As today is International Women’s Day, we celebrate successful female entrepreneurs in Malaysia who are paving the way for future generations – both female and male – in the F&B sector.
In their respective niches of F&B, these women have carved a name for themselves in the well-saturated and competitive market by identifying gaps and leveraging them in the industry.
Honing their skills and channelling their talents towards their businesses, these entrepreneurs are inspiring others to pursue their passions as they overcome obstacles and gender disparity in their fields.
With the added challenges of the pandemic, we also hear from them on how they pivoted during the worst of the crisis through digitalization, innovation, and resilience.
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Here are 8 inspirational women behind innovative F&B ventures in Malaysia:
Datin Christine Bong, Co-Founder of Brickhouse Group
How did your journey in the F&B industry begin?
Back in 2015, we invested in and operated a small university cafe called Glasshouse Cafe. Being young and naive, we thought that it would be an easy investment opportunity with little effort. Just hire a manager and we are set. Unfortunately, anyone in F&B would know that this industry is all-consuming. Fast forward to 2022, we now have several F&B outlets and have serviced over 1000 clients for their private and corporate functions.
What were some challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?
Manpower retention for baristas and service crew was tough. Instead of folding, I took it as a challenge to undergo barista training and get certified. Thereafter, I hired anyone passionate about coffee and trained them myself. This worked really well within the university cafes which we operated.
Scaling was also a tough problem at the beginning, as there was a ceiling to our growth with our previous concept of a university cafe chain, being limited by school term breaks and price ceilings. We decided to pivot into catering after seeing an opportunity in that field and it was the best decision ever. In a nutshell, whenever a problem surfaced, we would work on a viable solution.
As a female entrepreneur, were there any specific challenges you faced?
There are a lot of talented female entrepreneurs within the f&b industry. Sure there are several challenges being in a largely male-dominated industry. Managing a mostly male kitchen and bar crew, as well as dealing with the egos of senior chefs. The key to overcoming these issues is basically to firmly and surely gain their trust and respect. As the leader, I value their opinion while being certain of my personal direction and goals of steering the company.
During the pandemic, what were some measures taken to innovate and address the changing needs of your customers?
During that first lockdown, we made an immediate pivot to open an online grocery delivery. This helped us to prevent large wastage and losses from goods delivered to us for upcoming events which had to be cancelled and outlets which had to be closed. During this period, there were very few players offering same-day grocery delivery within 2 hours and we fared really well.
In addition to that, our events business vertical also hit a wall. The team came up with a concept called Express Weddings, which is a no-fuss, all-inclusive approach to help clients get hitched with their closest 30-100friends and family! Food, drinks, venue, decor and planning was all covered and we have since helped more than 50 couples get married during these two-year period through the pandemic.
The Brickhouse Group also collaborated with our partners to launch Cloud Weddings, which is a beautiful platform to host online weddings. The features included are live streaming and 2-way interaction, virtual tables, chatrooms, photo albums and guestbook, all of which can be hosted on your personal website.
How does your business embrace digitalization, and why is it important to succeed in this industry?
Brickhouse group is a huge fan of digitalisation as it reduces human error while improving productivity by removing repetitive mundane paperwork. We incorporate it into all levels of our business from automated phone solutions to cloud-based accounting software, HR software, Trello for team collaboration and workflow management.
The biggest example is our workflow management from numerous events queries per day, being funnelled to a Typeform query. All requests are logged, answered and attended to via a pre-formatted digital process. It helps us to capture important information from incoming leads, all while the main events team is busy or out of the office.
Looking forward, what are some upcoming projects your business is working on, if any?
We are looking to expand 3 more outlets in the 2nd/3rd quarter of this year, of which one is the expansion of Pokok.KL to the heart of KL, as well as an online brand Ello! Pita, which we created during the pandemic. We are finally taking it offline into a physical shop selling freshly made fluffy pita pockets w wholesome fresh ingredients, limited portions of Nutella, vanilla bean and strawberry bombolonis daily. We also are planning a brand-new Australian brunch bistro concept which will have a slight Indian influence as an homage to my husband’s family, set in a beautiful glass bungalow, perfect for dine-ins and private events as well.
