How One Woman Overcame A Bad Marriage And Launched A Beauty Empire

What would you do if you realised you were in an emotionally-abusive marriage? Wendi Chan, co-founder of Pinklestar, turned her situation around by leaving her ex-husband – with her three young children in tow – and is now mentoring young women to have the skills, knowledge and business acumen to be independent.

Wendi, 50, married her college sweetheart in 1998 and relocated to Indonesia two years later. She had three children with him and worked in his family business as a merchandiser, helping to bring in international brands as well as create new brands for their department store. 

After she had her third child, she quit her job to take care of her kids. Life was “easy” for her as they had their own house, drivers and a helper. However, she also felt lonely and isolated. 

What she didn't realise was that she was slowly being manipulated by her then-husband. Because mental health wasn't a frequently-discussed topic back then, she had no idea that being married to him was affecting her mental and emotional health. Wendi tried to persuade him to see a marriage counsellor but he refused, so she went ahead and spoke to an expert anyway. 

“I started having thoughts about leaving when my ex's temper got more and more unpredictable,” she recalls. “He would call me names, put me down and lose his temper almost weekly. I made up my mind to leave when the doctor prescribed me anti-depressants and I realised that I was depressed.” 

In late 2002 at age 30, Wendi made the decision to move back to Singapore, bringing her three children aged five, two and nine months at the time. It wasn't easy at first and she describes that period as being “in a constant state of fear” as she had to hide from her ex-husband because she didn't leave on good terms. 

“However, when I started to realise my depression was due to the emotional abuse I was put through, I was very determined to remove myself from the situation and find strength in my family back in Singapore,” she says. 

Bringing the Brazilian wax to Singapore  

Wendi started researching online about mental health care, as well as searching for a job to get back on her feet. She was recommended for a job as a brand manager in a salon-product distribution company, which also operated a chain of beauty salons. She also started to get into contact with friends she had lost touch with. 

“After a while, I realised that I was laughing again. I was happy and my confidence and old personality started to shine again,” she shares. “I am forever thankful for all the support I received from my family and loved ones.” 

Wendi started Pink Parlour in 2005. She chose to go into the beauty business because she was previously from the fashion and beauty industry and she wanted to do something to empower herself.

“Back then, there were a lot of day spas and I wanted Pink Parlour to be more hip and groovy – a place where women could catch up with their friends and pamper themselves,” she explains. “I also wanted to empower women to take control of how they look and feel, therefore our offerings are for women to enhance their confidence.”

Not only was Pink Parlour one of the first waxing centres in Singapore's, it's also famously known for pioneering Brazilian waxing. Wendi says this happened by chance as they had a large population of expat clients who were frequently asking for a Brazilian wax. So she decided to introduce it as the salon's main treatment, within the first three months of operation. 

“Because we were doing so many Brazilian waxes everyday, I was finding better ways to improve the techniques, shorten the time taken and reduce the pain with certain movements,” she reveals. “I started to document and develop our quick method to perform and train our beauticians in the methods. 

A mentor to other women  

It wasn't easy for the single mum to juggle her business and family life, though. She admits it was “very tough” but feels “blessed” that she had the support of her parents, “who helped tremendously with the kids”.

She shares that her parents were very supportive and have always respected her decisions. In fact, they paid for the tickets for her and her kids to fly back to Singapore and financially supported her until she found a job. She says her parents “cared for all four of us until I was better.” And once she started her business, Wendi gave her all to ensure it did well.

“As an entrepreneur, I knew the success of the business depended largely on my efforts and hard work,” she explains. “As a retailer, I worked long hours. In the first two years, I barely saw my three kids because I had to work from 10am to 10pm daily. I was lucky if I could catch a Sunday off, which was not often. “Of course there were feelings of guilt for not spending enough time with my kids but I also wanted to make sure the business was a success,” she says.

One way she spent time with her children was by having them at the salon with her. They helped out with sweeping and mopping and, as they grew older, they worked at the reception counter. “We got to spend time together and they also learned the workings of a business and having good business ethics. Both my kids and I enjoyed it,” she says.

Pink Parlour now has over 60,000 clients across the region, with a presence in countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. Wendi is determined to mentor women and sees herself as “fortunate” to have made an impact on many of her employees' loves. 

“Being in a female-dominated industry, we have given opportunities to and trained and groomed many single mothers, young adults and girls from underprivileged families to gain independence and become breadwinners at home,” Wendi shares. “In more than six cases, I have groomed staff to become business owners. In fact, we offer partnership programmes for our staff who want to be their own bosses.”

Partners in business and in life 

Wendi's current husband, Derrick Seeto – who she has one child with – is also her business partner. She reveals that they were business partners before they got married and only decided to tie the knot when she was going to have their child. They're both divorcees who never thought a signed certificate would bind any relationship but felt it was only fair for the child to be brought up in a legally-recognised family unit.

Working together was good as they each had their strengths and they complemented each other's weaknesses. She believes this helped them to grow the business quite rapidly in the early years. However, with maturity and experience, she admits it has been difficult to draw the line sometimes as their conversations began to be mainly about work. So they now have very specific areas they manage so they don't overstep their boundaries.

She also had a different experience when she had her fourth child, compared with her previous three. “I was in my twenties when I had my first three, so it was different with my fourth child as I was an older mother in 2013, at 40,” she says. “Also, it was a rather difficult pregnancy and I was on bedrest most of the time, so my husband had to take over most of the business while I took a back seat.”

Wendi says she now has more flexibility and focuses on business/brand development and training.

So what advice does she have for women who want to start their own business? It's all about setting smart goals for both your personal and business lives, she says. And this happens by strategically planning out all the aspects of your life, such as your family, personal growth and business goals.

“It's the only way you can strike that balance between family and work and you will know exactly how much time and effort you must set aside for each in order to achieve it,” she suggests. “Stay focused and work hard towards it!”