Mangla Sachdev

What do you do for a living?

I run Printsipal, a t-shirt and corporate gift and printing company with my business partner Miriam. We do T-shirts, hoodies, caps, swim bags, tote bags, mugs, umbrellas and a lot more.

How did your business come about?

Quite by accident – we didn’t plan to start anything but we somehow had our first customer even before we realised we were in business. Miriam and I volunteered a great deal at our children’s school. We were given the task of sourcing T-shirts for the school drama productions and the company we usually partner with was having trouble during the pandemic. In order to help them out, we decided to buy their business and entire stock of 1017 T-shirts, and that is how we started.

What’s something interesting that you’ve been working on recently?

Choosing to work with women-owned businesses primarily (for a change) – it takes a whole lot of guts to start something in a foreign country but it has been an amazing experience navigating this endeavour together as a tribe!

What do you spend a silly amount of time on?

To-do lists!! It is my secret love. I will read anything and everything on productivity and being organised.  I’m a planning freak! 

What is the best restaurant you have eaten at this year?

Yuan Xiang Vegetarian on Changi Road.  Not only do they serve fantastic vegetarian food, the lovely ladies who run it are always super friendly. Try the vegetarian chilli chicken, and their vegetarian satay is absolutely delicious. 

What’s the best advice you’ve been given?

Too many to list.  Everyone I’ve come across has taught me something.  If you look for opportunities to learn from each experience and each interaction, you’ll always find them. 

What makes you happy | what makes you feel at peace?

Being around positive people, meditation, meeting new people, podcasts, and enjoying this amazing adventure in Singapore.   

What is one of your favourite quotes?

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ― Maya Angelou.

How can someone win a gold star with you?

Kind people are my kind of people. 

What is one thing that bothers you most about the world today?

Negative news will spread like wildfire and positive uplifting news rarely goes viral.  We’ve become a tabloid society.