How did you grow your business during the pandemic?
Some of these projects were already part of our existing expansion plans prior to the pandemic. We took advantage of the downtime during the pandemic to restructure, conduct some careful planning and budgeting. Rather than be bogged down by negativity, we threw our efforts into turning things around when the timing was right.
What are some advantages of working in this industry, compared to others?
F&B and events are extremely versatile and exciting. The management aspect is similar to most business ventures, however, as someone who loves food, interior decoration and all things crazy, this industry has been great for me!
What advice would you give aspiring female entrepreneurs who want to work in this industry?
First of all – “Dream. Believe. Do. Repeat”. When the going gets tough, just keep pushing and always trust your instinct to go, grow or pivot. You WILL make it. Lastly, find a good partner in love, life and work. You will need all their help, support and understanding to grow to your fullest potential.
What are some ways to empower female entrepreneurs in this industry, if any?
Surround yourself with like-minded women for support. Share your story. It will afford the next person to learn from the success and failures that you have experienced and give them a shorter pathway to success.
Ryea and Lekha Sankaran, Co-Founders of Fresco Grano Organic Bakery & Store
How did your journey in the F&B industry begin?
With the arrival of our kids, and in deciding to start them off with organic foods where possible, we thought why not give others access to affordable baked organic goods. We started out with wheat bread, then ventured into providing gluten-free choices. We now have a wide variety of bread, cookies, cakes and Granolah in regular, gluten-free and vegan options. Our bread is now available in certain BIG, Jaya Grocer, Village Grocer, specialty organic shops and by home delivery.
What were some challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?
One of the biggest challenges was entering a market that already had big brands dominating the market that had already become household names. We had to convince people that we’re so used to eating bread that tasted a certain way and of a certain price that our bread was worth considering. Slowly but surely, we did manage to get ourselves in mainstream grocery stores that were looking for organic and healthy alternatives to be part of their range as more and more people were becoming aware of how food choices affect their health.
As a female entrepreneur, were there any specific challenges you faced?
Having to allocate time between family and home time whilst operating a business can sometimes prove challenging. As much as we want to put our all into our business, we do have to make sure our roles at home with our families are not jeopardised. It did take some getting used to by both ourselves and our families but after 6 years of being entrepreneurs we have managed to take each day as they come with a lot of time management and support from our wonderful families.
Another challenge was to practice being assertive when negotiating deals, partnerships, customer service and staffing. If we’re being honest, we have felt the difference between ourselves and our male counterparts. But it’s not unique to us only as female entrepreneurs and we are excited to be part of an ever progressive movement.
During the pandemic, what were some measures taken to innovate and address the changing needs of your customers?
During the pandemic, we needed to quickly respond to increased demand at retail outlets as well as innovate our process to modify our home delivery service to meet customer needs. We also needed to do this under the pressure of implementing the new SOPs to keep both our team and customers safe and healthy.
How does your business embrace digitalization, and why is it important to succeed in this industry?
When we first started out, we got orders mostly through word of mouth and friend recommendations. We then realized to reach more people we would have to go digital and creating our website with an online store was one of the best moves we’ve made. Along with being constantly present on social media by sharing information on our products, running competitions and sharing recipes, it’s given us a chance to be interactive with our customers.
Looking forward, what are some upcoming projects your business is working on, if any?
We’d love to expand our reach to more stores and offer more of our products to states outside of KL & Selangor. We are also looking to do more collaborations with other local brands by building awareness about what we do and all the great offerings of Malaysian brands. We are looking forward to conducting workshops and talks to encourage healthy living to like-minded people.
How did you grow your business during the pandemic?
