SANDAKAN – Despite the woes brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic here over the past year, two cousins have been thriving financially. This is in thanks to their hot-selling mini cake business.
Mohammad Hud Luthfi Jamail, 35, said he lost his side income as an emcee and event singer during the first movement control order (MCO).
Despite holding a full-time job as a financial officer at the Royal Malaysian Navy’s (RMN) office here, Hud felt that he had to find another source of income. His part-time gigs have fallen through.
After talking to his cousin, Ismul Azam, 28, they discovered that they both had a passion for baking, and decided to start a small bakery.
Recipe for success
“We first began by only baking brownies and promoting it on social media,” the ex-emcee told The Vibes.
“To our surprise, the response was exceptionally good for the first three days. Only then did we decide to kick-start the business, which we called IA Baterkuki.
Hud said: “We promote our mini cakes on Facebook and deliver them to our customers. Our cake boxes have a variety of mini cakes, such as matcha, lemon, cheese, and chocolate cakes, among others.
“Since March last year, we have earned about RM100,000.”
The income from selling cakes during the pandemic, he said, is also more than what he earned during his time emceeing and singing. The work usually brought him between RM1,000 and RM1,500 per month.
“The tough times were a blessing in disguise for us both. Ismul quit his job as a tuition teacher in December 2019. On the first day of the MCO, he was supposed to attend a job interview – which was cancelled, not surprisingly – at the Sabah International Convention Centre in Kota Kinabalu.
"I believe God had other plans for us at that time, and we are now so thankful for this business,” he said.
Still yearning for a piece of the music pie
Despite the thriving business, Hud said his one true passion remains to be a singer.
He said he longs for the situation to return to normal as soon as possible. He plans to promote his first album – produced with two other singers – as soon as possible.
“It has been a dream of mine since I was a child to have my own album. Now that I have recorded an album with songs composed by Julkefar Ahmad, my favourite composer since I was young, the next step is to go on tour. That can only happen after the pandemic situation improves,” he said.
The album, called 'Husadee' after the three singers (Hud, Sam and Dee), also includes a song called 'Angay'.
Hud says it is one of the first Bajau songs ever produced in the R&B style. – The Vibes, July 3, 2021
