By Gwendolyn Ng

WHILE many try all ways and means to look as young as possible, Mr Terrence Hong, 31, dresses to look older.

The boyish-looking entrepreneur recalled: "I was once mistaken for part of a group of secondary- school students when I was walking past them."

His solution: Throw on a blazer to look older and more mature, so as to present a professional image at official functions.

He has every reason to do so.

Fresh out of graduate school in 2007, Mr Hong took over his father's printing business, a trade dominated largely by the older generation.

At a gathering of industry players, he realised that he stuck out like a sore thumb, along with his sister, Stephanie, 28, who is the chief human-resource officer.

He said: "My dad was the youngest among them. He was the only one with black hair. The rest had white hair or were bald."

His father, Mr Richard Hong, is 58.

While the younger Mr Hong might have been inexperienced, he compensated for it with his enthusiasm.

He embarked on a total revamp of the company, with changes made to the company's processes, and even its name and logo.