mompreneurs Archives - Mommy Ginger

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

Butter & Whisk Confection by Ann 1 — Cake from Butter & Whisk Confection by 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.

Butter & Whisk Confection by Ann Lasagna — Lasagna from **Butter & Whisk Confection by Ann**

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!

Mompreneurs, such amazing people! Seriously though. Imaging juggling all of these tasks and responsibilities. Mompreneurs always come up to me asking for better ways to manage their time. There are always things you can do to enhance the way you juggle your life as a mompreneur. Time management is oftentimes our struggle. This is the reason why we chose this as a topic for our Lean In PH Circle session for this month.

Whether you’re a new mom in business, or you’ve been managing a company for years, here are some tips that may help you improve your work-life balance, and perhaps even free up some time for you!

Give Kids Responsibilities

You don’t have to, and you shouldn’t have to do everything alone. While your partner should be doing their share of housework, your kids can help, too. This is the best time to teach them different values that you want to pass on — from a sense of ownership, commitment to responsibilities, etc.

Giving kids chores helps them to start having respect for their home environment. Tasks to give to your children can range from feeding the dog to emptying the bins. The fact is, every little thing helps, particularly when you’re trying to make your home life and business more functional.

Nightly Prep

Struggling to find something you need just before you need to leave the house becomes a routine part of most mom’s lives every morning. Actually, now that we are always at home, the entire household runs to you and assumes that you know where everything is.

Whether trying to find your daughter’s missing notebook for school or locating the shirt that your husband wants to wear for an important call, there’s always “something” that goes missing when you need it most.

To save yourself the stress, why not prep everything you need the night. This means shirts, notebooks, bills, shoes, etc. Having everything prepared and ready will make your mornings go much more smoothly.

Start With The Most Important Tasks First

When you’re tackling business issues during the day, try not to drift off and deal with tasks that have little to no impact on your company. Instead, start with the to-do’s that are difficult or you’ve been putting off for a while. In doing so, you’ll feel accomplished, and it’ll give you the motivation to handle the next priority in line with confidence.

Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves. – Dale Carnegie, American writer.

Simplify and Streamline Processes

To streamline and automate processes that consume a lot of your time, look for software to take care of areas of your business for you.

For instance, hr software from Elmosoftware assists you in consolidating numerous HR processes onto one system. A few of the areas they can take care of include talent acquisition, payroll, and maximizing employee performance.

With everything HR-related in one space, available for you to access 24/7 online, managing your employees will be easier and less time-consuming. Meaning you can concentrate on the areas of the company you love most.

Increase Productivity at Work

To maximize the time you have available to complete work projects, try using an application, such as Pomodoro.

Pomodoro enables you to complete tasks in short bursts, with mini intervals to rest and make yourself a hot drink. Apps like Pomodoro are perfect for mompreneurs who are limited on time and need to improve productivity while working.

To ensure your life and business can thrive, consider including the small changes mentioned above into your existing routine.

Do you have other tips for mompreneurs that you want to share? Share it with me in comment section below!

I’m so uninspired to write today. I feel like I need to go out and talk to people. For some reason, my mind is blank. These are the moments when I feel I need to work at a coworking space. To add to that, it’s so hot here in the house. I feel like it’s a waste to open the aircon (but I think I will do that in a while), since i’m leaving for a meeting soon anyway. A lot of moms, especially mompreneurs, were asking me if they should sign up for membership at coworking spaces and my answer would always be, it really depends if you’re the type, like me, who easily gets bored at home and of course, if you have the resources to sign up for membership.

Impact Hub Manila along Chino Roces Extension

Here’s good news from my friends at Impact Hub. They are giving two moms the chance to Cowork with them! Get access to a great ‘Get Inspired’ packages, worth P20,000, for 6 Months so you can cowork and share your ideas with the hubbers!

