What is the nature of your business? (Business Profile)
The Rieme name has been around since the 1980s and it has since evolved into an organization offering beauty and hair courses / services of the highest standards. During its early years, Rieme was merely a humble company aspiring of greater heights while imparting the skills of our hairstylists to students who believed in us. The Rieme of today provides not just hair but beauty services as well to both customers and potential students. Our hairstylists and trainers are of the highest level, displaying their talents in the final product of a customer\\\'s hair and the skill level of the students they taught. Our beauty department fare no less with our highly certified beauty consultants and potentially skilled students creating wonders with our customers\\\' faces and bodies.

What made you embark on this venture choice?
I got married in my early twenties and was very very poor. Having not even a secondary certificate and not knowing the English language, it seemed that a course in hairdressing was the perfect choice. The course was short, low on requirements and the job allowed me to work from home while taking care of the kids.

How does your business work?
Currently, we have services like that of hairdressing and beauty which includes facial and body. But we are also a school that has professional instructors and enthusiastic students. Being accredited, we are allowed to provide MOE-approved ITE certifications to the students, giving them a much greater incentive.

Did you have the capital to start the business or did you have to borrow from someone to get started?
Of course I did not have the capital! I was practically penniless! It was a kind businessman from HongKong, whom I met during my hairdressing training who wanted to have a business in Singapore. He was wealthy and could start up the business while I could run it for him. In a few years, I accepted control of the company and till this date, he is my friend, and my benefactor.

Do your parents have their own businesses too? Have they inspired you in one way or another?
I grew up in a kampong where my dad drove a taxi for the later half of his life. What was sad was that he had to work into his 60s and died years later due to cancer. My mum was simply a housewife. I felt angry that my parents had to work so hard and so long. That is the main reason why I am working so hard now, so that my children may have a smoother future and I can retire earlier.

What was your childhood dream? When did you decide that you would strike out on your own instead of working for someone else?
My childhood dream was to be rich. I very often envied people around me who could buy things that they want whenever they want. And I know that to do that, I couldn't just continue my job in my younger years of sewing and washing clothes. I had to own something that I can truly call my own.

Why does someone decide to be on their own rather than join an existing company?
As I said before, it is the feeling of owning something, to create a business out of nothing and making it profitable. That is an emotion that cannot be explained in simple words.

Are there at any point in your life that you experienced a significant event (WW2, racial riots of the 1960s, the Economic Crisis of the 80s or 90s, SARS, new competition or shifts in market behaviour and trends) which affected or influenced you and your business that made you change the way you think and do your business?
There will always changes. Change IS the only constant. One significant change in market behaviour was the saturation of hair services. Hairstylists are starting their own businesses in huge numbers. The industry was tremendously competitive. Hence, we diversified into beauty and profits start appearing again. The focus on training students rather than targeting mass consumers were a significant change as well due to the growth of Singapore and the incentive of foreigners attaining a local certificate.

What are some of the challenges in starting a business from scratch? (Modify question to what are some of the challenges in maintaining a family business if applicable.)
Challenges would certainly include the lack of time you can spend with your family. Time is precious and very often spent in the office. A very mutual understanding between the family members is needed so as to coordinate time for dinners and outings.

Who/What motivates you?
The fact that my children will be given a better future is my driving force to do my best in my work.

Tell me about the first few customers and the first few years of business.
I couldn't really remember the first few customers but in the first few years, it was a big learning experience for me. Not being able to speak English means that I have lost many business opportunities. Although that was a barrier, I made up my mind to survive even without the use of English and here I am!

Please tell me some stories of your best day in business or your proudest achievement to date.
My proudest achievement was to be called 'Principal' or 'yuan zhang'. I was once a student, addressing someone else by that title. And to be addressed as that gave me the inspiration to work harder. Also, I am proud of my recent achievements, having creating our own product lines, the Derma Renewal, a series of facial creams and washes.

Do you recall your worst day in business? Have you ever felt like giving up?
We had some bad days as well. Once, our laptops were stolen, probably by an employee. All important files and documents were inside and not backed up. It was terrible. We had to deal with suspicions with our own employees, the loss of data that we need daily, the effort and coordination to recreate those data and a very big drop in morale. However, I have never thought of giving up. After more than 20 years in this business, how can I give up?

When was the moment you realised the business would work and support you?
When you get through a day and glance through the invoices. When your customers come back the second time and the third time and fourth. When I finally achieved my ambition of buying the things I want whenever I want.

What are some of the things you have had to overcome to succeed?
To succeed, you need to overcome your fear of speaking or knowing new people. You need to be able to portray the most confident image to your customers and students. No one will be confident in your services if you are not confident yourself.

What are some qualities that you feel you possess which differentiate you from someone who works for others?
I wouldn't say there are a lot of difference in qualities but more of differences in characteristics and behaviours. Some people can earn more than 10k a month as an employee and some can only earn 2k as a boss. Myself, I'm those that rather earn 2k as a boss as I am already tired of being told to do this and that.

To succeed in business, what qualities are essential? What are some of the secrets in making a successful business?
A successful business requires not intelligence or wealth. It requires perseverance and determination to continue and endure the hardship of a business startup. Instead of having intelligence and wealth, you should rather have the skills to handle other people with intelligence and wealth, to leverage on their capabilities and achieve a win-win situation.

Who or what inspires you?
My children inspire me to carry on. They are the pillar of support and strength.

Have you ever thought of expanding the business in some way or in multiple locations? How and where?
I have always thought of that. But the lack of capable help is impending. My son studied a lot and might not want to work at Rieme. My daughter is helping but I still require more help. Trust is a big factor when handling responsibilities to outsiders. A insider theft has already robbed me of confidence. However, I have to learn to trust and am now expanding through a range of new products which we will introduce to the asian markets.

What aspects of expansion would you like to see for your enterprise?
I would like to see the new products become the focus of my business. To move from a service industry into the trading industry. The service side has really been too saturated in Singapore, it is best to export my products in big bulk to different regions and work as a distributor.

In your opinion, how would you define entrepreneurship?
Entrepreneurship is the step which u need to take from doing nothing to actually starting something. Once you have made the first step, even if you fail, you are an entrepreneur. But very often, the first step, the step that actually requires action, is the hardest to do.

To what extent does one's educational level help or hinder entrepreneurial-ship?
Educational level hinders while taking loans and understanding different languages. However, if you have the skills to look for better help, education is nothing. Everything lies in your capability to gain talents.

As we try to select the final 41 entrepreneurs, what qualities would you think a person should have to inspire others?
Determination. Without that, even if a person has all the other qualities in the world, the person will fail. Because mistakes happen and setbacks occur. Without determination, those mistakes and setback will become an end to a person's endeavours. With determination, they will simply be obstacles that need overcoming, and will be a learning experience to future actions.

What are some of your own values in doing business and what do you like to pass down to others, particularly the younger generation?
Always be confident of your business. You have to believe in your own business before you can convince others. People who listen too much to 'analysts' or 'educated' people will always tend to sway in their business decisions. You have to listen to your heart and believe in your own actions. That's where you will learn. This is a value I hope the younger generation will have.

What advice would you give young people who want to start their own business?
Never be afraid to ask. Learn from everyone and anyone u know. Even if they are not highly educated or financially successful, there are many things we can learn from each other. So if you are afraid to ask, you will learn nothing. Therefore, ask.

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