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Ms Serena Wee of Can-Care Pte Ltd

Interviewer
Name: Choy Kein Wai
Interviewee
Name: Ms Serena Wee
Company Address 290 Orchard Road #06-03 Paragon Singapore 238859
Email serenawee@cancare.com.sg
Date of Interview 11 June 2003, 2.00 - 2.45pm

Is there any form of business in Singapore where there are no direct competitors in the market to rival your company at all? Can-care Pte Ltd can claim to be in that enviable position. Tucked away on the sixth floor of Paragon Shopping Center, Can-Care stands for Cancer-Care, a company that is dedicated to the provision of cancer care products and services to cancer patients and survivors.

The well-groomed and articulate Serena Wee is one of the three partners of Can-Care, and currently runs Can-Care full time besides juggling it with her other role as business development director of the enterprise. The inspiration for starting Can-Care comes from Serena's own personal experience with purchasing cancer care products for her aunt, who was diagnosed with breast cancer back in 1995 and required a wig and breast prothesis after her chemotherapy treatment and mastectomy respectively. The experience proved to be extremely trying, as there was no one-stop shop where she could purchase these products at a single location, and the sales personnel who served her had inadequate product knowledge. This set Serena thinking that there must be a substantial number of women out there who were breast cancer survivors and experienced the same inconveniences that she herself had gone through, and needed a shop where they could purchase all their cancer-care products, with properly-trained sales personnel to provide guidance. Serena, who was a hospital administrator then, gathered two of her colleagues from the Parkway Healthcare Group and had a minor brainstorming session to see if a viable business model could be developed from her idea. The trio recognized that there were very few facilities that catered to the comprehensive needs of breast cancer patients after their treatment and operation at the hospital, so they were pretty much left floundering on their own after their mastectomy. This was a gap that they could fill, by providing care and support in terms of counselling and cancer care products. Doing their own research has also led them to discover that there were already well-established businesses of a similar nature in Europe and the United States. Convinced of the viability of this business, Serena and her colleagues coughed up the money from their personal savings to start the business, and started Can-Care at a retail shop unit at Scotts Shopping Center in 1997. An opportunity to take the business to another level presented itself in 1998 when the Bristol-Myers Squibb group, which was the distributor for a line of post-mastectomy products then, decided to divest this part of their business operations worldwide and were looking to sell the distributor rights and the products they had on hand to interested distributors worldwide. Serena and her colleagues seized this opportunity for business expansion into regional markets and purchased the distributorship rights for the Asia-Pacific region.

Although there were no direct competitors in this line, Can-Care did not rest on its laurels. It was anything but complacent as it grew from its humble beginnings to develop a regional presence in no less than seven countries today. Can-Care's primary business unit remains the provision of comprehensive and personalised cancer care products, educational resources and services targeted to meet the social and psychological needs of cancer patients and survivors, and these clients are referred to Can-Care by the various private and public hospitals. It has also collaborated with other businesses and agencies to run programs that serve this niche market. Since 1998, it has organized a program with the Body Shop International plc (which generously supported the program with make-up supplies) named 'Look good feel better' with the objective of improving the self-image and self-esteem of ladies who are diagnosed with breast cancer. As the program became more popular, two new partners came on board (Singapore Cancer Society and the Estee Lauder Group of Companies) in 2000 and the program was conducted at more venues such as the National Cancer Center and National University Hospital. The Estee Lauder Group of Companies provided free make-up kits as well as helped to conduct the make-up lessons during the sessions. In the same year, Can-Care has also launched the Singapore Wig Bank, where patients who have completed their chemotherapy treatment can donate their used wigs to others who cannot afford one. Doing their sums, Serena and her partners realised the necessity of distributing their products overseas to cover the costs of the distributorship. Hence Can-Care has sought to establish franchise-like business arrangements with overseas distributors since 2000, providing product training and equipping them with the appropriate knowledge to deliver a consistent and high standard of service. Can-Care has also gone into manufacturing its own line of brassieres and headgear at the turn of the millennium that better fit the Asian body frame, which is typically smaller compared to their Caucasian counterparts. Moreover, the cost savings reaped from manufacturing can be passed on to Can-Care's clients.