All you have to do is answer this form: http://goo.gl/forms/PjjbJAl4lz and wait for the results after December 5, 2015

What is Impact Hub Manila?
Impact Hub Manila is an incubator, coworking and events space for a membership community of entrepreneurs, activists, creatives, and professionals taking action to drive positive social and environmental change. Since their opening on June 1, 2015 they welcomed more than 3000 innovators, held over 50 events and count 100+ Hubbers. With 11,000+ members in 73+ Impact Hubs across the world and 30 in the making, the Impact Hub Network has become the center of gravity for people innovating a new kind of economy. Locally rooted and globally connected. Now, they are taking the next step to foster sustainable innovation and empower entrepreneurs. The Fellowship in Innovation in Mobility with LBC will be the first in a series of annual innovation and incubation programs.

What is Coworking @Impact Hub?
Coworking is an open work space that fosters collaboration among individuals and groups of people who wants to create positive change, world class furniture, high speed Internet and free flowing coffee included.

For more information, you can visit them on www.impacthub.ph and follow Impact Hub Manila (Facebook, Twitter and Youtube). They are located at: Impact Hub Manila, 5th Floor Green Sun, 2285 Chino Roces Avenue Extension, 1231 Makati, Philippines

Hocus pocus!

My Logo appears.

Yes, I do wish it was that simple. I’m trying to have a logo made for my fourth business, but I haven’t really asked anyone yet because I don’t know where to start. I always had an internal artist to do all of my artworks, but for this business, she can’t really do it anymore since I’ve given her too much load (and headache! haha… just kidding! She loves with me! :P), plus I have business partners for this particular venture so I think we will have different aesthetics. So for this article, I have actually scouted and looked for mommy logo designers! Why? Because, I want to feature mompreneurs and because I wanted to ask for the things that I need to prepare when I want to have a logo done.

Here are the four amazing mommy logo makers!

Rigette Osoteo

Rigette Osoteo does web and graphic design (http://www.thedesignmama.com/) with a view of the hills in Baguio City. She gets here inspiration and energy from nature and by spending time outdoors. Aside from web and graphic design, she also runs a transcription business with her husband (http://scribehivenetwork.com/), blog about being a mompreneur (http://www.mompreneurtoolkit.com/), organize events, and cooks for her family. She is a happy wife and mom to a boisterous toddler and another baby on the way.

What made you start creating logos?
I started creating logos when I began designing for solopreneurs or start-up businesses. A lot of these entrepreneurs have been operating their businesses without an identity. My first logo design client have been operating for three years already without any branding. So I suggested that they need to have a brand identity, and they gladly obliged.

Who is your market?
My market are small business owners in the international and local market.

What is your style?
My style is clean and contemporary. I usually stick with simple and elegant while making the client’s or the business’ personality shine through the logo. I also always take into consideration that logos would be used in corporate giveaways like shirts, pens.

When a client wants to have a logo made, what questions do you ask them? What do they need to prepare?
There would be the usual questions like company name, tag line, audience, etc. And then there are fun questions like: How would you like people to feel when they see your logo? If your company is an individual person, how would you describe him/her? If your company is a car, what would it be? If anyone wants to get their logo done, they need to prepare to really look into the personality they want to represent so people can connect with that.

What is a good logo?
There are standards for a good logo, but I personally feel that a good logo should reflect the personality of the business or the business owner. A good logo should be able to tell people what the company can offer. Branding is all about connecting to people, and a good logo should be able to instantly connect with your target audience.

What are the current logo trends and do you have samples for those?
I see a lot of custom type logo and hand lettering. And of course the constants like negative space, color spot, vintage-style, and flat design still has a strong staying power. My logos are mostly flat and color spot design.

Samples:

Lique Dimayuga

Angelique or Lique ia a work-at-home-mom and a freelance graphic designer. With a formal design background of a Bachelor’s Degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of the Philippines in Diliman, she has been proficient in Adobe© Photoshop ever since 2003 and also does illustrations and print media services. She also works as a contractor in Upwork as a Graphic Artist, where she does corporate newsletters, posters, fliers, web banners and images. Currently, she offers various graphic design services from invitations and gift tags, to logos and business cards. You can contact her through her blog: http://liquesantics.blogspot.com/

What made you start creating logos?
Graphic design for me really started out as a hobby – I did invitations, brochures, banners, and fliers for me or for family and friends. In college, we would usually create our team names and do a mock-up logo as if we had our own firm, so logo making I guess started from there. When I became a stay-at-home mom, I decided to turn my hobby into something profitable, so I started putting myself out there and offer freelance graphic design while taking care of my kids and our household.

