The Question That Changed How I Thought About My Future
I’ve built a career I’m genuinely proud of. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to work across APAC markets, lead digital and content strategies, and work on projects that challenged me to grow professionally. Those experiences have shaped who I am today.
And yet, one evening, after reading a string of headlines about layoffs and a slowing enoconomy, a simple question crossed my mind:
“If everything I’ve built professionally were taken away tomorrow, what would I have that was truly mine?”
I didn’t have a clear answer. That unsettled me more than I expected.
Not because I was unhappy. I was happy. But for the first time, I realised how much of my financial future depended on a single source of income. One that, like any job, I didn’t fully control.
It was simply a reminder that the world changes quickly. Companies restructure. Industries evolve. Unexpected seasons happen.
Rather than worrying about what I couldn’t control, I started asking myself a different question:
“What can I build, patiently and consistently, with the time that’s already mine?”
Looking back, that question changed more than my finances. It changed how I thought about time.
I realised that meaningful change rarely comes from suddenly having more time. More often, it comes from making better use of the time we already have.
That mindset eventually led me to build something I never expected: A skincare side business that started from a personal skin concern and gradually grew into a meaningful additional income stream alongside my career.
Why I Started (And Why the Timing Was Right)
I didn’t start looking for a side hustle. I started looking for better skin.
Like many working professionals, I was constantly on the go. Managing deadlines, navigating different time zones, dealing with stress-induced hormonal breakouts that no amount of luxury skin care could fix. That’s when I discovered DR’s Secret.
The results surprised me. Within weeks, colleagues and friends were asking: “What foundation are you using?”
My answer? “I’m not wearing any. This is my bare skin.”
That single exchange became the best conversation starter I never planned for. And that’s exactly how everything started.
Recommending products to people I cared about, because I believed in them, because I enjoyed helping people, and because I saw an opportunity to build something meaningful during my own personal time.
Today, looking back, I’m grateful I said yes. Not just because of the additional income it has created, but because of the confidence, relationships, and skills I’ve developed along the way.
Full Focus at Work, My Own Time After
Building something new while holding down a career isn’t a smooth, seamless add-on to your life. It means time has to come from somewhere in a life that’s already full.
To be clear, I never touched my working hours for this. My day job got my full focus, full stop.
During office hours, my focus belongs entirely to my employer and my responsibilities. That’s a principle I’ve held from day one, because I’ve always believed that if someone trusts you with a role, they deserve your full attention during the time you’re paid to give, ie. when you’re at work.
What I gave up was my own downtime: the sleep-in Saturday mornings, the Sunday naps, the lazy evenings scrolling on the couch, the Netflix episodes I would have otherwise watched. I used my commuting time to plan content instead of zoning out. Some invitations got a no, so that the hour I’d blocked out for this could get a yes — because I was clear about what I wanted to create.
I once read a line that has stayed with me since:
nobody is actually free. People just make time.”
I made sure I set aside time for this business outside of my working hours. Ironically, having limited hours forced me to become more intentional, because I couldn’t afford to waste any of it.
Looking back, I don’t think this business grew because I had more time than anyone else. It grew because I became more intentional with the time that was already mine. The time my company didn’t buy.
Spilling the Tea: How I Actually Do It Without Burning Out
I am not all for grinding yourself into the ground, and it definitely isn’t about shortchanging your day job. But nothing comes free.
Everyone has the same pockets of time. Be it a commute, an evening, a Saturday morning. Some people use theirs to relax, watch a drama, or scroll without much of an intention, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I chose to spend some of mine differently.
If “I have no time” is the thing you keep telling yourself, it’s worth asking honestly whether that’s a real constraint, or whether it’s become a comfortable reason not to try. Remember: Everything you want has to earn a place on your calendar and in your budget.
Here’s what actually made the difference, beyond just showing up:
1. Know your “why”, and make sure it’s strong enough to survive the “no.”
I’ve lost count of the people who’ve told me “I want to build a side hustle” or “I want to start something,” only to quietly stop a few weeks in.
I don’t think it’s because they lacked time or motivation. I think it’s because their reason wasn’t strong enough to survive the first “no”. The first rejection, the first slow month, and most commonly: the first moment it felt easier to quit than to continue.
A vague want doesn’t survive contact with resistance. A specific, personal reason does. Mine was simple: I wanted to build something that was mine, for my son, regardless of what happened to my career. That reason got me through every “no” along the way.
2. I Focused on Helping, Not Selling
Rather than pushing products, I offered real value: honest skincare conversations, complimentary consultations, and my genuine documented journey. People could see I wasn’t performing enthusiasm. I actually believed in what I was sharing.
Leading with substance rather than a sales pitch is something I carry into every part of my professional life. Authentic storytelling builds trust that no campaign budget can manufacture.
3. I Let the Results Speak
My skin became my longest-running content asset. Instead of convincing people with words, I documented my progress with photos over time. Each image became part of my personal brand story.
