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Opening a business of your own is no doubt a big risk to take, but for 32-year-old Jonathan Leon Lim, it proved to be one worth taking.
From surviving a brain surgery to being over a million Ringgit in debt just months after kickstarting Bray Bakery, his story proves that passion alone isn’t enough in making a personal and business comeback, but knowing what the purpose is too.
Suffered a sudden epilepsy attack
From the beginning, delving into the culinary world was never part of Jonathan’s life plans as he was a graduate in advertising and design.
However, that all changed when his health took a sharp and shocking turn in the form of a brain tumour, which turned out to be the culprit behind his epileptic episodes since he was 17.
I had my first seizure on the first day of SPM, causing me to collapse. For several years, I found myself living in fear and having seizures at least three times a week.
“It wasn’t until five years later when doctors were finally able to locate the tumour and performed the surgery on me. As a result, the right side of my body was completely paralysed and I lost the ability to speak and spell,” he recounted.
As devastating as it was to be partially paralysed, it was also during that time where Jonathan had a moment of epiphany and found faith in something greater than himself.
“During the five months I spent in the hospital, I learnt that no matter whether you’re poor, rich, well educated, or have achieved career milestones, nothing matters than having your loved ones close to you. That was the time where I knew I had to get my priorities right.”
Going through a ‘reset’
After the surgery and discharge from the hospital, Jon was unable to further advance in the advertising field. As such, he turned to cooking as a form of therapy and a way to regain his mobility and speech.
“Ever since I was in college, cooking has been a hobby of mine and I also used to watch Hell’s Kitchen frequently, leading me to think that ‘Hey, being a chef isn’t bad as I can shut up and cook.’” he said with a chuckle.
“I then went to work at several cafes and restaurants, some of which were fine dining establishments. Throughout my time of being at the kitchen, I slowly began to retrain my right hand to prepare food and use kitchen utensils, as well as learn how to spell and form words again.”
‘I thought my passion was cooking, but it wasn’t’
Despite Jonathan’s interest and ability to cook delicious meals, he soon found himself running on an empty tank after spending years working at various cafes and restaurants, some of which are now Michelin-starred.
“Previously, I didn’t know I could cook and I got lots of praise for it. But that sense of fulfilment came from others and not from within me.
“I thought cooking was my passion, and that was why I worked at so many food establishments. However, the conditions were brutal as there was a lot of shouting, stuff being thrown around, and having to work 14 to 16 hours daily.
“So, at the end of the day, I was left feeling empty and thinking to myself: ‘This isn’t the answer at all.’”
“Up until 2020 when Covid-19 and MCO came, I hadn’t taken a single annual or medical leave for five years as I wanted to ‘catch up’, given the fact that I started late. When the lockdown came and restaurants shut down, I was finally able to get a breather,” he said.
Cooped up at home like all Malaysians, Jonathan began to bake sourdough bread at home out of the need to fulfil his bread cravings. Later, he distributed some of the bread to the local community and it was at that point when he truly discovered his passion.
When I delivered the bread to them, I saw that they were filled with so much joy. At that moment, I realised that while cooking was my gift, serving others was my passion.”
And it was on this same passion that led Jonathan to establish Bray Bakery in 2020 with just RM100 in his pocket, with RM70 spent on SSM registration and the remaining RM30 as the startup cost after losing everything due to MCO.
From dream to debt, and back up again
When asked why he chose to focus on sourdough rather than other types of bread, Jonathan said it was because sourdough is a wider niche and had a market gap which he believed could be fulfilled through Bray Bakery as there was no one providing sourdough commercially in Malaysia.
However, things didn’t exactly get off to a smooth beginning, which started from the sourdough itself.
“Back then, I was baking European sourdough and thought the community would accept it with open arms. To my surprise, they found it too thick and sour for their liking, which left me bewildered.
But later I learnt that cooking is about preparing food for the people you love and what they like, not for yourself.”
This then led Jonathan to create Adaptive Malaysian Sourdough — a bread featuring a thinner crust, softer crumb, and milder flavor that can be enjoyed from the young to the elderly.
In November 2021, Bray Bakery opened its doors to the public after Jonathan set it up along with four other partners. Unfortunately, the business quickly fell into financial trouble three months later.
According to Jonathan, a breakdown within the partnership and inexperience was what led to Bray Bakery being saddled with a debt of RM1.4 million and disgruntled workers no thanks to the toxic work environment.
“It was a really bad season and soon, several major companies approached me with the intention of acquiring the business. I was faced with a major decision to make: should I let them buy me out or continue on?
“In the end, I chose the latter because I was certain that with Bray Bakery, I can solve the problems I’ve identified in the F&B industry and bring about positive changes,” he said.
Thus, Jonathan cut loose the toxic individuals from the company and started from the ground up again by hiring Gen Zs and working to turn the company around.
Today, Bray Bakery has moved past its rocky beginning and currently generates a whopping RM4 million a year in revenue — an astonishing comeback that no one expected, including Jonathan himself.
A business model for M’sians by M’sians
At the heart of Bray Bakery is the phrase ‘Bread for Malaysians, by Malaysians’, and this is evident in the business model that Jonathan adopts.
For starters, Jonathan only hires locals to work at Bray Bakery and interestingly, the team consists of individuals who don’t have prior experience in the F&B industry, which was a conscious decision on his part.
While all of us are from different backgrounds, we have a common goal in mind; that is to open something.
“Most of the time, chefs are taught only how to cook and the front house on how to serve customers. But when it comes to balancing account sheets or handling profit and loss statements (P&L), they don’t have a clue at all.
“At Bray Bakery, I teach the leaders on how to run a bakery cafe. My main task is to scale the business and further expand connections, while they are fully responsible in running the place,” he explains.
From Jonathan’s perspective, this is a form of investment that not only benefits the F&B industry in the long run, but also the individuals involved as they are armed with the necessary knowledge in managing their own business in the future should the occasion arise.
And it seems that this business model is working out very well for Bray Bakery not just in the financial sense, but customer experience too.
“It’s more than just paying for nice food. For me, I’ve created a culture that allows customers to not only see the love the team puts into making the food, but young locals working for their dreams too.
“I don’t how to explain it but when one truly puts their soul and heart into making the sourdough, it somehow tastes better,” he said.
Finding true purpose
When asked what advice he would give to others looking to go down a similar path, Jonathan warned diving into the F&B industry hastily without knowing what’s the real purpose in doing so beforehand.
For me, it started off as a passion. But now, it has become my purpose as it’s not about me anymore; it’s about making better cultures.
“You have to ask yourself: what’s the purpose and what contribution can you give to the public? If you’re doing it as a hobby, I wouldn’t recommend it as you have to work long hours for low profit margins,” he explained.
Throughout the personal and business hardships that Jonathan has faced, it has made him more determined than ever to continue what he’s doing.
“I can’t read as well anymore, I can’t do some things I used to do anymore. It takes fortitude and a sense of identity to remind myself that I’m still useful—even when I’m told I’m not.
“Yes, I’ve been insulted and hurt. But if I quit now, I’ll only end up hurting myself. So I will show up hardened and live up to my potential so that others won’t have to go through what I’ve endured. ”
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