Referral Link

Company Visited: Referral Link 

Industry: Health, Beauty & E-commerce / Entrepreneurship Platforms 

Date of Visit: November 10, 2025

Company Overview

Section by: Kayla Lee 

During his presentation on his company, he talked us through his previous experiences as an entrepreneur and how he came to found Referral Link— a Korean beauty, health, and lifestyle product company that operates primarily through an online platform rather than physical retail stores. I learned about Link Shop and Referral Link AI in more depth: digital platforms unique to his company that support first-time entrepreneurs by helping create business ideas, develop goals, find collaborators, and track progress.

Honestly, I expected this visit to result only in talks on business strategies, product development, or company operations. I did not anticipate hearing much about the CEO’s personal journey beyond his professional achievements. However, listening to him openly share stories about the challenges he faced, the relationships he built, and the lessons he learned through both failure and success offered an unexpected and valuable perspective. His willingness to discuss not only his accomplishments but also his mistakes, fears, and personal growth made the interview feel more authentic and impactful.

Business & Marketing Insights

Section by: Doha Yeo 

Sadly, we were only able to interview Referral Link’s CEO, Minho Yoo. However, his presentation and ideas expressed deep value and knowledge in his field, especially because he gave us multiple information about tactics that were hidden on the internet. He also taught us a lot about powerful business tactics and marketing strategies, such as how companies persuade consumers to buy a product for 20000 won that was originally 1300 won. He also mentioned that consumers are more willing to buy something that they lack knowledge of.

The tips and ideas Mr. Yoo gave us were very informative and acknowledged, and they woke me up to the real world of business and marketing. I learned a lot about presenting and speaking just through observing his hand gestures and control of tones, which also gave me a general idea of how I should reflect those characteristics to convey my opinions effectively.

He also shared that trust is the most important success factor in business. He explained that he succeeded and failed ventures because he did not initially understand how essential credibility, customer loyalty, and brand reputation were. His long-term goal, he said, is to expand Referral Link into a multi-company platform where various brands, not just his, can be sold and promoted through one unified system.

Overall Reflection

Section by: Jessica Kim 

The interview with CEO Minho Yoo taught me that an individual’s unique experiences and passions are the key to pursuing tailored career opportunities. His early career, including founding and growing a successful chicken franchise Chicken Plus (치킨플러스) to more than 500 stores worldwide, and his interest and determination in entrepreneurship were essential to the founding of Referral Link where he continues to challenge existing business norms.

On a personal level, I was introduced to the consideration that real-world experiences and higher education are co-existing yet distinct entities that are necessary for an entrepreneur to sell dreams, and a dream might eventually originate from the experiences. As I joined the Youth Professional Insight team quite recently, Referral Link was my first visit, and the lessons learned went beyond my expectations as a student who was following the innovation and entrepreneurial world merely from the outside.

Overall, I believe that the experience was highly educational for anyone aspiring to be an entrepreneur. Experiential education, an aspect I had not considered, could provide earlier access to work fields, and generate opportunities which YPI could provide to disadvantaged teenagers in South Korea.