| Sharifah Hunaini Syed Ismail |
KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama) – The tagline “Qu Puteh Qu Puteh, Barulah Putih” may be annoying to some. However, as a marketing slogan, it worked effectively.
It certainly has helped build the business empire of Datuk Seri Hasmiza Othman, better known as “Dr Vida”.
Often dressed in glittering clothes and decked in jewellery and a gleaming tiara, the CEO of Vida Beauty Sdn Bhd is a recognisable ambassador of her brand.
The 44-year-old born in Machang, Kelantan often stars in her own product advertisements, promoting her range of beauty and healthcare products.
The wealth she has built has enabled her to sponsor a variety of popular television entertainment programmes and even a football team. This in turn further boosted her popularity and product sales.
The writer recently had the chance to interview the enterprising businesswoman and learned of her tumultuous journey from rags to riches.
Speaking in a thick Kelantanese dialect, Hasmiza said the road to becoming a multimillionaire was filled with hurdles. While doing business, she had been sabotaged, cheated, slandered and experienced failure upon failure.
The hardships, however, compared little to the pain she felt when she lost two of her four children in a fire three years ago.
Datuk Seri Hasmiza Othman, better known as ‘Dr Vida’, is the CEO of Vida Beauty Sdn Bhd. BERNAMA
However, Hasmiza refused to be let down by the trials she endured. With hard work and tenacity, she rose against the odds to become what she is today.
Her material success can be measured by her RM22 million home in Ipoh, Perak, her 22 luxury homes, of which several are occupied by her staff, more than 10 luxury cars and the jewellery that she is constantly adorned with.
“I’ve gone through failures and losses, but it only made me more determined to work harder for this life and the hereafter. I would not be able to achieve all of these without tenacity,” she said.
Hasmiza came from humble beginnings. Her life changed for the worse when her father, who owned a sawmill, died suddenly. From then on, her mother had to tap rubber to bring up Hasmiza and her two siblings.
She discovered from a young age that business was a good way to support herself. She made good pocket money selling ‘kacang putih’ (legumes) and ‘nasi bungkus’ (packed rice meals) to school friends.
She eventually made her way to Universiti Sains Malaysia in Penang to pursue a degree in education, majoring in Malay Literature and History.
To support herself through university, she sold products from Kelantan such as the batik sarong, prayer garments, meat ‘sambal’(hot relish) and ‘keropok’ (chips) to her friends and lecturers.
At the same time, she tirelessly worked shifts at a factory and took on a part time job at a fast-food restaurant near campus.
Upon graduation, she was assigned to teaching at SJK (C) Poi Lam in Ipoh.
However, even with a steady monthly income as a teacher, she had a strong desire to run a business.
She eventually decided to start a business in the field of beauty and grooming and enrolled in a grooming course.
After learning the trade, she made the bold decision to take on a RM100,000 bank loan to open a beauty salon.
After 12 years, Hasmiza decided to quit her career as a schoolteacher. She then signed up as a staff at the National Vocational Training Council and taught hair and makeup grooming to students at the centre.
Hasmiza then received a RM1 million grant from the government to start her cosmetics business. Half of the money was spent on research and development, which included travelling to several countries to source for the best ingredients for her cosmetic products.
She then spent RM100,000 advertising her products in a local magazine and the remaining RM400,000 on advertising on private radio and TV stations. However, none of it produced tangible results.
“The magnitude of the financial loss took a toll on me, to the point that I was diagnosed with high blood pressure. However, there was a silver lining to the episode. As someone who likes to experiment, I tried coming up with my own remedy to treat my blood pressure, using gamat (sea cucumber), known for its cooling effect and pomegranate, which is high in antioxidants. The remedy managed to reduce my blood pressure.
“That was the birth of my health product, Pamoga. However, the sales of my products refused to budge due to the advertising failure. That year, I managed to sell only 500 bottles of Pamoga.
“Today, sales of Pamoga is some 100,000 bottles a month, and I have over 100 other products,” she said.
She began to reach eight figure sales after 10 years in the business.
“After my bad experience, I became extra careful when it comes to advertising. At the same, I diversified my investments, putting my money in local dramas and films as well as several other businesses. In addition to sponsoring TV programmes, I am also sponsoring the Kelantan football team to a tune of RM16 million, but on the condition that they paint the stadium pink,” she said, laughing.
She said her glittery persona was in contrast to the person she really was inside – someone who liked to lounge around in caftans without makeup on.
“I am promoting my own products, so I need to make it catchy and memorable. This “bling-bling” persona is necessary to help sell my products, so that they will remember who Vida is and the products from her company, Vida Beauty Sdn Bhd,” she explained.
On the unique nickname ‘Vida’, Hasmiza said that her friends used to call her by the common nickname “Ida”. The “v” was added in front of the nickname to differentiate herself from others.
Throughout the course of her business, Hasmiza had had to encounter numerous setbacks including competition from counterfeit products, sabotage and slanderous allegations.
She was also acutely aware of the negative comments about her appearance.
“I know many people like to give me flak especially with regards to my appearance. I am used to it. They don’t know who I really am or understand my goals. If I were to listen to all the criticism, I’d be going nowhere,” she said.
As someone who had had to work hard from a young age to survive, Hasmiza was determined to not let her children go through similar difficulties in life.
“My children are my inspiration and source of strength, but I have taught them quite a bit to the trade, and they both seem quite interested in running a business.”
This year, her business calendar is packed with several new business ventures, including the manufacturing of her own range of mineral water and isotonic drinks.
She also plans to expand her business overseas.
She also advised to give often to charity, in addition to always making supplications to God, as Muslims believe that both acts would increase blessings in life.
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