The Nail Spa & Wellness
260 Orchard Road, #05-09 The Heeren. Tel: 6734 3437, www.nailspa.com.sg.
Josephine Koh
The Nail Spa & Wellness
Following careers in finance and real estate, Josephine listened to her passion and instincts and pursued a full-time beauty and aesthetics CIDESCO diploma, based on Swiss standards. Upon graduation, she worked at various beauty spas in Singapore to hone her skills and although Josephine never dreamed she'd one day have her own business, after five years she opened The Nail Spa & Wellness, first located at Orchard Central and now at The Heeren.
TF: What are your strengths?
JK: My forte is in nail care and facial therapy. Combining my specialised skills with my previous experience in commerce, I provide quality aesthetic services at affordable prices to build long-term relationships with clients. The tested and safe brands we use are OPI, Chanel and SOTHYS. For treatment services to be effective, long-term therapy is important. So my prices have to be affordable. Other services include lash extensions, brow shaping/tinting and body waxing/threading.
TF: How has your business evolved?
JK: As the business grew I reinvested any earnings. And although we've had interest from investors, I'm proud my company has continued to be financially independent. Such independence gives me a free hand to create and sustain long-term quality and value, and as I'm in a "people business", taking care of my clients and staff - rather than an investor - remains my priority.
JK: The beauty industry appears to have low entry barriers, resulting in a proliferation of "mini set-ups" by amateur investors and unqualified operators. As the reality of costs sets in, such businesses usually resort to excessive price cutting or dubious business practices. One common practice is to price services, packages and products at ridiculously low levels, then cut costs by using questionable products and processes. Unfortunately this results in pricing misconceptions and negative publicity for the entire industry. Established businesses such as mine then have to work harder to retain clients' trust and ensure value without sacrificing quality of services, skills or products.
Another industry-wide challenge is staff colluding with would-be investors or even potential employers to pilfer customer contact information. I built my clientele through proper marketing channels, so I wasn't mentally prepared to protect my business from such unethical practices. Following a few bad experiences, I'm now more vigilant.
A major problem is the acute shortage of trained or trainable staff in Singapore. Staff recruitment, training and retention has become costly and critical. Right now, it's difficult to find employees with the appropriate "Service DNA" and potential skills.
TF: Any positive surprises?
JK: I never expected to own my own business, but despite the challenges, I remain very much in love with what I do. Last year, I received the Successful Entrepreneurship Award from GRC Press Holdings. It was an unexpected honour and I'm deeply grateful, but to see the glow of happiness in the eyes of my clients and staff is the most important encouragement I receive.
Posted Mar 2011
