From Popia Snack to a Profit Calculator

It started with 50 bottles of Popia Snack

It was the lead-up to Ramadan — the spiritual month of fasting where Muslims prepare heartfelt ready-to-eat iftar meals to share with family and loved ones. And right after Ramadan comes the joyful festive season of Hari Raya Aidilfitri in the month of Syawal — when home-based sellers come alive with special treats, snacks, and food gifts. Like so many home sellers during this time, I had an idea: make something special and sell it.

So I made Popia Snack Nestum, bottled up and ready to sell. I had a small starting capital — just enough to buy ingredients and packaging for 50 bottles. Nothing fancy. Just a dream to earn a little extra income doing something I loved.

The Excel Sheet Struggle

Like most small sellers, I turned to Excel. I opened a blank spreadsheet and started keying in my ingredients — spring roll pastry, filling, oil, seasoning, bottles, labels, packaging tape.

But problems piled up fast. How much did I actually use per bottle? What was my real cost per unit? Was my selling price giving me a healthy margin — or was I barely breaking even?

I kept second-guessing myself. I'd calculate something, then realise I forgot the packaging. Then I'd redo it. Then I'd forget the gas, or the time I spent cooking. It was slow. It was messy. And after all that effort, I still wasn't confident my numbers were right.

I was guessing more than I was actually calculating. And that's a dangerous way to run even a small business.

The moment I decided to build something

Sitting there with that Excel sheet open — ingredients spread across the kitchen table, Hari Raya songs playing in the background — one thought hit me clearly:

There must be a better way for people like me.

Not complicated accounting software. Not a full business dashboard with charts nobody understands. Just a simple, fast, free tool where you enter your ingredients, costs, and quantity — and it instantly tells you your cost per unit, what price to sell at, and exactly how much profit you'll make.

Something built specifically for home sellers, market vendors, Ramadan Bazaar iftar meal sellers, Hari Raya side hustlers, and first-time small business owners who are starting small and just need clear numbers — not a finance degree.

We've since grown our range beyond Popia Snack Nestum — adding Laksa Utara and Maggi Goreng to our lineup, each one packed and priced with confidence using our own calculator.

How OpenStartup came to be

If you've ever sold kuih, drinks, clothes, crafts, or services — and wondered whether you're pricing right — this calculator was built for you.

No subscriptions. No sign-ups. No confusing features. Just type in your numbers and know your profit.