Free Fridays: High on adrenaline.
31 October 2025
Can’t sleep.
High on adrenaline.
Scribbling ideas on a notebook.
That’s exactly how I feel whenever I get excited about starting a business that I like.
When I was 8, I wrote a story book in my brown school exercise book and I started a business to rent that book out. I think it was RM1 per rental. Then I got a friend (Kautsar, are you there?) to draw on the empty pages and then I started charging RM2 per rental. A really ridiculous business because I only had that ONE book. 😂 But boy, I was excited. I was giddy and happy, hugging that precious book to sleep.
That’s also how I felt when I wanted to sell friendship bracelets. I immediately bought an “Order Book” to take people’s orders in school, and I’d make each bracelet under my desk while the teacher taught in front of the class.
That’s how I felt when I was in college and wanted to start selling scrapbooks. I immediately opened a Facebook page called Vee Scrap Pages and uploaded my portfolio of past scrapbooks. And started taking orders for birthdays, anniversaries and graduations. I was in London then so I earned in sterling pounds!
That’s how I felt when I wanted to start FashionValet. I couldn’t sleep, immediately started the website and went door to door to get brands to let me sell their things online. And just nonstop scaled it, whatever it took. #burnoutwhat
That’s how I felt when I wanted to start dUCk. When everyone was sleeping, I was thinking about the branding and the marketing, about D’s life story and how I wanted dUCk charms glistening on every scarf. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and suddenly the morning sun was up!
That’s the rush I got from it all. The sheer excitement, the abundance of hope, the waves of nerves before launching – ahhhh, it’s just a thrill I’d never get tired of. Once an entrepreneur, I think always an entrepreneur.
Fadza and I have quietly been working on some things, to start new again, to rebuild what we’ve painfully lost. And I’ve been feeling this adrenaline all over again – at night when the kids are asleep, I’m on my Notes jotting down ideas that come to me at 2am (why these ideas can’t come at 9am like a polite person who respects working hours, I’ll never know). When the kids are awake, I’d talk to them about my ideas and get savage feedback from Daniel and Mariam. When they’re in school, I’d continue advancing those ideas and start getting to work on them. I’d call old suppliers, old colleagues and old friends, and every single one of them was willing to help us with anything we needed – the world is soooo kind, if we choose to see the ease God gives. We’re just so grateful. Me and Fadza, both.
So yeah, it’s that time of life again – the recreating, the rebuilding.
Scary? Oh, heck yeah. People already have expectations of us, so it’s going to be hard to live up to them. That’s why a lot of praying and reflecting helps – you start realising you shouldn’t live for other people’s expectations – only to please God. Then you start feeling free of others’ judgments. Then you start learning how to focus on your own path and no one else’s. Then you start feeling less fear and dare I say, even start to have fun!
It’s so different now when it’s just Fadza and I, and our kids getting involved in every decision – colour, logo, they have an opinion on everything! The dinner table is like our management meeting now, with our four bossy bosses asking us what we got done today with each project.
“What’s taking so long?” Mariam asks always. SHE SOUNDS LIKE THE OLD VIVY HOW ANNOYING.
“Yeah, you’ve been talking about this for ages. Nothing’s happened,” Daniel continues, unimpressed.
Smack these two.
So yeah, exciting times ahead. Check in on my Instagram @vivyyusof once in a while for the next couple of months ok. Please make a prayer for our little family to restart again!
And as for you, if the entrepreneur in you is roaring with ideas at 2am, I think that’s a sign to listen and entertain the thoughts in your head. The difference is whether you act on it or not – so take a cue from young Vivy who always acted immediately whenever she had a business idea in the past. Especially if you’re young and have less responsibilities, there is no better time than now.
Sure, failures have come to me, and will probably knock on your door sometimes too. But at least your future self will never be able to ask you Why didn’t you at least try?
May God ease us all to chase our dreams!
Before you go…
Let me know you’ve read this. Comment “see you at 2am” on my latest post at @sincerelyvivy.
See you there! :)
It’s a scary thought to start all over again - or even to start, but when our intention pivots to please & seek blessings from Allah SWT, the purpose seems different and personal… all the best Vivy and Fadza, will support you all the way!
I just learned about what happened to FV and dUCK, I am not Malaysian so I was not aware until today. I pray that you succeed on all your future endeavours InshAllah and that you get to build something even better. You never know where Allah places goodness and rizq.