E12: Dreaming Big and Taking Risks: Lessons from Alice Chang

[00:00:00] Hello and welcome to Shes Big Time Now, a podcast for women who are refusing to play small. By guest today is Innovator Alice Chang. She is the CEO of Perfect Corp, the developer of the award-winning U-Cam apps, her extensive experience in technology and passion for beauty

[00:00:18] intersected to create a suite of augmented reality beauty apps that upended the shopping experience for makeup products. With U-Cam users can discover, try on and purchase products all on a mobile platform. The virtual Tri-On Technology has been used by over 400 beauty brands.

[00:00:36] Prior to this, Chang was the CEO of CyberLink Corporation where she led the company to global success. Tune into here about how Chang's vision is empowering the consumer beauty journey. On the show, she shares how asking tough questions is one of the keys to her success

[00:00:52] why technology is a game changer for the beauty industry and beyond. And how she used the naysayers who didn't believe she could make it happen has fuel for her dreams. Let's get into

[00:01:04] the show. And now I'd like to welcome to the show, Alice Chang. Her, I mean, you've heard her bio and just what she's done. She's so impressive to me. And I just love being able to

[00:01:42] interview you, Alice, and share your wisdom because for a lot of women, you have made it big and what you're doing. So welcome to the show. Thank you, Joy for the invitation. I'm so

[00:01:53] honored to share my very unique journey for all the female. Yes, very true because do you feel part of your success is that you were able to see something big coming down the line and being

[00:02:07] able to jump on board at the right time? I think so. Always from the day one, no matter it's the first startup or second startup, I came from technology but I always tell, I always tell

[00:02:21] my colleagues and my my customers. Technology has no value unless it cannot solve the pinpoint of any a users or any pinpoint of any business otherwise the technology has no value. So

[00:02:40] you know, when I, as the beauty lover myself, I see because AR has been in the market. Oh, my dear reality has been the market more than 20 years but it's never been successful.

[00:02:55] Until 2015, I see the new platform, the mobile devices, the ecosystem, ready to adopt AR in the very, very vertical line that is a makeup cosmetics because I myself. I feel very painful when

[00:03:15] I go to the beauty contours, see all the brands with all the colors. I was always you know, puzzled too many choices. I don't know which one is good, especially on my own face. I saw

[00:03:31] many pretty models, celebrities, photos to recommend, very few lists for example. How can I know the color that lipstick color can be good on me or my own face? So 2014, 2015, what's the time

[00:03:51] that AR is exactly the time that can bring to the right vertical that is the makeup virtual try-out. So I think that technology self-my beauty lover as the beauty lovers pay point. And then we launched a beauty app called you can make up, you can perfect for

[00:04:13] all the makeup, try to make up on your own face. I just say yes this is the time that's the time changer, you know, you can never do that before but with the technology you can make it. And I

[00:04:28] can see all the colors on my own face, I can change colors so as many times as you want and then you make this agent if it's good on your own face. So I see that this is the game changer for all

[00:04:44] the beauty lovers. And if you know, no I think that's big Alice because here you're someone who you said, you know when you go to the makeup counter you look around and you're like there's so many

[00:04:56] choices. I don't know what to pick but now to create this virtual try-on technology for people like yourself or me which I love you can come on and see what really works. Like as you said

[00:05:10] this was a game changer and the fact that you were able to come up with this to me is brilliant. Was it something like that came to you in a dream? Was it just something that you just had this

[00:05:21] aha moment? Like how did that happen for you? It's not only color, it's the color shade, the texture of lipsticks, blush, eye shadows. That can be, that can be bulk in real world,

[00:05:37] in the beauty counter and you can virtually try all the color shades textures are the same as the real product you decide to buy. So that's a very challenging, very interesting

[00:05:55] when you see wow it can be a cheer. Yeah that you were able to do that so I want to go back a little bit Alice to your childhood what did you want to be when you grew up when you were a little girl?