This taught me something I deeply believe:
Real, visible transformation in life comes from consistency, not perfection. You don’t have to be flawless on day one. You just have to keep showing up.
4. I Invested in My Own Knowledge, even When it Cost Me
I didn’t wait for others to teach me everything. I attended company training sessions, consumed content across platforms, borrowed books from the library, and paid out of my own pocket to learn things I didn’t yet know. That’s another trade-off, honestly, time and money that could have gone elsewhere.
The same curiosity that drives me professionally served me here too, but it wasn’t free of cost. Nothing good in the world comes free.
5. I Built Something Authentic, Not Performative
I shared my real experience: the skin journey, the learning curve, the wins and the stumbles. Because people connect with honesty more than polish. And being genuinely yourself is the only personal brand that scales.
What This Journey Has Genuinely Taught Me
Beyond the income, this experience has sharpened skills I use every day in my career.
On community building. I’ve grown and managed an engaged community through content-led storytelling and trust-based engagement. Every principle I applied in professional brand-building, consistent voice, audience-first thinking, earned credibility, I applied here too.
On long-term thinking. One of the values I admire most, both in organisations and in people, is the willingness to take a long view. Building this business taught me to resist short-term shortcuts and invest in relationships and results that compound over time. That patience has shaped how I approach my career too.
On earning trust. In aesthetics, skincare, and wellness, industries where claims can be bold and consumers are increasingly discerning, trust is everything. I’ve seen firsthand how authentic, transparent storytelling outperforms advertising. That insight has made me a better content strategist.
On resilience and innovation. When something wasn’t working, whether a content approach or a way of engaging prospects, I iterated. I didn’t wait for permission or perfect conditions. I tried, refined, and moved forward. That mindset of empowered accountability is something I bring into every professional environment I enter.
DR’s Secret vs. Corporate Life
The system wasn’t built for everyone to win at the same rate. But in this platform, your results are directly tied to what you put in. That’s why building multiple income streams is one of the most empowering decisions a working professional can make.
Building an Extra Income Stream as a Full-Time Working Mum
They say motherhood humbles you. I couldn’t agree more. And the most life-changing part was how becoming a mother changed the way I thought about stability.
I want to give my child choices. Enrichment, experiences, opportunities that aren’t rationed by circumstance. I want him to know that if the ground shifted beneath us, we’d be steady. And in today’s environment, where job security feels less certain, and the cost of living keeps climbing, having an extra stream of income isn’t a luxury. It’s a buffer between your family and the unexpected.
For me, it was never just about the money. It was about what the money makes possible. Because I built something that affords it, not because I stretched to pretend I could.
One day, when he’s old enough to understand, I want him to look back and see a mother who built something with her own hands. Not because she had to. Because she chose to.
More Than Income: A Community That Uplifts
Some of the best things about this journey have had nothing to do with products or earnings.
The women I’ve met along the way, fellow mothers, working professionals, women building their own versions of financial independence, have become a community I genuinely cherish. We learn from each other, celebrate each other’s milestones, and hold each other accountable.
There’s no competition here. There’s only collaboration. And I’ve found that the relationships you build through shared purpose, whether in a company or a community, are the ones that last.
For Anyone Curious About Starting Their Own Skincare & Wellness Side Business
You don’t have to quit anything to start. In fact, I’d encourage you to start exactly the way I did: carefully, sustainably, and with your current responsibilities fully intact.
Here’s a simple starting point:
STEP 1: Experience the product yourself. You can only share what you genuinely believe in. Start with a starter kit and reach out to me. I’ll help you find the right one for your skin.
STEP 2: Document your journey honestly. You don’t need a polished content strategy. Just share your real experience as it unfolds. Authenticity is more powerful than aesthetics.
STEP 3: Offer value, not sales pressure. Free consultations, honest conversations, real answers to real questions. Let trust build naturally.
STEP 4: Find the right support. I personally mentor women who want to build something meaningful in their own time. With the right guidance and community, you don’t have to figure it out alone.
What I Wish I’d Known Earlier
You don’t have to quit your job to start building something meaningful. But you do have to be honest that it will cost you something: Time you’d otherwise spend on things that don’t reward you as much, money you’d otherwise spend elsewhere, energy you’d otherwise save for the weekend. Nobody tells you that plainly enough.
It starts with one decision: believing it’s possible, then taking small, consistent action before you feel “ready” — before extra time or extra money is sitting around waiting for you. The reality is they won’t, unless you take action to plan them into your life.
If you want something different from the life you have now, some of your leisure time will have to become building time. It’s just how change actually works. And it won’t pay off immediately. Working hard doesn’t guarantee instant success. What it does is make sure you’re ready when the opportunity finally comes.
Start in the margins. Stay consistent, even through the busy weeks. Take the long view.
The rest follows.
Curious about starting your own DR’s Secret journey? Reach out on @pheurontay on Instagram!
