From 1-room salon to beauty chain - how this mum & daughter team transformed their business
PHOTO: Instagram/theresabeautysg
PUBLISHED ONMay 10, 2021 8:47 AMByMichelle Lee
The relationships between mothers and daughters can come with many challenges. But what about when they actually team up to run their own businesses?
This Mother’s Day, the Weekly speaks to five mother-daughter duos who have combined their talents and expertise to pursue their passions and create a thriving business.
Since opening her first one-room salon with only two treatment beds in Ang Mo Kio, entrepreneur Theresa Ong has lovingly built upon it into a chain of four outlets across the island.
While it started offering only facial services, its repertoire of services now includes body wellness as well as massage and aesthetic services such as pre-and post-natal massages and LED teeth whitening.
It’s also an advocate of organic slimming, a concept that combines slimming technologies together with an organic wellness products.
She is joined by her daughter Sandra Koh, who acts as General Manager of the company and took the opportunity to pivot the business to cater to a younger clientele.
Sandra shares with us more about working alongside her mother and how it’s changed her perception of her mum, and the struggles and wins along the way.
Why did you decide to work together? Is the whole family involved?
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Sandra Koh (SK): I joined the company after I graduated from university. I joined the company as I felt that my mother needed help to rejuvenate the business and to pivot the business to reach out to a younger audience.
Yes, the whole family is involved! After I joined the business for a few years, I realised how much work it takes and I roped in my brother, Ken, who left his bank job to join in the family business.
What do you love about working with each other?
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SK: It is great to have a boss who understands how you operate as well as your personality.
We know each other’s expectations, so it makes it easier and there’s less guesswork, unlike working with non-family members. We draw on each other’s strengths to the company’s benefits.
And your least favourite part of working together?
SK: My mother initially had a lot of reservations in terms of letting go of control of the company to myself and my brother.
That initially created a lot of struggles on our part and eventually, we proved ourselves and she is starting to let go of the control.
Has going into business together changed your relationship or perception of each other?
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SK: Definitely! Especially now that I am also a mother of two, I find it a struggle to balance managing a company and running a family well.
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On my part, with two young children, I undergo a lot of mum guilt when I sometimes have to prioritise work over my kids.
As a child, my mum was often busy with work, and sometimes I wished that she was more present.
As an adult and a mum now, I realised that it wasn’t by choice, but by the circumstances then that made her sacrifice some of her time with her children to support our family, support the company as well as the families of the employees that she hired.
It is a lot of stress and burden for a person to handle. I have it easier now that I have my brother and my mum to help share the burden.
She was a young entrepreneur who gained success through raw hard work, tenacity, and luck.
Have you had disagreements and how do you hash it out?
SK: We have definitely had our fair share of disagreements and quarrels, like any family or colleagues. I’m usually the one who gives in and apologises as I do not like conflict.
Our love language is very different. Mine is through words and touch and my mum’s love language is through acts of service.
Over time, as we worked together, we got to understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses. I’ve learnt to also manage my expectations of my mother.
She gave me the gift of higher education, which she never had. On my part, by managing my own expectations, I became more understanding and we argue a lot less now.
What have you learnt from her through working together?
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SK: I’ve learnt that my mother is an extremely hardworking person. She works non-stop and she also learns non-stop.
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This is something that I really respect and hope that I can live up to in the future.
She is both a capable businesswoman and a loving wife at home.
I’m not saying that all women need to be submissive.
But I find that in many marriages, the women become too strong and treat their husbands with disdain.
My mother can just switch from being an alpha woman at work to becoming a kind wife at home, which I really respect and am impressed with.
What's one memorable incident that you can recall since you've started working together?
SK: At one of the annual Dinner and Dance events we had, I gave an appreciation speech to my mother — as an employee and as a daughter.
I seldom wear my heart on my sleeve and it was just my way of showing my appreciation for my mum.
Your advice for young entrepreneurs starting out in the business
SK: The road is going to be tough and lonely at times. But with grit, resilience, and family support, you will get there in time.
Visit Theresa Beauty’s website for more information.
This article was first published in The Singapore Women's Weekly.