Yet, one mother is leading the charge to ensure that as many kids as possible enjoy tasty and healthy meals, every single day of their lives.
Jamie Lim, 42, is the proud founder of Zoey’s Homemade, a health food store dedicated to children.
Lim, together with other work-from-home mothers, make healthy meals free of preservatives, artificial colouring, MSG and other additives.
It is quite the promising enterprise, but as Lim shared with FMT Lifestyle, this business venture was a deeply personal one as well.
According to Lim, her 10-year-old daughter, Zoey, after whom the business is named, is the reason why she started this business in the first place.
“I’m a single mother,” Lim explained. “When Zoey was two-years-old, I was fighting for her custody with my ex-husband.”
At the time, Lim was in dire straits financially, having spent much of her savings on her former husband’s business.
To make things worse, she needed RM17,000 to cover the legal fees for custody of her daughter. This was in addition to the existing costs of raising her infant daughter all by herself.
Left with few options, Lim started a little home business making kid-friendly chicken powder in order to raise funds for her custody battle.
“One day, I noticed a mother’s group on Facebook selling homemade food. I posted my story onto the group page and that post went viral!”
Close to 100 bottles of her chicken powder were sold following that post. To keep the momentum going, she began to sell her product at fairs and bazaars, often with little Zoey by her side.
It took many sleepless nights and long hours preparing the chicken powder, but in the end, Lim made enough money to fight the case and win custody of her daughter.
In 2017, Lim took a leap of faith, quitting her day job to focus fully on her home-based business instead.
It was a brave move, but by 2019, she found herself struggling financially again. “I almost gave up then. I did not know how to run a business!”
Again, luck was on her side. She participated in a start-up pitch competition called “Dream Factory” and won. The “prize” was the chance to receive business guidance from industry experts who helped her grow her business.
Soon she regained confidence in her entrepreneurial abilities.
“Afterwards, I began to explore my opportunities. I could see this business was workable and the future held potential.”
Armed with her signature chicken powder product and marshmallow buns, she began collaborating with other mothers just like her, who were making their own food products at home. These included nuggets and dumplings.
In 2020, when the pandemic hit, the business boomed as many parents were ordering food for their children from them.
With orders pouring in, Lim set up an online platform where orders could be placed and tracked in an organised fashion.
“Right now, we have more than 30 mothers from all over West Malaysia making food products at home before sending it here for distribution.”
Needless to say, between handling orders and maintaining product quality, Lim is a busy woman. And that’s not even mentioning her ongoing efforts to gain halal certification.
At the end of the day though, she sincerely hopes that the food products she sells will lead to children benefiting from a healthier diet.
As for future plans, Lim is hoping to support more mothers by collaborating with them, providing them with both work and extra income.
With Mother’s Day right around the corner, Lim had this wish for fellow mothers: “Remember, always dare to dream and always dare to chase the dream.”
Check out ‘Zoey’s Homemade’ catalogue here or WhatsApp 016-2089081.
Zoey Supply Sdn Bhd
34, Jalan Awana 14
Taman Cheras Awana
43200 Cheras
Selangor