When We Water Others......

 

Bee Choo Herbal Hair Treatment at Clementi Ave. 3, Blk. 433

 

The saloon is bustling with customers, referred to by friends.

 

One of the Chicken Rice outlets of Qi Le F & B Holdings in Clementi Central

 

A generous serving of chicken at $3.30 with free soup of the day

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When I wrote my article, "Man Proposes, God Disposes", I received an excellent email from a toastmaster friend, Michael Chu. I am posting his comments to my article below:

"My say is that those who are in business, public or private, need to live not by excessive profits alone, but by doing what is right and fair; be responsible for not aggravating costs to society, i.e., people so that they do not have to serve mammon -- the god of debt. It irks me to read of the excessive profits made by corporations coupled with the unacceptable news that they need to increase prices (e.g. SingTel's fixed line, public transport, etc.). The greed for excessive profits need to be tempered, and leaders in corporations must excercise the moral courage to think right and show the way. Our society does not need to live by excessive profits alone; we are not Wall Street."

Michael Chu

I totally agree with Michael. In this article, I am highlighting three businesses which I hope many people will emulate, because by emulating, success is guaranteed.
The founders of these business come from all walks of life, but they have been practising what has long been advocated in the Book of Proverbs 11:25, "The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself."

BEE CHOO HERBAL HAIR TREATMENT

Recently, due to lack of sleep, the hairs on my head have been thinning. I had been wondering whether I should try treatment at 101 or at Yunan Hair Centre, but their exorbitant prices put me off. Even if I could afford the money, I hate to indulge so much on myself when there are millions of hungry kids around the world.

Hence, I was delighted when I found a blogger, writing under http://singaporeshortstories.com featuring an article about Bee Choo and her wonderful and economical herbal hair treatment. Yesterday, I visited the saloon at Clementi and was delighted with their efficient and cordial service. As my hair is slightly longer, beneath my ears, I paid $30 per treatment. The staff was proud to say that the boss is able to keep costs low, because Bee Choo does not spend any money on advertisement. It is all by word of mouth. Readers can also log in her website at www.beechoohair.com

I guess Bee Choo must have realised the pain and agony a person goes through by losing her hair, because she too had once lost much hair and had tried all kinds of treatment which did not seem to work. Her chance meeting with a Chinese doctor in Hongkong gave her the opportunity to try out the herbal remedy which she in turn recommended to a friend. As they say, the rest is history. Bee Choo also realises that this is a gift she must share with those in need, for not everyone with hair loss is necessarily rich enough to patronise 101 and Yunan who charge more because of heavy advertising in the papers and television. Bee Choo also saves costs by running her saloons in HDB shops. Her shops are a few minutes walk from MRT station; hence the rental is lower.

Satisfied customers in turn recommend their friends, colleagues and family. In a short time, Bee Choo has established 3 outlets in Ang Mo Kio, Clementi and Pasir Ris. The saloon does not take booking; it is on a first come first served basis, but the service is organised and efficient. Customers will get a metal number tag which is put on the wrist. I was at the saloon at 11.30a.m. and I was already the 12th customer. By 12.30p.m. the saloon was almost full. I almost forgot we are having a recession now! The treatment is two hours and I was out by 1.30p.m.in time for my dental appointment in Clementi.

SHENG SIONG SUPERMARKET

When I moved to Little India, I was delighted to find Sheng Siong Supermarket at Tekka Mall or what will soon be known as The Verge. The supermarket is often crowded for obvious reasons...the attractive pricing. I am sure my local readers would know much about the founder of Sheng Siong who is a frugal man. He is someone who is stingy with himself but is generous to his family and staff. He waters others and is watered himself. Sheng Siong now has many outlets throughout Singapore.

QI LE F & B HOLDINGS

Just recently, I took my client, Joyce, for a viewing at Clementi. Since it was around dinner time and we were still early, I decided to give her a dinner treat at a kopi tiam near the Clementi MRT station. I noticed this chicken outlet because I was attracted to the free soup of the day. To my surprise, I was given a huge bowl of herbal chicken with plenty of peanuts. What a generous serving.! The food was tasty, and the chicken, laid on top of a bed of bean sprouts, was quite substantial. The second time I was there, the soup of the day was chicken with sweet corn. Qi Le also has a few outlets in Singapore. They also provide catering for parties. You can call Terence at 82221010 or email him at terence1010@gmail.com

I do not have much business acumen. Being the arty-farty type, I am more prone to day dreams, messiness, forgetfulness etc. However, I am now beginning to wonder why Power Supply, Singtel, etc. cannot keep its costs low like Bee Choo. In fact, I even read in the papers that Power Supply has asked not to be blamed for the 21% increase in utitlities because they cannot help it. Bee Choo also has to use a lot of electricity and water for her business. Her saloon is air conditioned, well-lighted and she uses lots of water to wash off the herbs from her customers' heads. Yet she can keep her fees so low? Like Bee Choo, Power Supply also does not have to advertise because it has monopoly of the business. Everybody in Singapore immediately knows he has to head for Power Supply the moment the sale of a purchased property is completed. Not everyone will lose hair and need treatment from Bee Choo, but everyone, rich or poor, need to use electricity and water everyday.

As I have always said before, I cannot understand Economics or Mathematics. Can someone help me to explain the extremes ie. why the above three businesses can thrive without charging excessively and why Power Supply cannot help the increase in costs?

Gan Chau