Mind Your Business: How An Award-Winning Brand Fuses Nature, Science, and AI to Transform Health?

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Introduction: Mind Your Business, only on Money FM 89.3

Host: Welcome to the Breakfast Show. Many successful wellness brands are born from personal stories of adversity, and for our guest today, it's a journey of overcoming persistent health struggles that ignited a passion for health and wellness. These early challenges led to a mission to make wellness accessible and effective, embracing innovation by integrating both natural remedies and cutting-edge scientific research into its offerings. But how exactly has this personal journey shaped the brand's approach to wellness, and what does the future hold for their evolving line of science-backed products? Let's find out from Eugene Sim, COO of Singapore ECommerce Centre, home of the award-winning wellness brand Nano Singapore.

Host: Eugene, welcome, good morning to you.

Eugene: Good morning!

Host: Great to have you on, thanks so much for being here to tell us more about Nano and your story with wellness. So let's start with what sparked your interest in this space. You've been open about your personal health challenges—can you tell us about those experiences and how it got you to start Nano Singapore?

Eugene: Well, that goes back a long time. I can think of about two or three key incidents. Since then, I’ve had really bad skin, suffering from eczema since primary school.

Host: Oh, my son has eczema too.

Eugene: Yeah, and people in primary school—the kids were quite harsh with their words. They called me "pimple plantation."

Host: Oh my gosh, that’s terrible, Eugene.

Eugene: So I think, through all my primary and secondary years, I tried very hard to figure out what was wrong with my skin. In fact, this affected my mental health. There was a lot of self-image judgment, and that got me to dig deep into how I could get rid of the bad skin. That was the first incident.
The second one was really about tiredness. In my school days, I tend to fall really, really tired after lunch, and I would knock off during lectures in JC’s and university and dozed off for an entire hour.

Host: Oh wow, okay, yeah.

Eugene: I tried to work around it by drinking coffee—usually three cups a day in the morning—and then progressed to Red Bull, at least three cans during lectures.

Host: Oh my gosh, three cans!

Eugene: Yeah, and I realized after a while there were side effects. I’d get really jittery. When I’m called to present. Oh my goodness I would get panic attacks. And it made me that the way to actually tackle these challenges came with side effects.

Host: Yeah.

Eugene: And I think the last incident was more of a personal loss. I lost my grandmother and my dad in 2007 and 2009, due to cancer. That really got me thinking, "What more could have been done?" They were pretty healthy before that. So all these experiences accumulated into an interest in wellness, and a question of “How we can keep our lives healthy to achieve what we want”.

Host: Okay, so Nano Singapore's tagline is “Made by Nature, Delivered by Science.” Tell us about this—how does this philosophy kind of shape the way you develop your products, and what is your main product, really?

Eugene: So me by nature we really reflects our commitment to ingredients that are sourced from nature, and delivered by science. So what we do is that first there are three-step process that we adopt: first, we assess the market to identify the gaps that are present in the market; What consumer says? What we identify that is missing in the market? And then we consult with our health science panel—who are experts, doctors and wellness ranging from Chinese TCM to Western medicine and Ayurveda. And then we worked with their inputs, we have the manufacturing team of food scientists. So it's really all base in a science-backed data.
So you are asking about how this shaped the development of Nano Singapore, right?

Host: Yeah

Eugene: I think really is that the core premise of Nano Singapore is really about being able to lead healthy lives in order for us to really lead a fulfilling life. So one of the key things that we are trying to help people is to be able to integrate wellness into their everyday lives. Such as habit, it’s habitual such that they don’t have to go all the way to be healthy.

Host: Would this be in the form of supplements mainly? Is that the core product of Nano Singapore?

Eugene: Yes, currently the core products that we have are range of supplements. We have multivitamins, skincare, collagen drinks, and joint support pills. These are products hat the market has a demand for.

Host: Yeah.

Eugene: Yeah and at the same time, we are more than just a supplements. We take a look at Nano Singapore in a very holistic sense. So we believe that health is really based on three pillars: the mind, the body, and nutrition.
Nutrition is what we take in right and that include supplementation.
The body is really what we exert output: “How do we exercise?” “How do we keep fit?”
And for the mind is really about what goes through our mind that really affects the overall health. So it's the stress levels you know. Your feelings, your thoughts.
And I think we're just trying to package this to bring greater awareness to people that health is not only just about supplementation but it's also about the way that you conduct life through these three holistic areas.

