Total Tools Online Store Sdn Bhd is a hardware and power tools brand born in the middle of the pandemic lockdown, yet it has rapidly grown into a flagship seller on major e-commerce platforms. Without large showrooms, it built its name from an 800-square-foot office through reliable delivery, meticulous packing, and professional technical support, achieving six-figure monthly revenue, seven-figure annual revenue, and more than 30,000 parcels shipped a year. At critical moments for contractors and SMEs, the company is not just an online shop but a dependable partner that delivers the right tools on time, and at its heart is its founder, Chris Chan Mei Ling.

The entrepreneurial journey began not with a carefully crafted business plan, but with an abrupt and brutal test of survival. When the country went into lockdown, and her income disappeared, she told herself, “I must find a way to live,” and started delivering disinfectant, modifying spray guns into disinfection tools, and selling through Facebook. At that moment, she did not imagine she would one day become a prominent female figure in the power tools and hardware industry; she only knew she could not collapse; she had to keep moving.

For years, she ran everything alone, purchasing, packing, customer service, design, live streams, and strategy. She worked during the day, attended classes at night, and still handled orders in between, often sleeping only 4 to 5 hours a night and maintaining this pace for several years. With no physical storefront and no established backing, she could only transact in cash, operating on margins so thin as to be unsustainable. Still, she earned trust order by order until her store became a platform flagship with top sales and a 5/5 rating.

As the business scaled, she clearly recognised the limits of relying solely on individual effort. She understood that no matter how capable one person might be, a single pair of hands cannot carry an unlimited future. She began actively learning to lead a team and retain talent, training each team member to become an immediate contributor, and renting a warehouse and building a structure that would enable the company to move towards a more systematic, brand-driven mode of operation. Through these decisions, she proved that a woman can do more than hold up a small business, she can also lead a team to a much larger stage.

As a leader, Chris Chan Mei Ling is uncompromising about leading by example and communicating transparently. She leads by example, personally demonstrating processes, explaining the “why” behind decisions, and carefully managing resources, while genuinely hoping every staff member leaves the company a better version of themselves. This combination of personal accountability, a willingness to teach, and a readiness to stand alongside her team in the trenches has made her the kind of leader many young women want to work with and aspire to become.

Her sense of responsibility extends beyond the business. During the pandemic, she brought disinfectant into communities, businesses, hospitals, and worksites, showing people how to use it and helping them through a challenging time. To this day, she insists on honest, transparent sales and recommends only what truly suits her customers, supporting SMEs and professional users by solving real on-ground problems.

What truly makes Chris a role model for women is her uncompromising self-discipline and commitment to growth. She openly admits that self-discipline is the toughest standard she sets for herself. She designs a clear schedule for her days, willingly sacrifices leisure, and channels her energy into learning and development. Every mistake is treated as a lesson; every setback is translated into experience, and those experiences become the foundation for more mature decisions in the future. She does not wait for opportunities to arrive. Instead, she chooses to learn by doing, to move forward while learning, staying firmly aware of what she wants and never allowing external noise to dictate the direction of her life.

Because of this, Chris Chan Mei Ling is more than a successful entrepreneur; she is a living, breathing example for women everywhere. Her story tells women very clearly: you can start from zero, create a path where none seems to exist, and succeed in even the most demanding industries with professionalism, sincerity, and perseverance. In her own words and actions, she lives out the motto: “Win customers with professionalism, win the future with self-discipline.”