Fortunately for us, we were able to continue our supply of bread to supermarkets when other conventional brands were not able to. This opened our brand up to a whole new group of people that tried our products simply because the ones they were used to buying were not on the shelves. We managed to retain a lot of these customers as they not only liked our bread but were open to trying our other products as well.
What are some advantages of working in this industry, compared to others?
Being in the kitchen and cooking has always been our passion being exposed to this from a young age through our family. so the biggest advantage is that we are constantly able to create new and exciting products. Also given our finance backgrounds, we’re equally as passionate about crunching the numbers and analysing how best to direct the company that is best for all our stakeholders.
What advice would you give aspiring female entrepreneurs who want to work in this industry?
If you’re truly passionate about something, whatever the industry you’re in or looking to get into, just do it. There are always going to be challenges or naysayers, but if you can believe in yourself and what you’re setting out to do, there’s nothing or no one in the world that can stop you.
What are some ways to empower female entrepreneurs in this industry, if any?
Empowerment needs to begin from a young age. Young people need to know that they can venture into any industry regardless of their gender. There could be programs, seminars and forums for kids to join to educate themselves on following their passions and to cultivate entrepreneurial ideas and skills. For women who have left the conventional workforce and have an idea to start their own businesses, it would be helpful if there were easily accessible workshops or courses they could attend to start them off on their entrepreneurial journey.
Chef Melba Nunis, Restauranteur and Cookbook Author
How did your journey in the F&B industry begin?
I’ve always loved cooking and working with food, but my first food business was Simply Mel’s, my restaurant which opened in 2011.
What were some challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?
Kristang food is relatively unknown because our community is so small, so I suppose that was the greatest challenge. I used my restaurant as a tool to educate and promote our cuisine and also stories, from my own childhood and experiences in the kitchen. And of course any publicity opportunities.
As a female entrepreneur, were there any specific challenges you faced?
I think the challenge is always educating and reminding people about Kristang food. When Simply Mel’s closed at the end of 2016, I went to the Majestic Malacca for 2 years, where I continued spreading the love for Kristang food.
During the pandemic, what were some measures taken to innovate and address the changing needs of your customers?
When the pandemic began, I had already started Dine with Mel, my supper club where I serve small private groups special menus in my home. I then pivoted to doing a lot of takeaways and deliveries and since everyone was under lockdown too, I was blessed that I only needed to reach out to my database to get orders. I did face some issues with regards to supply (ie keluak), and also prices.
How does your business embrace digitalization, and why is it important to succeed in this industry?
Social media is instrumental to reaching people, whether it’s my own posts and content, or when people who eat my food post and tag me.
Looking forward, what are some upcoming projects your business is working on, if any?
I’m looking forward to some guest spots, the next one being a Kristang Seafood Feast at Tiffin at the Yard on the last weekend of March. I’m also hoping to resume my supper clubs and kick off a rempah line.
How did you grow your business during the pandemic?
Through takeaways, deliveries and menus themed to special occasions.
What are some advantages of working in this industry, compared to others?
For me, besides spreading my love for Kristang food, it’s the people I have had the opportunity to meet, from bigwig chefs at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley, to everyone who dines at my table at home. I truly love making that connection and speaking to people, hearing their stories.
What advice would you give aspiring female entrepreneurs who want to work in this industry?
Love what you do.
What are some ways to empower female entrepreneurs in this industry, if any?
I think part of being empowered is knowing that it’s okay to ask if you don’t know, or if you need help. When you don’t ask, you don’t learn, and when you don’t learn, you don’t grow.
Su San Huen, Founder of COOKHOUSE Malaysia
How did your journey in the F&B industry begin?
My venture into F&B sparked while on a holiday. I chanced upon a Korean dessert café and joined the queue to try out their snow ice. While enjoying the treat, I couldn’t help but think that this would be a hit in my home country, Malaysia where the weather is hot and we enjoy a variety of cold desserts. It was my experience building our Korean F&B businesses that led me to explore and study more innovative ways to grow and scale F&B concepts that got me thinking about shared kitchens and cloud kitchens that has fueled the idea of what COOKHOUSE is today.
