The interview was held at Creative Faceworks situated at Far East Plaza. It took place at 10am on 9 January 2003. The interview lasted for 120 minutes.

How shall I describe your business?
I provide facial treatments, which includes acne treatment, pigmentation and hydrative treatment. I also provide commercial and studio photography and make-up courses. I specialize in hair and make up for functions and events, e.g., Diner and Dance, prom night, wedding. I do give student rates for those students who come to me for on their prom night for make up and hair do.

Were your parents in any form of business?
My parents have a provision shop and I was brought up in this kind of environment. Beside the provision shop, we had our chicken and orchid farm. This is my childhood environment. My parents are very strict and brought us up with utmost discipline. Since primary school days, my siblings and I had to help out in the provision shop after school hours.

Did you consider going into your parents business?
I did not think of going into the provision shop business as it is a very tiring business and since I helped out in my parents' shop, I just don't want to do what they are doing.

How did you get started in this business?
My childhood environment influences and exposes me to the business world. I am also influenced by father as he taught us values such as being courteous, hardworking and smile to customers. These values are instilled in me since I was young and I carried them all the way until now. My parents gave me good influence. They taught me that when we are conducting a business, you must be generous and serve customers without expecting any form of return from them.

Well, I came from a hard to do family and worked hard all through the way. My hardship is a good thing in that it teaches me of that you need to work hard in life. Before I set up Creative Faceworks, I was working at a Japanese firm as a senior bookkeeper. I worked at that company for about 8 years and as the days pass, I realized that I am not the table born type. I felt stressed out with my deadlines and all the minute details that had to be accounted for. During that period, my life was very stressful, cramped and tiring. After my office job I still had to help my parents out at their provision shop. Every day, I can only reach home and rest at 10pm.

So I started pondering on the future of my life and I decided that I must have a change such that my parents need not work very hard anymore. I want them to lead a comfortable life without overexerting on themselves. One day, my friend brought me to her make-up class. She wanted to use me as her model. I looked at what my friend is learning in the class and the teacher also introduced me to the class. I realized that I had interest in the make-up world. I liked art and colourings. I am also creative in nature. So I decided to join the class and participated in competitions. The first competition I entered, I was in the top 20 and was not in the finals as I was very new then and had just learn skills of being a make up artist. For the second time, I entered the European competition and finished as the 1st runner up.

When I won this competition, I knew I had the skills and talent to be a make-up artist. This is an area that I am good at and enjoyed doing. So I started extensive learning in the make up and hair designs as I realized that not many people are good at make up and also hair design at the same time. I took up these classes while still holding on to my accounting job.

Are you married?
I am still single and am living life to the fullest. I believe that marriage is something that would be fulfilled when you meet the right person. I am happy with what I have and my happiness is from within. Whatever I achieved, I put it in good use by contributing mental & spiritual support to those who are less fortunate. This provided value in my life. I am a member of the Soka Association.

Has your business always been located here?
I started my business here 10 years ago by renting half a shop space from a beauty salon. Since I was just a start-up, I was still cash strapped and could not own my own shop space. The rental payment was $1,100 per month. When the lease agreement ended, I had to move out from there. Luckily, there was a small shop space on the floor below and at that time; I had enough cash reserves to own the unit. So I decided to buy the shop space and I have been operating here ever since. I am glad that I am able to own this unit. By owning my own unit, my evacuation risk will be eliminated. Having a fixed location will garner assurance from my clients and provide convenience to them.

Why did you choose this location?
Far East Plaza is not situated in the CBD zone and hence the land price here is comparatively less expensive. I decided to operate from here since this location is very centralized. Customers from all over Singapore can travel down to this location. It is centralized and accessible here. Moreover, Far East Plaza has high people traffic.

Did you have to get a separate license to be in the beauty business?
Besides the normal ROC license, to be well recognized in the beauty business, I got a certification from Top to Toe. I also went overseas to pursue the latest make-up and hairstyling courses.

How easy was it to get this license?
Of course, I had to undergo training and meet the minimum requirements before obtaining this certification.

How long do you think you will work in this line?
I hope to last for the next ten years.

How should I categorize your business?
My business is a sole proprietorship.

Tell me some stories that would give me an idea of the hardships involved in starting a business from scratch. What are some of the things you have had to overcome to succeed?
When you are in the business line, financial strength is very important. I started out using my personal funds because I did not want my family members to be involved. I did not want them to worry, as my parents have their provision shop to handle. My parents and brothers were initially skeptical about me going into the beauty line. My job as a senior bookkeeper was an iron rice bowl with a fixed flow of monthly income. The beauty line that I am pursuing is considered a "dirty" job; like squeezing pimples. Moreover, instead of five days week, I have to commit my weekend and have irregular working hours. All these factors brought about the initial hardship I went through to convince my family that I am fulfilling my passion. All the more, I was determined to succeed and ease my parents' worries.

