Editorial Assistant: Randall Chong books beyond borders owner wiki.sg entry

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Randall Chong books beyond borders owner wiki.sg entry

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{{Infobox person
| image = Randall_Chong_infobox.jpg
| education = Diploma in Business Studies (Marketing Major)
Bachelor's Degree in Marketing (Business Management)
| alma mater = Ngee Ann Polytechnic
RMIT University
}}

Randall Chong (born 1992) is a 33-year old Singaporean entrepreneur and social bookstore owner best known as the founder of Books Beyond Borders, a social enterprise and independent bookstore that blends commerce with purpose. He stepped away from a conventional corporate career to build a business that supports education initiatives, particularly in rural Nepal, using books as the medium for fundraising and community engagement.<ref name=":0">Oh, Ethan. “[https://mustsharenews.com/bookstore-children-education-nepal/ S’porean quits tech startup to start bookstore, raises over S$50K for children’s education in Nepal]” ''Mustsharenews,'' 11 December, 2025. Accessed 18 December 2025.</ref><ref name=":1">“[https://www.sncf.coop/co-op-voice/gen-grit-books-beyond-borders-randall-chong-on-balancing-profit-with-purpose Gen Grit: Books Beyond Borders’ Randall Chong on Balancing Profit with Purpose]” ''Singapore National Co-operative Federation,'' 28 May, 2025. Accessed 18 December 2025.</ref>

==Background and early life==
[[File:Randall Chong journey.jpg|thumb|''Chong’s business in its earlier stages. Photo from [https://anza.org.sg/2025/12/10/pages-with-purpose ANZA].'']]
Before starting Books Beyond Borders, he worked in sales and strategy for tech startups in Bangkok and Singapore.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">“[https://anza.org.sg/2025/12/10/pages-with-purpose Giving back through books: The SG store supporting charity]” ''Australian & New Zealand Association,'' 10 December, 2025. Accessed 18 December 2025.</ref> While his parents were initially unsure about his unconventional career path, they have since become strong supporters of his work.<ref name=":0" /> A pivotal book that inspired him is Leaving Microsoft to Change the World by John Wood, a story about corporate social responsibility that he found in a Kathmandu bookstore.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3">Lam, Diane. “[https://wonderwall.sg/places/beyond-bestsellers-preloved-good-cause-bookstore-maxwell-books-beyond-borders Beyond Bestsellers: Preloved Reads For A Good Cause At This Cosy Indie Bookstore In Maxwell]” ''Wonderwall,'' 30 December, 2023. Accessed 18 December 2025.</ref>

According to his LinkedIn, Randall graduated from Ngee Ann Polytechnic in 2012 with a Diploma in Business Studies. He later pursued a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing at RMIT University, graduating in 2015.<ref name=":4">"[https://www.linkedin.com/in/randallchong1/?originalSubdomain=sg Randall Chong]" ''LinkedIn.'' n.d. Accessed 16 January 2026.</ref> Randall’s professional career began as a Senior Business Expansion Executive at GetLinks, where he worked his way up to become the Head of New Markets over the course of two years. During this time, Chong set a personal challenge for himself to do something that scared him each year. This led him to take a sabbatical to embark on a solo, unguided trek to Everest Base Camp in Nepal.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref>“[https://www.tatlerasia.com/newsletters/bot-books-beyond-borders-founder-randall-chong-journey Randall Chong on his journey behind creating the social enterprise Books Beyond Borders]” ''Tatler Asia,'' 29 May, 2025. Accessed 18 December 2025.</ref> During this expedition, a life-changing encounter with a 16-year-old porter named Madan, who had to drop out of school to work, deeply affected him.<ref name=":2" /> Witnessing the educational barriers faced by children in rural Nepal, particularly girls, planted the seed for a mission.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> Upon returning to Singapore, Chong was determined to help raise funds for education in Nepal. He decided to sell his personal collection of books and those donated by friends and family, a project he initially planned as a one-year endeavor.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />

He has also taken on a role as a Freelance Product Manager at Powerlinx for a year before venturing into entrepreneurship.<ref name=":4" /> In 2018, Randall founded Books Beyond Borders, a social enterprise dedicated to promoting education through book sales. Prior to his entrepreneurial journey, he also worked as a Director at Khode Solutions for two years and a Digital Marketing Consultant at Zeal Salon for one year.<ref name=":4" /> He started this venture from his own bedroom and later moved operations to his grandfather's spare room in an HDB flat, which became his first makeshift warehouse. This humble beginning was the genesis of Books Beyond Borders.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" />

==Career==

===Books Beyond Borders===
The bookstore's primary mission is to fund scholarships for girls in Nepal to complete Grades 11 and 12 (upper secondary education), a critical point where many drop out due to poverty or cultural expectations.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" /> The enterprise has provided full scholarships for multiple girls, helping them relocate to Kathmandu for their studies. To date, the initiative has raised over S$50,000 for various educational projects in Nepal, including libraries, classroom resources, and teacher training.<ref name=":0" />
<youtube>3N46Sq56lys</youtube>[[File:Books Beyond Borders.jpg|thumb|''Interior of Books Beyond Borders. Photo from [https://anza.org.sg/2025/12/10/pages-with-purpose ANZA].'']]The store also supports its sister brand, Two Storytellers, which works with over 50 women artisans in Nepal.<ref name=":0" /> These artisans create handmade goods such as wool toys, pouches, bags, and journals made from traditional lokta paper, which are sold in the bookstore.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> By providing these mothers with a sustainable income, the initiative aims to reduce the economic pressure to pull their children out of school.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" />

====Evolution of the bookstore====
Books Beyond Borders initially started out from a warehouse called "The Book Barracks" near Marymount, focusing on weekend sales. However, the location was inconvenient for customers, and the reliance on discount sales was not a sustainable long-term strategy.<ref name=":3" />

In July 2023, Chong pivoted to a brick-and-mortar model, opening "The Bookstore by Books Beyond Borders" in a shophouse at 33 Erskine Road, just behind Maxwell Food Centre.<ref name=":3" /><ref>hanapoo. “[https://www.lemon8-app.com/@hana_ploopy/7501944930672050689?region=sg 2nd-hand Bookstore at Maxwell!]” ''Lemon8,'' 14 May, 2025. Accessed 18 December 2025.</ref> This move brought the enterprise closer to its target audience of working professionals and allowed it to build its brand identity as a community-centric space focused on its social mission, rather than just a discount book outlet.<ref name=":3" />
[[Category:People of Interest]]
[[Category:Singapore Entrepreneurs & Businessmen]]

== References/Citations ==
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Randall Chong - Revision history

Editorial Assistant: Randall Chong books beyond borders owner wiki.sg entry