What were some challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?
When new in the industry, the learning curve was steep, and there were plenty of mistakes to be made. To be a true master of any craft, I believe the answers are in the small details, and we need to start from the ground up. I am a firm believer that we need to get our hands dirty and stay close to the ground to experience and understand first-hand the challenges and analyze the problems. A deep understanding of the business processes allows us to find ways to improve and set new standards in the industry.
As a female entrepreneur, were there any specific challenges you faced?
I believe every entrepreneur’s journey is different, and these challenges arise from many factors which are not specific to any gender. The economic and environmental factors, competitive landscape, timing, trends, innovations and all business factors affecting an entrepreneur’s journey is not targeted towards any one gender. The important thing is to focus on what is within our locus of control, and take action to achieve our desired outcomes.
During the pandemic, what were some measures taken to innovate and address the changing needs of your customers?
COOKHOUSE started out as a shared cloud kitchen facility and we provided usage of our facility, equipment and services to food businesses on a rental basis. However, during the previous Ramadan month when in lockdown, our customers (food operators who rent kitchens from us), faced challenges reaching their regular customers as there were shortages in delivery riders on conventional delivery platforms.
Our team recognized this issue immediately and put up our delivery order web application within a matter of days to address this problem and ensure there was still an avenue for our customers to reach theirs. We do seek to understand the various requirements and issues faced by our customers and try out best to tailor solutions and services that would add value to their businesses. Hence, within COOKHOUSE we provide hired kitchen help, marketing and branding services and develop different types of rental packages to suit different needs.
How does your business embrace digitalization, and why is it important to succeed in this industry?
In our vision to support the growth of F&B businesses, COOKHOUSE embraces our unique position as a technology enabler and serve as a catalyst for it to expedite the adoption of technology in F&Bprocesses by our customers through our facility and services. Currently, we digitalize our ordering processes, part of our dine-in service is already using robots, payments, as well as our back end processes.
Looking forward, what are some upcoming projects your business is working on, if any?
We have an exciting new project called Artisan’s Playground by COOKHOUSE. It is a 33000- square foot dining destination and home to 15 micro-restaurants, a speakeasy, artisan workshops, coffee roastery, private dining rooms, events and show kitchens. In the same spirit of unlocking value forF&B businesses through shared resources and facilities, we have fitted the place with artisan playthings like the Victoria Arduino Black Eagle, Giesen Coffee Roaster, Josper Oven and Grill, Dry Ager, a Stefano Ferrara Wood Fired Pizza Oven to name a few.
How did you grow your business during the pandemic?
During the pandemic, I endeavoured to continue to grow the business as if there was none. The concept of COOKHOUSE was already being built before we knew what Covid-19 was and we never knew there was a pandemic coming. Our business was one of the few that was helped by the pandemic, as people were keener to understand and learn about this new concept of the kitchen for deliveries. However, there was a notion that food deliveries and cloud kitchens would no longer be in demand after the pandemic. We had managed to grow from 1 to 5 locations in a span within 2 years and one of my major considerations was to ensure the sustainability of the concept post-pandemic.
What advice would you give aspiring female entrepreneurs who want to work in this industry?
JUST DO IT. If we have decided on what we want, the next step is to go for it. Things always have a way of working themselves out, and all we really need to do is to take the immediate next step forward.
Jenifer Kuah, Co-Founder of Sitka Studio-Restaurant
How did your journey in the F&B industry begin?
Consumed by my passion for food, I left a legal career and embarked on my first cafe, Food Foundry. I had waitressed during my uni days and absolutely loved it.
What were some challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?
