Pharmacist Christina Lam hit the jackpot when she tried out a fat-busting product in the United States - she emerged with a slimmer figure and a much fatter bank balance.
Ms Lam was so impressed with the product - called Minus Fat - that she formed Ocean Healthcare and went into the health supplements business.
Minus Fat was the first and only product for a while but it provided her with the foundation for a thriving business. And it is one that fits her philosophy as well.
Back in the early 1990s, Ms Lam, now 48, was working in the United States, where the health supplements industry was more developed than here.
'Instead of 'promoting' drugs which have side effects and only solve the symptoms, I believed that natural supplements might actually get to the root of the problem,' she said.
Her interest in natural health supplements was also spurred by her mother's problems with diabetes, joint pain and poor vision.
And then there was the desire to lose the weight she had piled on from regular client functions.
It was at a trade show that Ms Lam spotted Minus Fat.
'I thought, why not give it a try?' she said.
It worked and having tried it on herself, Ms Lam decided to introduce it to Singapore.
Ocean Healthcare was started in 1994 and Minus Fat hit the shelves - and stayed there.
Ms Lam had good contacts with various pharmaceutical firms and one, Zuellig Pharma, agreed to help distribute the product to retail outlets and pharmacies.
But even after shelling out for television ads, Minus Fat failed to move for the first few months.
That first Chinese New Year of 1995 was extremely tough as she stood outside pharmacies trying to drum up sales.
Ms Lam said: 'I was working on the second day of Chinese New Year as a promoter at Parkway Parade. Even my husband helped me, although he was worried that his banker would see him and think that he was in financial trouble.'
But word eventually got around and Minus Fat took off in a big way, probably because such products were relatively unknown here then.
There has been some bad press about slimming products, but Ms Lam said that she has never marketed it as one. It was more a way to modify diet by cutting out fat and sugar.
'The product worked and when people came to tell me that it really works, I felt very happy,' she said.
The success of Minus Fat fuelled expansion as retailers began asking Ms Lam if she had other products to sell.
That led to a partnership with Australian manufacturer Pan Pharmaceuticals. About five products were produced with the firm, including a nutritional supplement called Memore to help concentration, and one for improving eyesight.
Ms Lam also capitalised on her US ties to work with manufacturers there to develop other products.
By then, she had also branched into a line of skincare. Called the Therapeutic Dermatologic Formula, it helps to treat acne and other conditions.
The bubbly Ms Lam said: 'I wanted to create a higher level of self-esteem among people. Many people short-change themselves and create a lot of pain for the people around them. I did a trial of this line of skincare for people and it worked.'
Her marketing tactic was not to directly approach the public but to work through doctors as her pharmacist background gave her a level of credibility.
'I want to make a difference in people's lives,' she said. She worked closely with the dermatologists to formulate products more suitable for Asian skin and the tropical weather.
Tough times
But Ocean Healthcare hit various speed bumps. One came in 2003 when Pan Pharmaceuticals had to recall 219 health supplements from around the world after investigations by the Australian authorities found breaches in safety and quality standards.
Ocean Healthcare was hard hit. 'We had so much hell,' recalled Ms Lam. Although only about five Ocean Health products were affected, retailers were returning all the products under the label. 'We lost more than $1 million.'
'But I wanted to do what was right. So even when people brought back half a bottle or even a tablet, we still gave a refund,' she said.
The Sars epidemic in 2003 was another body blow for Ocean Healthcare. Although there was a call for vitamins and supplements, the demand for the skincare products practically dried up as people were not visiting their doctors and hospitals.
Ms Lam recalled: 'I mortgaged my house, sold my car, took no salary. I told my staff 'I have no money to pay you the year-end bonus, but please stick by me and I will pay you in June.' Which I did.'
These tough conditions taught Ms Lam valuable lessons. One is the importance of having a good team behind her which shares her passion.
Another is not to be too leveraged. 'Previously, we were complacent and didn't watch how we were spending,' said Ms Lam.
'What we have done now is to build a system.' The business has managed to get one of the quality management standards ISO 9001.
Service philosophy
Ms Lam devotes much attention to the quality of her products. 'When the supplements arrive here, we test them for heavy metals and microbials,' she said.
For every batch, control samples are retained, so that in the event of any complaint, samples can be sent immediately to the laboratory.
About four times a year, Ms Lam travels to the US factories where the products are manufactured. 'I inspect the facilities to make sure that they maintain their standards.'
Looking overseas
Business is now on an even keel. Singapore and Indonesia are the main markets and 20 per cent growth is tipped for this year.
Next year, sales could well hit $12 million with a target of $15 million by 2015.
Ocean Healthcare is embarking overseas but finding suitable distributors is a challenge.
When Ocean Healthcare expanded to Malaysia, it first set up its own office to handle sales but once the business was established, a third-party distributor was appointed.
Ms Lam is now working on setting up an office in Sydney and appointing suitable distributors.
But she isn't eyeing a public listing: 'If I work for a corporate company, they would fire me. My objective is to add value to people's lives. I want to continue developing products and bringing good supplements to people at affordable prices.'
This article was first published in The Straits Times on September 24, 2008.
