Hygr: Dari Side Hustle RM1,500 Ke Jenama 8-Angka
Ivor Lim Xian Z dan Chew Hoi Meng memulakan Hygr dengan modal kecil RM1,500. Selepas satu video TikTok viral, side hustle itu berkembang menjadi jenama penjagaan diri berpendapatan 8-angka.
Bekas peguam Ivor Lim Xian Z dan Chew Hoi Meng mengasaskan Hygr dengan modal RM1,500 semasa pandemik. Titik mulanya? Buat deodorant & lip balm DIY untuk selesaikan masalah sendiri.
Bagaimanapun selepas satu video TikTok mereka viral, side hustle itu berkembang jadi Hygr: syarikat penjagaan diri dengan kilang GMP sendiri, revenue lapan angka, dan misi mengurangkan sisa plastik dengan konsep produk yang refillable.
Latar Belakang
Kedua-dua pengasas belajar undang-undang: “We both studied law for about five years… still not sure whether this is our things.”
Chambering 9 bulan → pandemik hentikan operasi firma guaman → mula fikir tentang masa depan: “the world kind of paused. Then we have to sit down, talk to ourselves. What do you really want to do?”
Modal permulaan: RM1,500 (RM1,000 Hoi Meng, RM500 Ivor).
Masalah peribadi jadi inspirasi produk:
“Meng has a really bad body odor and I have really like dry cracked lips.”
“The whole idea was like, OK, if this business didn't work out… I can still make my deodorant for myself.”
Produk Pertama & Eksperimen DIY
Start dengan deodorant, kemudian lip balm (formula “balm type”).
Home-lab semasa lockdown: “It's the same process… weigh the ingredients… mix… fill.”
Sumber bahan murah: “We source the ingredients from online, like Shopee… We bought the coconut oil from Aeon, Desco, Lotus back then.”
Kekangan MOQ packaging → guna paper tube push-up: “we wanted to do something that the big giants brands are not doing it… paper packaging that you push up and push down.”
Pengajaran Awal (Dropship → Branding)
Pengalaman dropship masa uni mengajar jangan masuk perang harga: “the business couldn't sustain because it's a price war… we're selling the same thing.”
Solution: buat branding: “if I want to do business, I had to do branding… long term and sustainable.”
“I've seen the brands that started the same time as us… they're doing mainly the price walls and in the long run, it's not sustainable”
Kesan branding: “retailers… reaching out to us because they know about our brand rather than… the price”
Thesis produk-first: “we're selling lip balm… product is everything… if the product is not good… You will feel faster”
Asal-usul nama Hyger
Nama dari “hygiene” + twist: “Hyger… a word that doesn't really have meaning, but it's like catchy.”
Pengajaran mahal: “Make (the name) shorter. We learned our lesson. The website is damn expensive… Have to check how much your domain was before you get the name.”
Viral Moment → Dari Part-Time ke Full-Time
Timeline: side hustle ~2 tahun, full time ~3 tahun (total ~5 tahun operasi).
Detik meletup (20 Mei, 2020/21): “around six to 7 PM on 20th of May… my phone keep ringing… This video went viral.”
Konten viral: UGC before–after lip balm + green screen 6 saat: “there's a photo of before and after of the customer behind me… the video is just like a sound trend… Take my credit card.”
Hasil: “it led to immediate conversion.”
Skala Semasa & Operasi
Dari 2 SKU → ~70 SKU; kini kilang sendiri.
Revenue: “we are doing around eight figures a year… lower end.”
Saluran Jualan (Online-First)
“Our key channels still remain online… Shopee, Tik Tok… then our website (Shopify), and LazadaG…”
Pecahan jualan online: “80% still e-commerce marketplace. Only 20% is our own website.”
Offline Expansion (Retail & Pushcart)
Masuk runcit akhir 2024: “it was in Watson's around 600 stores.”
Channel fizikal sendiri: “we now open up our own push cart… in October, we probably will have five to six push carts.”
Flagship terpilih + fokus push cart: “maybe certain mall… like flagship store… a lot of community building… after that, we still focus on small push shots.”
Cabaran SKU untuk kedai besar: “they say like, your SKU is not, not enough… then we'll just try with push cart first.”