F&B industry of independent restaurants did not exist in 2007 as chefs were hard to come by. Eating out was limited to either hotels or chain restaurants. I supposed I overcame this by just hanging on to the belief that things will change and they did.
As a female entrepreneur, were there any specific challenges you faced?
Learning to deal with predominant male suppliers was interesting. I never thought that being female was an obstacle, inexperience was.
During the pandemic, what were some measures taken to innovate and address the changing needs of your customers?
We had to develop new products suitable for delivery. Other than that it really was reining in costs and watching our bottom line.
How does your business embrace digitalization, and why is it important to succeed in this industry?
I think it’s important, but we also have to be careful that it doesn’t diminish human interaction. How it’s used is essential to success.
Looking forward, what are some upcoming projects your business is working on, if any?
We will be opening Studio Restaurant at a new location and have another outlet in the works.
What are some advantages of working in this industry, compared to others?
For me, I am surrounded by food and drink and meeting like-minded people from all over the world.
What advice would you give aspiring female entrepreneurs who want to work in this industry?
Belief and a love for food and beverage.
What are some ways to empower female entrepreneurs in this industry, if any?
Empowering oneself with belief is crucial and continuing conversations between female entrepreneurs are necessary.
Serina Bajaj, Co-Founder of KindKones
How did your journey in the F&B industry begin?
When my elder daughter was born over 5 years ago, I developed a mild form of dairy intolerance. I bought a small ice cream maker so that I could make dairy-free ice cream for fun in my home kitchen. After a lot of experimenting, I realized that the ice creams I was making actually tasted good despite them being vegan. My husband and I chatted about selling them as there were hardly any plant-based frozen dessert alternatives in Malaysia (where we were located at the time) and whatever options were available – weren’t mind-blowing. We decided to get a pastry chef on board to help elevate the ice cream. We also invested in a commercial batch freezer and, boom, Kind Kones was born.
What were some challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?
One of the main challenges we faced when starting out was dealing with the preconceived notion that plant-based foods don’t taste as good. In 2017, not many people knew what the term ‘vegan’ meant and we had to educate consumers. We had to start from ground zero by encouraging people to try out ice cream that was so ‘foreign’ to them. We market Kind Kones as a healthier dessert alternative, ice cream for everyone, an indulgence for all while also being kind to the environment, and our bodies.
As a female entrepreneur, were there any specific challenges you faced?
I’ve definitely faced a couple of challenges over the course of my career as a female entrepreneur. I’ve had my fair share of struggles especially when it comes to being taken seriously in comparison to my husband who’s also my co-founder. I also feel a constant need to prove myself, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. However, what is frustrating at times is remaining true to my leadership style and not conforming to the social expectation our male counterparts may have of how a ‘leader’ should lead. Men and women are wired differently, and this difference should be celebrated.
During the pandemic, what were some measures taken to innovate and address the changing needs of your customers?
Pre-pandemic, I think a lot of enterprises, particularly SMEs, focused largely on traditional techniques to elevate their businesses. Since the pandemic, however, we see businesses having no other option but to commit more to digital solutions to survive and thrive because buying behaviours changed significantly. In the F&B industry for instance, convenience and accessibility became key for most consumers and we had to deliver that. Digital transformation was our answer.
How does your business embrace digitalization, and why is it important to succeed in this industry?
Being in F&B, we need to entice potential customers with what we have to offer, the fastest way we can, through visually appealing content distributed online and also provide virtual touchpoints for our customers to reach out to us. We did not have an e-commerce site when we first started, so we pushed content online to drive foot traffic to our stores.
However, when the pandemic hit, we were able to quickly take our business online and build resiliency by setting up online platforms in both Malaysia and Singapore to take in orders for delivery. Before we knew it, we had added an additional revenue stream, one that helped us sustain while our outlets were taking the heat from the first few lockdowns. Two years on, if we had not utilized and embraced digitalization, we would not have been able to quickly recover from the pandemic the way we did.
