The Straits Times / The Business Times News on OSIM

They took the first step

The hortatory message of the past decade or so has been the importance of entrepreneurs. Mere competence is passe.

Today's darling is the dashing starter-up of new enterprise. He, or quite often nowadays, she, is vigorous and innovative - a taker of risks, not just a hewer of wood or a drawer of water.

The five people BT features this week are an inspiration to one and all.

Here is the feature on Osim's Ron Sim:

RON SIM

REALISING that knotted muscles are the workplace injuries of today has made Ron Sim's Osim one of the media darlings of Singapore enterprise - and not simply because his products have probably helped a legion of the local press.

It is also because Mr Sim is yet another Singapore boy who made good without paper qualifications, family wealth, or connections. The numbers his company have racked up are im pressive: over 1,000 stores worldwide, a brand that a consultant has valued at over $200 million, and recently, 36 per cent growth in second quarter revenues.

But more impressive than the numbers is Mr Sim's rags-to-riches story. He started work after his O-levels at Balestier Hill Technical School. He worked in shipyards, in construction, in a cafe, then in sales. He found his calling in selling pots and pans and other household products, and opened his first company when he was just 20 years old.

It didn't work out, so he founded, Rsim trading company in 1980. It became Osim in 1989 - O standing for the globe, which was where he wanted to make his mark. He had very early on realised that Singapore's share of the global knotted muscle industry was too small.

To make a name for itself, he spent millions on branding. Gong Li's was one of the more memorable bodies to have graced his chairs. He expanded aggressively: Hong Kong in 1986, Taiwan in 1987 as well as Malaysia in the early 90s.

He bought up American specialist retailer Brookstone last October to massage his retail presence in the USA. His company is now a global player, kneading its way into becoming one of the largest healthcare products company today.

When he won the Businessman of the Year accolade in 2004, he said: 'I am lucky to be born poor. Because it fuels the hunger, it fuels the despair, the desire to make things good and right. I want to say this to my staff, colleagues and shareholders - that the end depends on the beginning, and the beginning depends on how hungry you are. And, I must say, I am still very, very hungry, and filled with a burning desire to push forward for the next five, 10, 15 years.'