Ning Cheah
Owner/Founder of The Beauty Crop
What inspired you to start your business?
After almost 15 years in the finance industry, the stressful lifestyle took a toll on my skin and my emotional well-being. I started looking into better skincare formulations and decided there was a gap in the market for clean, high performing color cosmetics. Tired of being overlooked for promotion by men in suits, I decided to step out of the rat race and build my own color cosmetics business and have never looked back.
What challenges have you faced as a woman entrepreneur and how did you overcome them?
Building a business is tough, period. Most businesses don’t survive the first 5 years! As an entrepreneur I’ve been thrown all sorts of obstacles — from manufacturing, human resources, trade disputes — I’ve even been taken to court.
I don’t think there is a magic pill, but being resourceful is extremely important. I believe taking a step back and looking at the big picture has helped resolve problems methodically and has taken me out of dark times.
What advice would you give to other women entrepreneurs?
Hire the best people who are passionate about helping you build your business. As a small business with limited funding, I try to hire people who have skill sets or strengths which are different from mine. It makes such a big difference going to work everyday and being surrounded with positive, enthusiastic and like-minded employees.
Grow a thick skin and don’t let the no’s and failures get to you. Believe in yourself and the business you’ve built and be open to situations where you may need to pivot your business.
As a business owner, what keeps you up at night?
How long do you have? Owning a business is like having a child – you constantly worry about its well-being. I get plagued by questions from time to time like – how do I grow the business into new markets? Has the customer received the shipment in time? How do I improve my product? How do I meet all my expenses?
Sleepless nights are a common occurrence, but ultimately, I am truly grateful that I love what I do and I wouldn’t change anything.
What do you love about being a business owner?
I take pride in knowing I’ve created something from scratch – taking it from a seed of an idea, to holding a product in your hand, and finally getting acknowledgement that someone will part with their hard earned money to buy it. I also love being my own boss and being in control of my destiny.
How do you define success?
I would define success as having built a company that enriches the lives of our clients, shareholders and our staff, while also leaving a positive impact on the community and our planet.
What are you reading or listening to now?
How I Built That podcast by NPR.
What’s the best way to start your day?
A big hug from my daughter.
How do you unwind after a long workday?
A long warm shower.
Fill in the blank:
When I face a challenge, I... take a deep breath and dive in.
If I could go back in time, I would tell myself… to be kinder to myself, to not be so self-critical, and not worry about the future so much.
The one thing I couldn’t live without is… my family… and my laptop.
By this time next year, I will be… taking more holidays.
The best thing that happened to me last week was… seeing my two-year old daughter learn how to use the scooter. I love seeing her grow each day.
To get my creative juices flowing, I… go for a run.
The beauty crop
The Beauty Crop is a brand inspired by healthy living and creating products that are enhanced with nutrition derived from natural ingredients. They are passionate about creating colourful, fun and uber-hydrating cosmetics that include nutrition-rich superfood ingredients that promote health and wellbeing for our customers.
