Momtrepreneur Charlene “Cai” Sio of Paper Chic Studio

An Interview with Momtrepreneur Cai Sio, the owner of Paper Chic Studio

Cai is a wife to her BOS (Beacon of Strength) and a mom to two beautiful kids, Yukie (28 months) and Raizo (7 months). She’s a full-time working, breastfeeding/pumping momma and a mompreneur. She’s a programmer by profession but her ultimate dream is to become WAHM someday. She also blogs about her adventures and mishaps as a mom on Apples & Dumplings. She’s also one of the founding moms of Mommy Mundo SoMoms!

EJ, my husband actually shot the products of Cai in our condo unit. We got to bond there and I got to learn more about Cai’s business.

Ginger: Cai, so how long have you been in business?

Cai: We just launched Paper Chic Studio just last December 2012. Paper Chic Studio basically is a one-stop shop for eco-friendly and chic party supplies.

Ginger: So Paper Chic Studio is relatively new! Amazing. It seems that you already have numerous clients. Who do you normally get to sell to (your target market)?

Cai: Our target markets are moms and party enthusiasts who love chic party supplies and who like to DIY and who are very attentive to every little party detail.

Ginger: How did you come up with this idea? What made you decide to start this kind of business?

Cai: It all started with my daughter Yukie’s 1st birthday. I was looking for a theme for her birthday and I stumbled upon all these party planning and DIY blogs that inspired me to semi-DIY some of the party details. While I had fun planning Yukie’s party and doing the DIYs, I wished the pretty party supplies I saw were available locally and online. A year later, I was yet again planning Yukie’s birthday and with the advent of the being green, I tried looking for environment friendly supplies but to no avail. This is how Paper Chic Studio is born.

Ginger: Were there any obstacles that you faced when you decided to pursue becoming a momtrepreneur? What are these?

Cai: Balancing my day job and Paper Chic Studio is one of them and still is. Since I’m a working mom, there are days when I had to take a leave for meetings for Paper Chic Studio. I’m lucky to have a husband who helps me handle some of the things I couldn’t tend to. Another obstacle was coming up with the capital. I had to think and decide for a very long time on how much I was willing to shell out and risk for the business.

Ginger: You mentioned that you thought long and hard on how much capital to place into your business. What do you think momtrepreneurs should consider when thinking of how much capital to place into a business idea? How did you decide on yours?

Cai: Business is a risk. Shell out money that you can risk without you going broke or without you feeling guilty when the business goes down. With Paper Chic Studio, I computed everything (expenses, investments, etc.) and from there I decided on how much I’m willing to spend as my initial capital.

Ginger: What are three traits that you think a momtrepreneur should have when starting their own business?

Cai: A momtrepreneur must be driven, always educating themselves, and most of all, a momtrepreneur has to be passionate about her business, products and must have trust in her products and also passionate about being successful.

Ginger: What advice can you give to other Momtrepreneurs?

Cai: You have to be creative and wise on deciding what line of product/s or business you want to sell and start. Find what you are passionate about. I guess that’s one the reason why it took me so long to start my own business because I was looking for THE ONE. When you have found what you want to do or sell, start small and expand as your business flourish.

Ginger: Thanks so much, Momtrepreneur Cai! We are looking forward to seeing more products from Paper Chic Studio in the future.

Paper Chic Studio Contact Information
a. Website: www.paperchicstudio.com
b. Email address: info@paperchicstudio.com
c. Mobile Number: +63917-8199229
d. Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/PaperChicStudio
e. Twitter account: www.twitter.com/paperchicstudio
f. Pinterest, etc.: www.pinterest.com/paperchicstudio