These accomplishments in the short span of six years no doubt will leave any person impressed, but they veil the multitude of difficulties that Serena and her partners have encountered. As mentioned earlier, securing the distributorship from Bristol-Myers was crucial, as the business idea would not be viable if Can-Care had to obtain its products through another middleman. A considerable sum of money was required for this purpose, but such a radical and groundbreaking business idea attracted few financial suitors, be it loans from local banks or grants from governmental agencies. Without external funding sources, the working capital had to come entirely from the pockets of the three partners. Serena only came into the business full-time in 2000 so that she could continue to contribute as much as half her salary to the business. The other daunting task was to counter the conservative Asian mindset that manifested in various forms, from the scepticism towards their business idea encountered from former colleagues and potential business partners to the conservative Asian culture that did not condone talking about such issues openly. Winning sceptics over to your side and encountering critics constantly were tiring endeavours, and doubts crept into Serena and her partners' minds during the initial period. It was certainly a case of how to win friends and influence people and not 'when you build it, they will come' whenever Serena and her partners presented their business idea or tried to convince others of the need for a prothesis after a mastectomy. Serena explains," I think society needs to recognize that losing a breast is as much a psychological thing as much as a physical loss. It is so much a part of a woman's identity." Expanding Can-Care overseas presented its own set of problems. It was uncharted waters for Serena and her partners as they had no prior experience in setting up overseas business ventures, and the learning curve proved to be steep. However, the lessons learnt during the first few overseas ventures ensured that subsequent ventures had less hiccups.

Without the strength of will and personal qualities of Serena and her partners, Can-Care would not be what it is today. Perseverance was necessary to see them through, given that all three of them had started their families these past few years. Conviction in their beliefs about their business was another much needed quality, especially when critics and sceptics abound. The motto of Can-Care 'Why should life be any different?' underlines their deep-held beliefs that women who have gone for a mastectomy should not give up activities or lead any less an active lifestyle. Of course, little encouraging incidents help to boost morale when the odds seemed stacked against them. Serena recalls a particularly heart-warming one where a lady who was clinching a pillow close to her chest walked into Can-Care one day. After purchasing and wearing a fitting prothesis, she dumped the pillow into the dustbin before Serena, and thanked her profusely as she had never walked out of her house without hugging a pillow after her mastectomy. Little incidents like this convinced Serena and her partners that they were not merely performing a business transaction, but advancing a social cause to help others as well. It is possible to be an entrepreneur with a conscience.

When queried on advice for potential young entrepreneurs out there, Serena urges them to do their homework first. "They must have a concept of their business model and understand the demographics of their target market. They should do their market research and testing to see if their business idea is workable. The business idea that they have should also be sustainable in the long run. It cannot be just something that lasts for one or two years only. " Besides this, Serena also lists passion and flexibility to take remedial action when there are flaws in one's business model as essential qualities of all budding entrepreneurs.

There are so many lessons that one could learn and areas where one could emulate from Serena and her partners' sojourn as entrepreneurs - a tenacity to go on despite the odds, a need to keep the faith when swimming against the tide, and last but not least, that running a profitable business need not be at odds with helping others in need.

Interview With MS SERENA WEE

Can you briefly describe what Can-Care is all about?
We are a Singapore-based company that specialises in the provision of cancer care products and services to cancer patients, survivors and their families. The products cater especially to breast cancer patients and the products they need after the removal of a breast after an operation, and such products include a prothesis, special lingerie and swimwear. We also carry a line of wigs for patients who undergo or are able to undergo chemotherapy treatment. We also assist in image counselling for patients who require them. In fact, the motto for Can-Care is 'Why should life be any different?" It basically sums up what we believe in and do, that life should not be any different after a mastectomy (surgical removal of a breast). We aim to help breast cancer patients get back to as normal a lifestyle as possible. Right now, we are adopted by the Singapore Cancer Society and we run a program in conjunction with them. It is called 'Look good, feel good' and the program was developed specifically for women undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatment. We first started the program in 1998 together with the Body Shop and it is dedicated to improve their self-esteem through knowledge and a practical approach to appearance-related side effects of cancer treatment. The program aims to teach these ladies how to correctly apply make-up and put on wigs and hair pieces as well as to provide a support group function for them, during and post-cancer treatment. Since 2000, The Estee Lauder Group of companies has come on board for this program, and they provide free make-up kits as well as conduct make-up lessons during the sessions. Due to the success of these programs, we have extended these sessions to be held at National Cancer Center and the John Hopkins Oncology Center at NUH. Since 2000, we have also ventured overseas and we now have a presence in South Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Brunei and Mauritius.

Why the name Can-Care?
Can-care stands for Cancer care, we try not to use the word cancer as people still have some phobia of it. You notice our logo? Well, if you look closely, it is actually a top view of two people extending their hands warmly towards each other, and we want to reach out to our clients in that same way.

