shopping site founder has no regrets quitting her job as auditor
Growth: Hoe says the site plans to go international.
MANY of the younger generation do not like to be tied down to a nine-to-five job. They prefer jobs that guarantee freedom, so running their own online business becomes their number one choice.
Azorias is the first online store in Malaysia that specialises in officewear. All the items sold on the site are made in South Korea and sold under the Azorias label.
While its customers are mostly Malaysians, Singaporeans and Australians, 20% to 30% of Azorias shoppers are from the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Russia, Poland and Norway. Azorias' site has some 30,000 visitors a month.
Hoe, who has a double degree in commerce and business systems, quit her high-paying job to manage Azorias full-time.
"I love fashion but my father wanted me to become a doctor like him, or perhaps enter another respectable profession like a law, engineering or accountancy," she said.
Growing up in a traditional family, Hoe knew she could not let her father down, so she completed her studies and worked as an auditor in Singapore.
She chose auditing because it gave her the opportunity to broaden her views.
Pursuing a dream: Hoe (above) quit her job as an auditor to start her online venture.
Life was not a bed of roses for her michael kors uk in Singapore. During peak periods, she had to work until 5am, return home to sleep for an hour and report to work again at 9am.
However, she found it a great learning experience.
After working in Singapore for two years, Hoe started to think about returning to Malaysia. Before starting to work out her next step, her friends suggested that she visit South Korea as she was always fond michael kors handbags uk of officewear made there.
The trip proved to be fruitful as the fashion industry there was a real eye-opener. Hoe's dream took shape in South Korea because she was confident that the pretty clothes would be very popular in Malaysia.
Determined to set up a website to sell South Korean-made clothes, she raised the idea with two friends and soon began the preparations.
They purchased the merchandise from South Korea, designed the website and hired part-timers to model the clothes. Azorias' website went online last year.
"I am the only person in charge of the website. Before I rented a shop as office and storeroom, all the clothes were stored at home, which didn't exactly please my family. They thought I didn't have a proper job and the clothes were taking up a lot of space at home," she said, adding that some of her family members did not believe it would work at first.
Her grandparents even thought she was opening a stall at a night michael kors outle market when they saw her loading the stock into her car.
Her father did not say much about her new venture.
Inspiration: A trip to South Korea was the catalyst for Hoe's business.
Hoe conducted market research before starting the business and found that many local women had liking for stylish officewear too.
She said South Korean apparel is decent and of high quality. Not only are the designs classics, she added, they are also up-to-date with trends in Europe and the United States.
Since South Korean women are on the slim side, the clothes might not fit Malaysians well if they are imported directly. Therefore, Hoe works with manufacturers to custom-make bigger sizes to cater to the local market.
"Instead of ordinary packaging, michael kors handbags canada our items are delivered in a delicate parcels that are also perfect as gifts. Our prices range from RM59 to more than RM300, making the clothes cheaper compared to Singapore," she said.
Hoe sources for clothes in South Korea every two months. This allows michael kors outlet canada Azorias to feature new items on its website every week and the items are delivered to buyers within three working days.
She added that the clothes are modelled by foreign models because Azorias plans to expand to international markets in the future.
At the moment, Azorias offers more than 300 stylish garments, from officewear to evening gowns. The line has attracted the attention of department stores, including Parkson, and some of its items are available on Parkson's online store.
Get your copy of Red Tomato, the country's first free Chinese weekly, every Friday at most RapidKL LRT and Monorail stations, as well as selected convenience stores and shopping centres nationwide.
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