For a Filipina, Korea isn’t just where she found the love of her life but also the land where she struck fortune! But get me wrong, this Pinay became a millionaire because of her own hard work and “diskarte” in South Korea.
Renee Tapan-Lee proves to everyone that you can be a millionaire at 32 by selling cosmetic brands. She’s the owner and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Derma Natufian, a cosmetic brand in South Korea. The CEO shared the inspiring story of how she built her brand and managed her business until now, earning over P1 million a month.
Renee met her Korean husband, Young Man, in 2015 in the Philippines. After getting married, the couple settled in Korea, where her husband works in a company. She recalled that while her husband had a job, they didn’t have much savings. “Parang surviving lang po, kulang pang savings,” Renee shared on GMA’s Dapat Alam Mo.
This urged Renee to start venturing into business. Her business idea came when her husband gave her a cosmetic product that she loved. “Niregaluhan niya po ako ng cosmetics and I posted it on Instagram, and then maraming nag-comment na ‘bakit ‘di ka magbenta niyan?’ ‘bakit di mo ibenta sa Pinas?’”
Renee soon started selling Korean cosmetic products online in 2016. Soon, she started noticing that her business was growing steadily. Together with her husband, Renee personally packed and handled the orders. They started computing their revenue and monthly income, realizing that Renee was earning more than her husband’s salary.
During their early months, they would earn an average of P300,000 until they grew to over a million monthly. To help Renee, her husband resigned from his job and focused on managing their business.
After establishing her business in South Korea, Renee opened a branch in the Philippines. She started actively selling her brands in the Philippines in 2019 and assured that their products are fit for the Filipinos’ skin type.
With her success, Renee advises other aspiring entrepreneurs to take a risk. She said taking risks will make us realize how far we can go in achieving our dreams. She said, “Huwag kayong matakoy mag-take ng risk. Kasi if we don’t take risks, hindi po natin malalaman kung hanggang saan young kaya nating ma-achieve.”
You can watch the video on GMA’s Youtube Channel: