Disruptr: Nisha Haslinda, Owner and Co-Founder of Bintulu Coffeescape
Share with us what you do and what inspired you to start the business
- We create and craft beverages- not limited to coffee/ tea/ boba/ drinks. Back in 2016, there were no cafes around like Starbucks, Tealive or Coffee in Bintulu. With both co-founders craving good coffee and frappes, we decided to make beverages of our own.
What has the journey been like
- Meeting new people has always been something I found to naturally do. Couple that with my love for good beverages and we have Bintulu Coffeescape. It is always fun and exciting when you see familiar faces but like all other businesses, especially small business owners, it is not always sunny all the time. We cherish every single day from the day we started.
Biggest achievement and one regret that you wish you had or had not done
- The biggest achievement would be our participation in Shell Livewire 2021. We honestly did not expect to win anything. It really opened up our eyes as we got to hear and learn from more experienced entrepreneurs out there and see their achievements and milestones.
- Since starting a business of our own, every single step is a blessing and since then, we have had absolutely no regrets about doing what we do as every day holds a very different challenge and opportunity. It is very new territory for us and we want to challenge ourselves to see what we are capable of in order to sustain ourselves in the business world.
Where do you see yourself in the next 1 year?
- Perhaps being able to create engaging ways to connect with existing and potential customers.
Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
- To be able to offer business opportunities and job placements to the community. We want to grow by giving back to the community as we believe by giving back to them, will be able to create a more sustainable business.
What keeps you going to keep running the business?
- It is always the people you meet along the way. They are what really keep us going. We hope to serve them and their circle better every single time. The joy, compliments and of course feedback that we receive will definitely help us to do better as most customers will tag us on their social media and the engagement from them does help us to grow. Also, the fun experiments when we get to try new beverage recipes are always interesting.
What is the one local startup you would like to work together with and why?
- People always ask us why we do not serve any food. The thing is, we do not want to go into this being the jack of all trades but the master of none. And because we are primarily focused on beverages at the moment, we just do not have the capacity to think about food at this point at least. But we would love to work with pastry or baking masters out there to form a menu that will complement our beverages.
Who is one founder (local or international) that you look up to?
- Khairul Aming for us shines like a rockstar. His journey to becoming where he now really inspires us. Humble and calm is what comes to mind and what I try to emulate from him.
- I suppose it is always because through social media, we were able to watch him grow into the sensation that he is today. The way he engages with his fans or followers through his social media is very natural and we would want to create quality content like him someday.
Why should investors invest in your startup?
- We always come up with new beverage releases so we are constantly using our creative juices to innovate our beverages. We also look forward to being able to expand not just in Bintulu and Sarawak, but all over Malaysia. We want to grow organically and win the hearts of the people.