Christmas and past.
“I broke even and made a little bit of revenue throughout Halloween, nevertheless it was clear to me that it was not a long-lasting idea,” she stated.
It was sink or swim.
Lim, then a second-year college artwork scholar, needed to sort out a difficulty that has stumped even essentially the most veteran enterprise leaders: building a consistent clientele.
“I used to be like, ‘What’s the quickest manner for me to pivot into one thing that is extra household pleasant?'”
Scuro is now a neon artwork studio that gives workshops, birthday events, and crew bonding occasions. Since Might 2025, she’s earned over $320,000.
Merida Lim
Just a little assist from social media
By December 2024, Lim had hand-painted shiny fluorescent designs on her black studio partitions and rebranded it as a correct neon artwork studio. Nevertheless, only a few knew about it.
“Scuro began selecting up after we did extra neon, so I marketed {that a} bit extra,” Lim stated.
In Gen Z fashion, Lim hopped on a social media pattern that concerned inviting YouTuber JianHao Tan — who has over 10 million followers throughout social media — to her studio. Tan and his household visited Scuro in January, serving to carry extra consideration to Lim’s enterprise.
Merida Lim
“That established us because the viral studio,” Lim stated. “Then I targeted a bit extra on social media advertising and boosting the advertisements.”
Lim reworked the enterprise’s technique and targeted on birthday events, which had been a success with native households, incomes over $22,000 in income in Might 2025. The corporate’s workshops additionally proved widespread with households looking for weekend and vacation actions, however Lim stated Scuro wanted a service that might make it invaluable to a broader buyer base.
Merida Lim
“Crew bonding is already an enormous enterprise in Singapore, however we realized that while you put folks in such an immersive setting, naturally, conversations will circulate higher they usually have a enjoyable time with the folks there,” Lim stated.
She added that including crew bonding occasions may help stabilize her enterprise.
“With crew bonding, I can signal contracts to do an entire part of an organization,” Lim stated. “We additionally do occasions in neighborhood facilities with the federal government.”
Chasing new heights
Merida Lim
Scuro has since expanded to 3 studios, together with one in Singapore’s Little India neighborhood, however Lim stated steering from mentors and buyers has helped her enterprise in the precise course.
“Do not be afraid to be the dumbest individual within the room. If you’re the dumbest individual, you might be in the precise room,” Lim stated. “You might be right here to be taught and get all the data you may.”
Lim is now excited by the probabilities. Her aim is to safe 10 business-to-business partnerships and work with occasion organizers in Singapore.
“For Scuro, we’re aiming to succeed in $3 million in annual income by the top of three years. That is our North Star,” Lim stated. “We want to be the OG Singapore Neon model.”
