IT TAKES more than just celebrity endorsement to run a successful business.
That seems to be the key message underlying a post highlighting that coffee outlet – TheNoor Coffee – in Tamarind Square, Cyberjaya had ceased operations.
Kedai kopi Neelofa di Tamarind Square, Cyberjaya sudah tutup.
Sekian laporan. Kita kembali ke Sri Pentas. https://t.co/TbLPYtYj5C pic.twitter.com/hagXBlC49C
— Roman Akramovich (@SyedAkramin) April 16, 2025
The post by digital creator Roman Akromovich (@Syed Akramin) on X postulated that premium coffee chains would usually do a roaring trade so long quality is maintained alongside the correct pricing strategy.
An accompanying news report on Malay language portal Malaysia Dateline confirms that the outlet has ceased operations barely 12 months after opening.
The insinuation is clear – it takes more than leveraging on celebrity for a business to be successful.
Roman Akromovich’s post on X has garnered 1.5M views at the time of writing with many netizens having their say on the business acumen of Noor Neelofa Mohd Noor.
The former winner of the Dewi Remaja (Miss Teen) competition in 2009/2010 has had many highly-publicised forays into business. This includes the fashion brand Naelofar Hijab, the contact lens brand Lofalens and the healthcare product Beautea Slim pills.
The 36-year-old enterprising celebrity is also the director of NH Prima Sdn Bhd which she founded in 2014. Neelofa’s business ventures also include brands like Nilofa, Nunha, Markaz Tijaari and Kasih Neelofa, all of which catering to different market needs with unique branding.
Each has met with varying degrees of success. But the closure of her Cyberjaya premium coffee store outlet could be due to the showbiz personality having stretched herself too thin.
Some noted the coffee chain’s short-lived timespan.
One netizen pointed out that perhaps the actress was relying too heavily on her “religious yet softly sexy” appeal to draw in the crowd.
It was also suggested that merely copying the Kardashian sibling’s business model is not a recipe for success.
Interestingly, one commenter claimed that many of the businesses were not directly owned by her but merely leveraged her celebrity glamour.
This was when another who claimed to have worked for Neelofa backed up that claim that certain businesses belonged to other family members, adding she had previously worked with one owned by Neelofa’s father-in-law “which overlooked certain vital aspects of running a successful business”.
Whether it is mere celebrity endorsement or one of the cosmetic entrepreneur’s own business enterprise, one thing is abundantly clear. The sense of schadenfreude (regaling in another’s misery) is evident in many of gleeful comments
But the reality is that many businesses fail for a variety of reasons. Whether the Pasir Mas-native was being naïve in her approach is open to conjecture.
Fact of the matter is that the young lady is trying to make a name for herself in the cutthroat business world and should be applauded for her efforts.
FocusM hopes she learns from her mistakes and will pick herself up to soldier on. After all, Malaysians are always crying out for home-grown brands.
We should be offering words of encouragement and constructive criticism where warranted, not envious and snide comments. – April 22, 2025