Ever since I became the first runner up in the Italia Makeup show, I believed that this is something that I can be good at. I was truly inspired. After a year of doing part-time make-up for brides, I decided that it was time for me to venture out on my own. However, I knew that if I were to solely specialize in make-up, my customer base and skills would be very limited. I wanted to be a full rounder in the beauty business. So I decided to learn facial so that I can give my customers facial before I go on to make them up and style their hair.

I quit my full time job as a senior bookkeeper, which I was earning $1500, to work at a facial salon as an apprentice and earning only $500 per month. I made such a drastic move because I wanted to have first hand experience in doing facials for customers and also get inside knowledge on the workings of a facial salon. It was a tiring and dirty job where I was asked to do the lowest tasks from cleaning to facials. For the three-month period, I worked day and night. In the mornings, I will do bridal make-up at studios and in the afternoon I will work at the facial salon. After having enough experience and know the ropes of doing facials, I then looked for a shop space and started my business. I slowly built up my name. I tell myself that a person can't achieve anything if you put in half hearted efforts, be master of the mind and not let the mind be the master. Passion is very important to achieve what we seek to do.

You must have principles in doing business. Whatever happens to your business is actually a mirror of yourself. Do not blame others for your mistakes or failures. When faced with obstacles do not avoid them, take them as your responsibility and move forward.

Tell me about some of the best times in your business.
The best time for me was when I transformed a cleft lips lady who has a red protruding birthmark on the half side of her face into an elegant lady for a function. Due to her defective looks, this lady is inferior with low self-esteem and resigned to the fate that she can never look pretty. However, I gave her facial and applied make-up to her face and the end result is astonishing. She radiates a glow that brightens up her face and she was so amazed at her look and profusely thanked me. Her mother even came down personally to thank me. That is the best time in my business. I transformed a person to look her best and the satisfaction I gained is immeasurable.

When I receive motivating and encouraging word of mouth, I feel very satisfied. From word of mouth, I build the trust and rapport with my customers and immense satisfaction arose when you know that your service has a high quality of excellence.

The numerous thank you cards and photos from my clients are pasted on the wall. I paste the photos to remind myself that each client's satisfaction and my continued personal services are the most important criteria for my continued success. Many of my clients come to me because they want to be transformed. My primary aim is to bring out the natural beauty and enhance their natural look. With their enhanced look, many of my clients become more confident and self assured. In return, they would recommend me to their friends and will also be my loyal customers. This is my greatest satisfaction.

What about the worst times?
The worst possible time is when the customers are absolutely fussy that whatever you do, you just cannot appease them. They just complain for the sake of complaining. I feel very sad for these types of customers and meeting them serves as a warning for me not to be like them. I would take it as though they are having a bad day. These types of incidents will be depressing at times and as long as we are in the servicing line, it is inevitable to meet these kind of fussy customers. All these experiences are taken as a learning experience to further enhance my demeanor and also be more tactful in handling customers.

Ever felt like giving up before, how many times, when does it happen and why?
My principle is to put in 100% in whatever I am doing. Giving up has never been in my agenda. I am the master of my mind. I have supportive staff and customers. There is no reason for me to give up. The initial difficulties were just normal challenges that all businesses will have to go through. It is not important how much money you are making, but the personality of the owner is very important for the continuance of the business. There must be passion, sincerity, honesty and serving your customers to the best you can. Having this personality in me, there is absolutely no reason for me to give up.

I believe that I can never fail because I have the treasure of the heart. Trust between customers and suppliers are very important. To build this trust, you should not owe money so much. Try to settle your debts as soon as you have the means to do so. This is because, other people are also in need of cash and the lesser debts you have, you will have a peace of mind to run your business and with joy. Moreover I believe in sharing my fortune with my staff be it financially or just personal happy experiences. Treating staff as part of the team will induce a sense of loyalty and commitment that is attained beyond monetary rewards.

Did you have the capital to start the business or did you borrow it from someone to get started?
I started my business using personal funds. This personal fund came from my part time make-up income I earned and saved up. I did not get my family involved in my business. I wanted to do it on my own.

Who would you say are your competitors?
Hollywood Secrets is my main rival.

