With the help of her brother and a friend of his, Regine Sum started Nasty Cookie in 2018. Initially, her family – including her brother – was skeptical about the venture and even tried to persuade her out of it. This only made the 23-year old budding entrepreneur more determined to succeed.
Nasty Cookie was born as a home-based bakery that was meant to be a side-hustle for Regine to earn some pocket money and build up some capital fund a trip to Australia. To introduce her baby to the world, Regine started an Instagram profile and a website.
Not intending to be a business from the get-go allowed Regine to be edgier and more creative. Branding her cookies as “nasty” was a cheeky and fun way to stand out from all the other perfect cookies out there. And her ugly beautiful cookies are definitely a treat, visually and for our taste buds.
Very quickly after that, Regine became overwhelmed with orders. The problem was that Regine was the baker, social media marketer, delivery driver and everything else in between.
Regine realised that there was good potential to evolve from a side-hustle into a real business. Just as they were planning to expand, COVID-19 hit. However, being purely online, the pandemic turned out to be an opportunity to leverage on their online presence.
She opened the first Nasty Cookie outlet in Funan. And after seeing even more demand, opened their second outlet – the Nasty Cookie Factory in Kaki Bukit, which also acts as their central bakery and office.
Today, this side-hustle has grown to over 40 employees, 13 of them for just making the dough, and freeing up Regine to focus most of her time on new product releases and marketing, and strategies to grow the brand. Fans of Nasty Cookie will be happy to know a third outlet is in the making and will be opened at Orchard Gateway in December 2020.
We headed to the Nasty Cookie Factory for our 5 Questions With column to ask Regine how she manages to juggle business with everyday life.
5 Things That Are Always In Your Morning Routine
#i Gym – this helps me cope with stress and improves focus.
#ii Good Breakfast – can’t start work with an unsatisfied tummy.
#iii Surf Pinterest – it provides great inspiration (for creativity on the internet) and lifts my mood
#iv Create my to-do list – this is the way to a productive day for me
#v Check my calendar – keeps me up-to-date with tasks and deadlines
4 Types Of Food You Enjoy The Most
Sashimi, Beef, Pizza, and Ice Cream
3 Ingredients Of A Successful Business
#i Adaptability – what works today may not work tomorrow. Always prepare for change or you will fall behind
#ii Grit – believe in the vision and strive towards it. Working hard aimlessly will not get you there.
#iii Creativity – Don’t aim to just do well. Aim to be the best. Creativity helps you stand out from the rest.
2 People You Wish To Bake A Cookie With
My mum, because she will pay for the ingredients!
Gordon Ramsey, because when he criticises my cookie, it will only drive me to do better.
1 Advice For Aspiring Entrepreneurs
Find an emotional support, it is unlikely that anyone can grow a business without going through highs and lows. Having emotional support can make a big difference during the journey.
Regine Sum, Founder & Creative Director, Nasty Cookie
Subscribe To The DollarsAndSense Business Pass
Enjoy what you are reading and want more? Join The DollarsAndSense Business Pass and unlock access to valuable tools, exclusive networking opportunities, and tap into the wisdom of industry experts to fuel your business expansion!