[00:06:07] I actually don't know what I will go we'll do but I know from very very very small, very young even in the you know, you know, the element school, elementary school I always love to ask

[00:06:28] questions. I am a student with a lot of questions to teachers which is not that normal at a I always like to embrace something new, something not happened yet. I think that's the DNA

[00:06:45] that's the personality. I was always joking with our colleagues say, I love change that's because my last name is CH&G. I'm so love, I'm so beloved with all the new things you can say this is

[00:07:07] change in raising a changes and I believe only when the technology or the user model with the change and then helps the opportunities. So I don't have a big dream and I was young

[00:07:24] but I think the personalities lead me to this entrepreneurship. I love that though because as a little girl I was the same way. I asked a lot of questions. They used to pay me to be quiet because

[00:07:37] I asked so many questions as a kid but I love how that led you just wanting to explore and try new things led you to where you are today. So when did you realize that you love technology? Was there

[00:07:52] something that happened in your life that made you think, wow technology this is a big deal this is what area I should focus on. I was so excited to ask the questions how can I use this great

[00:08:07] AI innovation and bring more to the beauty lovers and problems and issues we can solve for them by the brand new technology. So I think in series yes just to keep on asking question how I can

[00:08:29] solve the current pain point or increase the value or make them low because of the technology sphere. No and I think that women in general who are thinking about becoming entrepreneurs can really

[00:08:43] use what you are saying because you look in the world and is there a question that needs to be solved? Is there a pain point that needs to be solved? Is there a problem that you see

[00:08:54] that needs to be solved and that may help you come up with a business idea or something just from things you see around you and I think that is so huge. And so where do you see Alice?

[00:09:07] Your technology going. I know you started with the beauty world and you're going into beauty brands and trying on make-ups but I also heard that you're looking at other types of

[00:09:18] cosmetics and dentistry in all other ways to use this. So what do you see when you look out there as what this could be in terms of the future of this technology you've created?

[00:09:29] For years ago we started to impact a lot on AI and you know AI I possibly are. That's another big and tanger. Using the camera and AI we can know that users face shape, skin tone color,

[00:09:48] the eye color, the lead color and your eye shape, your eye rosy, lip shape, all this is no shape. So the AI can learn you better than yourself, you know you better than yourself. And what does

[00:10:04] they do? And also we can know your skin concerns. So this is amazing so what technology is the breakthrough? How can we use in vertical lines? How can we use it a bunch of yourself at the

[00:10:21] pinpoint? And for me or joy you may also face the problem. How can you put whenever I buy foundation? It's always either too light or too dark for me. It's a guessing game. Yeah and then using AI in the camera, the machine learning everything. We face the camera.

[00:10:46] I can tell you are face your shape, your skin shape precisely and we like we have a 9,900 shades among all the different colors, skin colors and we can recognize your skin shape and then the brand because they have their beauty know how, because of the skin shades

[00:11:12] color shade, skin color shade and then they can provide the foundation shape to perfectly match that a user. So as a wow that's good to tell me make this agent which foundation I should buy.

[00:11:26] Yeah so this is AI and then I heard that you could also detect like skin conditions, hair texture, different things like that. You're even looking at? Yes yes and that's the next big thing because that's another pinpoint right when we buy the skincare product I don't even

[00:11:45] know what my skin condition is that much. So using the technology the camera I can know your skin concern, your skin conditions is to dry or oil and where your wrinkles are how good or how bad you are in conditions, the poor, the testiers, everything and accordingly

[00:12:11] the brand can recommend the personal recommendation comes to the, comes to the arena with AI. Because I know your skin tone so I can give you the best foundation shades for your own individual because I know your skin concerns, skin conditions and accordingly the brand can recommend

[00:12:34] the best treatment routine or products to fit into your individual needs instead of everybody by the same product, your men. Because I have more or I'm too dry so I need a little bit

[00:12:51] other kind of treatment than the rest and so there's a AI personal recommendation is the key previously can never achieve. And you know we can recognize the your face shape, your eye shape,

[00:13:07] no slip sticks every shape, your eye brush shape accordingly the brand can say oh these are your, your face so I recommend this looks for you. This is a recommend this good color for you

[00:13:22] that's all that make all the impossible become possible and also lately we are using AI Gens technology you see AI Gens to create different hair colors, different hairstyles, different up ears the house for you say to try so you can try and you can you can make your

