As the saying goes : “Success is a journey, not a destination”.
Throughout one’s life, our desire for various relentless pursuits are often complemented and fueled by passion, which ignites the fine flame in our hearts that guides us to success. Every person has their own story to tell, and that is no different for Ms Grace Ng, the founding director of Lenicc Eyewear. In life, we are presented with numerous decisions to make and paths to take. As for Ms Ng, her entrepreneurship journey certainly did not happen by chance. Rather, it was a concoction of passion, character and most crucially, a purpose.
Born and bred in the sunny island of Singapore, Ms Ng was raised in a family that strongly advocated for a healthy lifestyle. For this, she cultivated good eyecare habits from a young age and sought to look for the perfect pair of eyewear with the right shapes, frames and colors which complemented her skin tone and facial shape. With a keen sense of style and a soft spot for personalization, Ms Ng believes that eyewear can be a form of expression as well as an identity for people to stay true to themselves.
Being no stranger to the retail industry, Ms Ng was in the retail sector for 17 years prior to her entrepreneurship journey. Amassing a wealth of experience from various sales stints, Ms Ng worked her way from the ground up and gained impeccable knowledge about all facets of the industry. From visual merchandising and backend work to marketing and regional purchasing, Ms Ng never discounts the weight and importance of each role. In fact, she viewed each stint as an opportunity for growth. “When I was a merchandising assistant doing QC (quality control), I learnt to be meticulous and to pay attention to the finest details”. Such experiences culminated in her decision to embark on her entrepreneurship journey in 2019 when Lenicc Eyewear was incorporated.
A retail experience like no other
When it comes to the overall style, comfort and quality of sunglasses, Lenicc Eyewear remains unrivalled and unparalleled within the industry. Refined with medical input, Lenicc Eyewear provides a high degree of customizability and personalization for every exquisite fashion taste. With the option to alter the level of protection offered by the pair of lens, glasses arms, personalized engravings as well as the frame shape, the sunglasses offered by Lenicc Eyewear caters to the needs of every customer.
In addition, a salient feature of Lenicc Eyewear is its additional focus on the environment. As none of its sunglasses are mass produced, every pair of shades are made to order with bio-degradable materials. Such efforts will indefinitely serve to reduce plastic waste and the global carbon footprint. Nevertheless, what truly defines Lenicc Eyewear is their underlying purpose and mission, as envisioned by Ms Ng from its early beginnings. Unlike other retailers which are solely profit-driven, Ms Ng aims to educate her potential customers about eye health and protection, with an added emphasis on self- love and self-care.
“We want to cut off the noise and not be focused on sales and promotions. Customer retention should never be about the profit making incentive, but rather, the value they see in the product for their benefit” – Ms Grace Ng
Most crucially, Lenicc Eyewear provides a meaningful retail experience like no other, for a portion of the proceeds from every pair will be donated to The Vision Mission in the spirit of educating the ophthalmologists in rural areas to provide healthcare for the needy. Additionally, with every 3 pairs of sunglasses sold, the gift of sight will be restored to 1 patient through The Vision Mission’s cataract surgery programme.
An inspirational figure
When we define or measure success, we often notice the tangible, material achievements and statistics. However, we tend to overlook the intangibles, such as the amount of effort and dedication; the heart and soul poured into the development of Lenicc Eyewear over the years. Since its inception, Ms Ng’s had to work from the ground up to make a name for themselves within the industry. Apart from getting their valuations right, the focus and branding of Lenicc Eyewear at the time was still shaky and uncertain. This was further compounded by skeptics who were unfamiliar with Lenicc Eyewear. Nevertheless, Ms Ng persevered and believed in the vision of her brand. In the face of adversity, she remained flexible to fine-tune things along the way, and by her 2nd year, Lenicc Eyewear emerged profitable.
“Life takes us to unexpected places sometimes. The future is never set in stone, remember that.” This adage by Erin Morgenstern rings true to many of us in life, which hits us hard when we least expect it. In February 2022, Ms Ng was diagnosed with cancer and was forced to take a backseat from work to focus on her health. “Certain plans may not work out exactly the way you plan it to be,” Ms Ng recollects, as she had undergone 6 months of cancer treatment, all the while receiving various orders and projects. It was a trying time for her, but she decided to remain positive and hopeful for her eventual return to the front lines one day, and she did. In August, after she was done with chemotherapy, she launched her biggest collaboration to date with Mrs Singapore World 2022 and her brand was lauded with admiration by numerous contestants. Opportunities came flowing in and business was booming for Lenicc Eyewear. Without a doubt, Ms Ng emerged stronger than ever from her recovery and advocates for others to take better care of their health and to make every second count.
Moving forward
As a highly ambitious individual, Ms Ng continually strives for improvement and the expansion of her business. Now that she is in the pink of health, she already has numerous plans for the future. Staying true to her vision for Lenicc Eyewear, her adoption of an educational approach to sales was a precondition for her collaboration and B2B (Business to Business) exchanges with more optical shops to provide customers with more unique designs. Her efforts are further accentuated by plans to hold workshops and talks to educate the public about eye care and protection.
As her sales are predominantly targeted at females, Ms Ng also aspires to tap into the male and children market as well for sunglasses. In the near future, she also intends to acquire an office or a showroom in the belief that a retail space is insufficient for the full customization of her business. With international orders from Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia and even the US, Ms Ng is looking to expand her business globally, starting with India and possibly China. The sky’s the limit for Lenicc Eyewear and Ms Ng’s strength and ambitions remain unmatched, posing as an inspiration to many. Undoubtedly, Ms Ng has developed a robust foundation for Lenicc Eyewear, and the future certainly remains propitious.
