Kim Lim did not lay off any workers during Circuit Breaker

Singaporeans and common bystanders who know of Kim Lim often dismiss her as a woman who lives on her father’s money. Being the daughter of well-known billionaire Peter Lim, people have a lot of assumptions about the socialite–but she puts those assumptions to rest in her newest feature with Asia One.

Kim Lim joined the beauty industry

Undoubtedly leveraging her looks and inherited business acumen, she opened two clinics this year, one in Ngee Ann City called Papilla Hair and another clinic called Illumia Therapeutics, a 4,000 sq ft aesthetics clinic at Wheelock Place.

Kim said that she spent most of her time between those two clinics, even as the 29-year-old sometimes-influencer also had a young son, so she was juggling a lot of responsibilities.

She put up the businesses with a friend, 42-year-old Elizabeth Leong. She was involved from the conceptualization and testing of the services and products of her clinics, saying that what people think of her as a jet-setting socialite who sat around all day was untrue.

What about other celebrity-owned business during CB?

“Some think I sit around all day doing nothing. It’s quite the opposite,” she said, and was very adamant about working hard to achieve success. She also said that she realized she got her entrepreneurial skills from her father.

“It was a long, thought-out process setting up the business,” said Kim. She continued “I was involved from the design, concept, well, just about everything, including testing treatments on myself first.”

She was also the clinic’s brand ambassador. She also told the website how she was part of the business development.

“I’ve researched and reviewed aesthetic treatments all over Southeast Asia, as well as worked with our doctors on the treatments,” she said

She also said that she knows all her staff, and spends a lot of her time being very hands-on with the business. Since her business partner was a veteran in the beauty industry, she said that she learned something new everyday.

Treats her staff like friends and family

Kim described herself as someone who treats her staff as friends or family. She joins in the celebrations for targets and thinks about the welfare of her staff all the time.

When COVID-19 and Circuit Breaker hit, she said that she had not laid off any of her staff, and thought about their welfare constantly.

According to the interview, she was very concerned with her staff’s welfare during Circuit Breaker.

“It affected me in many ways. I was concerned about my staff, how they were coping during the Circuit Breaker… their well-being, we called to check on one another frequently,” she recalls.

What about Daniel Ong and his restaurant business?

“I had sleepless nights thinking about the businesses. We didn’t have much cash reserves, as we are a new company. We did not lay off any staff and continued to pay their basic pay.”

She also said that the short shelf-life of her beauty consumables like fillers and Botox concerned her as well.

COVID-19 donations from Illumia

During the pandemic, she also mobilized her staff to donate hygiene kits to elderly citizens. She also donated food and treats to medical frontliners in their dormitories.

Still, she maintains a very private life, and doesn’t give details about her child or family.