Anjoe Koh: From Pharmacy & Miss Astro Pageants To Building A Sustainable Skincare Empire

Anjoe Koh contends that building a resilient career in today’s landscape requires combining distinct domains of expertise rather than staying confined to a single rigid path. She argues that true business sustainability comes from making decisions grounded in data rather than gut feelings, establishing financial prudence early, and creating structured systems that allow a brand to thrive independently of its founder. Anjoe Koh is a dual-licensed UK and Malaysian pharmacist, former Miss Astro Chinese International winner, digital content creator, and founder of the skincare brand MadeByAnjoe. Blending her pharmaceutical background with entertainment and entrepreneurship, she speaks on evidence-based skincare formulations, niche brand positioning, moving past societal expectations, and transitioning from self-employment to building a scalable business. She appears on this episode of the Hello Mentor podcast to discuss:

• UK vs. Malaysian Pharmacy Systems: Anjoe explains that UK pharmacists hold Master's degrees to diagnose minor ailments and perform weekly Medicine Use Reviews, whereas Malaysian doctors handle both diagnosis and dispensing.
• Growing Up & Family Influence on Business: Shares how her upbringing in Kedah and her father’s business mindset heavily shaped her value for money, teaching her that true wealth comes from entrepreneurship rather than working for others.
• The Responsibility of a Business Founder: Emphasizes that being an entrepreneur requires wearing multiple hats and maintaining high moral standards regarding product safety and formula integrity.
• Life Setbacks Leading to Unexpected Blessings: Relates how a ski injury and back pain led her to meet her chiropractor husband, illustrating how career and life setbacks often open doors to better outcomes.
• Childhood Lessons from Her Father: Concludes with humorous childhood memories of her father making her queue at the JPJ road transport department to teach her the value of time and motivate her academic performance.

TIMESTAMPS: 00:54 – Introduction 01:46 – First Job Experience as a Pharmacist 04:18 – Academic University Life vs. Real-World Pharmacy 06:17 – UK vs. Malaysian Healthcare Systems 08:38 – Cross-Checking Prescriptions & Patient Safety 11:39 – Childhood in Kedah & Family Business Mindset 12:46 – Negotiating Career Choices with Her Parents 16:43 – Pivoting into Beauty Pageants & Entertainment 19:33 – Broadening Horizons with Astro 20:24 – Combining Skills to Create a Niche Category 22:41 – Financial Discipline & Bootstrapping a Startup 26:02 – Entrepreneurial Responsibility & Product Integrity 29:24 – Identifying the Need for Barrier-Repair Skincare 31:33 – Community Pharmacy & Launching YouTube 34:45 – Launching the First Mugwort Face Oil 45:31 – Niche Marketing Strategy over Mass Competition 49:36 – Educating Consumers on Ingredient Lists 01:01:03 – Defining Her Identity as a "Driven Pharmacist" 01:03:19 – Career Advice on Patience & Avoiding Job Hopping 01:08:41 – Turning Life Setbacks into Unexpected Blessings 01:12:46 – Building a Sustainable Business Beyond Personal IP 01:21:24 – Reflecting on Personal Growth & Breaking Stereotypes 01:24:42 – Childhood Lessons from Her Father #SkincareScience #AnjoeKoh #BeautyEntrepreneur #Pharmacist #MalaysianEntrepreneur #MalaysianPodcast #Podcast FOLLOW OUR SOCIALS Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hiredlyofficial/?hl=en

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hellomentorwithderektoh