Kalau korang follow Christy Ng, mesti tahu beliau sekarang dah jadi icon dalam industri fashion Malaysia. Brand kasut beliau dah jadi household name, physical stores bertaburan, online presence yang kuat, dan customer base yang sangat loyal. Tapi tahukah korang yang journey beliau bermula dengan cara yang sangat humble dan agak gila sikit kalau fikir balik?
Dalam podcast BuatSaja, Christy share kisah permulaan bisnes beliau yang honestly, sangat Malaysian dan very relatable untuk sesiapa yang pernah atau tengah build bisnes sendiri.
First Sale: McDonald’s Center Point, Pukul 12 Malam
Bayangkan ni your very first customer. Bukan jumpa di office yang fancy, bukan di kedai sendiri yang cantik dengan lighting yang perfect. Tapi di McDonald’s Center Point, pukul 12 malam.
Christy masih ingat momen tu dengan jelas. Beliau COD (cash on delivery) dengan total stranger, tengah-tengah malam, di fast food outlet yang mungkin dah nak tutup. Dan bila deal tu settled, bila customer tu satisfied dengan products, beliau rasa ‘Wow.’
That ‘wow’ moment tu bukan just about making money. It’s about validation. Ia about realizing yang idea beliau, products yang beliau jual, ada orang yang appreciate. Ada orang yang sanggup keluar tengah malam untuk beli dari beliau. That’s powerful.
Zaman tu memang berbeza dari sekarang. Tahun 2011-2012, Malaysia masih relatively selamat untuk buat COD macam ni. Christy cakap beliau tak pernah kena rompak, tak pernah kena apa-apa. Trust level antara seller dan buyer masih tinggi.
Sekarang kalau fikir balik, memang agak berani jugak lah. Tapi that’s the hustle mentality. When you’re building something from scratch, you do what you gotta do. Takde luxury nak pilih time atau tempat yang convenient. Customer nak jumpa pukul 12 malam? Okay, jom. That’s the spirit yang bawa Christy dari zero to where she is today.
Part-Time Hustle: Siang Kerja, Malam Berbisnes
Yang menariknya, masa tu Christy bukan full-time entrepreneur lagi. Beliau ada day job. Jadi bisnes kasut ni sebenarnya side hustle tapi side hustle yang beliau treat dengan sangat serius.
Siang beliau pergi kerja macam biasa. Malam pulak, dari pukul 8 malam onwards, beliau jadi full-time entrepreneur. Telefon beliau, WhatsApp beliau, mesti non-stop berdering. Orders masuk, inquiries datang, customers nak tanya size, nak tanya color, nak tanya bila boleh COD.
Ini reality ramai entrepreneurs Malaysia yang korang mungkin tak nampak. The glamorous part of having your own business je yang people post on social media. Tapi behind the scenes? It’s late nights, it’s sacrificing your rest time, it’s choosing to hustle instead of lepak atau tidur awal.
Christy cakap masa tu beliau memang ‘terlampau sibuk’. But that’s a good problem to have, kan? That’s a good problem to have, kan? It means your products are in demand, people genuinely want what you’re selling. It’s also a clear sign you’re onto something big.
Rumah Jadi Showroom (+ Kafe Tengah Malam)
Lepas first sale tu, bisnes meletup. Telefon Christy berdering non-stop. Orders bertubi-tubi, sampai satu tahap beliau kena streamline the whole COD process.
Dan ini part paling wild. Beliau buat COD dari pukul 8 malam sampai 2 pagi. Ya, korang baca betul tu. 2 pagi. While most people dah lena tidur, Christy still entertaining customers, showing products, closing deals.
Tapi tunggu, cerita lagi best lagi. Beliau suruh customers datang terus ke rumah tengah malam pun ada! Sekarang kalau dengar macam gila kan? Imagine inviting total strangers to your house in the middle of the night. But that’s exactly what Christy did. Dan bukan seorang dua tau, ramai. Sampai jadi macam rutin.
Yang sweetnya, Mak Cik Irene (ibu Christy) pun sangat supportive. Ini bukan just moral support yang dok cakap “You can do it, anak!” dari jauh. No, Mak Cik Irene actively involved dalam bisnes. Beliau welcome customers yang datang rumah. Beliau sembang dengan diorang. And the best part? Kalau customer beli banyak, beliau masak Maggi mee untuk mereka!
Cuba bayangkan the scenario. You’re a customer, you datang rumah seller tengah-tengah malam nak beli kasut. Lepas tu mak seller offer you Maggi mee, ajak you duduk, minum kopi, sembang-sembang. That’s not a transaction anymore, that’s building a relationship. That’s creating an experience that customers will remember forever.
Literally turned transactions into relationships. Turned customers into friends. Into family, even.
Community Yang Terbina Dari Kepercayaan
Fast forward to today. Kalau korang pergi TikTok Christy sekarang dan baca komen, you’ll see so many throwback stories from OG customers:
- “Kristy, dulu saya pergi rumah awak tengah malam!”
- “Saya rindu ibu awak!”
- “Bagaimana dengan Mak Cik Irene?”
- “Still remember the Maggi mee your mom made for us!”
Dan Christy confirm, “Itu benar. Mereka tak tipu.”
These customers kenal mak beliau. Tahu mana rumah beliau. Pernah duduk dalam ruang tamu beliau tengah malam, minum kopi, makan Maggi, sembang about life while trying on shoes. Dan yang paling amazing? Ramai masih beli dari Christy sampai hari ni.
