Adam Shamil is no stranger to virality. He’s made a career based on it as a content creator, and now, he’s leveraging it as an entrepreneur, too.
Although Adam pursued International Communication Studies with Film and Television at the University of Nottingham, he decided to jump into F&B in 2017 when he started his first cafe with a good friend.
However, creating his own brand has always been a lifelong dream of his. To realise this dream, he founded Chunk & Dunk, a croffle and shaved ice business, some 10 months ago.
Just nine months in, the Sabahan was able to sell 100,000 croffles, raking in RM1.1 million in revenue, he claimed.
Moreover, Adam had launched the third Chunk & Dunk outlet in Imago Shopping Mall, which is a big deal as Imago is considered the “Pavilion” of Sabah.
“The mall is very selective in choosing its tenants, so securing a spot in such a strategic location is a significant achievement for us,” he gushed. “Being in Imago also elevates the status of our brand, giving it more visibility and credibility.”
Additionally, Imago is frequented by tourists from Brunei, Korea, China, and many other places, making it a key tourist attraction in KK.
“We’re proud to be the only Sabah-based F&B brand, just 10 months old, to have earned a spot in such a prestigious mall,” he expressed.
So, how has he gotten Chunk & Dunk to where it is today?
Following your gut
The reason for going into croffles and shaved ice was simple—Adam believed there was a huge gap in the market for these offerings in Sabah.
“Honestly, it was more of a gut instinct and not so much on getting market validation,” he shared with Vulcan Post. “I just had a good feeling that it would take off. True enough, we sold over 100,000 in less than a year.”
Having a dream is one thing, though. Acting upon it is another. You might have a great ambition, but where do you start?
Adam had those queries, too. To him, the greatest challenge was navigating the technical aspects of starting and running a business.
“I had no idea how to set up a Sdn Bhd, or that I needed to register my own trademark,” he admitted. “I didn’t even know where to begin when it came to designing and producing packaging.”
All he had was a crazy idea and a passion to market his product through content creation. He simply had to figure out the rest by asking around, doing online research, and hoping for the best.
Investing in a clear vision
While Adam’s industry know-how may have been lacking, he could see the bigger picture when it came to what he wanted to achieve.
He knew he wanted to bring a retro “American experience” vibe to KK, inspired by his travels to the US.
“With a clear theme for my dining concept in mind, expanding on that vision became much easier,” he added. “It took over a year to establish the first outlet, but it was all worth the effort.”
The first outlet didn’t just take time, it took a lot of money, too. Adam spent RM200,000 out of his own pocket to kickstart the first Chunk & Dunk outlet, he said.
This capital was accumulated from his social media campaigns and gigs’ earnings, which he had saved over the last couple of years.
“The next three outlets were 90% funded by the profits we made and bank loans,” he shared. “If we had chosen to grow a little slower, bank loans would not have been necessary.”
Lessons learnt along the way
Oftentimes, entrepreneurship is all about diving right in, headfirst. This “do first” mentality has worked for Adam, but there were certainly mistakes made and lessons learnt throughout the journey.
For one, the Sabahan wished he focused more on scalability from the start, allowing him to grow faster. Similarly, he wished he would’ve built a stronger team sooner and planned his financials better.
Top tip—you might want to get an accounts and taxation team from the start of your business.
There was also a small mishap when Adam learnt his original brand name had already been taken, an incident that cost a lot as he had to redo all his packaging.
But, ultimately, he has no regrets. “Honestly, looking back, I don’t feel there’s anything I would drastically change. Every step, whether it was a challenge or a success, has been a valuable learning experience that has shaped Chunk & Dunk into what it is today.”
Working as a team
Not even a year in, Adam is proud to share that Chunk & Dunk has officially broken even.
“We’ve reinvested nearly 100% of them into expanding our outlets,” the founder added.
This has helped the business to expand to three outlets, with a fourth one on the way.
The growth of Chunk & Dunk wasn’t just one man’s effort, though. Adam expressed gratitude towards his friend, Pg Qayyum, who has taken on the task of being Chunk & Dunk’s Chief of Operations.
Another friend, Anthea Peter, walked away from her career as a reporter to join him in building and sharing Chunk & Dunk’s story.
“And, of course, I must thank myself,” he expressed. “For taking that leap of faith and having the courage to make this vision a reality. For years, I doubted whether I could actually do this. Had I not taken the plunge, Chunk & Dunk would have remained just a dream, a fantasy that lived only in my mind.”
Adam also thanked the whole Chunk & Dunk team for their work. “While I get celebrated for every success, the truth is, none of this would have been possible without them.”
Staying stable with new offerings
F&B can be a fickle business, though, with fleeting trends. While Adam recognises this, he also believes that the demand for high-quality pastries like croffles will continue to have a place in the market.
But Chunk & Dunk’s vision isn’t just to be a dessert brand—they want to be a diner offering a full menu with burgers, spaghetti, and fried chicken.
In fact, the fourth and fifth outlets will be Chunk & Dunk Diners, which will serve new offerings beyond the signature croffles and shaved ice.
“This will allow us to grow the brand while maintaining the essence of what we’re known for,” he said about the diner format.
From here, Adam’s dream for Chunk & Dunk is simple and clear: “To achieve national and eventual global expansion, but with operational stability.”
To date, the team has received at least 150 enquiries on franchising/licensing the brand. Many individuals have expressed the desire to bring Chunk & Dunk to Singapore, Brunei, Australia, and even Dubai.
While expansion is definitely in the plans, Adam wants to grow in a steady fashion. But if things keep going how they’ve been going, it looks like a slam-dunk is in the books for the Sabahan brand.
Featured Image Credit: Chunk & Dunk