[00:13:47] decision without any risk, especially for hair you can hardly do it and then see if it's good it's very high risk or dye your hair color and also here we just talk about skin care

[00:14:06] and also what about the hair care so all the imaginations and we also it's been to jewelry so do you want to try on your earrings try on your ring watches, bracelets, necklace before you buy

[00:14:24] so that's all the new areas we are you know trying to develop in and also approaching to a new trend to try new technologies very exciting oh wow it is amazing I'm sitting here I'm in

[00:14:40] awe of what you are able to do now and the things that you're able to achieve and so now I want to go into the part of the interview where you give advice to other women who are thinking about

[00:14:52] going into technology or thinking about entrepreneurship so I kind of want to get into just your advice in this area so first I would like to ask you what do you think are the skills you need to be a

[00:15:07] successful entrepreneur what skills do you think people need you know entrepreneurs always you need to work long hours for sure and you know as a female we have more responsibilities right we need to be

[00:15:24] be a good daughter good mother we need to take care of families but at the same time if you want to become an entrepreneur you you you you you need to face the conflict of your time right so

[00:15:40] you guys love you're going to be very passionate love the things you created for my students also my advice for entrepreneur female entrepreneur to grow you need to arrange good resource to help you taking care of you know you you have to take care of the piece

[00:16:04] you still need to take care of your parents or your husband and also the business right that's the purpose of doing become an entrepreneur so arrange more resources to help you is important of

[00:16:20] course get your your family to support you is not a very important thing and that's a that's very fundamental and again you need to love your job a lot because every new start of the the

[00:16:38] pressures you don't need to make it and help me get this so but if you love it you love your job you love the things you created and then all the pressure become not that painful it's just a

[00:16:55] embrace it and conquer it and you will have a very good sense of achievement and not a device if I find my career path I think for females sometimes we need to be

[00:17:11] more daring to come out your thoughts fearless you know we are very competitive you don't need to be shy big out loud you're new ideas and people will see your performance in the contribution

[00:17:31] we will not see your your gender if you are a performance you are your ideas good don't be afraid not to speak out as loud as possible you know just just just bring make make a big dream be

[00:17:46] persistent and love your job and never you know never frame yourself into a face a face box so I always said sky is the only limit so just make yourself as a as a what cotton

[00:18:06] up so of all the new information new things and you can grow yourself and then you can conquer the things all the challenges you face that is so good and one of the things I wanted to touch on

[00:18:20] that you said how do you deal with fear like fear of failure because I think a lot of women don't go into business because they're afraid of failing how do you overcome that I think for the analogy also makes me different I sometimes I think I'm fearless

[00:18:42] especially for things I love especially for things I love so that's why I said joy because if you want to be a female entrepreneur you've got to love your business a lot you've

[00:18:54] got to be very passionate about your business and sometimes a failure is just you know everybody is afraid of failure right but you know sometimes a failure is the your step for your next success

[00:19:10] so don't just stop because of this failure or that this failure will bring you another new opportunity in the near future so just embrace it and keep on loving it until you solve the problems

[00:19:26] conquer the problems and then that is not a failure failure can ask um it is something you can leverage on and become you you know become your your future success you know from

[00:19:39] they want to not purify we made a lot of homestake we fail several solutions but well you need to try if you don't try you never know if you don't fail how can you know you will be

[00:19:53] successful someday so positive thinking probably that's the DNA I have but that's a very also my advice to all the female ones to become a entrepreneur I mean that is so good is

[00:20:08] knowing that failure leads you to the next step and one thing I also wanted to touch on that you said is the pressure the pressure of being an entrepreneur how what tips do you have for dealing with that

[00:20:21] pressure are there things that you learn to do did you have to exercise where their ways did you have to meditate what things help you to kind of deal with the pressure that you would be experiencing

[00:20:33] well pressure is every day's everyday so of course exercises are good ways is keep my body with more energy right with more energy better health condition then you can face more pressure

[00:20:53] when pressure comes I'm telling you the truth just for me I just embrace it just embrace it because you cannot get away with it you just need to face it embrace it and solve it concurrent

