The journey was far from easy, however. A decade ago, the conversation about the environment was still nascent. They had to convince supermarkets that “brown-coloured” tissue paper was better for the environment and the skin. As Sim recalls, “We were thrown out by a buyer because of the word ‘eco-friendly’. We went back and told him, ‘Do you really want to give [unhealthy] white bleached tissues to your customers?’”. With a small laugh, she adds that they still work with the same buyer to date and sometimes tease him about his earlier reticence. 

Going against the grain has been ingrained—forgive the pun—in the Cloversoft DNA. When Sim and Yeo were building the brand in the early days, they threw out the FMCG marketing playbook and instead decided to work with KOLs. This was back in 2015 when it was mostly fashion and beauty brands that were collaborating with celebrity influencers on social media. They first connected with famous make-up artist Clarence Lee and later worked with actresses Rebecca Lim and Jeanette Aw. 

This helped build brand awareness and transform Cloversoft into a household name.

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When Covid-19 rolled around, Cloversoft expanded its offerings beyond tissues and wet wipes to hand sanitisers. With research labs in both Europe and Singapore, Sim and Yeo focused on finding a skin- and eco-friendly solution. All of their products—including sanitisers, dishwashers, toilet cleaners and body washes—are plant-based and do not contain parabens, sulphates, dyes, phthalates or artificial fragrances.

A lot of detail-oriented work goes into the formulation of each product, from texture to scent. Both Sim and Yeo believe strongly in the mood-enhancing capabilities of different fragrances. Sim makes me sniff two body washes, adding that she uses the vetiver and vanilla version in the morning to wake her up, and unwinds at night with the lavender, rosemary and orange scented wash. “We’re trying to be a premium, but more affordable version of Aesop,” she says. 

She explains, “Cloversoft is transforming into an experiential product company.”

To demonstrate her point, she refers to the 3 in 1 Dishwashing Liquid, which has a QR code at the back with a link to a Spotify playlist. She says, “[The scent] is supposed to make you feel happy, reminding you of your childhood or happy moments. Our team has created a list of happy music from Spotify. So you’re washing up and happy and listening to music.” 

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The confidence in their mission and products was hard-earned. It’s a muscle that Sim has trained over the years, and one that she keeps reiterating throughout the interview: “Believe in yourself,” she tells me multiple times as we chat, a reminder not just for my benefit, but also indicative of the internal struggles she’s had to overcome. 

Believing in oneself is not an overnight switch—it builds up as one faces challenges and failures head-on. If taken in the right spirit, these challenges can transform into character-building experiences towards a greater sense of self. 

There were several catalysts in Sim’s journey: She didn’t have the easiest childhood as she struggled with a patriarchal family that favoured her male sibling. Until the age of three, Sim was in the care of a nanny because her mom “only had the capacity for my brother”.

When her nanny passed away, Sim was brought back into her family. They lived in a kampong and owned Singapore’s largest pig farm at the time. This was during the period when the government was redeveloping these kampongs in favour of public housing, and they received a handsome sum for the land. 

With that sum, her grandfather started a steel company and a convenience store. 

Sim learnt many key business lessons from him, such as focusing on profitability instead of revenue. This was during the startup boom when venture-backed companies were blowing more money than they were making on scalability and marketing. There were moments of FOMO (fear of missing out), says the duo, but Sim was inspired by her grandfather, who was very profit-oriented. 

“As we started our FMCG company, tech companies were burning money. So there was this deep conflict in our minds about whether to work towards profitability or revenue and burn at all costs. [But] a company has to be profitable to scale it up stably, sustainably and to give job security to all,” says Sim, “so I chose this path, leveraging on how my grandfather [ran his business].” 

Another lesson she learnt from him was the value of humility. Despite being a business owner with several properties, she recalls arriving at his place in a continental car with her parents and brother. “My grandfather would be sweeping the floor. He owned the land, everything, but he would be sweeping it.” As a child, she found it embarrassing, but today, she has the utmost respect for his work ethic. 

This work ethic has held her in good stead as she moved from HSBC to setting up Cloversoft. It was a steep learning curve, and it taught both Yeo and Sim how to be hands-on, efficient and self-reliant. “We rely on ourselves at least 85 per cent of the time,” says Sim. 

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Another key lesson and catalyst came early on the journey of Cloversoft when Oceanus, a Singapore-based listed FMCG company, approached them with an offer to acquire a 51 per cent stake. This was in 2015 and Sim and Yeo had only 10 minutes to decide. “[After the first meeting], we said we’d think about it. Then we went back to the office and I remember being called non-stop by two [individuals]. I can’t name names, but one is the founder of a large listed company. They convinced us, telling us that there’d be no difference [in the company]. But we didn’t understand that when you become a subsidiary, you lose all control.” 

After one year, Sim and Yeo built up the courage to speak to the CEO of Oceanus and ask for a way out. He was gracious and respectful, says Sim, but that one-year experience proved to be a valuable lesson in learning how to say no and trusting their vision for the brand. 

In fact, the company has largely been bootstrapped and started working with Apricot Capital two years ago. Apricot Capital was founded by David and June Teo, who run Super, a 3-in-1 coffee, tea and cereals brand. They invest in impact-driven businesses. “We behave more like friends. We can have board meetings while we’re in the car or having lunch,” she says.  

Their strategy of being picky about their partners has paid off. “We have a total of 12 staff now,” says Sim, “and are hitting double-digit millions [in revenue].” 

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While Sim still experiences self-doubt, she has done a lot of the healing work. At the beginning of 2024, she started seeing a therapist, which has been life-changing. “There was past trauma that I wasn’t aware of, but I knew something was wrong. You know, you just have that instinct.”

In confronting these issues, Sim also deepened her sense of self and confidence in Cloversoft’s mission. And this confidence will be crucial as they build the next chapter of Cloversoft’s journey.

While Cloversoft is available in other markets in Southeast Asia, they’re looking to deepen their partnerships in the region. “For 2025, my focus will be on Indonesia. We have a partner there who we work with—a female entrepreneur. We have worked with her for about one and a half years. So 2025 is when we are going to be aggressive as all the fundamentals have been built up. [We’ve also partnered with] another female entrepreneur in Taiwan and will be expanding our products with them.”

Here, we ask Sim a round of quickfire questions about entrepreneurship. 

What do you think entrepreneurs need to talk about more? 

Angela Sim (AS): One thing they need to talk about a lot more is striking a balance between revenue and profitability. It depends on where you are and there’s no right or wrong [in chasing revenue or profitability], but always keep profitability at the back of the mind. It’s important to raise that revenue but the goal and target is to get your company to profitability as soon as you can. It will give you the confidence to scale up even faster. 

What is your advice for aspiring entrepreneurs? 

AS: One, before you start the business, try to have some cash reserves. In my case, apart from cash reserves, I applied for bank credit lines to prepare for emergencies. 

The next piece of advice is for entrepreneurs, especially women, to not have self-doubt. The business is yourself, you will know best, especially when you have gotten that success.

What’s your top productivity tip? 

AS: Start the most important task in the morning before lunch, because that’s when your mind is clearest, especially if you’re doing strategy and planning [work]. 

What’s the first thing you do in the morning? 

AS: Go for a run. It gets my mindset right and relieves my stress so I am productive for the day. 

What’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten? 

AS: My dad always guided me to not discriminate against anyone and to be inclusive. 

This article is part of Founder Stories, a series dedicated to discovering the untold stories and challenges of today’s entrepreneurs on their climb to the top.

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