We were lucky to catch up with Michelle Wee recently and have shared our conversation below.

Michelle, appreciate you joining us today. Do you take vacations? How do you keep things going – any advice for entrepreneurs who feel like they can’t step away from their business for a short vacation?

Definitely. One of the biggest perks about being a business owner is having more control over my time. However, I do enjoy my work a lot and actually prefer a bustling lifestyle than a more relaxed one. Hence, my vacations are often intertwined into my work trips. For instance, when I visited Korea last year to learn more about the K beauty scene and source for new products, I extended my stay by more than a week. During this time, it allowed me to do some market research while also indulging in the local sights, cuisine, and shopping.

Michelle, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

8 Lucky Forests is not just a gift store: it is an immersive experience in discovering adorable treasures and Korean beauty products.

Venturing into entrepreneurship had long been on my list of things I would like to do. When the opportunity presented itself, I jumped on to it without hesitation. My aim with 8 Lucky Forests is to offer customers the experience to indulge in wonderfully cute items without straining their wallets. As a retailer, I prioritize providing excellent service and helpful information to assist customers in making informed decisions. Naturally, product quality is paramount.

Take skincare, for instance. Although I have used Korean skincare for a long time, there remained much to learn. During this journey, I invested the time to read up and understand the efficacy of key ingredients, and which products would cater best to specific skin types. The effort paid off, as customers would thank me for helping them decide from the array of skin care choices. As a small business owner, I am ecstatic about how much I have learned in this past year, and having successfully sourced products directly from the brands and distributors. Most importantly, I am grateful for the opportunities given to me by my customers and suppliers.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Consistency and sincerity towards our customers has been met with great success. This topic could not have come at a better timing, as my store booth at several different festivals were being recognized by multiple customers. Some had transitioned to shopping online after visiting our pop up booth, some became our online repeat customers, and some shared their satisfaction with the quality and love of the products we sold.

During my journey as a retailer, I have made it a point to maintain consistency and sincerity by promptly removing any products from the shelves, and informing customers of a replacement at the point of sale, if I noticed unsatisfactory quality. Customers have expressed gratitude for this level of attention to detail. As a consumer myself, I can understand the disappointment of receiving defective items from a brand. Especially when our items are so suitable as gifts, we always want to deliver a happy gifting experience.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Being an entrepreneur is like being on a roller coaster ride. In the beginning, there were numerous trials and errors, making for a bumpy experience. For instance, I signed up for a couple of pop up markets that were sparsely attended. There was also not much fan fare received, and it made me question if I had picked the correct products to offer. After 1.5 months of limited success since starting operations, a sense of discouragement crept in. This was in addition to the 1.5 months to set up the company. Nevertheless, I was determined to persevere. Instead of giving up, and cutting down on the effort, I went the other way and focused on improving my display set ups, and knowledge about my products.

The turning point came the following month when I attended a block party event as a vendor. The event was only several hours, and not only did I make enough sales to cover the rental and expenses, it also justified the time invested. The success was achieved with just a 6ft table. The subsequent weekend, I participated in another festival with thousands of attendees. It was right here where I found my product’s audience. This event also provided valuable insights into the right questions I should be asking before attending future events, and these questions have allowed me to achieve further successes at future events.

In a separate topic, at the beginning, I had also strategized my business to be equipped with a web store, where customers could find their favorite items and get it delivered to them. within just 11 months, I found myself on my fifth website iteration. The first website had a tacky design. The second website required additional steps to post products for sale, and I was advised to switch to a different platform to accommodate my company’s growth (good problem to have). The third website was the most painful experience as I was delivered a non working website in the middle of the holiday season. This setback rendered all additional efforts, including advertising and online promotion, futile.

However, there really was no time to cry, hence I jumped in to learn how to build a website, and constructed a simple yet functional web store. However, the opportunity for holiday sales online were mostly lost. Finally in January this year, a friend graciously offered his help to build me a website. Due to my disheartening story, he emphasized on the first step, which is the most crucial step – testing the website for payment, akin to testing the car to make sure that it drives. Additionally, I hired a freelancer to assist me to refine the website further, such as listing the products, and posting photos.

My website has definitely come a long way, and it is endearing to hear customers and visitors loving the current website. Our catalog has also expanded significantly, allowing the customers to find more of their favorite items. Witnessing the fruition of this hard work has been truly gratifying.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.8luckyforests.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/8luckyforests/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/8luckyforests/
• Other: TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@8luckyforests

Image Credits
Look At Me series of photos, credit = Look At Me & 8 Lucky Forests