What prompted you to go into this? This seems to cater only for a very niche market.
That's right. Maybe a little background will help. My 2 partners and I were hospital administrators at Parkway Healthcare Group before we started the business and we saw that breast cancer patients were well cared for up to the point they left the hospital, after which they are pretty much left on their own. There was no follow up step to help these patients adjust emotionally to their new physical state. So it was just diagnosis, treatment, surgery, post-surgery and that's that. There were no facilities that cater to the social and psychological needs of cancer patients after they left the hospital, and they are left to founder on their own, to buy a prothesis and all that. People have the misconception that losing a breast is just a physical loss, it is not, it affects women emotionally as well because it is so much tied up with their identity as a woman, so much part of their womanhood. Moreover, in Singapore, breast cancer patients are becoming younger and there is still a stigma in Singapore when it comes to having a mastectomy. So we believe that a one-stop place where women could have all their post-breast cancer operation needs catered to will be a viable business idea. We thus saw a need in the market in which we could fulfil, and no one else was fulfilling it at that time.

Was this business idea something you all thought of or was it done in a similar fashion elsewhere?
Well, we have done our research and a service like this is already quite prevalent in Europe and in the US. For instance, in most departmental stores in these countries, women have no qualms about walking up to a store assistant and requesting for help to buy post-mastectomy brassieres. It does not happen over here because of our culture.

How does Can-Care can new clients? Is it through word of mouth?
Yes, through word-of-mouth but more through the arrangements we have with the various hospitals in Singapore where they refer their patients to us after the mastectomy. Both public and private hospitals, so it includes SGH, NUH and the various private hospitals.

Did your partners and you have the capital to start the business or did you borrow it from someone to get started?
All the startup capital came from our personal funds, as local banks were unwilling to grant us a loan when we started way back in 1997. This idea was untested at that time and banks were not willing to take a risk on us. We were also refused a loan when we ventured overseas in 2000. So my two partners and I had a special arrangement, whoever earned the least among us at that time would come out and run the business full-time first, so we staggered it. I was the last to come out to join the business full-time, so that I could continue to contribute funds into the business. Practically half my salary every month after the business started and before I joined full-time went into Can-Care.

When was that?
In 2000. My two other partners were running the business full-time then, now it's my turn.

Can you tell me a bit about this location? Why was Can-Care situated at Paragon?
Oh, we did not start out here but at Scotts Shopping Center. We were just a shop outlet then, providing a one-stop place for post-cancer products and services. Well, rental for retail space was about two and a half times more expensive than medical space here in Paragon, so it was a logical choice to shift here.

You have mentioned overseas ventures just now. Why did you venture overseas and which was the first market that Can-care ventured into?
South Korea was the first in 2000. We had to go overseas as the local market is not big enough for us. What happened was that Bristol-Myers Squibb Group, a major US healthcare products manufacturer, was looking to divest their mastectomy products operations worldwide as it was not doing that well. We decided then to cough up the money to purchase the distributorship rights at the end of 1999 and realised that we had to expand into overseas markets as the local market was too small to sustain the distributorship. That was how we started. We first went into South Korea before going to Hong Kong, and the rest followed.

Why South Korea first instead of Malaysia, which was just next door?
We found a distributor there whom believed in our business idea and whom we were comfortable to work with. We developed a training manual for them and went up to Korea three times to train them and educate them on our products and services. They later translated the manual into Korean. In fact the Korean distributor even named their outlet Can-Care Korea.

So you operate Can-Care like a franchise then?
Yes and no to that question. We operate Can-care like a franchise in every way except that our franchisees do not pay us any royalties or franchise fees. We educate them on our products and services, impart our knowledge to them, teach them how to fit a prothesis and all that, but do not collect any fees from them.

How does Can-Care benefit then from these overseas ventures if no franchisee fees are collected?
We benefit as these franchisees order their products through us as we hold the distributorship for several brands for the entire Asia-Pacific region. Through our partnership with these overseas distributors, we extend our reach into the region. We have also gone into manufacturing since 2000.

Manufacturing? That's interesting. Why go into manufacturing? That seems to add to your business risk.
Yes, that's true, but we realise that the brassieres and swimwear we bring in are mainly European sizes, and do not mean Asian frames that well. Going into manufacturing ensures that we can localize the designs and make products that suit Asian ladies, who generally are smaller-sized. Today we have factories in Hong Kong and China producing products for us.

Any problems with going into manufacturing?
We have more than our fair share of problems. Even if you produce a prototype and tell your factory to manufacture to these specifications, there are other problems to deal with. Our first batch of brassieres from Indonesia in 1999 was a disaster. The straps were not supportive enough, and it cannot hold the prothesis, causing it to drop out. It all boils down to the supply chain of manufacturing. The manufacturer only produces the brassieres in the end, he have not control over the colour of the straps, nor the stitching of the seams. So in order to manufacture according to your quality and standards, you need to have some control and supervision over the supply chain, and that remains a challenge for us, since we are do not that big a producer. If you are a huge brand like Triumph, producers naturally do not want to lose your business, and make sure the entire supply chain runs effectively so that they can produce what you demand of them at the end of the day. Therefore you do not need to supervise them much, but for smaller business like ours, maintaining some supervision over the supply chain is needed for the product to turn out exactly the way we want it.