Host: Yeah, and something that we definitely need to pay attention to as well. And in recent years, you know we've seen tremendous advances in technology and scientific research which have really kind of changed wellness and its accessibility and all that. So how has all of this helped you create a more targeted and effective product do you think?

Eugene: That's a great question, I think that with the science and technology and fancy with AI coming on board right, it does help us in our philosophy of holistic wellness. So we are currently using AI in several ways, one is that we have a meal planner that we have put up on our Health Hub portal – it's a website where our customers can go on to key in their inputs, their age, what are their preferences, what is the objective, and the AI can actually come up with a new plan for them.

Host: Oh wow, it’s tailored to them specifically, yes?

Eugene: And likewise, we do have a new a meal planner, exercise planner on how they can actually work out. So that actually hits our philosophy of the mind and body and nutrition.

Host: Yeah, so we'd love to hear an example. You know, like a success story where your technology has made a significant difference to someone's health journey. Are you able to share that with us?

Eugene: Yep, so I think currently at this point, we have over like 37,000 customers over the past three years. And the technology and AI has definitely enable us to create greater awareness in this three pillars of holistic health. So our roller of the Health Hub Portal and the personalization by AI has been very well received and we have many friends and family who have approached us to share their stories of how to utilize the meal planners and the workout planners in conjunction with integrating of the supplementation. So it's not really an overnight thing in a way we see a shift in their health entirely but rather it's more of a gradual in a cultivation of a lifestyle that is sustainable that works with them as they grow older. And this enables them to lead the life that they really want.

Host: So it sounds like a whole system is not just nutrition and supplementation but also a change in behaviour and awareness when it comes to what it means to live a healthy life, right?

Eugene: Exactly, so I think that in this world we are all in about quick fixes, but we are slowly trying to change that mindset. That it requires a bit of disciplined, a bit of ritual, a bit of habit forming for you to really, you know, like step into this lifestyle that embodies wellness.

Host: Yeah, alright. So let's talk about some of your newest offerings at Nano Singapore. How does your science backed approach come through in these products?

Eugene: So one of our latest product and most popular one would be the Collagen 5+ Drink, it comes in this sachets 10 pieces, 30 ML sachets that you can tear open and take it on the go. So it features five science backed ingredient and it's perfect to combat aging and also for wellness and beauty for people who want to maintain youthful complexion

Host: That's everybody right, everybody wants that!

Eugene: Yeah, and the five key ingredients:
The first one is Biotin, so it supports hair skin and health.
Real Ginseng inside, an eastern medicine staple boosting energy and wellness.
We have Fish Collagen Peptides, this is scientifically shown to enhance absorption better compared to traditional collagen.
White Tomato Powder, antioxidant, a rich and antioxidants and supports skin health
And of course, Vitamin C and B3, so this is our one of our latest products and it's really well received in the market.

Host: Alright, so as you look to the future Eugene, what innovations or trends and wellness are you most excited about and how do you see Nano Singapore staying at the forefront of all this?

Eugene: So the first thing is that, this is AI era that I'm really excited about because first is personalized wellness of SBC Nara. But a data is becoming more easily accessible, if you look at my finger, I have a ring over here that takes in all my health data. With that right, I think that one era that that could possibly happen would be, being able to track the outcomes of the supplementation that you take.
So for example, if I take a collagen drink today, what happens tomorrow? Does it eat my recovery? Does it help me in sudden aspects and attributes on my physical perimeters?
And with that right, it gives way to a lot of personalization and maybe your supplements that things that really help you. Because everybody is different and the next thing that I think will be really exciting was yesterday.
I was just looking at this IG advertisement about glasses that have real time data showing inside your glasses. Imagine let's say if you're looking at some food in the hockey center and you have a chicken rice, it might even probably say you know what “You have already exceeded the calories for today“.

Host: Oh no I don't know if I want that.

Eugene: And it could also say, you know “Before you eat this, remember to take a digestive pill”.

Host: Ah yes okay

Eugene: So I think, with all this data input output is so rich these days right. Supplementation and wellness, it's gonna be an amazing journey ahead.

Host: Alright, so for all of our listeners interested in your products where can they find your stuff?

Eugene: Well, they can go to NanoSingaporeShop.com and they can go to also pharmacies like Guardian.

Host: Alright great. Well, a story of personal resilience and how it has shaped a brand that's committed to evolving wellness for everyone.
Eugene it was so great chatting with you, thanks for joining us this morning.

Eugene: Thank you!

Host: Thank you, that was Eugene Sims COO of Singapore Ecommerce Centre. Home of award-winning wellness brand Nano Singapore.
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