TALL and slim, with nary a hair out of place, Ms Alice Lim is a regular fixture on Shanghai's socialite scene.
But don't mistake this savvy Singaporean entrepreneur for a frivolous tai-tai. Ms Lim, 39, is the owner of Beauty Arsenal, a health and beauty spa in Shanghai which counts the city's socialites, high- fliers and expatatriates among its client list.
Hobnobbing with the rich and famous is part of her business strategy. "It's all about guanxi (connections)," she says.
Currently operating out of a 1,000 sq ft space in Nanjing Xi Lu, Beauty Arsenal will move to a new 6,000 sq ft premises next month. The US$1 million (S$1.5 million) spa will be in Nanjing Lu, Shanghai's equivalent of Orchard Road.
Ms Lim, who is Malaysian-born but took up Singapore citizenship after she moved across the Causeway to study beauty in 1993, founded the Beauty Arsenal brand in 2001 at Pacific Plaza. When the Singapore outlet started "doing very well", she set her sights on the lucrative China market.
With the help of a client, one of the head honchos at business space provider Ascendas, she managed to secure her first 2,000 sq ft spot at the Ascendas Plaza in Tianyaoqiao Lu in 2005.
Renting an apartment in Shanghai, she began building a customer base around the area. Her businessman husband and two children - aged 12 and 11 - remained in Singapore.
She sees her family once or twice a month. "I miss them very much, but thankfully my children are both very mature and independent."
The business got off to a shaky start, though. Advertisements failed to draw customers.
Her big break came when she befriended a writer from society magazine Shanghai Tatler. She got herself invited to charity events and began networking with the city's who's who.
She learnt that among Shanghai's moneyed set, first impressions count. "When you attend these events, you have to make an effort to look good, otherwise no one will talk to you."
Through high teas and free facials, she cosied up to socialites, who helped spread her name.
And when the Shanghai Tatler finally ran a story on her, her fortunes reversed entirely. "I had socialites calling me and asking if they could meet me instead," she says, with a laugh.
From no customers in the beginning, she now sees about 10 a day. Most of her customers sign up for facials priced at 500 yuan (S$100) and above. Some don't even think twice about spending 120,000 yuan for a package to get top-of-the-line service and products.
With a steady flow of high-spending customers, she was able to think bigger when her lease at Ascendas expired.
Once the new project gets off the ground, she will consider expanding to Beijing and Chengdu.
