When most business owners review their financials, they see a list of costs: rent, salaries, utilities, marketing. To Romy Sia, founder and CEO of Healthy Options, those same line items look very different.
“All my expenses, I will say they’re investments. I don’t see people as expenses,” Sia says.
That shift in perspective—treating spending as long-term investment instead of short-term cost—has shaped how Healthy Options grew into the Philippines’ leading natural products retailer.
Thinking Beyond the Expense Sheet
Sia admits his own finance team sometimes gets frustrated with his approach.
“This is why my own financial director sometimes goes crazy. Because all my expenses, I will say it’s an investment,” he explains.
To him, money spent on people, design, and customer experience isn’t just cash out the door. It’s laying the foundation for credibility and future growth.
That mindset influenced decisions that seemed extravagant at first—like hiring graduates instead of minimum-wage staff, paying millennials above market, or working with international designers to upgrade store interiors.
But for Sia, each one was about building a brand that could last.
People First, Always
One of Sia’s most consistent philosophies is that people are his greatest asset. Healthy Options spends more than competitors to attract pharmacists, nutritionists, and science graduates.
“From day one, I know that I wanted to run the company the western way, meaning hire good people, pay them well, train them. I did not hire undergraduates for frontline employees,” he says.
By investing in people instead of cutting corners, Healthy Options built trust with customers who valued credible advice as much as the products themselves.
The Paris Design Bet
Sia also applied his investment-first mindset to store design—an area many retailers treat as an afterthought.
“For me, design matters. Having nice things matter,” he says.
That belief led him to hire a Paris-based firm to redesign Healthy Options stores. The decision wasn’t cheap. But the results were undeniable.
“My store design was done by a company in Paris. Since that time, my sales jumped by 30–40%,” Sia reveals.
The redesigned stores created a lifestyle feel. Customers weren’t just shopping; they were experiencing wellness.
“I don’t see it as just spending. I see it as branding, as marketing. It tells customers who we are,” he adds.
Playing the Long Game
Sia acknowledges that this philosophy requires patience. Investments in people and branding don’t always show immediate returns. But he has always prioritized stability and credibility over short-term profits.
“I didn’t set up Healthy Options because I thought I was going to make a lot of money. I did it because I loved doing it,” he says.
That love for the business—and willingness to reinvest earnings—allowed Healthy Options to expand steadily over nearly three decades without relying on outside investors. Each new store was funded internally, proof that the philosophy worked.
The Payoff of an Investment Mindset
Looking back, Sia credits this philosophy as the reason competitors haven’t been able to copy Healthy Options.
“Anybody can open a beautiful store like ours. They can copy everything. But what they cannot copy is how they treat the employee, how they train the employee. This is much harder. This is more long term,” he explains.
By reinvesting consistently into people, design, and credibility, Healthy Options built a moat that went beyond products.
From Expenses to Measurable Growth
For entrepreneurs, Sia’s story is proof that the way you categorize spending can change the way you run your business. Call it an expense, and you’ll look for ways to cut. Call it an investment, and you’ll look for ways to grow.
In Healthy Options’ case, the payoff was clear: a Paris-inspired redesign that boosted sales by as much as 40%—and a brand that customers now associate with credibility, lifestyle, and wellness.
As Sia puts it:
“I don’t see these things as expenses. They’re investments in credibility, in people, in the future.”
That mindset turned Healthy Options from a small tucked-away shop in Shangri-La Plaza into a national wellness brand—and it proves that sometimes, the smartest business strategy isn’t saving more, but spending better.
