Student Stories

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” – Nelson Mandela

Share with us your current portfolio as a Chief Executive Officer of Luxx Store.

As the CEO of Luxx, I’m responsible for leading the team and organisation to meet the business goals. Other than that, I regularly help to create a culture to encourage my employees to develop themselves and enhance their skillsets.

On a day-to-day basis, I would often lead meetings with my employees to find out some of the on-the-ground problems and solve them together. At times, top-line decisions are also made during the meeting. But overall, I provide overall guidance on strategic and operational matters.

Luxx Store was launched in 2020 to offer women comprehensive beauty solutions that use innovative technology to make cosmetology more simple, accessible, and empowering. While the product may be perceived as a premium brand, as conveyed by the name, the price may surprise many. Our brand story was also covered by Yahoo, you may read more: https://sg.news.yahoo.com/trending-beauty-brand-luxx-sold-091900820.html

What are the challenges of leading a company while studying for your degree at the same time? how do you overcome them?

The challenges I faced were time management and multi-tasking. To me, both skills are equally important, which is why it may be challenging to juggle the different priorities daily. Not just school, I had to ensure the smooth running of my business while still making time for my personal commitments. How did I do it? By planning ahead and taking note of what I have to do daily. This way, I can ensure that my meetings, work events and classes wouldn’t overlap. By laying out my entire schedule, I get a clearer picture of my priorities, and it is especially useful during exam periods. My classes typically start at 7AM till 11AM (based on my time zone). During this time, I ensure that there are no disruptions and focus on my studies. After classes, I would shift my attention to my work and team.

All in all, I have gained invaluable experience studying while working. While it was stressful, it was worth it. I am grateful to have the opportunity to build my resilience and tenacity.

What accomplishment are you most proud of in your life, till now?

I consider my personal development as my greatest accomplishment. Over the past few years, I have always pushed myself out of my comfort zone. Recently, I stumbled across this statement, “a comfort zone is a lovely place, but nothing grows there”, and I totally agree. To put it simply, when we find the courage to push ourselves beyond our comfort zones, we step out of normalcy and into uncertainty. That is when we experience growth. For me, I used to fear public speaking. Instead of backing out, I chose to step out of my comfort zone and consciously try to keep practising. Now, I no longer consider public speaking a discomfort.

I do not want to give too much credit to myself for my many accomplishments. In fact, I am most grateful for the new opportunities in my life, the people around me, and everything that helped me with my self-development.

What made you embark on your course / discipline? How did this programme help you to make a difference in your career?

Prior to my degree, I researched on the different universities and institutions. Due to that, I was sure PSB Academy was the perfect fit for me. The first thing that caught my attention and reassured me of my choice was that PSB Academy offers programmes that could be completed within 16 months*. While it meant that the study schedules were going to be compact, it also meant that it would allow us to go out to the real working world faster and apply what we’ve learnt.

Additionally, PSB Academy is one of the known institutions in Singapore and partners with high-ranking universities from the UK and Australia. There is also tremendous diversity within the international student population at PSB Academy, which allows overseas students like me to be prepared to live and work in an intercultural environment. The modules were relevant, especially case studies of other successful organisations. I was able to learn from them and apply them to my business.

*Applicable only for students eligible for direct entry to academic year 2.

How approachable and helpful were the lecturers/tutors? Was there anyone who motivated you through the challenges of completing your course?

My experience with the lecturers and tutors was incredible! Despite not being able to meet face to face, everyone was supportive. I have always received prompt responses to my questions in classes and in emails. This really shows that students can rely on their professors.

Rather than ‘someone’ who motivated me through the challenges, the anticipation of what lies ahead kept me going. I was genuinely looking forward to stepping into the real world to apply what I learned.