Written by: 20B0031, Nurul Irma Naziratul Shafiqah Binti Amri (Public Relations Officer, Executive of Media and Public Relation Officer)

 

Young and inspiring, our Business Inspirasee for March 2022 is Norsyazlin Anak Lamat (19B1040), known for her resin business under the name @glittoditto on Instagram. Syazlin’s business includes making customised and non-customised resin products such as keychains, coasters and necklaces. The mission for GlittoDitto is to open up an official place for the public to customise their own resin jewellery and accessories as their keepsake. The name GlittoDitto is a reflection of its mission itself as Syazlin’s vision for GlittoDitto was to create jewellery that shines and is full of glitter and cuteness.

 

Started in September 2019, Syazlin said that she has never expected to create a business, as resin making is just a hobby in the first place. However, her close friends love the resin crafts that she made for them. Hence, they encouraged her to turn it into a business rather than just a hobby since she had already bought the materials at that time and had invested much into it. With encouragement from her close friends, Syazlin started the business despite not having any general knowledge on how to handle and open one.

 

When GlittoDitto was first launched, Syazlin only started with a model minimum of $300, which seemed expensive, and this is due to procuring the items from local Instagram vendors, as well as to cover the increasing shipment cost of imported items during the outbreak of COVID-19. Syazlin’s intentions with her business was to achieve a set income only as well as to use it to carry on with her interest in learning and creating resin crafts as a hobby. At that time, she was not into the business industry nor was interested in handling it, but, as years passed by, it has changed as she now engages in business frequently and has tried her best to achieve her set goals such as the target number of sales within a month.

 

Her patience was the greatest strength in overcoming these problems as well as the support given by her friends namely Faiz - who gave her the idea to start a business and helped in giving GlittoDitto its name; Kyle - who gave her moral support and encouragement to not give up on the business and helped in financial problems; and her family - who would constantly help her financially, giving her ideas and support in general.

 

Throughout her ventures for GlittoDitto, Syazlin has claimed that working with resin crafts is a challenge itself, especially financially as the prices of the materials to make resin are both costly and not easily accessible. At the time, Syazlin mainly had bought the materials online, usually costing her almost $300 just to buy the chemicals and materials needed within a month. There was also the fear of loss outweighing her profit as there was uncertainty whether or not people would want to purchase any of her resin products. Another challenge is making the product itself, as drying resin products not only takes time but it depends on the weather as well. There were times when she would avoid making resin products during cold weather. Thankfully, she has overcome this problem by trying to use different chemical brands and has found one that suits her and her products the most. Despite the various challenges in her work, she manages to keep herself motivated to ensure her customers are satisfied with her products. In her free time, she enjoys doodling, some of which are turned into stickers. Sometimes she even puts her stickers into her resin art!

 

Regarding her customers, Syazlin had never encountered any problems so far. She has done prior research in order to avoid unfavourable events happening with her business. According to Syazlin, the most important value for good business etiquette is honesty, as it is essential to be honest with your customers to gain their trust for them to be able to be confident with your product in the future. She gave an example saying that if there was any damage to the product or if she could not finish the product in time due to the weather, she would face the truth and tell her customers directly.

 

Syazlin’s popular products include alphabet resin keychains and even Spotify keychains which are unique to her business, making it a trending item among her customers. She admitted that finding the raw materials was rather difficult because of the demand during COVID-19, stating that she has to do research to find different local sellers and even having to wait for 2 months to wait for imported materials. In terms of making the keychains, the most demanding order Syazlin has done is to complete 16 keychains within 3 days. Fortunately, she has managed to complete the order in time, stating that the process was arduous. 

 

Syazlin was also happy to share the process of creating her resin products. Using moulds, she pours in the resin, which is a mixture of two chemicals to decide its shape, such as alphabetical letters. After that is a process called ‘curing’ which is waiting for the resin to harden which is usually the next day. She says that the curing process is slowed down by a cold environment, during rainy days or any cold spaces will slow down the process, taking months for the resin to harden and even then, the quality of the product will not be as satisfactory.

 

“The greatest challenge in running a business is consistency.”

 

Out of all the obstacles to her business, Syazlin found consistency to be the greatest challenge; consistency with managing the business and also ensuring the quality of her product. She explains how every batch and every pour in making a resin product is different; she mentioned that it all comes down to experience in order to overcome these problems.

  

As she runs the business mostly by herself, from promoting to creating the products, Syazlin relies on herself when facing these kinds of challenges.

 

Lastly, Syazlin’s advice to all the readers and listeners who are trying to start their own business is that,

"if you have something you would like to do as a hobby, just do it, and if you have the confidence that it is something profitable in the future, then pursue it. Do not be afraid of failure in the beginning because everyone fails at one point in their lives. Take it slow and be strategic about it and do not be someone who rushes into things without thinking"

 

If you want to get your hands on Syazlin’s trending Spotify resin, you can contact her via Instagram at @glittoditto !