Have you ever thought of banding together?
I believe that it is good for business expansion to those entrepreneurs who are enterprising. However, for me, I would like to have a quality life. I do not want my quality of life to be eroded as my business expands, as I won't be able to live life to the fullest.

Even if my shop is small, I would like to keep the personal touch I have with my customers. I must stand strong because if I were to branch out, I will lose this personal touch. Since my business is a very personalized service, the personal touch is very valuable. I believe in laying out the solid foundation in business instead of popping out outlets everywhere as then the basis of the business is lost. I can't possibly be at all the outlets to deliver my service. In this sense, the close bond and contact with customers is lost.

You must work happily and should not work without giving yourself any freedom. You should not be controlled by money. If you do, your business will likely to fail and you will get depressed thinking of money all the time. When you reach out to help people who are less fortunate than us, your perspective of life gets bigger.

When did you decide that you would strike out on your own instead of working for someone else?
I was very tired of the stress involved with being a bookkeeper and also my daily lifestyle where I can only rest after 10pm. After work I had to help my parents at the provision shop. I decided that it was time for a change. I did not want my parents to work very hard right up to their old age. So the calling came when a friend asked me to model for a makeup class 12 years ago. I was fascinated by what the students were doing. I decided to take up classes myself and with the teacher's encouragement, decided to join competitions to pit my skills against the professionals who have been doing makeup for years. I believed that this is something that I can be good at. I always believe in my passion. Whatever you learn is your responsibility.

When you started what did your family think?
They were skeptical of the line of business I was going into. My father was supportive after I have proven that my business is doing fine.

Are there any points in your business life that you experienced something so significant e.g. war, racial riot, economic crisis, new competition, shift in market behavior and trends that affect or influence your life and business that make you change the way you do business and thinking?
I suffered a slowdown in business from the period of April-August 1997. All the while, the bulk of my customers were those from the bridal boutique. I realized that I could not depend on the boutique for my customers, so I decided to break free from them. This released my time to provide personal facial and functional services to my clients. I started advertising in magazines and my business grew due to word of mouth. This was during 1996. In 1997, bridal booking sales fall by 30%-40%. Luckily, I had my make-up and facial to combat the fall in revenue. When I had to do bridal boutique make-up, it was a hectic life. So in 1997, I slowed down and halved the number of couples I used to attend. I wanted to have a personal touch in doing my job so that I can give my customers the best. A natural, radiant blend of make-up and hair do.

I had promotions and gave vouchers as door gift for companies, sponsoring for beauty pageants, magazines and school's beauty events. I just took any customers as they came along. This is the only way to show your skills and build your goodwill.

The trend in my early period of business is very different from the trend now. I am flexible in the way I do my make-up and hairstyling. Not only do I need to follow the latest trend, but the customers' age also plays an important role for me to come up with the natural look that they want. My matured customers need a compatible look for their age and would not want their make-up to look artificial or incredulous for their age. I play with my skills and colours to match each and every of my customers' needs. It all boils down to creativity, flexibility and judgment. In this current economy, I must know the latest trend and be innovative. The young and trendy would prefer a more natural look whereby they go for natural colours. I am happy that I can attract the younger generation to my service and yet my old customers are still with me. Sometimes, my older customers bring their daughter along for my service.

I constantly do market research and observation of magazines, fashion show and stores so as to keep up to date with the latest trend.

What would happen if you got sick, who would run your business?
My sister works for me. I believe that you must appreciate your staff and don't take them for granted. Otherwise the devotion of our staff will be based on the salary she is getting. They perform their responsibilities only within the limit of their salary. Must appreciate them so that they have a sense of belonging and perform to their fullest. I always share my happy times with my staff and am also receptive to their feedback and suggestions.

What qualities that you have do you think differentiates you from someone who works for others?
I am a very decisive person who works hard to make my dream come true. I have a strong passion in this line and I am working for my passion. I believe in my passion and there is no easy way to transform your passion into your business. I have a focus and I always set myself a deadline. I need to accomplish something within this time frame. Without taking risk, there will be no gain.

What qualities does it take to succeed?
Sincerity, compassion, patience, responsibility and honesty. You must create value in life. I believe that in life there are three treasures. Treasure of the body, treasure of the mind and treasure of the heart. Treasure of the heart is the most important to me. Even though I lack the knowledge, with sincerity and responsibility, customers will be loyal without expecting any returns. This is the secret to the business success. The treasure of the heart.

I would also like to thank and acknowledge all my customers for their support to Creative Faceworks, as without them I can't be what I am today. Setting up a business is not a one-time thing. It is something that would hopefully last for generations to come.

