THE business idea came to her in a public toilet. The spark: Women's frustrations about the level of hygiene in public toilets.
The idea: A toilet-seat sanitiser that women can carry with them to kill germs and freshen the toilet. As a former sales manager with Rentokil Initial, Singapore's largest washroom and sanitary cleaning services provider, Ms Adele Chia had the credentials.
So Ms Chia and best friend Ang Chern Chern decided to quit their jobs and pool their savings to produce what they call "a stylish companion" for the discerning women.
Packed in a pretty, gauze pouch, the spray bottle, which comes with a refill, could easily pass off as eau de toilette. But the travel-size kit contains enough active ingredients to kill most bacteria and germs found in the toilet.
Formulated, tested and passed in Switzerland, the product is called luvthyself. Ms Ang, 34, told The New Paper: "It was one of those 'frustrated at work, if only we could just quit' days.
"We started ticking off the available options, which included starting our own business, but we had difficulty picking out the right type of business."
Until Ms Chia, 33, walked into a restroom in Ngee Ann City.
She said: "I knew that commercial sanitisers had been installed only in the toilets at the Changi Airport terminals and IKEA buildings."
Most building owners, she added, were reluctant to do likewise because of the cost involved.
With their husbands' blessings, the partners emptied their bank accounts for their start-up capital of $35,000.
Ms Ang, then a sales manager with a diagnostic imaging supplier, tapped on her contacts in the medical industry and found a chemist who agreed to work on a formula for individual use.
She explained: "It had to be effective yet not too strong to cause an allergic reaction, and also represent the professional woman."
The end result: A mildly-scented sanitiser that can be used as an air-freshener too. Response to the sanitiser has been encouraging, said Ms Chia. So far, 1,500 sets of 20ml spray and 65ml refill - at $9.90 each - have been sold since last month. Each 20ml spray gives about 150 applications.
