“The best feeling in leading a business is when I see that my staff are happy with what they do.”
When Rhea Tan started Beautederm—a local skin care and beauty brand from Pampanga—in 2009, she was mainly doing it as a hobby. Back then, she was still juggling her full-time job and other business ventures.
From a sideline, Beautederm has now expanded to 60 branches all over the country and one in Lucky Plaza Singapore. It has over 60 products including beauty set, soaps, facial wash and bleaching lotion, among others. Beautederm has also gained traction in the beauty and personal care industry by having some of the country’s top celebrities as endorsers—who are also Rhea’s friends and living proofs of the effectivity of her products.
A consistent Superbrand awardee, Beautederm has also been recognized by other award-giving bodies. Recently it has expanded beyond beauty care to home scents under its brand Reverie by Beautederm Home.
With her success story, Rhea serves as an inspiration to others who also want to start their own business. She shares with Philippine Retailing how she made her dream a reality and what keeps her motivated, as a successful female entrepreneur:
Philippine Retailing: How big is your market now?
Rhea Tan: Beautéderm is currently available nationwide and we have opened several stores abroad, including one in Lucky Plaza, Singapore. From the typical female customers who initially supported the brand, we are now catering for both men and women, ages 5 to 65.
PR: Why do you think you got a positive reception from your customers?
The brand grew with a wider selection of FDA notified, hypoallergenic, and highly effective products that we carefully and meticulously developed through the years. We always make sure that all our buyers and re-sellers are satisfied with their purchases and we make it a point to offer quality service at all times.
PR: What are the challenges you have encountered while leading your business?
RT: I expected to encounter a lot, but none of them seemed too big to hinder me from reaching my goals. The biggest challenge for me is to balance my time as I juggle my roles as a mother of two, a wife, a boss, and a devout Catholic. I had to make sacrifices in order to be successful, but I always made sure that I had my priorities straight. I make time for all of them — equally.
PR: What is your mission statement?
RT: The central objective of the company is to spread the fact that beauty is attainable through proper skin care. We wish to extend the message that we all have an innate ability to live our best lives – thereby enabling us to share our blessings to others.
PR: Can you share with us your past experiences which you think honed you into the business woman that you are today?
RT: I was Director for Marketing of Savers Appliances for twelve years, plus my boss Mr. Jaime Uy owns a lot of businesses in Central Luzon. He trained me to become a boss. Because of the trust he gave me, natutunan ko lahat from marketing to sales operations and finance. I used to attend PRA and Chamber meetings on his behalf. It was then that I got inspired to become a businesswoman. And I am forever grateful for that.
I also worked with Avon as a trainer for three years and I learned a lot. It made me realize that if I could train people to become more effective in sales and marketing, maybe I could do that for my own business and be able to personally help other people do the same. That experience also motivated me to pursue my own venture, which is why Beautéderm is here today.
PR: What can you say is your proudest moment in leading your business?
The best feeling in leading a business is when I see that my staff are happy with what they do. I consider them as part of my family and their success is mine as well. I try to lead by example as I teach them ways to tap into their full potential, so they could be their own boss someday. Their loyalty is the best gift I could ever receive.
PR: Why did you decide to join PRA?
RT: PRA is a bridge that allows me to know my fellow retailers and learn from them. As a businessowner, it is my responsibility to teach myself about the ins and outs in making the business work and to discover new trends and methods to improve it to keep our customers happy. To be successful and be able to sustain it entails countless challenges and PRA taught me to be ready, at any given time.
PR: What tips would you give to other people who are thinking of starting their own business but are unsure with their plan?
RT: Starting any business is a risk. In life, taking risks may seem scary but it’s up to the individual to make that risk worthwhile. Dream big, dream hard, and dream smart. As cliché as it may sound, always believe in what you could achieve and always put faith in the center of everything. Trust in the process and put your heart and mind in a good place. Nothing is impossible if you set the right goals with the right mindset. ###
*Share your success story with us! if you have an inspiring story on how you started your business, or an employee who has served as inspiration within the company or the retailing community, we’d love to publish them on the Philippine Retailing magazine. Email your pitch at communications@philretailers.com and let’s share beautiful, inspiring stories to the retailing community.