I’ve been thinking about a question lately: what does it actually mean to build a brand.

The answer I keep coming back to is this — building a brand is less like telling time, and more like building the clock itself. A brand that only chases trends might catch attention for a while. But a brand that outlasts time needs something deeper: a clear mission, firm values, real expertise, and a system that keeps running even when the founder is no longer at the center of it.

When I founded LA’DERM in 2002, I wasn’t thinking about building something big. I was trying to solve a problem I kept seeing, day after day, as a beauty therapist. Women living in Malaysia’s heat and humidity dealt with excess oil, dehydration underneath that oil, sensitivity, clogged pores, pigmentation, premature aging. But most of the products on the market back then were formulated for temperate climates. I believed tropical skin deserved to be properly understood, and to have skincare built specifically for it. That belief became the starting point for LA’DERM.

In the early years, I did almost everything myself. I chose the products, listened to what customers needed, supported the therapists, solved whatever problem came up that day. For a brand just starting out, that’s natural.

I know that I am someone who often makes decisions intuitively. In the past, I did not always think through every system and process from the beginning. Over the years, my team has helped turn those instincts into structures that can be implemented, repeated, and sustained.

Going from doing everything myself to sitting down with a team, discussing, pushing back on each other, even being persuaded, that took a long time to get to.

My team is not simply a group of people I manage. They are the people who stand beside me, share the responsibility, and move forward with me.

A brand can’t rely on one person forever. A founder can set the vision, but a brand built to last needs a team, professional standards, education, and a system that keeps creating value for customers over time. I’ve come to understand that the real responsibility isn’t making yourself irreplaceable. It’s building something that keeps moving forward even when it doesn’t depend on any one person, including me.

Over the years, through countless real skin consultations, professional treatments, and feedback from our salon partners, our understanding of tropical skin has kept deepening. Every person’s skin is different, shaped by climate, lifestyle, age, stress, daily habits. We’ve never believed in treating everyone the same way. That’s why professional analysis, personalized care, and ongoing follow-up have always mattered to how we approach skin management. I care less about selling more product, and more about therapists truly understanding skin, giving advice they can stand behind, and building trust with customers that lasts.

Today, LA’DERM works with more than 400 salon partners across Malaysia. Every partner, every therapist, carries a part of this brand. Their expertise, their care, their consistency, that’s what actually shapes how customers experience LA’DERM. And my role has shifted along with it. I used to focus on developing products and building the brand. Now, I spend more of my time building people, systems, and opportunities, so the next generation can take LA’DERM further than I could ever take it alone.

I often say: the founder writes the first chapter. The team gives the story a future.

Trends will change. Technology will keep advancing. New products and platforms will keep appearing. But some things I want to stay the same, understanding real skin, offering real expertise, helping people become better than they were before.

A clock that outlasts time doesn’t just tell the hour. Its real purpose is to keep going.

Skin Better Than Before.

The post Founder’s Notes – Part 2 appeared first on LADERM.

From Beauty Therapist to Brand Founder: The One Thing I Learned in Over 20 Years

By Ng Soot Goh (Sharon Ng)
Founder, LA’DERM Professional Skincare | Chairwoman, Bonbeau Berhad | Penang, Malaysia

In 1997, I was a beauty therapist.

My work was simple: show up every day, sit face-to-face with clients, and help them with their skin. No grand plans. Just the work in front of me.

But it was during those years that I noticed something that would change everything.

The Gap Nobody Was Talking About
Most skincare products on the market were developed for temperate climates — the skin needs of women in Europe and North America. But the women I worked with every day lived in Malaysia, in heat and humidity, year-round.

Their skin challenges were completely different: excess sebum, moisture imbalance, clogged pores, constant UV exposure. Yet the products available were not designed for any of this.

That observation became the foundation of everything that followed.

LA’DERM Was Born in 2002
In 2002, I founded LA’DERM — with one clear mission: to develop professional skincare solutions specifically formulated for tropical climates and Asian skin.

What drove me then was not ambition for scale or recognition. It was a simpler, longer-term desire — to build a skincare brand that could genuinely accompany women through different stages of their lives.

Because skincare is not just external care. It is a long-term act of self-respect.

The Biggest Challenge: Being Underestimated
The hardest part of building LA’DERM was not funding or market access. It was being underestimated.

Many people did not believe a woman could sustainably run a brand, a distribution system, and a manufacturing facility. That doubt was sometimes spoken aloud. More often, it lived quietly in the room.

My response was to stop explaining and start building. Because I have always believed:
The best proof is in the work itself.

So year after year, I focused on one thing: building the product, the expertise, and the systems — step by step, with integrity. Because when the foundation is solid, time will speak for you.

Leadership Is Not the Spotlight
Over two decades, I have come to understand something about leadership: it is not about standing at the front. It is about creating conditions for your team to be seen.

The people who have truly carried LA’DERM to our customers are not the founders — they are the team members who show up every single day, building trust through consistent, genuine care.

My role is to set the direction, protect the values, and then make space for the team to grow.

To Anyone on This Journey
If you are building something, or thinking about whether to begin, I want to share this:
Entrepreneurship is never a solo journey. When you are willing to share the light with your team, the achievement travels further.

More than 20 years ago, I started as a beauty therapist in Penang. Today, LA’DERM is a recognised tropical skincare brand growing across the ASEAN market.

The journey was not short. But every step was built on solid ground.

About the Author
Ng Soot Goh (Sharon Ng) is the Founder of LA’DERM Professional Skincare and Chairwoman of Bonbeau Berhad, with over 28 years of experience in the beauty industry. LA’DERM was founded in Penang, Malaysia in 2002, specialising in skincare formulated for tropical climates and Asian skin. The brand currently works with over 400 beauty salon partners across Malaysia.
Skin Better Than Before.

The post Founder’s Notes – Part 1 appeared first on LADERM.