Written by: 20B9026, Nurul Najwa Balqis Batrisyia Binti Hj Bakhtiar (Public Relations Officer, Executive of Media and Public Relation Officer)

Interviewer by: 21B3004, Dk Syaida Qistina Binti Pg Ibrahim (Public Relations Officer, Executive of Media and Public Relation Officer)

 

Amal Hafizah Binti Hj Fadzilsham, a 19-year-old English studies major, is the proud owner of Sweet For The Heart (@sweetfortheheart). Sweet For The Heart got its name from Amal’s reflection of what she likes as it gives her joy. Established in November 2021, her business focuses on comfortable apparel targeted at the ladies. She has recently launched a Made With Love series, by which Sweet For The Heart has collaborated with hidden local talents as a platform to showcase their talents.

 

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well as packing and delivering her products, while her father handles the financial part of the business. With financial aid from her father, and suppliers based in Malaysia, she was able to kick start her business. She has also gathered income from pre-orders which in turn has helped provide the capital for her business.

Her business has gathered some loyal customers by showcasing the uniqueness of her products. She aims to look for one-of-a-kind apparels that would catch people’s attention, such as a shawl she released, named BShawl. She markets her business by making fun content. With training from her previous work experience at Kedai Jam Brunei (KJB) as a Social Media and Sales Assistant, she learned that the content, as well as showing your face or having the audience hear your voice, grabs the customer’s attention and trust.

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On a day-to-day basis, she spends about 8 hours handling Sweet For The Heart. At the start of her business, she found it easier to balance her work and studies as at the time her business was established, Brunei was still in the pandemic phase, and her classes were online. Nowadays, with her classes being physical, she felt overwhelmed with her work as some customers would not inform her beforehand that they were collecting their items, as well as having to keep in contact with the suppliers for updates on her products.

 

One of her weaknesses is time management. She has a goal of implementing opening hours for her business; time to reply to customers and post content. This goal is to reduce the amount of time she checks on Sweet For The Heart during her non-free time, which could cause problems, especially when she does so during classes. On the contrary, one of her greatest strengths is her acceptance of challenges, as during her childhood, she did not have the opportunity or the freedom to do so.

 

The challenge she faced was her lack of self-control; her excitement upon seeing new products made her purchase more for herself and her siblings, as she has a soft spot for them. One of her worst working days was due to her health. Her flare-ups caused her to be bedridden, leaving the texts from customers unread. Her siblings took no interest in her business; hence they did not help her during such events. Her flare-ups were caused by stress, as well as the weather. She has learned to be more cautious and take better care of herself.

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taught the ways to interact with customers, even the use of emojis. This training taught her how to be friendly to the customers, and to treat them with respect, regardless of the endless questions they might have. She tends to the customers, and this attention that she gives to the customers would make them feel appreciated and, in turn, would give her business more returning customers.

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Sweet For The Heart has given her the opportunity to be nominated as a Business Inspirasee, which pushed her out of her comfort zone. The business itself is out of her comfort zone as she faced discrimination as a child, but with her business, she is now approached by customers wanting her products. One of the greatest challenges in her business was fighting to keep going and pursuing her business, especially when she had flare-ups when her business was quiet and closed. Her father motivated her to continue with her business despite the challenges. Her family is her motivation as she finds herself being able to support her family when her parents have difficulty in doing so. She also teaches her siblings on how to run a business, as running a business is part of the Prophet’s (PBUH) Sunnahs, and to have them contribute to the business as it would also help her family.

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sushi or ambuyat, and lately, they would take her to the beach. Amal describes her friends as her biggest support system due to the age similarities, and they are able to understand or try to understand what she is going through at the time.

 

Her goals are for her business to be able to do more while also being able to take better care of her health, as she realised that it is up to her when it comes to her health. Amal aspires to do well in her studies, as well as to be able to balance her workload. A piece of advice she has for anyone who is starting out or struggling with their business journey is not to give up, and take a break when necessary. She advises people to think outside the box, as the human mind is complex. She also advises you to seek Redha from your parents and Allah, as that is where your Rizq comes from.

 

Find out more about Amal Hafizah’s business at @sweetfortheheart on Instagram!