Looking at the decadent treats sold at Nasty Cookie, you would be surprised to find out that its founder Regine Sum is actually a freelance personal trainer and professional bodybuilder.
The reason why the 22-year-old started a business was a practical one – she simply wanted to raise funds for a trip to Australia.
But preparing multiple batches of cookies is no simple feat, and I asked her why she didn’t choose to take on part-time or contract work instead.
“I have trouble committing to a [job with] standard working hours and it was also to test my marketing abilities,” she replied.
Finding that cookies are “underrated, and pretty much neglected in Singapore, most of them being the typical homemade cookies”, she wanted to give them a “modern twist” and embarked on a journey to create Levain Bakery-inspired cookies.
Drawing inspiration from her favourite childhood snacks, she worked with her brother to come up with 9 decadent flavours.
Before Nasty Cookie’s website was launched on 12 October 2018, Regine marketed her cookies “heavily on Instagram” by catching people’s attention with the breaking of the cookies.
This marketing plan worked.
In fact, it worked a little too well.
Sales boomed once I launched the website, which I totally did not expect. I had to bake for more than 10 hours for the first online shipment!
Regine Sum, founder of Nasty Cookie
Barely 2 weeks into launch, she had already sold over 800 cookies.
As the festive season approached, she received even more orders for Christmas specials and corporate orders as well.
What was supposed to be a short-term gig to earn a little extra money turned into a promising business opportunity, and she admitted that she had “contemplated many times” about quitting.
“[But] from the response I received online, I knew I couldn’t just stop.”
From Side Gig To Full-Time Venture
Nasty Cookie remained a purely online business until 29 June this year, when its first offline store opened at Funan mall.
“I do not wish to simply sell cookies, I wish to create a brand that connects with people. That’s why I opened a retail store.”
Inspired by New York, but created in a kitchen in Choa Chu Kang, the young entrepreneur shared that there are also plans to expand beyond Singapore baking in the oven.
I’d like to thank Regine for her time!
