TO invest in a matured industry is never easy, particularly in the beauty industry when there are so many established 'big sisters' in the market tied up with international manufacturers for beauty care products.

Yet Peter Poh was more than convinced that his wife Connie Koh has just the right mix to make her way into the industry. She has got the years of experience working in the industry and understands the business well; marketing is her forte, and she has a way in getting along with people. She also has that youthful look, passion and determination to succeed.

Besides both of them were involved in building up a slimming centre and spa from scratch with other partners, until they mutually decided to part. So Mr Poh got down to planning and Beyond Beauty's first outlet was established in the upmarket Katong area. They saw the potential of carving out a niche for themselves by catering to busy professionals who want to go to a place where they can relax and be pampered while the beauty therapist gets to work to restore their looks, after a hard day's work.

With this strategy in mind, and within a year, Beyond Beauty was set up and it began its foray into the central business district. Of course this means having to pay a premium for premises in the city office belt.

'We target the PMEBs (professionals, managers, executives and businessmen) and hence it makes sense for us to locate in the city so that they can have easy access,' explained Ms Koh. At present, Beyond Beauty salons are spread across Park Mall, Orchard Road, Scotts Road and Raffles Place, aside from the first outlet in Katong.

Added Mr Poh: 'We were fortunate as rent was down when we launched our branches. Of course, rent has gone up in the past two years but we have the clientele support to be able to grow our business.' He is not unduly worried about the turmoil in the financial market as he reckons beauty, like healthcare, is a business that can ride out the storm.

The chain of six Beyond Beauty Salons in Singapore churned out an annual turnover of $7.5 million last year which is almost double that of 2005. There are five other salons in Kuala Lumpur, and now the company is eyeing markets in China and India as part of its expansion plans. Beyond Beauty has two other partners but Ms Koh is left to run the business.

For her, having started her career at the front desk of a beauty salon, it was a dream come true when Beyond Beauty became a reality and began expanding. She knows exactly what her customers want from the time they make an inquiry or call for an appointment.

Now at 35, Ms Koh still keeps her clean-cut looks and slender profile though she is a proud mother of two children - a boy aged five and daughter aged seven.

Ms Koh's latest coup was to secure the exclusive distributorship in Singapore and Malaysia for Methode Jeanne Piaubert, a high-end range of cosmetics from Paris. MJP is an established brand name since 1925. This new business opens up another opportunity for Beyond Beauty as it is their first foray into distributorship. The official launch was on Oct 6.

'We have been very busy these few months and in a way I feel we didn't spend enough time with our children,' she conceded. Mr Poh, 55, can be described as 'the man behind the successful business woman'. Nevertheless, the whole family would take at least two to three overseas holidays each year.

Mr Poh is a pragmatic and hardnosed marketing man, and plays the role of strategist by looking out for opportunities. He also handles the logistics and planning for the outlets. His immediate task is to prepare for the opening of its first exclusive retail showroom for Methode Jeanne Piaubert's range of products for men and women at the new Orchard Central.

'We have been visiting overseas markets to look for new business ventures and our networking has paid off. We now have a good brand to promote and we will use our experience and deliver,' said Mr Poh, who is most comfortable in his familiar blue jeans and short-sleeved shirt.

He is also the house-husband. He checks on the kids to make sure they do their homework, with assistance from his mother. He also goes with Ms Koh twice a week to do the marketing, with the maid and sometimes the children in tow.

But he's also as macho as they come. In his free time, he leads a team of bikers - the Team 27 Motorcycle Club Singapore - and goes for rides all the way to southern Thailand.

Ms Koh on other hand indulges in fine wine and fine dining with her own circle of friends, and sometimes with her staff as a way to build up better rapport with them. With some 120 employees in Singapore and 60 more across the Causeway, it is not unexpected that even during this interview, she had to be interrupted by several calls on her mobile phone.

This article was first published in The Business Times on October 28, 2008.