From Setbacks To Sweet Success

By Nur Fadhliana Shaari

JOHOR BAHRU, April 15 (Bernama) -- Singaporean entrepreneur Nur Syafawani Adnan incurred losses of RM60,000 in the early stages of her bakery venture, but she did not allow it to dampen her spirits. She has since made a strong comeback, her sales soaring to RM300,000 during Ramadan recently.

Nur Syafawani, 31, who was born in Singapore and raised in Johor Bahru from the age of eight to 18, said she initially started her business on a small scale, baking cookies and festive treats from home. In 2021, she launched her first bakery in Singapore, but it ceased operations the following year. She made a second attempt in 2023, opening another bakery in the city, though it operated for only two years before closing.

Despite these setbacks, Nur Syafawani decided to rebuild her bakery business in Malaysia with a more structured approach, assembling a team with specialised expertise. In September last year, she fully relocated her business to Taman Perling here, where her cake and biscuit production premises are located. 

Last November, she relaunched her business, but this time it operates entirely online via TikTok Shop, with plans to expand to other platforms.

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On how she embarked into baking, Nur Syafawani, whose bakery products are marketed under the brand name Frenchella, said she had to leave her full-time career to care for her eldest child, who has autism and is now 12 years old.

“After my son was diagnosed with autism, I started thinking about how to earn an income from home. That’s when I revisited my experience helping my mother in the kitchen, and started baking and selling kuih Raya like tarts,” the mother of three told Bernama recently.

She added that soon she started baking brownies, birthday cakes and wedding cakes as well, picking up the skills through self-learning.

She said her products were initially promoted only through Facebook, but they gained wider attention during the COVID-19 pandemic when she became active on TikTok.

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However, her business journey was not without challenges. She was forced to shut down her bakery in Singapore last year due to mounting pressure and weaknesses in her management system.

One of the main challenges she faced was frequent staff turnover, which disrupted operations.

Nur Syafawani said she is currently staying in a rented house in Johor Bahru to ensure her production facility in Taman Perling is operating smoothly.

“My husband previously worked at sea but decided to quit after experiencing heart problems. So now he can focus fully on the family,” she said, adding that he also helps her manage orders for her products from Singapore, handling the warehouse and logistics.

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Nur Syafawani’s signature product is French Ella Tarts, made with premium ingredients such as French butter, hazelnut chocolate and sea salt. She also offers biscuits in various flavours, including cookies and cream, red velvet, kunafa and speculoos.

She said her early failures were caused by a weak business system and packaging issues, adding that she has since improved her delivery system by using tins and additional protective packaging.

Looking ahead, she remains optimistic about strengthening her brand in Malaysia before expanding into international markets, emphasising that patience and the ability to listen to customer feedback are key to success.

-- BERNAMA