[00:21:11] for the pressure is always you need to have the revenue grows you need to have the the investment in all the certain you need to have your product release with success you need to have a customer

[00:21:22] wing that's your daily job so just embrace it thinking about the way to solve it concurrent I love that that is good just embrace it instead of running from it you embrace it now how do you

[00:21:36] make Alice when you have tough decisions to make how do you make big decisions what would you tell women do you trust your gut is it a feeling when you have to make challenging decisions

[00:21:48] what do you rely on how do you do that so first of all you need to ask yourself what you and of course you click a lot of information definitely but final at the last still listen to your heart

[00:22:02] I think no one can make decisions for you you are the only person make decision irresponsible for your new business just listen to your heart don't be afraid because no one will make decision for you you are the one click all the information and ask yourself and make

[00:22:25] decision to move on even the decision is wrong it's a failure it's a bad thing right so you still have a lot of time to make another decision to change it to fix it so listen to your heart

[00:22:38] what do you think is the right thing to do now with each of your business ventures you've done really well you've been really successful did you know when you first started that they would be

[00:22:50] so successful are you or or are you surprised at just how successful your businesses have been haha joy when I started perfect core of i denano and no not at all what it will become but i just

[00:23:08] have a dream who not that was a dream that i think i can help all the female self their pinpoints but i denano at the time we did not talk to the bright at all just release apps beauty apps camera apps

[00:23:25] so yes and no i denano yes i just a fiercely or dare very dare to face the dream that i have try your best for persistent be persistent be the passionate make you know continuous right

[00:23:48] decision hopefully and then you can make your dream come true that's so good so what keeps you motivated you sound like you're always energized like i just talked to you and i can

[00:24:01] deal the passion i can feel it but what inspires you what keeps you motivated to keep going again that's a i love changes so i always it's a problem students always like to challenge myself

[00:24:20] so the way i challenge myself and i get the answer and i feel motivated again you know and so happy to see conquer the things that can never be done before and thanks to i mean the technology

[00:24:38] industry the only thing not change is to not protect logic the only thing not change is change so always change always new things come and i feel motivated decided that i can use the new

[00:24:53] technology to solve the problem that never been solved before so then i'm very passionate and motivated whenever i conquer things with a new innovation and i just have a couple last questions for you

[00:25:08] so what is your morning routine look like you know they always say the secret of your success is in the morning routine so i'm curious what is your morning routine look like wow

[00:25:20] well meditation first very short time and doing exercise and drink a lot of coffee and come to work so you said the meditation that exercise you drink a lot of coffee and you come to work

[00:25:34] yes now over your journey what would you say has been the best piece of advice that you've received that's been really impactful for you it means somebody can be the best of the

[00:25:46] advice for my career yeah what's the best piece of advice that someone has given you for your career it can be more than one piece of advice but something that really impacted that you've heard or maybe it's

[00:25:57] something you've learned on this journey you know i started to i started out my first business was young um i think again that's my personality but i started the first company and also when

[00:26:15] i started a pre-core a lot of people they did not believe we can make it happen so this again you know the challenge to me give me a more motivation say because i have my vision i have my dream

[00:26:34] whenever the uh and always so people will get it will be against your dream they are not they are not treat you bad they just try to uh tell you the Reese's high but again for into pre-near

[00:26:52] if you don't take race you can never move forward so just a love that the dream you created focus to make your dream come true that is great advice that there's always going to be people

[00:27:08] who may not see it or who may think the risk is too high but if you believe it you can take the risk to do big things i love it well thank you so much Alice this has been a great conversation

[00:27:21] i commend you for what you're doing and i love how you are solving problems through technology so thank you for sharing your wisdom with us today thank you joy so glad to have a chat with you

[00:27:34] what was your biggest aha moment from today's show for me it was the importance of asking tough questions how just getting curious can lead you to a business idea or an invention every

[00:27:45] business is solving a problem or a pain point and you could be the one to bring the solution to the world wow that is so powerful to think about if you were inspired by the women you hear on my podcast

[00:27:59] please share this with the friend subscribe to the show and leave a review your support will help more people to find us to learn more about our guest visit she's bigtime now dot com thank you so much for listening