Strategi Produk & Bisnes Model
Solve problem products: “for me, it's still go back to product… solving problem products”
Unit kecil & logistik murah: “small size enough to able to ship around nationwide… you can do… business with a low cost”
Recurring > acquisition mahal: “If not, you keep requiring customer… it's getting more expensive… same as doing Meta and TikTok ads”
Masuk niche dulu: “serve like one niche pool of audience first… easier to serve to like a hundred people rather than 1000”
USP Deodorant Hygr
Tanpa alkohol, paraben, aluminium: “we don't use any alcohol and paraben and aluminum”
Segmentasi pelanggan: yang konvensional pakai deodorant yang berbau kuat vs produk Hyger yang pakai artisan scent. “We play around with essential oil and fragrance… not like typical deodorant”
Cabaran dengan OEM
OEM banyak tolak Hygr yang guna Solid Stick + Paper Tube: “a lot of OEM manufacturing, they rejected on our request”
Sebab: solid products ambil masa, high cost, mixing & filling temperature kritikal: “If you're spilling too hot, you'll have a hole… If you're feeling too cold, you'll fell out of the tube”
Cuaca Malaysia: “weather is very hot and humid… people prefer cream… more a bit of Western style” → fasiliti tempatan SME kurang sesuai; banyak semi-auto, isi satu-satu.
Paper tube lagi sensitif: “once it's ruined, so the whole thing cannot use”
Solusi: bina kilang sendiri (GMP)
Disebabkan tiada OEM nak buat: “Let's start a GMP factory. How hard is it?”
Apa itu GMP: “good manufacturing practice… have a separate room for separate function… relevant person in charge… checking… temperature… cleanliness every day… auditor will come… one to two days… whole audit”
Jejak lokasi & skala:
Mula link factory USJ (kecil, uji dulu) → berpindah setiap tahun kerana tak cukup ruang bahan mentah/warehouse.
Kini di Glenmarie, Shah Alam (~10,000 sqft): “This is the factory that we are doing right now… also running out of space”
Guna prinsip modal sewabeli: “you can't be renting at 50k rent in the first, second year” → naikkan kapasiti berperingkat ikut kemampuan.
Kapasiti Pembuatan (Dahulu vs Kini)
Sekarang (sehari):
Deodorant: “200 to 300 kilo”
Lip balm: “80 to a hundred kilo”
Dulu (USJ):
“We were pouring lip balm at 2am”
Output: “I think 100 to 200… Maximum, maximum 300” (context: sticks)
Strategi Modal (Bootstrap 100%)
Disorok dari keluarga & kawan pada awalnya: “we didn't want anyone to know… very controversial… quit law. Even our parents don't know… our friends also don't know”
Sebab: elak PMF (product market fit) palsu dari ‘pembelian kesian’: “We wanted to start by selling to strangers… if a stranger… want to try… the product is actually good”
Modal pertama: RM1,500 → beli raw materials, packaging, stickers
Roll over stok: “first order… about 30 pieces… sold… buy a hundred… two hundred…”
Disiplin tunai: “We didn't take salary for about two to three years”
Tiada dana luar. Minat pelabur ada tapi “not the right time yet”
Social Media: Dari Engagement → R&D Produk
Strategi awal: dekatkan diri dengan pelanggan. “The whole initial goal was to get closer to customers… the only way that we can be the big brands is to be closer with the customers.”
Guna komen & DM untuk iterate cepat: “we improve faster… this packaging is not doing well…”
Soal selidik terbuka → idea produk baharu: “we just create a lot of contents based on the comments… ‘is this voodoo friendly?’… we… test out… for demonstrations… we just come up with new products based on the request”
TikTok & IG kekal channel utama.
Peranan live: demo + Q&A real-time. “They can hear it from our different live stream hosts… demonstrate the product.”
Operasi: 15–16 host part-time, siaran 8 AM–2 AM (swap setiap 2 jam). “You see as like a virtual retail.”
Kenapa buat webstore sendiri?
Masalah marketplace: “they don’t really share the customer data.”
Kenapa perlu data sendiri: “for business strategy… where are they from… if I want to venture into offline… where should I open?”
Insight lokasi: “for our own website, you get to see the data… Oh, more Klang Valley is our main… first location… Klang Valley.”
