Oftentimes, the financial risk that comes with starting a new business online is nothing compared to opening up a brick and mortar store.
Interestingly, for one Malaysian businesswoman, her startup journey started with her passion for baking.
Wendy Loh never thought of building her own bakery until she was in law school. But baking eventually piqued her interest. Her new hobby, which started with brownies, suffered many failures before she branched out to making crème brulee, pavlova and tiramisu.
However, macarons proved to be the most challenging for Wendy. She spent seven months to research before successfully making them.
In the end, her macarons were a successful pilot. Positive feedback from family and friends led her to consider selling them online. She soon began to complete orders for corporate functions, product launches and brand events — she even served as a main supplier for the Hello Kitty café in Sunway.
With all her success, she launched The Tiny Temptress, her very own brand focused on Parisian desserts, taking the business from online to offline in less than a year.
She told Vulcan Post:
“What started from a home-based business eventually grew to what you see today, two outlets with a team of young and dedicated pastry chefs.”
But perhaps what sets Wendy’s business apart from many is the fact that her customers are well-informed of their choices. Tiny Temptress’s menu is now all-text, letting people order what they really like. She stated previously (via Malay Mail Online):
“Most people will order by sight; if it looks good, they want it, without knowing what exactly is in it. They’ll ask, why is this chocolate mousse sourish, not realizing that it contains passion fruit Belgian milk chocolate ganache.”
Today, Loh’s products range from macarons, cakes, cookies and even ice cream — the list simply keeps growing. Tiny Temptress now operates in two outlets and hopes to sell in stores all over Malaysia.
With regards to choosing Tiny Temptress as her brand name, Wendy explained that it’s not about her petite frame:
“It started as a reference to the macarons, which are tiny and to me, seductive too. Then my friends pointed out, hey you’re tiny too! So it seemed like the ideal name.”
That being said, Wendy’s story tells us how passion, hard work and personal touch make an interesting batter for the perfect bake!
