Born to be...

I got my first real taste in entrepreneurship when I embarked on a "small" sari sari store when I was about 7 or 8 years old. Because I did not have money then, I'd gather all my tiny toys, choose from amongst them and mark them for sale. I did not sell them as is; at that age I surprised myself by thinking of a strategy on how to entice children to buy.  So what I did was to make my own "palabunutan". And for visual purposes I made something similar to what I did as a child.

The idea is for the kids to choose a number, at the back of this number is the toy that corresponds to the  chosen number. Back then .25 cents was a big deal. I earned but not much, unlike the big sari-sari store in front of our apartment.  I recall bringing out our stool and a small table where I would have a few candies inside jars and this "palabunutan" which I hang on our gate. I also remember a time when I was in gradeschool and highschool where I would make bookmarks and ask my sister to help me sell them. There was even one summer vacation which I spent with my cousin in Laguna ~ they used to have a bakery. I would wake up really early and help them sell "hot pandesal."  :) One fond memory that I'd like to share is when I spent my summer vacation in my maternal grandmother's house in Batangas. I hankered her to buy ingredients for halo-halo which my cousins and I sold for 1 peso per glass the next day. 

My trip down memory lane made me realise that entrepreneurship has been in my blood all along. I was born to be a BusinessMom. My being such a risk taker has helped me in ways which I find stupendous at times, as this has helped me as well in taking that first step.

Am happier where I am now, perhaps what I have achieved is minute compared to our other great kababayans out there. But I basked in the thought that I continue to face everyday with contentment knowing that I have found myself and have taken the road to my aspiration. 

Ratatouille

I have watched this animated movie more than once and never grow tired of it as the movie reminds me of my own heart's yearning. My enduring relationship with cooking is and always will be. Both my parents are wonderful cooks but I inherited more than the ability to do so. I can say that my passion for the culinary arts is so deeply rooted and yet it was a realization that came only later in life. As a child, I never really knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. My dream of becoming a doctor was to evoke fondness and approval from my parents but was never realised. Instead I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration. Albeit always with a steady and promising career, I found that it was one without direction. Always a job that I can never be too passionate for. 

Then...

One day I woke up with a better perspective, everything seemed to fit like a puzzle. But I was scared because I did not know how to start though the eagerness was definitely there. So on one of my evening shift at work, I brought sandwiches which became an instant hit to friends and colleagues.  By word of mouth alone, advertising was not a problem.  But I had to transfer to another job and it was only after 4 years in that job that I began to be able to sell openly on the floor. Again I started with sandwiches, and added pasta, then rice meals. Cooking in the morning and working nights was tough but my passion for the former made such difficulty manageable. 

Then...

I found myself bidding farewell to friends and colleagues again because my children and I had to leave the country to be with my husband. I left behind loyal client-colleagues and loyal client-friends. It was another journey to the unknown. I had to find another job to sustain the family's needs. And again found myself lost in the haze and maze of my career. So, I resigned but with much difficulty because my former boss would not let me go. But resign I did and for a few months I was just plain mom to my kids and wife to my husband...no career...everything was zilch except for my blog which I tried to keep alive.

Then...

a bright idea began to form again. Remember my previous blog? Baking Buddies? This revived my passion so I started with cookies, while my husband started with bread :)  I began to explore the possibility of learning how to bake with the aide of  technology...the internet was like a long lost friend.  My first try with bread was making my first croissant. Boy! That was hard but it was the next best thing to my first roller coaster ride. That was my first step and I went on to baking cookies and bars and then cinnamon rolls. I was in my own heaven! The house smelt of cinnamon, the warmth of the oven brought me home. I was at peace with my career and the "self" I wanted to re-create.

Now am a full time mom, wife and entrepreneur. And I can finally say that I have nurtured the gift that the Lord has bequeathed to me. Wisely said...

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."
Colossians 3: 24-24