Even pushcart guna sistem web sendiri: “even for our push cart, we’re using our own website, our system.”
Trend & Taktik di TikTok & IG
Landskap berubah cepat (1–2 tahun): “Tiktok shop has been changing… drastic change… previously… sharing, now… affiliates.”
Followers ≠ reach/convert. “Followers on Tiktok don’t really count anymore… high followers… don’t convert as much as like a one thousand followers.”
Audiens mahukan authenticity + unboxing: “I want to know how does it look like unboxing… I don’t want to see you… pretty ready.”
Peluang untuk micro/nano creators: “you can be making… a lot of views and… conversions from your one video… very good platform for new creators.”
Strategi konten Hyger: teaser pre-launch + konten “solve a problem”
(contoh isu tester Watsons): “the contents… performing the best is usually the one that… has problems… ‘the Watson testers are really bad right now’… comments… ‘you should do this hanging shelf’.”
Trademark Awal (IP Playbook)
Praktikaliti daftar cepat: “it is always better to do register a trademark faster… two years later… someone registered… you have to fight”
Tempoh: 1–2 tahun Malaysia. “one to two years… very normal to get it completed.”
Skala serantau: Singapore, Indonesia, South Asia seterusnya.
Anggaran kos IP: “In Malaysia… as low as RM2,000 to RM4,000”;
“The most expensive one is Middle East which is around RM10,000 to RM17,000.”
O2O (Offline-to-Online): Pengajaran penting masuk segmen runcit
Lokasi kritikal: “But once you got in, doesn’t mean that you get sales… you have to push… marketing… testers…”
Packaging untuk shelf tak semestinya akan sama cantik macam gambar online: “our packaging is made for online… if you put it on the shelf, how does it differentiate…”
Tester & sample sangat penting di Asia: “the objective is to get the product to their skin… testers and then free samples… we have to invest in for retail.”
Shelf negotiation: “if you at the bottom shelf… negotiate… move outward.”
Lokasi pushcart terbaik: “lower ground and ground floor between the F&B area is the best.”
POSM1 penting untuk tonjolkan USP Hygr (iaitu refillable): “our products are refillable… buy the casing and you need to get a refill… print out… sticker… something that we learned…”
Kelemahan offline: tiada “product page” yang jelaskan; perlu signage/juru jual. “Here in person, there’s no guarantee unless someone is doing that.”
Sasaran
Mahu luaskan produk lebih daripada sekadar personal care: “we want to be more than just a personal care brand… sustainable is like the whole big term… maybe… household products… upcycle ingredients to turn into a cafe”
Customer-first & retention diutamakan: “We track their recurring on second month… third month… Customer first, customer always first.”
Metrik: 100,000 pelanggan asas aktif.
Impak alam sekitar (refillable): “the more people that use it, the… lesser plastic… Referable concept… very expensive for the packaging.”
Data Ringkas Hygr
Ditubuhkan: 2020 (pandemik).
Founders: Ivor Lim Xian Z & Chew Hoi Meng (bekas peguam).
Modal awal: RM1,500.
Produk: 70 SKU (deodorant, lip balm, lotion, dll).
Revenue: 8 figures (≥RM10 juta).
Kapasiti kilang: 200–300 kg deodorant/hari, 80–100 kg lip balm/hari.
Channel: 80% marketplace, 20% website.
Retail: Watsons 600 outlet + pushcart.
Live ops: 15–16 host, streaming 18 jam sehari.
Target: ≥50% growth YoY, 100k pelanggan aktif, ekspansi SEA + Middle East.
Sumber: BFM 89.9 | Hygr: From a RM1.5k Side Hustle to Bootstrapped 8-Figure Brand
Dalam pemasaran, POSM (Point of Sale Materials) merujuk kepada semua bahan atau alat promosi yang dipamerkan dalam persekitaran runcit untuk tarik perhatian pelanggan dan pengaruhi pembelian di tempat jualan berlaku. Bahan ini termasuklah banner, poster, shelf talker, standee, tong promosi (dump bin), malah paparan digital — semuanya diletakkan secara strategik untuk galakkan belian spontan dan kukuhkan mesej jenama terus di kaunter pembayaran atau lorong rak.