Covid: Dad down to his last £300 at the start of the pandemic says 'if you've got a dream, chase it.'
At the start of the Coronavirus lockdown Mohammed Haroon had just £300 left, after his shifts as a security guard were reduced from 48 hours a week to 18 hours a week.
He could see businesses around him folding, and people losing their jobs, so decided to take a chance on his own.
He'd always dreamed of starting up a desserts business, and cautiously predicted that food businesses would have the most chance of making it through the pandemic.
So with a wife, six-month-old baby son, and new baby on the way - he gambled, in the hope of creating a more secure future for them all.
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He invested that last £300 in chocolate, a waffle machine, and a blender, and decided to set up a dessert company.
He had his doubters, as he criss-crossed Birmingham giving out free desserts to people he thought might spread the word about his company.
But Zay Zays went from strength to strength.
"I was dying to get to 100 Instagram followers and now I've got 3500 and I'm standing in my own shop.
I feel If you've got a dream, just chase your dream, regardless of if it's going to take a day or a year.
It still hasn't hit me that we've come together, friends, family, blood, sweat and tears into making this."
He started out at home, using the family kitchen in Shard End, before buying his own shop to prepare his takeaway desserts.
He says that now, it's more than a family business; he has the whole community to thank for supporting him, by buying his desserts, and helping him to be a success.
He now plans to give back to the local area in the future, as a thank you for helping him on his journey.
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