Most people would be enjoying late nights of partying at the age of 26, but not for Lee Chang Xi and Vanessa Keng, founders of The Golden Concepts, an online store that sells safe and high-quality elder care products. It is common to see one of them sitting behind the computer managing the online store while the other is busy packing orders late at night, showing dedication to their job and passion for what their brand stands for.

The inspiration for The Golden Concepts

It all started when the both of them went on a six-month exchange program in Denmark during their university days. This is where they witnessed firsthand the quality of life and high level of independence of the elderly Danes; it made them think about what they could do to ensure the same for the Singapore elderly.

“We want to do something different, and starting another fashion online store does not make us unique,” shared Vanessa. “There are not many online stores that sell elder care products in Singapore and we saw the opportunity to enhance the lifestyle of local elderly through The Golden Concepts.”

From 4 products to 300 stock-keeping units

Launched in October 2011, The Golden Concepts started out with only 4 products on Shopify—small and inexpensive items such as elderly mobile phones and remote control lights. According to Chang Xi, they created their online store in just a couple of days and they have been revamping it since then by experimenting with the different themes and site features, as well as adding new products that they have sourced from all over the world.

“Our business strategy is to take things slowly, from finding the right eCommerce platform to building our online store,” said Chang Xi. “We focus primarily on getting eldercare products that are of good quality and design and ensuring that there are clear product descriptions on our website.”

Addressing common customer enquiries

Vanessa shared that they often get product-specific enquiries as some of their products are very new to the local market and require more clarification and explanation. This has also led them to include product demonstration videos and blog articles on their site for more in-depth descriptions of their more complex products such as bed rails.

Advice to those who are thinking of starting their own online business

“Go for it!” Vanessa and Chang Xi shared. “It’s so easy these days to start selling things online. As you start running your business you learn so much every day, and you can also make better decisions on where you want to position yourself and what is important to you and your business.”