Lim Mei Yen – Chief Marketing Officer, Rubycell Sdn Bhd
In this interview, Lim Mei Yen, chief marketing officer of Rubycell Sdn Bhd, shares some insight into her role.
What do you do?
My name is Lim Mei Yen, and I am the chief marketing officer of Rubycell Sdn Bhd. I am responsible for increasing our brand awareness and reaching out to as many Malaysians as possible to inform them about Ruby-Cell. We work with many other partners within the beauty industry so that our solution can reach those who really need it.
How did you get into the industry?
I worked in the engineering industry for 20 years, and the harsh working environments can really damage your skin. I was looking for a solution for my own skin when I came across Ruby-Cell in 2020. Not only did I get really good results for myself, but other people around me also saw the drastic improvements, and that’s when it all started.
What’s the best/ worst part of your job?
The best part of my job is seeing customers solve their skin and scalp problems. Nothing is more satisfying than seeing your customers’ problems solved. There is no absolute worst part of my job. Everything requires hard work, and nothing is free. Hehe.
The perfect day off would be …
Jumping into the sea with my husband! We love scuba diving.
A day in the life of Lim Mei Yen is …
I wake up at 5 am every day. Because many of my business partners throughout Malaysia are also mothers, they are also awake at 5 am. This is the busiest time for me as all our partners start to share good news with each other in our group chat in the morning.
After some chores, I head to the office to develop and plan strategies to promote our products. Check on the list of customers’ orders to be shipped for the day, study the buying patterns of our consumers, follow up and follow through with the team.
I allocate at least three hours to create content and post on social media.
I also allocate once a week to travel to other parts of Malaysia, mainly the northern region, southern region, central region, and East Malaysia, to meet our Authorised Distributors to strategies and implement the best business model solution for a significant collaboration. To end the day, my husband and I would head to F45 for a workout, and after dinner, I’d casually look up the latest trends in the beauty industry.
And the next day, I would repeat!
What does Lim Mei Yen do for fun?
I like to eat great food. I have a thing for fashion, too! I also like to scuba dive when I have the time. Spending quality time with my family is number one for me.
What’s something you’d like guests to know about Ruby-Cell?
Ruby-Cell is not your average solution. Our company is responsible for formulation, ingredient sourcing, packaging, import, and distribution. The whole supply chain is controlled internally, which means better quality products at competitive prices. You really can’t find a solution like this elsewhere in the market.
How have you grown in your profession? What have you learned from your start in the industry until now? Any misconceptions?
The answer to this question is too long, but I can tell you people management is the most important thing in business. This requires a combination of charisma and foresight for you as a leader to get the best out of people and steer clear of those you shouldn’t work with. It’s very important to work with the right people.
What do you want people to know about being a chief marketing officer?
Consistency is the name of the game. Sales and marketing are not done once a year or month but every day. Nowadays, due to the advent of technology, customers expect you to respond immediately between 7–11 pm and pretty much all day on weekends because that is when they are off work and browsing your products. If you are not ready to commit to serving customers, especially during these hours every day, you will have a hard time surviving in this market.
What’s your view on the beauty scene in Malaysia?
There are so many new platforms and technologies being created everyday. Yesterday was Facebook, today it’s Tik Tok, tomorrow will be something else. The rate of change is also getting faster. This means beauty entrepreneurs have to be on the edge and aware of whats happening in the market pretty much all the time. There are no excuses and everyone in this industry is consistently working hard all day every day. Slack a bit, and you will be behind.
My husband always tells me that we should be wiser rather than work harder, and I really think he’s right. No matter how many new things come out, we need to be wise enough to know whether to have a physical outlet, e-commerce, or a combination of both. I see that too many people are taking dogmatic approaches to this industry, and I think this is a limited way of operating your beauty business.
What practices do you currently implement or hope to implement to work towards social responsibility and sustainability in the future?
Social responsibility and sustainability are not things we do in addition to our work. Rather, they’re a part of our whole company process. For us, it’s delivering safe, effective solutions that are also environmentally friendly, creating a positive impact not only on our customers but our environment.
What can guests look forward to in the upcoming months?
We just launched our anti-hair loss scalp care shampoo, which is already helping thousands of men and women recover their lost hair. We know this is a great concern to many people of all ages, and people can look forward to our solutions reaching their doorstep so they, too, can be free from hair loss problems.
Read more interviews similar to this one with Lim Mei Yen here, and stay updated with the latest gourmet and travel recommendations here and here.
Great interview 😀