Name : Khaing Me Me Zaw
Position : Co-Founder – SAI Cosmetix
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How and when did you establish the Sexy And Intelligent (SAI) brand?
Sai Sai, famous Myanmar actor, and I had known each other for several years prior to this business. As a friend, one day, he came up with this business idea that he would like to produce a good quality cosmetic brand for Myanmar people. He wanted to start with lipsticks as a first product. At that time, I had been running a cosmetic retail business called Allure Beauty Collection, which sell cosmetics and personal care products. So cosmetics have been something that I am passionate about and we were really working hard and getting serious on this project and nothing could stop us. That was around March, 2015, we linked up with a Korean manufacturer and started working on it.
What is the ratio of ownership between you and your business partner, Sai Sai?
– Confidential –
What sort of difficulties did you face while starting the business?
As a startup company, our first difficulty was to add talent to our team. Since we were the only two people plus his manager at that time, we faced a huge challenge to find and hire talent from the same industry, which is not easy. To meet with the rapid growth, we needed to form a team in a short period of time and finding the right people and getting along with the whole team was not easy as we expected.
Please explain to our readers a little about SAI lipsticks?
SAI – The first series that Sexy And Intelligent lipsticks launched was soft matte lip cream; which is matte yet has a soft creamy texture. We produced our first three colours as Nude (Be Mine), Pink (First Kiss) and Signature Red (Heartbreaker). After four months we added the next four colours which are chocolate nude (Only You), warm nude (My Bae), dark mauve (Summer Fling) and Soft Pink (Valentine) as the second step. All our products are made in a Korean factory and we carefully worked on the formula with a professional team in Korea. We have an FDA certificate in Myanmar, too.
What is the target audience for SAI?
Our current target demographic are females, especially teenagers and working adults who love beauty products and love to gain confidence by wearing good quality cosmetics.
What are the current projects your team are working on?
We recently launched our latest product line that includes eyeshadow & blush palette, eyeliner and makeup sponge. And, currently,we are working on a marketing campaign to meet our sales projection. We need to make sure our customers are not just talking about but also buying our products at the store. We are making our distribution channel smoother than before. We are also focusing on customer acquisition and rendition to make sure our customers really love our product quality and their purchase.
How is SAI trying to extend its market aside from lipsticks?
We are going to produce as many products as we can. For now, we cannot identify which products those will be but we will announce that soon.
Compared to your working experiences in England, what are the differences between working in Myanmar and in England or other countries?
Obviously, there are a lot of differences in the western and eastern corporate culture. But there is a saying, “when in Rome, do as the Romans do”. I tried to learn to be flexible and adapt quickly in every country that I worked.
What are the long-term objectives of SAI Cosmetix?
To be able to produce good quality cosmetics products at reasonable price. To be able to expand new product lines at fast pace.
Aside from SAI Cosmetix, what businesses are you running currently?
I currently own two cosmetics retail stores and one wholesale shop. All shops are located in Yangon. Also, I am helping my father with a building materials project which will import laminate flooring and sell construction materials at a showroom located on 10 Mile Road. A lot of illegal cosmetics are imported to Myanmar from neighbouring countries such as Thailand.
Does it affect women’s skin? What is your advice to prevent to these scenarios?
Yes, we are hearing news about how badly the skin can be damaged because of illegal imported cosmetics that do not have an FDA certificate.
What is your opinion of Myanmar’s cosmetics sector?
The Myanmar cosmetics sector is catching up with international trends. Now, Myanmar woman use make up and a cushion where we used only thanakha in the past. Nowadays, we see lots of beauty bloggers and an opening up to new kinds of knowledge such as how to draw eyebrows and contouring. More and more people are following international beauty trends.
From a business standpoint, what do you feel are the biggest challenges facing you and your team over the next 1-3 years?
Competition will get stronger than it is now. Our team should be ready with strong R&D to give the best quality products and to accelerate growing business needs. We should be well prepared to deliver the right product to the right target audience. The business projections are not always on the excel spreadsheet. If you can do it right than its great but do have a realistic expectation of business. This would mean you have to think of a best scenario and a worst scenario and prepare for both.
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