After undergoing osteopathic treatment herself and realizing its importance in Malaysia, Happy Kuah discovered the meaning of true joy in helping single mothers venture in the field of osteopathy and mould them as professionals to earn their own income. The founder of Tatim Holdings Sdn Bhd was inspired to create the concept of the mixture of osteopathy and aesthetic treatments after undergoing postnatal osteopathic treatment herself. Kuah shares with TMV on the services provided by Tatim and the expansion of her team in other countries. 

When Happy Kuah was first introduced to osteopathy in China, she was just 21 years old. However, she did not think much about it until after she gave birth to her second child. She needed treatment for suffering the massive strain on her body post childbirth. While undergoing her osteopathic treatment, she experienced an epiphany that Malaysian mothers are more in need of this service. That was how Tatim Holdings Sdn Bhd started. At Tatim, the services provided to customers comprise a mixture of osteopathy and aesthetics. Some of the services are face reshaping treatment, waist slimming, long and short sightedness treatment in addition to spine and joint treatment. 

The main reason Kuah ventured into this business is because she felt deeply for single mothers and wanted to help them. “I used to teach classes, most of them were aesthetics classes and I realised that most of my students are single mothers. They came to learn but do not have the knowledge and exposure on how to apply the skills acquired. Hence, they are not able to begin a business with their skills.” Therefore, Kuah decided to use her own platform to help build a team. “That was why I used the name, Tatim and it is to enable my students in my team to use the name to source for clients. We have more than two thousand osteopaths, and half of them are single mothers. We have students from all over Malaysia, Thailand, China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Ireland and Australia,” says the visionary founder. 

To Kuah, the most valuable asset of the company is their hands. “Since inception, we have been using and relying on our hands to operate. We do not use any products or machinery. It is by our hands that we perform treatment on our patients. But recently, we have collaborated with some well-known brands and started using their products too. However, we are not going to produce our own products.” Kuah explains that they collaborated with other brands as it provides convenience for their customers, especially for those who do not have the time to undergo frequent treatment. “When they do not have the time, they can use the products to aid them in their ailments,” Kuah adds.

The inspiring entrepreneur also credits the success of her company to her team who consists of many women from diverse backgrounds. According to Kuah, the women are motivated by the desire to help themselves and also their households, which propel them to work towards a common goal. “We are all passionate and not calculative with each other, and thus we have no conflicts or strained relationships. We operate on the concept of scratching each other’s backs. Due to the understanding that reciprocity is of utmost importance in our society, our company is now advanced in this philosophy.”

According to Kuah, Tatim is recognised as the number 1 brand in Malaysia in the industry as it has the largest osteopathy team with diversified skills. “All skill applications are pioneered by me. I experimented them on my own body and also did observations on clients. Hence, I was able to come up with multiple new skills.” Kuah adds that they have also cooperated with many aesthetics centres, subsequently promoting the brand overseas. “I hope that I can bring it overseas, start a physical store and continue to help everyone with their health,” says the visionary Kuah.

“The biggest achievement to me is being able to help women be independent. Society finds it hard to accept single mothers.” Seeing a reflection of herself in these women, Kuah finds it gratifying to be helping single mothers as they are in the economically disadvantaged group. “My goal is to see them progress from having nothing much to being able to do whatever they desire in life.”