“I was never a nine-to-five person, but now I’ve given myself a 24/7 job,” Meggie, the founder of Dough by Meg, quipped.
At just 28 years old, she’s the key figure behind a bakery cafe that’s best known for their bombolonis. They’re like doughnuts but stuffed with sweet gooey fillings that are perfect to pair with coffee.
On the surface, you might not think too much about the Bukit Ceylon cafe as it doesn’t have a significantly large amount of Google reviews. But its focus on giving customers a unique experience, whether through its food offerings or service, has left favourable impressions on patrons.
So much so that Colony, a coworking and event space company, acquired Dough by Meg just a few months ago.
It all began with… durians?
While others train themselves to be entrepreneurs, some are just natural leaders and easily fit the role. Meggie falls into the latter category.
Post-graduation, she dabbled in the property industry and sold homes. Then when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, she moved into the durian-selling business, because “who doesn’t pivot to exotic fruits in a crisis, right?”
That’s how Durian Go Go Go got its start. Meggie and her ex-partner sourced the fruit from suppliers, took photos at home, and posted them on Facebook food delivery groups. To their surprise, the pair managed to sell 50 boxes of durians in their first batch.
“Our promotions went viral, and we were stunned to see our sales reach six figures monthly. [It’s] a significant feat especially since I was only 25 at the time,” Meggie shared. “This experience made us realise we had the potential to run a business full-time.”
So the duo began looking for something that’s more sustainable year-round. All the while, Durian Go Go Go tided them over the pandemic.
Then one day, upon coming across an ad for bombolonis, Meggie began craving doughnuts. There was only one problem—the ones available were too far to get conveniently because of the MCO.
Her ex-partner did what any of us would do in the moment and suggested she try baking them herself. It was a tall order considering that Meggie had zero baking experience, but she was determined for the sake of her cravings. Thus, marking the start of Dough by Meg.
Investing in a dream together
Meggie spent about a year perfecting her recipe while juggling the durian business to keep income flowing.
She admitted that it was a struggle at first. Her frequent companions at the time were online videos, where she’d gather tips and tricks from each one to create something unique.
Once she had the recipe down pat, she leveraged what was learnt from the durian venture and launched Dough by Meg with RM20,000 from their savings.
The online bomboloni store concept resonated quickly as food deliveries were all the rage. Food bloggers spread the word of their baked treats, which helped them further gain traction. The influx of orders was encouraging, Meggie recalled.
But even as a home-based business, Meggie and her ex-partner took the extra effort to create a brand. They printed their own packaging and worked on other visible aspects to differentiate themselves from regular sellers.
“We wanted to give customers a unique experience when they received the doughnuts at home during MCO. Our target was the higher-end market, as our prices were not cheap. The taste and overall experience had to stand out [too].”
Then the MCO began lifting in stages which resulted in a gradual decrease in online orders. So they took it as a sign to go all in and set up a physical bakery store.
Not forgetting why you first started
Bukit Ceylon was chosen as Dough by Meg’s first outlet due to its unique vibe. Meggie described it as being serene, green, and quiet despite its location within the city centre.
Along with the expansion came new additions to its menu. Now, you can find a range of hot foods like pasta, sourdough sandwiches, and various other pastries. But its core offering remains the bombolonis.
The cafe is currently run by Meggie and her team of 12 staff members. The 28-year-old has passed the head baker baton to someone else due to her limited baking knowledge. Instead, she’s now focusing on sprucing up their branding and marketing.
Transitioning from a home baker to running a brick-and-mortar store has been quite an eye-opener. “Managing finances is an ongoing learning curve, especially when balancing quality and costs as you scale up,” she remarked.
A key lesson she’s learnt is the importance of adaptability—staying true to your original vision while evolving to meet market demands.
Currently, Dough by Meg’s aim is to be a one-stop neighbourhood cafe that’s cherished by their regulars. That and their ambitions of growing into sectors like corporate gifts, catering, and event services.
Putting her whole heart into it
“Tim Tiah and his wife Audrey (the CEO and Executive Director of Colony respectively), who are regulars at our cafe, casually inquired about investing [in Dough by Meg] during a conversation outside our cafe,” Meggie shared.
And this discussion evolved into a formal collaboration. “It’s quite surreal for me, as I grew up hearing about Audrey from my sisters who followed her blog from the early blogging days. I never imagined I’d one day work with them.”
Colony being a coworking and event space company just happened to align perfectly with Dough by Meg’s new focus on catering and gifting.
What this means is that Colony’s guests can look forward to hosting meetings and events with Dough By Meg’s scrumptious treats. Meggie still remains in charge of most operational tasks as Colony has given her trust and freedom in making significant business decisions.
Moving forward, the bakery cafe is equally focusing on both B2B and B2C segments. They plan to move to a larger location soon and upgrade their menu, featuring more oriental and premium selections.
Despite the occasional appeal of a regular nine-to-five job, Meggie’s committed to the path she’s chosen. “Starting a business might be straightforward, but maintaining and sustaining it is the real challenge, and I’m dedicated to making it work.”
- Learn more about Dough by Meg here.
- Read other articles we’ve written about Malaysian startups here.
Featured Image Credit: Dough by Meg