A calling – one he had as a child – that provided food on the table for his wife, Faradiana Abdul Majid, and their two children.

Then came the Covid-19 pandemic. The one vibrant aviation industry was grounded, largely because of travel restrictions, and the airline he was with was not spared.

The losses incurred led his company to cut the salaries of employees.

And to make ends meet, Fidzry, who made captain in 2017, and his wife decided to venture into several businesses, including selling curry mee.

It started small, their first customers were those closest to them. Before long, their clientele grew, even receiving orders from all the way in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan.

But in August last year, things took a turn for the worse. Stricter movement restrictions affected not only their business, but saw the airline send many on unpaid leave, including him.

“After discussing it with my wife, we decided to go into business full time,” Fidzry told FMT.

It was a career pivot on two fronts. From pilot to entrepreneur and from serving sumptuous bowls of curry noodles to providing beautifully arranged potted plants.

It was a difficult transition, but it was not an awkward phase at all for the 32-year old. Fidzry had previously lent his mother a hand in the floral design industry.

“As a pilot, I am used to a systematic way of working and planning meticulously. So I was able to adapt in a short time.”

Faradiana later decided to expand their business under her mother-in-law’s label, CraftyDecor, and converted their home in Taman Cahaya Alam, Shah Alam, into a gallery.

They provide artificial floral arrangements for homes, offices and events as well as gift baskets.

“We only use the best flowers based on the current trends and we sell them for between RM50 and thousands of ringgit, depending on what the client wants,” Faradiana said.

Their perseverance and hard work have seen their business take off.

Last Ramadan, they landed over 500 orders for their Aidilfitri-themed floral hampers.

“If anything, this pandemic brought us closer as a family and taught us to never give up and be confident,” she said.