Looking forward, what are some upcoming projects your business is working on, if any?
We’ll be opening our new outlets in Plaza Damansara in KL and another in Singapore soon. We are also going CPG. We expect to be shelf-ready by the 3rd quarter this year, so you’ll be able to find Kind Kones in selected supermarkets/ specialty grocery stores across Malaysia and Singapore.
How did you grow your business during the pandemic?
Fortunately, the pandemic propelled our growth in ways we never thought possible. We pivoted from a retail-centric brand towards being more D2C. When we were forced to close shop, we set up our online platform & delivery logistics almost overnight. For the first time, Kind Kones was available at your fingertips rather than a drive away and our sales just skyrocketed. This was what ultimately led us to successfully closing our first round of fund-raise that subsequently accelerated our growth further.
What are some advantages of working in this industry, compared to others?
As brutal as F&B industry can be, the direct access you have to your customers is a great advantage. Positive feedback gives you instant gratification while constructive criticisms can be used to make changes to your business quickly. It also provides great marketing opportunities and huge customer relationship-building potential.
What advice would you give aspiring female entrepreneurs who want to work in this industry?
I think we – women – across all industries feel this odd sense of pressure to prove ourselves in comparison to our male counterparts. Fortunately, women are extremely tolerant and resilient so I think we are very much capable of turning pressure into a driving force for success. So don’t shy away from the challenge that the industry brings. Failure is a part of the game. Get some grit and grind for it!
What are some ways to empower female entrepreneurs in this industry, if any?
What I’ve noticed about the F&B industry thus far is the amazing camaraderie between founders, especially female founders. I do hope that this continues to strengthen so it can be a catalyst for change and progress. As a tribe we can stand together to call out any gender discrimination and stereotypes so our industry can be more inclusive, diverse and equitable. This I think is the way, I believe, we can empower each other moving forward.
June Chang, Executive Director, Caffeinees Group
How did your journey in the F&B industry begin?
I was a part-time barista when I was in uni in Melbourne, then in 2006, I opened Caffeinees and I started the business as a barista, waitress, marketing consultant (basically from grounds up and while being an entrepreneur on other businesses too). In 2010, I stepped up to Group Executive Director till date and currently I have 7 brands (Caffeinees, Black Market, Yamaguchi Fish Market, Poison Apple, Truly Wine, FENG Dining and Truffle Chocolate Malaysia) and 13 outlets under my belt.
What were some challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?
Lack of knowledge while choosing location and experiences of operating F&B, lack of manpower, loss of investment funding (managed to rebound thanks to my mother’s investment who is also. shareholder now), and of course the pandemic. We managed to overcome these with persistence, adaptability, the Kaizen spirit and traditional Chinese values such as integrity and humility.
As a female entrepreneur, were there any specific challenges you faced?
As a woman who coincidentally is also rather petite, people might have the perception to doubt our capabilities. I experienced discrimination in the journey of building my career, however, I learned to switch the situation and take it to my advantage. When people doubt us, they might think that we are “harmless” and set down boundaries too, this gives us an easier entrance to many things. I would say it can be a benefit in the entrepreneur journey if you are able to utilize the advantages.
People called me “The Chili Padi” quoted from an anonymous Tan Sri, and I don’t feel bad at all, I feel proud. Perhaps, I would say this might not apply to all female entrepreneurs around the world. I am just blessed to be part of the lucky ones who live in a country and era where people like us do have an opportunity to grow and shine.
As a wife, a daughter, and a mother of three active boys, I do have different roles for me 24/7. To be honest, this is the most challenging part when you have to take care of EVERYTHING in the house and children, while you are fighting the career.
During the pandemic, what were some measures taken to innovate and address the changing needs of your customers?
Identifying the right target market and being able to reach out to their needs; Maybe people couldn’t travel for a long time, and they need passion and excitement in life. For example, a good dining experience, freshly imported food, nice drinks, etc. Pivoting to delivery yet maintaining the high standards of dine-in: Ensuring our delivery packaging and service is top-notch. We also set up better and more convenient drive-thru services for pick up, as well as private dining spaces.