Think about that for a moment. Dari 2011-2012 sampai sekarang, that’s more than a decade of loyalty. In an age where customers easily switch brands, where competition is fierce, where ada je brand baru every other day, these people stuck with Christy.
Why? Because she built something more than a brand.She built more than a business. She built connection. She built belonging.
That’s loyalty yang tak boleh beli dengan ads or marketing budget. That’s loyalty yang terbina dari genuine human connection. It wasn’t just about the shoes. It was the Maggi mee at midnight. The late-night conversations with Mak Cik Irene. The young woman waiting at McDonald’s because she believed in her dream and valued the people who believed in her.
The Turning Point: “Tak Tahan Dah”
But of course, this model wasn’t sustainable forever. As much as Christy loved the personal touch, as much as she appreciated building these relationships, there’s only so much one person can do.
Lepas seketika buat COD non-stop macam ni, meeting customers till 2 AM every night, working full-time during the day, Christy reached a breaking point.
“Tak tahan dah. Kena cari cara untuk scale up.”
Beliau tak boleh nak terus jumpa customer satu persatu sampai subuh every night. Physically impossible. Mentally draining. And honestly, not the best use of time when you’re trying to grow a business.
So apa yang beliau buat? Beliau ventured into e-commerce. But remember, this was early 2010s. E-commerce in Malaysia masih belum ‘se-sophisticated’ sekarang. Shopee takde lagi. Lazada maybe baru nak start. So what did Christy do?
Beliau setup e-commerce site pertama menggunakan Blogspot dengan WordPress template yang simple, tambah plugin untuk shopping cart, payment gateway, and basic inventory management, dan voila – online store siap.
Was it perfect? Probably not. Was it pretty? Maybe not by today’s standards. But did it work? Absolutely.
That’s the entrepreneur mindset right there. Success doesn’t wait for perfect timing. It’s built by those who start anyway. Who use what they have, adapt fast, and figure things out along the way.
From physical COD to digital platform. From meeting customers face-to-face to serving them through a screen. That’s evolution. That’s growth.
Lessons Yang Kita Boleh Belajar
Dari journey Christy ni, ada banyak lessons yang kita boleh extract dan apply dalam hidup kita sendiri, whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur atau just someone trying to excel in your career.
1. Hustle Mode: Do Whatever It Takes
Christy tak kisah kena jumpa customer tengah malam. Beliau tak complain pasal penat. Beliau buat apa yang perlu untuk business survive dan grow. Kadang-kadang kita kena sacrifice comfort untuk kejayaan jangka panjang. And that’s exactly what separates successful people from the rest, willingness to do what others won’t do.
2. Build Relationships, Not Just Transactions
Maggi mee + kopi + sembang dengan mak = customers jadi family. Christy faham early on yang bisnes bukan just about selling products. It’s about building community. It’s about creating experiences. In today’s world where everything is transactional and impersonal, businesses yang berjaya create genuine connections will always stand out.
3. Family Support is Everything
Mak Cik Irene bukan just support moral, beliau actively involved, masak untuk customers, sembang dengan diorang, welcome them into their home at ungodly hours. Having family yang understand and support your hustle is priceless. They’re your first team members, your cheerleaders, your safety net.
4. Know When to Scale
Christy tahu bila masa untuk level up. Beliau tak ego nak terus buat manual COD sampai burnout. Bila dah reach capacity, bila system dah tak efficient, beliau pivot to e-commerce. Successful entrepreneurs recognize the right moment to shift strategies. They learn, they grow, and they move to the next level.
5. Start Small, Think Big
Blogspot dengan template simple pun boleh jadi starting point empire. Perfection isn’t the requirement. Massive funding and a stylish office won’t define success. Consistency and courage will. Start with what you have. Improve as you go. Learn from mistakes. Iterate. That’s how empires are built, one small step at a time.
6. Customer Loyalty is Built, Not Bought
Even after all these years, the customers who once visited Christy’s house at midnight are still buying from her. That’s more than a decade of loyalty.Loyalty you can’t buy with advertising. It’s earned through consistency, quality, genuine care, and unforgettable experiences.
You can’t buy that kind of loyalty with advertising. You build it through consistency, quality, genuine care, and memorable experiences.
From Midnight COD to Fashion Empire
Hari ni, Christy Ng dah ada physical stores across major shopping malls. Online presence yang kuat dengan proper e-commerce platform. Brand recognition yang established. Kalau sebut Christy Ng, orang dah tahu it’s quality Malaysian-made shoes.
Tapi beliau tak lupa roots. Christy masih berhubung dengan pelanggan asal yang pernah datang ke rumah beliau dahulu. Malah, beliau terus menghargai perjalanan yang bermula dari COD tengah malam itu. Dan that’s what makes her story truly inspiring. Bukan just about the success, tapi about the journey, the hustle, the relationships yang terbina along the way.
Success tak datang overnight. Empire tak dibina dalam sekelip mata. It takes years of hard work, sacrifice, smart decisions, and genuine care for what you do and who you serve.
Kalau nak dengar banyak lagi <a href="http://<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/F8GI2JwbhG0?si=Q4R4g0pFjp3SlcVX&start=749" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen>perkongsian, rahsia, dan tips Christy Ng boleh tonton di YouTube BuatSaja Podcast. Semoga perkongsian ini bermanfaat untuk anda yang membaca.
Kalau anda berminat atau nak calonkan founder atau influencer yang anda suka boleh isi form nak jadi guest podcast untuk lebih memudahkan pencalonan.
