Entrepreneur Kim Lim Is 'Slowly, Slowly, Catching The Monkey'

Not long after opening a mega outlet which houses her brands Papilla Haircare, illumia Therapeutics and illumia Medical, entrepreneur Kim Lim is now setting her sights on building her skincare and hair care lines, as well as on overseas expansion - all while remembering her dad's wise words: "slowly, slowly, catch the monkey".

- Ian Lee

It’s been a good two years since L’Officiel caught up properly with socialite and entrepreneur Kim Lim. A few months ago, Lim tied the knot—and her wedding, unsurprisingly, made headlines everywhere. But beyond that, the daughter of billionaire Peter Lim has been busy building her own legacy—with the quickly expanding beauty brands Papilla Haircare, Illumia Therapeutics, Illumia Medical, and ILLUMIASKIN.

Since we last had a proper catch-up, you’ve been expanding your brands, Papilla Haircare, Illumia Therapeutics, and Illumia Medical. Tell us about what’s been keeping you busy. This year, most of my time and energy is still being channelled into work. I just opened a new mega outlet at i12 Katong, which houses all three brands, and I’m super proud of it. I am also growing my skincare line, ILLUMIASKIN. At the end of the year, we are looking at expanding Illumia Therapeutics overseas, so this year is really power-packed with plans on building and growing my brands.

Two years ago, you spoke to us about the challenges that COVID-19 brought and the lessons learnt. How have things changed since then? I am very thankful that my business is still growing healthily. I want to say a big thank you to all my customers, and to my team for working hard alongside me. I really appreciate all of your support and effort, every bit of it.

The most important thing I’ve learned is to always be prepared for the unexpected. Anything can happen, and at any time, so it’s about having planned a to z. Sometimes, even if we plan five steps ahead, something might still hit us out of nowhere, so really it’s about taking things in my stride. And to have a clear mind so I can think straight and take on whatever challenges come.