When doing your business, do not be stingy and try to use less just to save costs. This will be at the expense of customer satisfaction. Price your service reasonably according to the market. Be humble and fair to your customers. In the service line, you have to be patient in serving your customers. Be courteous to customers so that they feel comfortable and open up with you. When customers feedback their views, take immediate action to improve your service level. I believe that only a genuine client would share their honest and frank views. We should always cherish and appreciate them.

Tell me about your first customers.
I have to thank my friend who became my first customers. I did her make-up for her wedding day and the bridal studio liked my skills. From there the boutique took me as their part time make-up artist for brides. When I just started, I got this customer who has a birthmark on her face. I transformed a cleft lips lady who has a red protruding birthmark on the half side of her face into an elegant lady for a function. Due to her defective looks, this lady is inferior with low self-esteem and resigned to the fate that she can never look pretty. However, I gave her facial and applied make-up to her face and the end result is astonishing. She radiates a glow that brightens up her face and she was so amazed at her look and profusely thanked me. Her mother even came down personally to thank me. That is the best time in my business. I transformed a person to look her best and the satisfaction I gained is immeasurable.

I was glad that I had a chance to give this girl a transformation. I was not scared or put off by her natural face defect. It is a challenge and a test for me to improve my skills. It is my duty to make her pretty and so I did exactly that. She was overwhelmed by the way she looked. She said that no one ha ever come close to make her as pretty as I did.

During my first few years of business, I had to get use to my schedule. It was different from the 9-5 job. I used to hold. In fact at times I have empty slots as free time and for some of the days I can be very busy throughout the day. I was also not experienced in handling people. It was tough to satisfy all my customers. When customers feedback to you, quickly resolve the matter. Take these feedbacks as positive encouragement especially when you are new. Moreover, I am handling a one-man show and all the running of the business has to be done by me. However, it is very satisfying when the customer is satisfied and they glow. With satisfaction, loyalty will be built and they would always be our repeated clients.

What would you advise young people to do today in starting a business?
Youngsters should believe in the path they choose. Be courageous and daring to take risks. Before starting a business, check yourself. What are the qualities that you have? Sincerity? Sociable? Accommodating? Creative & Innovative? You must believe in your passion and be the master of your mind. People may condemn your idea but if you believe in yourself, anything is possible.

Do you have a role model or mentor?
My father and President Diasaku Ikeda from Soka are my role models. My father thought me to be hardworking, sincere, honest and debt free. He taught me about being responsible in life. President Ikeda teachings brought value in my life. Being humanistic and rich hearted guides me through my life journey.

Do you have any retirement plans?
I have financial planning for retirement and also my normal savings.

Did you ever think of expanding the business in some way or in multiple locations?
I believe in providing personal touch. At the moment I provide these services; hair styling, make-up, facial, manicure and pedicure. I also constantly look for niche market in the beauty industry. If the economy pick up, I may enlarge my shop area to provide for comprehensive services all under the same roof here.

As we try and pick the final 38 entrepreneurs from all the people we interview what qualities would you think a person should have to inspire others?
The person must have the treasure of the heart. She must be sincere, positive and courageoues. Be a giver rather than a taker. She would be willing to share while at the same time accept criticism. She should be an encourager who is compassionate towards others.

If you are chosen as one of the 38 winners will you attend the prize presentation ceremony?
Yes.

Will you be comfortable with the press and TV asking you many of the same questions if you are a winner?
Yes, it's all right to share.

Do you have any objection to this interview being posted on the Internet (which will be put up by NTUC Income by next year) or published in the newspaper prior to being chosen?
No.

Who do you admire?
Mr Ong Teng Chong's wife. She is very supportive of her husband, humble and hardworking. Though she is a high profile figure, she does not have any maid. She is a lady of wisdom. For a woman to be beautiful, the lady must be someone with wisdom, graciousness, understanding, caring and embracing. She must be courageous with inner strength, mentally and emotionally.

What are your thoughts on the "secrets" to having a successful business?
The treasure of the heart is the secret to having a successful business. Obstacles and hardships in business is a form of growth. Without these, I won't be what I am today.

Do you have a suggestion for someone else we ought to interview who you think has an interesting story to tell?
Not at the moment.

Before I go, any other story you would like to tell me?
Beauty of life does not depend on how happy you are; it depends on how you make others happy. The money you earn must be put to use such that it will create value in life. Always have the treasure of the heart; sincerity, honesty, compassion, responsibility and patient. What you achieve must be shared and new enterprises must learn this, they should not set up a business so as to achieve personal gain. Passion is important, as it is the motivating factor behind innovation and creativity.