When you think of entrepreneurship, you may picture boardrooms, business plans and investors. But for Beby Kale Lena in Sanur, Bali, founder and owner of bebykl – Simple & Natural Products, it all began with something she despised: her big, black, curly hair!
Growing up in Timor island, East Indonesia in the city of Kupang, Beby didn’t realize she was different. Everyone in Kupang had naturally big and curly hair. It was only when she left Timor to study and later work in Surabaya that she realized she was different.
Beby stuck out mainly because of her big hair and tanned skin. Surrounded by beauty standards that favoured straight hair, she spent years straightening her hair with hair irons, damaging it in the process.
Her turning point came when she moved to Bali, where a foreigner who owned a hair salon finally told her what she had never heard before: “Your hair is beautiful.”
Our Interview in A Villa in Bali
This episode of Womenpreneur Asia is extra special because it was recorded not remotely, but in person — in Beby’s villa in Sanur, Bali, where I booked and stayed as a guest in August. (I wanted to relax for a few days after a fintech conference. Sanur seemed like the perfect quiet area, far from tourists. And indeed it was.)
It’s unusual for me to record in a physical space yet this conversation captured the richness of being face-to-face. You’ll even hear the gentle background sounds of Bali, which give this episode a unique texture. Just as Beby embraces simplicity and authenticity in her business, the recording itself reflects those same values — real, imperfect and full of life.
From Finance to Carefree, Islander Life
Before becoming an entrepreneur, Beby spent 17 years working in banking and insurance. She rose through the ranks to become a regional manager, a role that came with stability, a good salary and status. But her heart was restless.
“I always said I wished to live in Bali,” she recalls. Eventually, she traded her corporate life for the island lifestyle she had always dreamed of. That decision not only gave her the freedom she longed for but also opened the door to a new purpose.
The Accidental Hair Oil Business
What began as a way to restore her damaged hair quickly became something bigger. Beby experimented with natural oils to restore her curls. She tried coconut, olive and argan oils — mixing them intuitively until she found a blend that worked.
Friends and family noticed her hair transformation and wanted bottles for themselves. When Beby shared her before-and-after photos on Facebook, her first 25 bottles sold out in just one hour. Then she posted on Twitter, where her story went viral and orders skyrocketed to nearly 500 bottles — without labels, branding, or even a proper order system.
Her customers weren’t just buying hair oil. They were buying confidence. Many sent her heartfelt notes: “Thank you for making this product. You’ve changed my life.”
That’s how bebykl – Simple & Natural Products was born.
Going Viral Without Trying on TikTok
Beby went viral again — this time on TikTok. Without following any of the platform’s so-called rules, her simple, unedited videos resonated with thousands. A post about using her oil as face care reached over 6 million views, creating another surge of demand.
The attention wasn’t always easy. Viral fame brought criticism and hate comments that left her overwhelmed and anxious. But Beby learned to focus on the people who resonated with her message of natural living and authenticity.
Watching Balinese Sunrises on the Beach
At the heart of Beby’s work is a commitment to simplicity. Inspired by the way people lived before modern trends and social media, she believes in going back to the basics. Her products reflect this philosophy — simple, natural, and effective.
Her personal motto comes from Proverbs: “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for out of it flows the springs of life.” For Beby, guarding her heart means living authentically, staying grounded, and choosing what truly matters.
When she’s not running her business, she finds joy in the simplest of hobbies: watching the sunrise on the Sanur beach in Bali and writing stories. “My simple life is what I’m most proud of,” she says.
More Than Just Hair Oil For Women With Curls
Beby’s story isn’t just about beauty products. It’s about challenging beauty norms, reclaiming identity, and teaching others to love themselves as they are. It’s about letting go and surrendering and finding that the more she lets go, the more she receives.
Her mission is especially close to her heart for women in East Indonesia, where resources are limited. “If someone tells you to love yourself but you can’t afford the products they recommend, what’s the point?” she says. For Beby, affordability matters as much as effectiveness.
Today, she balances running bebykl with managing her friend’s surf shop, her villa rental business and enjoying the relaxed lifestyle of Bali. She doesn’t label herself as a “business owner.” Instead, she sees herself as a woman on a mission to make curly-haired girls — and women everywhere — proud of who they are.
Lessons from Beby’s Journey
- Your biggest insecurity can become your greatest strength. What you once hid may hold the key to your purpose.
- Being real and true to yourself beats perfection. Success often comes when you share your story honestly, not when you follow trends (and sometimes you break the rules too!)
- Simplicity is powerful. Whether in business or life, stripping things down to their essence often brings the most joy and rewards.
Beby’s journey reminds us that entrepreneurship isn’t only about profit. It’s about solving her own problem which helped her to solve other women’s insecurities too. It’s also about living a life that she loves, time on the beach watching sunrises and sunsets while making a difference and restoring confidence for women who used to despise their curls!