Angus Tse Sui-lun (above) and his team are determined to give their competitors a run for their money. Provided to China Daily

Breaking even

To get a 1,000-square-foot store with a seating capacity of up to 50 people off the ground calls for an investment of about 600,000 yuan ($98,000). Taking into account that rents on the mainland are much lower than Hong Kong's, and with the average spending of each customer at between 30 and 40 yuan, breaking even could be achieved within 18 to 24 months, Tse said.

He stressed that Tong Pak Fu would also consider establishing franchised stores on the mainland.

Tse, now in his 30s, said although running a dessert restaurant chain was his first business attempt, he has been devoted to entrepreneurship since childhood.

"I developed that passion for business when I was very young. I used to sell toys when I was a teenager," he recalled.

Before launching his own company, Tse had worked for publicly-listed companies in the food-and-beverage industry for about 10 years, and held a senior management post when he quit. This has given him some leverage in the field, he believes.

Tse resigned from his job in 2010 and set up an investment firm Sui Sang Holdings Ltd with his own savings. The company's core business included financial investments, and trading in securities and other financial products and even properties.

The company went on to invest in a small food trading firm and a food processing company. In order to save transportation costs, Tse also acquired a logistics company, applying his knowledge in the industry to the hilt.

In 2012, Sui Sang Holdings took Tong Pak Fu into its fold.

"After the takeover, we did some transformation and brand re-packaging. We closed a few stores that didn't perform very well and brought in new products," Tse said.

The turning point came when he realized that Hong Kong people love desserts, particularly after dinner.

"I always noticed there were long queues at our stores after 8 pm, but the restaurants were usually empty for most of the day and this is a huge waste of resources," he said.

According to Tse, a major upgrade of Tong Pak Fu's menu is in the cards. He plans to increase the variety of Western food like spaghetti, lasagna or even steak, so customers can have lunch or even dinner at Tong Pak Fu, and the company's revenues will thus go up.

Since Sui Sang Holdings owns food trading and processing companies as well as a logistics firm in Hong Kong, Tse said they provide a good synergy effect with Tong Pak Fu restaurants, and Sui Sang may acquire more catering firms or restaurant chains in future.

Tse is upbeat about the group's mainland expansion drive, and is confident that Hong Kong's dessert restaurants have won recognition from mainland customers.

"You can see that Hui Lau Shan and Honeymoon Dessert are doing very well on the mainland. Although Tong Pak Fu is just a starter, hopefully, the day will come when we'll emerge as a dessert brand that people can compare us with Honeymoon Dessert and Hui Lau Shan," he said.

Tse admits that being an entrepreneur is more difficult than investing in financial products, as there are a lot of new things to learn and many new problems to solve on a daily basis.

"But being an entrepreneur is very fulfilling and it gives me a great sense of accomplishment by knowing that my restaurants are getting better and I'm able to keep so many employees on my payroll," he said.

Tse's company now has more than 100 employees, and he's constantly discussing with consultants about how to scale the heights and nail any problems that might arise.

"I barely have time to eat and only sleeps three to four hours a day," Tse groaned. "I know that many young entrepreneurs in Hong Kong are working as hard as I am, yet many of them still fail to get their own business on track."

"I consider myself very lucky and business is my passion, Maybe, that's what keeps driving me forward."

Tse urged young people in Hong Kong who aim to have their own business sealed someday to be well prepared and get things organized.

"Of course, they need to start saving money as early as possible as it's not easy to get funding the minute you come up with clever business ideas."