Over the past year, we have seen a rise in young entrepreneurs who are ready to bring in change even during a pandemic. Most Malaysians be it young or old often visit hair removal parlours to get their hair removals done but it often comes with a hefty price.
Founders of SweetPeachier, Fa Rong and Yuen Yi came out with the idea of a home Intense Pulse Light (IPL) device after finding it hard to carve out time for treatments and was also rather apprehensive and insecure about having to show someone else certain body parts.
In light with these concerns, SweetPeachier therefore, was started to create an alternative to people who might share similar concerns. Their company provides convenience and privacy for any person who wants to become hairless. Unlike laser clinics which can cost up to a few thousand in comprehensive treatments, their products are only the cost of one laser clinic session. The best part is that it can be used on any body part (including face and Brazillian). With that said, long term hair removal can be achieved with SweetPeachier and can be done anywhere, any time.
Both Fa Rong and Yuen Yi think that it is time for Malaysians to discover a new hair-removal method by using a home IPL device instead of traditional methods such as waxing, plucking, tweezing and hair removal cream. The SweetPeachier Handset uses IPL, which is a modern type of laser hair removal aimed towards a long-term and pain-free experience.
When their Handset is used on hair, the IPL targets melanin found in hair follicles and converts to heat, subsequently destroying the hair cells. IPL hair removal is a great long-term hair removal option that can be used on any body part. By owning an IPL hair removal device, one no longer needs to undergo regular treatments at expensive clinics anymore and save a fortune in the long run.
Starting a business during a pandemic is rather challenging and it was no different for the founders of SweetPeachier as well. Co-founder Yuen Yi, who is also a student at a local university said that it was easier to manage a business during a pandemic as all physical classes have been moved online thus it was easier to juggle between running a business and not falling back in studies.
NO FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Everything was not “sweet” and “peachy” when they first started SweetPeachier though. Their journey was tough as they did not have enough financial support and even though their company made profit, they chose not to withdraw any money for themselves for the first three months as they were afraid that there would be insufficient liquidity to cover the expenses. During that time, Fa Rong still had to work full time as customer service representative and did not have enough time to put her full effort into this business.
As they also did not have any experience prior to starting this e-commerce business, they had to do a lot of independent research online and watch a lot of videos to learn about the necessary e-commerce skills such as building a website, setting up a store, designing, how to run ads and more. They currently have a lot of orders to fulfil and in order to ensure that they can fulfil all of them on time, they have asked their family members to assist with parcel-wrapping. Despite this pandemic, they are lucky to not be affected as we are operating fully online.
Both Fa Rong and Yuen Yi believe that their home IPL device are user-friendly and customers do not need any prior training or experience to use it. Furthermore, they are Constantly collecting feedback from their existing customers to further improve their device and are even planning to launch a device that will be fully designed and developed by them.
SweetPeachier also has another version of their IPL device which is called “Peachier Pro Ice IPL Hair Removal Handset” which is perfect for customers with sensitive skin as it comes with ice cooling technology.
As of today, SweetPeachier has not received any additional help or benefits from government agencies and policies. They do hope that the government can provide SMEs like them a special grant in order to support local businesses during this pandemic.
Fa Rong and Yuen Yi’s advice to all new and upcoming entrepreneurs out there is to choose a business idea that has a big market opportunity that can provide value to people and can solve a problem. Additionally, it is also crucial to constantly monitor one’s finances and be ready for any financial challenges that may come on top of providing great customer service as it will greatly help to build a better reputation for a brand and subsequently increase a company’s revenue.
Branding
Branding is important as it helps the public to identify and recognise one’s product or service and organization. Finally, never stop learning and never give up on one’s dream.
SweetPeachier comes with a 100-day money back guarantee, free shipping worldwide, 1-year warranty and a 3-months instalment plan with 0% interest fee. Not only that, to fulfil the demands of their customers, they have partnered with ZALORA Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan as many of them prefer to shop through online platforms.
They are currently looking to expand into other platforms as well to make their handsets accessible for all.
