PETALING JAYA: Azman Mohamed Asmayatim, 38, was among staff of a Malay daily who accepted a Voluntary Separation Scheme (VSS) in 2018.
Little did he know, the move would set him on an unexpected entrepreneurial path.
“When the opportunity to take VSS arose at my previous workplace, I didn’t have much choice as there were only two photographers at the Penang bureau. One more senior colleague turned down the offer and as a result, I had to accept it.
“My company didn’t offer a lump sum payment. Instead, they paid it like a salary. Then, due to financial issues, the payments were delayed. However in 2023, they finally settled the outstanding payments,” Azman said in a phone interview with theSun.
Despite the setback, Azman was determined to make the most of his situation.
Equipped with a degree in photography and digital studies, he had honed his graphic design skills through freelance work while in the media industry.
Having a passion for business, he started a home-based printing business designing T-shirt and personalised name stickers.
“I only took on small jobs such as schoolbook name stickers. The income was enough to sustain my small family. But when the pandemic hit, my supplier shut down, which impacted my business. To make ends meet, I worked with a vehicle insurance agent shop for a year.”
Later, his former employer offered his old job back to him, but he would have to relocate to Kuala Lumpur.
“With a newborn son who needed extra care due to health issues at the time, I had no choice but to decline the offer and remain in Taiping, where my family had settled.”
The economic landscape was challenging post-pandemic, with limited job opportunities. But Azman found hope through the North Corridor Economic Region (NCER), which hosted several entrepreneurial programmes.
Through one of these initiatives, he secured a photography gig on a project basis. But in 2023, the NCER office near his home shut down, leaving him once again struggling to find work in Taiping.
“I was already in my mid-30s then.”
As he and his wife welcomed their second child, Azman made the decision to pivot.
“I knew I had to come up with a new business plan to support my growing family.”
The turning point came when he chanced upon a soy milk and tofu-making class, popularly known as “taufufa”, which cost RM220.
“I learned about the class through a friend’s WhatsApp post. After thinking it over for a few days, I decided to give it a try. The one-day class taught participants how to make soy milk and tofu.
“It wasn’t easy at all. I had to spend a lot of time researching and developing the right consistency of tofu that I felt confident would be marketable,” he said, adding that he attended the class in October 2024 and began making tofu at home within two weeks.
His first five attempts failed, the tofu was too soft, and the texture was off. But by the sixth try, he struck gold.
Now, seven months into the business, Azman runs a roadside stall in Kampung Boyan, Taiping, where his brown sugar syrup is a customer favourite.
“Many of my customers prefer to have soy milk with brown sugar syrup.”
Azman said although the love of photography remains close to his heart, he is now fully focused on his taufufa business, adding that he hopes to scale up his operations someday.
“I hope to supply soy milk and taufufa to other businesses in the district.
“Although my income is a bit lower than what I used to make, I am happy.”