How does your business embrace digitalization, and why is it important to succeed in this industry?
We shifted all our meetings to virtual, it is indeed more effective and productive. We implemented QR code for the digital menu, it makes less contact, less paper printing, and is more efficient. Social media does magic. We even had our new venture Truffle Chocolate Malaysia launched in Jan 2022, with only the media attending the physical event, and all other guests attended the virtual Grand Launch to celebrate the joy together with us. We also launched an online advertising and shopping platform hosted by local celebrities called MY BAO DAN (also a sister company of our group) with an accumulated reach of over 20 million live audience so far.
Looking forward, what are some upcoming projects your business is working on, if any?
We are going to explore and open more outlets in 2022 to cover some of the areas where we haven’t stationed an outlet. Truffle Chocolate Malaysia will be expanding rapidly by the year 2022, we are now already in Brunei (and doing very well), soon we will be in Singapore, China, Hong Kong, and many more countries. We are also planning a fine dining Chinese fusion cuisine soon in 2022.
How did you grow your business during the pandemic?
Keep adapting and changing with the situation, taking over businesses from others who couldn’t sustain through the pandemic, restructure and implement our elements. Minimizing the expenses and maximizing every profit opportunity by various strategies. Keeping existing employees, while exploring and hiring potential candidates as the company is growing still.
What are some advantages of working in this industry, compared to others?
Privilege to taste best and fresh ingredients, food and drinks around the world with cost or even on complimentary. (You got to be a foodie to enjoy this part.) I get to travel around the world and visit suppliers to experience something a tourist might not be invited to. For example, visiting Chateaus when they are off-season with no tourists, and they don’t mind handing you the key to a 1200-year-old castle to stay like it’s your own house.
What advice would you give aspiring female entrepreneurs who want to work in this industry?
Do expect to get your hands dirty. It is a very time-consuming journey, make sure you enjoy it and keep being consistent. Food and beverage is not only about food and beverage; it involves people and a combination of research, love, passion, and hard work. Stay optimistic, exercise and keep good health, because you need those elements to keep you up for those never-ending challenges in this industry.
What are some ways to empower female entrepreneurs in this industry, if any?
Provide chances of education and opportunity to gain knowledge for the female community. I believe education is essential and the pillar to change one’s life. I am also a committee member of GLA (Green Lifestyle Association Kuala Lumpur & Selangor), affiliate to KLSCWO and NCWO, the National Council of Women’s Organisations. We organize activities and seminars to empower women, especially the B40 income group and urban poor community. The community center will hold activities such as tuition, handicrafts, sewing, baking, cooking, and many other skills. Also, we have seminars of training programmes to share knowledge of utilizing digital to improve business for female entrepreneurs.
Li Yen Tan, Co-Founder and CEO of Hawkr
How did your journey in the F&B industry begin?
I never really thought that I would become a Founder & CEO of a startup. It really just started out as “Hey, I probably have a solution to a problem so, let’s keep developing this solution!”. The next thing I did was create a Google Form as my “menu” and sold 2 things: Chicken Rice and Mee Goreng. I put the form up on Reddit and within a week, 20 people purchased something from the Google Form. What surprised me was how trusting people were because it was not like the Google Form had an established logo with an established company name! I continued with this and saw tremendous growth over the next month or so.
What were some challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?
All food delivery businesses have three sides in general. You have the buyer, the seller, and the fleet of riders/drivers facilitating that exchange in goods. The main challenge here is that these 3 groups will have different motivations. Buyers want low prices, high quality, convenience, abundance of choices, all at the same time. Sellers want to keep margins as big as possible and are more often than not, going to be cautious about more competition in the marketplace. A similar assessment can be done for the fleet’s side although we do not have a fleet yet.
