The NB beauty salon franchise mushroomed over the next quarter of a century with some 1,500 outlets across the island at its peak, served by thousands of beauticians trained by Tsai, some in coordination with Tamkang University in Taipei.
In 1989, Tsai remarried and her husband became senior manager of the NB international group, which now also runs a listed biotechnology company in Hong Kong.
As the NB facial franchise and product sales began to slow in Taiwan in the early 1990s amid regional economic troubles and as more health-conscious women shifted to plush spas and massage parlors, Tsai modified her business strategies and diversified her investments.
"I encouraged the facial salons to merge or upgrade into spas, and I also accelerated research and development in NB products to serve a more demanding clientele."
In 1992, she also started investing in China, where, she says, "the cultural background, social structure and market conditions were just like Taiwan when I first started my career."
Now Tsai runs a chain of more than 2,000 deluxe spas employing tens of thousands of young women across China.
"I have to cope with market trends and changing consumer behavior," she said of her evolving business strategy.
"Besides, in today's more affluent society, fewer young women are now willing to work at facial salons as they consider the job boring."
At NB headquarters in Shanghai, Tsai continues her role in product development and promotion, and coordination of education programs while her husband takes care of administration and operations with the help of her son and daughter from her first marriage.
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