Former beauty queen was bullied in school for being poor

GENECIA LUO, 40s
Alluora co-founder

Entrepreneur Genecia Luo was only in her 20s when she made $100,000 in three months and $1 million within a single year – a feat she is proud of to this day. 

Her foray into business began when she founded Soul Rich Woman, which has become South-east Asia's leading network for female entrepreneurs with 200,000 members.

Ms Luo mentors women across the region in attaining the four Fs: Fabulousness, Freedom, Financial independence and happy Family. 

She is also the brains behind the cafe chain Coffee:Nowhere, coaching business InQueenz and award-winning skincare brand Alluora.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do. What drew you to this path?

I started working and putting myself through school when I was 14 as my family didn’t have a lot of money back then. I was one of the youngest instructors in Singapore, teaching yoga, aerobics and line-dancing. My mum pawned all her jewellery so that I could take up instructor programmes. This gave me a skill that helped me along in my school years because I learnt to teach and present myself.

Representing Singapore in multiple beauty pageants really opened doors for me. I didn’t do well in junior college and did not complete my university degree in the end. But that never held me back. I went on to get over 20 different certifications as a coach and mentor before starting my own training academy in 2008.

I was also a pageant coach and a beauty reviewer for magazines like Female, Her World and Shape. I was the Singapore ambassador for major brands such as SK-II and L'Oreal for over a decade. Because of my skill set as a trainer, they also got me to teach with their products, so I conducted a lot of classes. That was how I learnt about skincare.

I am passionate about female empowerment because I was bullied in secondary school. I was laughed at and mocked: "You don't have money. Your clothes are the same. You wear a school uniform, but your shoes are dirty. Your things are all hand-me-downs."

I had very low self-esteem. I remember the time the mean girls ripped my PE T-shirt and laughed at me for wearing the same bra all the time. They also took my bag and threw it across the classroom, spilling the contents all over the floor. These incidents really affected me.

But I realised there are ways and opportunities for women to find their confidence and enjoy freedom and financial independence despite their circumstances. 

I had skin issues like acne, so I started Alluora to solve my own problems, come up with my own range of products.

Alluora stems from the Hebrew name Eleora, which means "my light", and I wove in my family name as a tribute to my parents. Alluora brings hope, radiance and happiness to women's lives. 

What's the biggest challenge you face in your day-to-day work?

Manpower. Hiring. Growing and building a sustainable team. Because recruitment is very tough. You really have to bring in the right people who are a good fit for the company. And because we are young, we really need to find ways to recruit and build progressively.

The other challenge we face is managing the work-life balance of our team members. I have been working from home almost everywhere in the world for the last decade, so I know how to create a structure for myself to keep the business going.

But not everyone knows how to work from home effectively and strike a good balance. We need to fine-tune this.

What's the most rewarding aspect of your work?

Mentoring.

And customer testimonials, like when they tell me: "I used your product and it’s really very good."

We work with our customers' feedback to grow the brand together, we listen to what they are saying. We cannot just create a new product. We must listen to what the people want, what are they facing and work with them.

I find successful collaborations very rewarding.

How do you see your work contributing to the Singaporean landscape?

We are proud to be a Singapore brand, we fly our flags high. Just like Charles & Keith and Ya Kun, which are now internationally recognised brands.

Now that I've grown my cafe business and Soul Rich Women, I want to take Alluora to the next level, make it known to the world.

We've come a long way. The next step is to take the business to different countries and empower more women to be beautiful – from the inside with Soul Rich Woman and on the outside with Alluora. I'm not just selling a product, but I'm giving a solution and hope.

What's your favourite Singaporean memory that you cherish? 

Representing the Republic at Miss Singapore International in 2006 and Miss Singapore Chinese Cosmos in 2011. That made me want to represent Singapore again, through Alluora. The brand is in Singapore and Malaysia, and is looking to enter the Australian and Indonesian markets. Introducing Alluora to the world really excites me.

What’s your favourite Singaporean dish?

Sounds very cliche, but it’s my mum's cooking. My mum is a chef. I love her chicken curry and trotter in vinegar.

I run around for work and have to eat outside a lot but all I want is to eat with my mum at home. 

What makes you the proudest about being Singaporean?

That we are multiracial. Singapore is a melting pot, so making friends across races and nationalities come naturally to us. It helps us form meaningful connections.

What is your hope for Singapore?

That we become more cohesive as a society, more vibrant as a community, and more accepting of one another's strengths and weaknesses. For example, content creators are no lower in status than a degree holder. We are not lesser in any way.

I hope circumstances and traditions do not limit us. We can progress without forgetting our roots.

Words of advice or inspiration for fellow Singaporeans?

We are not limited by our circumstances, traditions, boundaries, or social or economic status. The sky's the limit. One person can make a difference but together, we can rock the world.