Were there problems going into these overseas markets?
There were some hiccups. In Malaysia, we had to go from hospital to hospital to convince them of the necessity of our products and services. I recall there were doctors who were so sceptical of our products, and wondered what the fuss was all about losing a breast, why can't they use a handkerchief, tissues Over there, similar to Singapore's case, people are still not very willing to talk about such issues openly. We also had an unsuccessful experience in Taiwan, and it is not ongoing anymore. The learning curve was very steep, especially for the first few countries we went to, but the lessons learnt served us well subsequently for our other overseas ventures.

What happened in Taiwan?
Let's just say we did not find the right partner.

Well, it takes a lot to jump from a paid salaried job into the unknown of entrepreneurship. What made you take that leap of faith?
Well, part of the impetus for starting the business came from personal experience, not my personal experience, but my aunt. My aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1995 and there was no shop around at that time offering a service like us. I remember going around with my mum looking for a suitable prothesis and wig for her, but the people who sold the prothesis did not know much about the product to help us while my aunt needs to be down personally at the shop to see if the wig fits her nicely. Imagine how it feels to be walking down to Lucky Plaza after your chemotherapy treatment without much hair to buy a wig. I think society needs to recognize that losing a breast is as much a psychological thing as much as a physical loss. It is so much a part of a woman's identity, so we focus on treatment with image rehabilitation. We provide personalised and carry a comprehensive range of cancer care products and services, like helping patients to plan out their treatment and what to expect after treatment and mastectomy, so they would be better prepared psychologically when the changes occur. For instance, we would schedule for a patient to purchase and fit a wig before the chemotherapy treatment.

What are some of the difficulties Can-Care had to overcome to succeed?
Money, or the lack of it. It was very difficult to raise sufficient working capital when we were starting out, and we did approach several government agencies like TDB besides the bank to get funding. However, they did not get back to us, so we had to come up with the money somehow. As I mentioned earlier, we had to purchase the distributorship, and that means the stocks and rights to distribute the products, when Bristol-Myers pulled out because if another distributor took over, there were simply too many layers of middlemen to deal with, and it would be impossible to do the business. If we had not secured the distributorship we would not have gone into this. Another main difficulty that we had was the mindset that people have. So many people were not convinced that our idea was workable. We had former colleagues who were sceptical of our idea, and people who scorned at the idea, saying that there was no need for a prothesis. I myself personally have seen ladies who used other stuff in place of a prothesis, stuff like tissue, handkerchief and even socks! Changing of mindsets was and remains a challenge for us.

Do you all have any competitors in this business?
Well, there is one other company that deals in post-cancer products, it is a US company and they mainly distributes their products through pharmacies. If you are referring to a one-stop center that provides not only products and services, then we do not have any competitor at all because we are so specialised and serve such a niche market. Although we serve such a niche market and have no competitors we do not want to price ourselves above what people can afford. Our vision in the business is to help ladies in Singapore adjust to life after their treatment, no matter what their level of income is.

What personal qualities did it take for you to succeed?
Perseverance. In 1997 when we started,. 2 of us were married already and when it came to 2000, all three of us were married with 2 children each. So it took a lot of perseverance for us to continue to get the business going, to expand into overseas markets and all that. Conviction is another quality, conviction that our business idea would work and believing in our vision that we could really provide a service that could help women out there with breast cancer. The profile of breast cancer survivor in Asia is changing, she is now younger, more affluent and educated. We had ladies who used to swim regularly and led an active lifestyle, but gave up all those activities after their mastectomy. We hope that with the appropriate products and counselling, she can resume all those activities.

What advice would you give to young people today starting out on their business?
They must have a concept of their business model and understand the demographics of their target market. They should do market research and testing to see if their business idea is workable. The business idea that they have should also be sustainable in the long-run. It cannot be just something that lasts one or two years only. Of course, they should also have passion and that fire in the belly to see their business idea through. It is also important that they be flexible, that they recognize flaws in their strategy and do the necessary remedial action. Just because they have passion for their business idea does not meant that they stick blindly to it.

Well, I come to nearly the end of the interview. Do you have any story you want to tell or anything else you want to relate?
You know there was one incident that particularly struck me, that showed me that we were doing the right thing. There was one day when this lady came to our shop, carrying a pillow in front of her chest. After the fitting of an appropriate prothesis and wearing one, she walked to the dustbin and dumped her pillow in it, and told us, "Thank you, thank you, all these years I have never walked out of my house without a pillow in front of me, and now, I don't need a pillow anymore." This incident proved to us that we were providing a service that was needed out there.

Thank you for your time in sharing all these.

You are welcome.

 

 

 

 

 

 
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