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From RM900 Allowance to Cafe Owner: Nur Farzana's Culinary Success Story
🇲🇾 Malaysia /Culture & Society

From RM900 Allowance to Cafe Owner: Nur Farzana's Culinary Success Story

From Utusan Malaysia · (7m ago) Malay Positive tone

Translated from Malay, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Nur Farzana Zulkefly, 25, transformed her RM900 industrial training allowance into the capital for her own cafe, Mizuki's Cafe.
  • Despite lacking formal culinary education, she taught herself Korean-style cake decorating via YouTube, using her multimedia background for artistic touches.
  • She overcame initial criticism and challenges, including a first-floor location and Puncak Alam's less-than-ideal accessibility, to build her business post-graduation.

KUALA LUMPUR – In a testament to entrepreneurial spirit and creative adaptation, Nur Farzana Zulkefly, a 25-year-old graduate, has successfully launched Mizuki's Cafe in Puncak Alam, turning a modest RM900 industrial training allowance into her startup capital. Her journey from a multimedia studies background to the competitive culinary world showcases a unique blend of artistic sensibility and business acumen.

Farzana, affectionately known as Ana, candidly admits to having no formal training in baking. Her initial foray into cake decoration was self-taught, leveraging online platforms like YouTube to master Korean-style decorating techniques. Her background in graphic design and photography proved surprisingly instrumental, allowing her to imbue her creations with a distinctive artistic flair that quickly garnered attention among friends and acquaintances.

The RM900 allowance for two months was used to buy the necessary equipment.

— Nur FarzanaNur Farzana explaining how she used her industrial training allowance as initial capital.

Despite facing early critiques, even from her own brother, Ana channeled the feedback into motivation, refining her skills until her cakes became highly sought after. This success paved the way for pre-order services from home during the Movement Control Order (MCO) period in 2021. The encouraging demand, amplified by food delivery platforms, provided the necessary momentum and capital to pursue her dream of owning a physical establishment.

Opening Mizuki's Cafe on the first floor in Puncak Alam was a strategic, albeit challenging, decision driven by capital constraints and lower rental costs. Ana acknowledges the inherent difficulties of a less visible location, where potential customers might see the cafe but hesitate to ascend. To counter this, she rebranded the establishment to Mizuki's Cafe, signaling that it offers more than just cakes, including savory meals. The cafe's location in Puncak Alam, not typically a tourist hub, presents another hurdle, with most visitors having specific local purposes. Ana's venture highlights the resilience and innovative spirit of young Malaysian entrepreneurs navigating diverse market landscapes.

Being on the upper floor presents a very high challenge because people passing by can see it but are too lazy to come up, even though we have a lift.

— Nur FarzanaNur Farzana discussing the difficulties of her cafe's first-floor location.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Utusan Malaysia in Malay. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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