Engineer strikes it big as content creator
KUALA LUMPUR: Having failed six times in business, resulting in hundreds of thousands of ringgit in losses, did not deter a data engineer from creating ‘magic’ in his field of interest.
With a ‘never say die’ attitude, Abdul Qayyum Halid, 28, can now take pride in successfully establishing himself as a content creator under the ‘Che Sayang Kitchen’ label, which has also paved the way for him as an entrepreneur.
Popular with the tagline ‘2 Minit 1 Resepi bersama Che Sayang’ (2 Minutes 1 Recipe with Che Sayang), Abdul Qayyum does not shy away from sharing delicious food and drink recipes inherited from his mother, Khairiah Ab Rahman, 53, on various social media platforms.
As a result, the holder of a Bachelor’s Degree in Information Systems from Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) has amassed over 1.4 million followers on TikTok; 552,000 followers on Instagram and over 31,000 subscribers on YouTube.
Turning the kitchen space in his mother’s home in Seri Manjung, Perak into a makeshift shooting set, Abdul Qayyum did not expect to garner widespread attention.
Initially, he only used a smartphone to shoot the cooking videos before switching to a more sophisticated camera to produce higher-quality content.
Having been active on social media since last year, Abdul Qayyum said Che Sayang Kitchen was the seventh business venture that he had pursued since 2013.
“I started by selling bread priced at RM1, then tried the steamboat on skewers business, developed a technology-based company, and a delivery service company, and sold ‘chocoflakes’ biscuits and salted fish pickles.
“However, they all failed, but because I loved business and always remembered my late father’s advice, I continued to explore various business opportunities until I finally ‘matched up’ with Che Sayang Kitchen,” he told Bernama.
Sharing the early moments of his career as a content creator, Abdul Qayyum said it all started when he tried a recipe shared by his mother and then recorded the cooking method on camera before uploading it on social media.
“My family is very supportive of my efforts and does not mind helping, and most of the recipes shared are simple and often cooked at home.
“So when I received positive feedback from the public, I felt excited and more motivated to share more recipes,” said Abdul Qayyum, who considers social media influencer and entrepreneur Khairul Aming as his idol.
Recently, Abdul Qayyum was announced as the ‘Best National Food Influencer’ at the KNKV Viral Award 2024, proving that his interest in cooking and content creation was not in vain. For him, winning the main category at the awards held a deep meaning, especially as a newcomer in the field.
“This is my first success as a content creator. It makes me feel appreciated because this career requires support from the public.
“God-willing, I will do my best in the future,” said Abdul Qayyum, who plans to launch his own products one day.
This Ramadan, the recipient of the Gold Chancellor Award and Vice-Chancellor Award from UTP is sharing easy ways to prepare ‘sahur’ (pre-dawn meals) and ‘iftar’ (break-offast meals), as well as popular dishes sold at Ramadan bazaars.
This is my first success as a content creator. It makes me feel appreciated because this career requires support from the public.God-willing, I will do my best in the future.
— Abdul Qayyum Halid, a content creator