Let’s all welcome the month of May! I love this month, because it means that we get to honor all of the amazing moms out there. And I’m thankful that I have this blog and my vlog on Youtube, because I get to share their inspiring and heart-warming stories. So expect that this month, you’ll be getting to know mompreneurs with interesting stories, experiences and useful tips. Today, i’ll be sharing the story and my interview with Mompreneur Ann Sy-Solis of Butter & Whisk Confection by Ann.
All about Mompreneur Ann
Recently, I’ve been drawn to pictures of food on social media. Ordering food and watching shows now have the same weight in my life and probably take up 80% of my time if I’m not working. So as I was mindless scrolling on social media, I came across pretty cakes from Butter & Whisk Confection by Ann.
Ann is a graduate of HRIM Major in Culinary Art from St Benilde. She’s an impressive mompreneur baker who is mom to a 5 year old boy. She started Butter & Whisk last quarter of 2017. She customizes cakes and specializes in buttercream icing cakes. She also makes yummy baked Lasagna.
Interview with Mompreneur Ann of Butter & Whisk Confection by Ann
I asked Ann what was the intention behind creating the business. She says that she started her business to find her self-worth and of course, to have her own money. But even with a clear goal, there were a lot of challenges that mompreneur Ann encountered along the way.
One of the challenges is that as a mom and as an entrepreneur, responsibilities double up. Ann narrates that she has to do house chores, teach and take care of her son and take and fulfill orders on her own. This was especially true in 2020 since they didn’t have any house helper.
Another challenge, she recalls was having to manage time. “In 2019, I joined a Bazaar in North Vertis, and I needed to leave my son for three consecutive days. My son is used to being by my side,” Ann says. “I had to stay there from the bazaar’s opening to closing since I could not afford to hire extra man power that time. It was such a challenge since my son would cry every night.”
I can just imagine how stressful and how worried Ann might have been during that time. Speaking of stress, another challenge that Ann had was having difficult and super stingy customers.
“I had a customer before who requested for a customized cake. She had a lot of demands to the point that we were talking almost every day. When I gave her the final quotation, she started to complain and requested to lower the price. I actually already gave her a discounted price, because I was referred to her by my close friend. Di ko kinaya! (I couldn’t take it). What I did was I politely ask her to look for another baker, as I could not meet her (almost impossible) standards.”
Another challenge that Ann mentioned was that there were time that people close to her would bring her down. “They will tell you things you don’t want to hear, like you are not good enough or something like you are wasting your time. There were many times that people told me that my business will not succeed — that the things that I make where not delicious (hindi naman masarap, nothing special naman sa gingawa mo) and that what I made was nothing special.
When the pandemic hit, Ann mentioned that luckily, her business was not affected. Last year was a really good year (best year) for her since she started her business.
Mompreneur Ann shares that the greatest learning that she picked up is to believe and listen to yourself more than to other people. “Don’t be afraid to try and fail, because it is better to fail than to think what if? This is an advice that my cousin shared with me. Walang mawawala sayo (You will lose nothing) when you try, especially when you do something you love. You will just gain experiences and new knowledge. So don’t be afraid; fear will only hold you back,” Ann shares.
Ann is happy and proud of her accomplishment. She’s proud of being strong. “I never thought kaya ko (I could do it). I never thought that I could hack the pressures of being a mom, wife, entrepreneur, a teacher to my son, etc. It’s not an easy job running a business and taking care of my family. Tumaas ang tingin ko sa lahat ng mompreneurs (I look up now to all mompreneurs).
To all aspiring mompreneurs reading this, mompreneur Ann of Butter & Whisk Confection by Ann leave these inspiring words and tips. “Don’t be afraid to fail; it will only hold you back. Don’t be afraid of hardship. Hardships will only make you stronger. Don’t be afraid to try. Because when you don’t try, you will never know kung ano ang naghihintay sayo (what’s in store and waiting for you). And most importantly, believe and listen to yourself.
To order from mompreneur Ann of Butter & Whisk Confection by Ann, please visit the following links:
https://www.facebook.com/ButterandWhiskConfection
https://www.instagram.com/butterandwhiskbyann/
Thank you, Ann, for sharing your story and I wish you more success for years to come!
