He Knew How to Get People’s Attention. But Was That Enough?

Running Cheekies taught entrepreneur Nabill Shukry Johary how to attract an audience. Studying marketing at SUSS led him to ask a bigger question: what makes people remember, trust, and ultimately buy from a business? 

SUSS graduate Nabill Shukry Johary already knew how to get people’s attention online when he began studying marketing. 

He was building Cheekies, the meal-prep business he started with his father, and regularly creating content to reach customers. But as he pursued his part-time marketing degree, he began to question whether attracting an audience was really the right measure of success. 

“Running Cheekies gave me practical experience, but I wanted to understand the thinking behind business decisions, especially in marketing,” Nabill says.  

His studies gave him the opportunity to step away from the daily demands of running Cheekies and think more critically about decisions he had previously made largely on instinct. 

On social media, views, likes and followers offer instant feedback on whether a piece of content has caught someone’s attention. But Nabill wanted to know what happened after someone stopped scrolling. 

“When you create content regularly, it is easy to focus on getting attention. I began thinking more deeply about whether people understand our values, remember us, and feel comfortable buying from us.” 

One example came from a TikTok video Nabill posted about growing up in a rental flat, in which he urged viewers to show empathy towards families facing difficult circumstances. It drew nearly 96,000 views but also brought Cheekies new customers: some told him they initially bought the products to support him and subsequently became regulars. 

Today, one question guides him whenever he plans and shoots content: “Why would this matter to the person watching?” 

Learning While Building a Business 

Studying marketing while running Cheekies gave Nabill the opportunity to apply what he learnt to a business he was already growing. He found himself questioning the reasoning behind his decisions, while running Cheekies allowed him to put those decisions to the test. 

“What works in a home kitchen can become much more complicated when the volume increases,” he says. 

As the business grew, so did the challenges of managing quality control, inventory, deliveries and cash flow. Nabill realised that attracting customers was only part of running a successful business. He also needed systems that could keep operations consistent as demand increased. 

He learnt these lessons through experience; his Marketing degree gave him the opportunity to examine his approach more critically. 

Building the Next Stage 

With his degree behind him, Nabill is focused on the next stage of Cheekies. 

The business has grown beyond the early days when he could rely largely on instinct, and the challenges have changed with it. Building the capacity and systems to support that growth is now part of the work. 

He is also exploring new avenues for Cheekies, including opportunities to bring its products into supermarkets. 

And his ambitions extend beyond the business itself. 

“Personally, I want to keep creating opportunities for others. Having grown up in rental flats and experienced financial hardship, I know how much support can change someone’s outlook.”