Since Hawkr is a platform that manages and oversees all sides, it can be very challenging to keep all sides happy, all at once. Most people have the misconception that only waiters, baristas, and people who work in a physical job with face-to-face interaction face rude customers. It can happen behind a screen or behind the phone too. And because it is behind a screen, some people feel even more emboldened to be even ruder. We’ve had a couple of death threats before from customers who don’t feel like they are getting what they want.
As a female entrepreneur, were there any specific challenges you faced?
Related to the challenges we face, as a female entrepreneur, I have also been sexually harassed by a customer over WhatsApp. Without going into too much detail, the customer received his food about 45 minutes late. This was during the prolonged MCO period with many roadblocks around KL and Selangor so I tried explaining this to him. He became extremely angry and started sending me lewd photos and threatened me that he would pay me a visit. It was a no brainer that I banned this customer because what he did to me, he could’ve done it to our other female employees, merchants, and partners, and there was no way I could let this happen.
During the pandemic, what were some measures taken to innovate and address the changing needs of your customers?
The concept of Hawkr itself was born out of the pandemic. The pandemic pretty much made everyone question the way we do things. From working to eating, from resting to travelling, the pandemic undoubtedly caused a profound shift in these things. So I wouldn’t really say we innovated to address the changing needs of our users, but rather, we stepped in at the right time to address a growing need of our users which are twofold. For our merchants, it is the question of how do we enable anyone, regardless of experience running a F&B business, to be able to start a food business at home with ease. For our customers, it is the question of how do we provide an additional layer of comfort during the pandemic with our homemade food.
How does your business embrace digitalization, and why is it important to succeed in this industry?
Hawkr embraces digitalization because we have to solve a fundamental problem with the food industry. We are removing barriers for home cooks and home bakers of all experience levels. No one should be required to invest such a hefty amount to start a restaurant or any physical location which not only requires money but also time. Not everyone can afford to take such huge risks as well. Hawkr is designed for home businesses because we provide services and platform features that directly tackle the two main challenges above faced by home cooks and home bakers.
Looking forward, what are some upcoming projects your business is working on, if any?
We are working on something very exciting and you could even think of it as a slight change in direction. We will no longer be branding ourselves as a food delivery platform for the most part. This is not to say we are not a food delivery platform anymore. However, we are diving deeper into our merchant-first principle and we will be investing a lot more effort in building a platform and more importantly, a community where our merchants feel empowered to make data-driven decisions.
What are some advantages of working in this industry, compared to others?
If I am going to be brutally honest, there is none for me. Personally, building a startup is the hardest thing I’ve done. With long nights, no money, pressure coming in all directions from users to investors, and every day is a constant reminder that 90%+ of startups fail. But at the end of the day, I wouldn’t have it any other way because I fully believe in why I’m doing this, and that is because I envision a world where anybody should be able to sell anything with ease, even if you have a lot of barriers. And I want to see our already dynamic food culture grow even more and constantly push the boundaries on what type of food will be available in the market. With homemade food, the possibilities are endless.
What advice would you give aspiring female entrepreneurs who want to work in this industry?
In a world full of madness and uncertainty, especially for women, you have to be your own fighter and your own “boss lady”, as I’d like to call it. There is nothing you cannot do if you put your mind and heart into it.
What are some ways to empower female entrepreneurs in this industry, if any?
Build a community with each other. This industry is brutal, especially if you are a business owner. A community of women entrepreneurs will make the experience seem less lonely because we’ll be cheering each other on!
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Sharuna is a writer/editor who has previously worked with several print and digital lifestyle publications, including Malaysia SME, The Expat, Senses of Malaysia, ExpatGo.com, Eat Drink KL, and Study International. A Communications graduate from the University at Buffalo, her hobbies include reading, hiking, cooking, watching Netflix, and her cats. Two of her life passions are food and travel, which are also her two favourite writing topics.
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