Kara Arissa Tan of Zhen on modernising a bird's nest brand

Zhen is an online store that sells an in-house range of bird’s nest collagen jelly and floral-infused drinks, as well as Masterdon’s Premium White Dried Bird’s Nest.

Tan delivered the goods herself to save costs and maintain the company’s healthy cash flow when it started. This allowed her to interact with customers and gain vital insights that shaped Zhen’s business strategy.

She learned, for example, how customers valued quality and sustainability, and their willingness to spend on such products. Her confidence soared.

As a wellness brand, Tan wanted Zhen to empower young urban professionals to adopt a healthy and mindful lifestyle. All products are made with natural ingredients and are free of preservatives, flavourings and colouring.

Not only that, but the birds’ nests used are harvested from weatherproof monitoring houses that create and maintain the ideal nest-building environment, ensuring they can continue to be utitilised for years to come.

While Tan no longer handles deliveries, she keeps a tight watch over Zhen’s customer service operations to ensure prompt and personalised customer support and to identify and address issues as well as concerns as soon as possible.

A balancing act

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Relationships are key to the success of any business. As Tan explains it: “By engaging directly with our customers and listening to their feedback, we can better establish trust and credibility with them. At the same time, we can refine and improve our products and services.”

In many ways, Tan is her own customer, and like many of her customers, she works tirelessly to think of new products, expand her offerings, and discover new markets for them. She wants Zhen to become an industry leader, and if opportunities arise to expand overseas, so much the better.

Tan may come across as trying too hard, but she’s also refreshingly earnest. Being in the family business can be a double-edged sword. She enjoys the advantage of insider knowledge and industry experience, but she faces pressure to live up to its legacy and reputation. And there’s a lot to prove.

A workforce of over 1,000 people supports Masterdon’s 27 birds’ nest houses in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand, as well as four processing workshops.

When things get tough, she hits the gym, goes for a walk in the park, or digs into a delicious Zhen Collagen Jelly. But nothing beats being kinder to herself. “I remind myself when self-doubt rears its ugly head that I have worked hard to get where I am today and I deserve to succeed.”