Well, the entrepreneur's roots in the hair industry can actually be traced back to her childhood. As it happens, Kim isn't the only member of the family to have entered the salon business. Daughter to veteran hairstylist Simon
Kim, Kim spent most of her childhood surrounded by the hair industry.
The paternal Kim started out as a 15-year-old high school dropout and worked his way up in the trade, eventually earning himself international acclaim
as an award-winning hairstylist. With no business experience, he had opened the Hair Impression salon at the age of 19, followed by his own hairstyling academy at the age of 21, and expanded the salon to 10 branches across
Penang Island by the time he had turned 30. Knowing this, it comes as no surprise that Kim has such a natural entrepreneurial spirit.
Unfortunately, the recent pandemic and a stagnant business model that alienated new
clients left the Hair Impression salon in crisis, and Kim's father soon found himself looking to call it quits. However, unable to watch him give up on his craft, Kim sought to help her father start anew.
"All I needed
to do was strategise to help him pivot and stay relevant in the market," Kim explains. "That's when Wave Salon was born—a Santorini-inspired salon that makes customers feel like they're at a resort and delivers an experience
that makes them feel good."
It's Kim's innovative perspective that gives her businesses their edge in a saturated market. For instance, with Cocodry and Wave Salon, the novelty of the business model is that the customer
experience goes beyond hairstyling. Further, the Instagram-friendly decor of both establishments is by design—a marketing tool that serves to attract a younger, more social-savvy demographic to the salon. All in all, the influx
of new clients has put Mr Kim right back in the game, where he belongs.