From passion to a dream come true, Crumbleats soar through. Crumbleats is an online and home-based local business that sells various kinds of dessert based in Bandar Sri Damansara founded by two sisters, Maryam Sofiyah and Maryam Naqibah.

It all began when two sisters who shared a love and passion for baking got together. Maryam Sofiyah Mohd Adam, 23, a final-year pharmacy student and Maryam Naqibah Mohd Adam, 22, a third-year law student, both started Crumbleats without having an oven, but that didn't stop them from pursuing their dreams.

Dropshipping, Metal Straws to The Beginning of Crumbleats

They began the business in the middle of pandemic COVID-19 and Movement Control Order (MCO) with their own trademark non-baked Lotus Biscoff Cheesecake.

“After deciding what product to sell, we immediately created a social media account and posted about it. We were surprised to receive three orders on our first day. Only then we went to buy the ingredients and stuff,” stated Maryam Naqibah.

Before starting Crumbleats, the sisters tried their hands at dropshipping, selling food and even metal straws, as a way to supplement their income. Little did they know they were able to have their own business now.

The sisters entrepreneurs did not expect their baking business to be a hit. To date, they have served more than 1,000 customers and the business is getting recognition. Crumbleats’ customers also include a fashion entrepreneur and local influencer, Sherry Amin.

“Our passion for baking has been there ever since we were kids. We spent most of our time trying new recipes at home and I was able to bake pavlova when I was 14 years old,” said Maryam Sofiyah.

From just having one product on the menu, they were able to expand to include Onde-onde cheesecake and Oreo cheesecake. The two new items, however, did not receive the same amount of attention as the Lotus Biscoff Cheesecake.

“There was a time when Lotus Biscoff was completely sold out, both in stores and online. We had a hard time trying to find the ingredient and had to pause our production,” stated Maryam Naqibah.

After some time, they managed to secure the stocks and chose to concentrate solely on the Lotus Biscoff Cheesecake. As a result, they were able to purchase a new mixer and an oven.

Being Recognised, The Peak of Crumbleats

According to both sisters, Crumbleats' most popular dessert is the Signature Pavlova, followed by other two signatures; Lotus Biscoff Cheesecake and Banoffee Pie.

"Since its initial release in May 2021, we've been getting a lot of orders nonstop,” stated Maryam Sofiyah.

In December last year, almost 500 Signature Pavlova were sold, surprising the two of them as they were not expecting such a great response from the public given that many people were selling Pavlova.

Crumbleats decided to give it a twist by making it in the shape of a volcano and topped it with fresh fruits. They believe people seem to love this dessert due to its unique features.

Last year, Crumbleats was featured in an article posted by Ellina Chan for SAYS. The article listed Crumbleats in the top 10 homebaker offering pavlova in Klang Valley.

The business has yet to release a new product as they are preoccupied with their studies, nevertheless they are planning to sell Tiramisu after doing a thorough research and development (R&D).

Crumbleats, in fact, take custom orders from time to time in order to perfect their techniques.

“Custom orders are really risky, but we took the risk because we believe it is a perfect opportunity for us to learn and build trust with our customers,” claimed Maryam Naqibah.

Customers can expect high-quality service from them since they only use premium ingredients in their products and always use a substantial amount of them. Besides, customers are free to pitch their own cake ideas, which Crumbleats would do their best to fulfil.

Maryam Naqibah also discussed how the growing public awareness on the need of supporting local businesses during the pandemic has had a significant influence on theirs and others' businesses.

“These days, many individuals, like myself, prefer local business products. I could say that I am really proud of our local brands, whether food, skincare, cosmetics and more,” added Maryam Naqibah.

It’s not as simple as it appears to run an online business and a home-based business at the same time. Maryam Naqibah explained that because they do all of their baking at home, they have a limited amount of working space. They have to be considerate of their family's personal space because baking may be pretty loud at times.

Starting a business requires a lot of patience and knowledge. According to the sisters, nothing is too difficult if one has the effort to do so. Failure is normal and expected, so if you don’t expect failure, the business scene is not for you.

Both of them came from different educational backgrounds, law and pharmacy. They didn’t know much about business when they first started, but they didn't let that stop them from continuing to learn more. They believe experience is the best teacher and they learn as they grow.

RM150 to Start Crumbleats

Setting up a business usually requires a large sum of money, but Crumbleats spent approximately RM150 to get started. After learning the possible risks and the potentials of their current business, both sisters have decided to set off small in order to minimise their expenses and risks.

They have also come up with a few money-saving alternatives such as using their own home kitchen as their working station rather than renting a space. The sisters’ decision in choosing non-baked desserts while still funding for an oven is also a great initiative.

Since Crumbleats is a newly formed enterprise, the two sisters wanted to run it exclusively instead of hiring workers.

“Our business management is very simple. We promote, we take orders, we make the orders and we keep track of our expenses,” said Maryam Sofiyah.

They even opened a separate account for Crumbleats so it would be easier to monitor the business financial flow efficiently.

According to Crumbleats, the average number of their monthly orders is 280, which brings to monthly revenue of RM8,000. However, there was a month when they completed over 400 orders and made a total profit of RM20,000.

“Since we take custom orders which vary in price, our monthly sales and revenue might not be consistent,” stated Maryam Naqibah.

Additionally, they took the initiative to join business programmes and learn from successful business owners in order to gain additional information.

”Business is not just about making money, knowledge is essential in decision making and financial planning,” said Maryam Naqibah.

Instagram, Facebook as Crumbleats' Marketing Strategy

Like every other small business, Crumbleats has opted to social media platforms to freely market their business and gain customers.

“It is fascinating how you don’t have to meet customers in person and how you don’t have to own a physical shop to run a business,” stated Maryam Naqibah.

The two young entrepreneurs have also applied what they have learnt in marketing class to their business and made extensive use of Instagram and Facebook ads to further promote their brand.

Aside from that, Crumbleats makes pool orders to certain places on a regular basis, where customers can enjoy flat-rate delivery as low as RM10.

Crumbleats have given the sisters the opportunity to learn valuable lessons that can never be learned anywhere else. Throughout handling their small business, they managed to do efficient marketing while staying on budget.

Crumbleats was once invited to join a pop-up store last year, but they had to reject owing to the expensive fees.

“We do believe that joining pop-up stores would boost our brand because we get to sell our products physically and meet with potential customers,” added Maryam Naqibah.

Among Crumbleat's goals for the year 2022 is to maintain the love and support of their customers while also improving the quality of their products and services. Both founders are planning to take part in a pop-up store this year and meet with both old and new customers.

Another interesting tidbit about these two siblings is that, despite Maryam Sofiyah's aversion to sweets, she knows and enjoys baking sweet treats. Meanwhile, when asked about their favourite products from Crumbleats, Maryam Naqibah believes that their Banoffee Pie is a standout.