Who is your market?
Mostly, fellow moms and women reach out to me to create their logos. So unintentionally, they are my market now. But I am open to making logos for all types of clients.

What is your style?
I guess I am more inclined to making simple but bold logos, if you consider that a “style”. Like what I tell my clients, a logo is your brand identifier, it is your mark and symbol that should be able to stand alone, meaning it should be clear, readable, and precise.

When a client wants to have a logo made, what questions do you ask them? What do they need to prepare?
I have a questionnaire actually for clients to fill out first before we start a project together. It contains basic questions such as: what services/products do they offer, keywords to describe their brand/ business, preferred color palette etc. And if they already have a peg or an idea in mind, I ask them that too, so I have an idea of what they want. Some clients would give me a moodboard or a collage of pictures for inspiration, and that’s very helpful too.

What is a good logo?
A unique logo is what identifies you from the rest of your competition. An easily recognizable and memorable logo is what you’d want; something that is simple but tells a lot about your brand.

What are the current logo trends and do you have samples for those?
I guess black and white logos, mostly white text against a black background, are making a scene recently; it’s simple but easily recognizable. Also, calligraphy is a trend now, not only as a hobby but also in logos, but I am currently learning this craft so I don’t have a sample yet, since most of my logos are rendered in Photoshop.

Samples:

Mithi Santiago

From her background as an advertiser, Mithi has always been intrigued by the stories behind the logos and have marveled at how they convey the company or brand proposition and value in one element. Furthermore, it has been her passion to translate such stories to a design that will become a legacy for a company

What is your style?
I’m more inclined to do simplistic yet deep and meaningful translations. I’m a firm believer that logos shouldn’t be bombarded by a lot of elements that can create noise. Instead, logos should be your silent storyteller that can convey your message with few but worthwhile elements that can be understood clearly by your target market.

Who is your market?
Personally, I’m more inclined to make logos for companies that do humanitarian works. However, I am very flexible and very capable in understanding the company/product’s target audience.

What questions do you ask your client?
– Company/product value proposition
– Brand promise / brand identity
– product unique selling proposition
– Company/product target market (i.e. socio-demographics, state of mind, wants and needs, etc)
– Existing brand/product guidelines and applications
– Logo Expectations

What is a good logo?
A good logo becomes your silent seller/storyteller – when all your frontliners/sales personnel/media are gone, the only thing that will remain will be your logo which should be capable of conveying the messages. It is strong when it becomes the shadow endorser of your product that adds equity and credibility to it.

Samples:

Enah Quinto

Enah Quinto (Art Recipes by Mrs. Q) is a stay-at-home parent who is passionate about digital art, crafts and interior styling. Motherhood urged her to quit her day job and turned her into a WORK-AT-HOME mom. She eventually expanded her horizon and pursued event styling, too.

What made you start creating logos?
Creating logos has been part of my job as a digital designer for over a decade when I was still in the corporate world.

Who is your market?
Branding projects cater to different markets. I have created logos both for small and big businesses and some charity/religious organizations. I also do branding for events

What is your style?
I prefer simple, clean and symbolic logos. But it really depends on what the client requires.

When a client wants to have a logo made, what questions do you ask them? What do they need to prepare?
These are the questions I usually ask when a client wants to have a logo made:
1. What colors do you want me to use for the logo?
2. What does your business name/company mean? What objective/ message do you want to impart to your customers?
3. What symbols do you want me to incorporate in the design?
4. What other text/verses do you want me to add? Is there a particular font you want me to use?
5. Do you have ideas/pegs in mind? so i know what kind of style you like for your logo

What is a good logo?
A good logo for me is simple and yet strong. Simple – using just one to 2 solid colors; symbols or elements are clean. This is highly-adaptable when applied to various technical applications. Strong – leaves a long-lasting impression on people. This communicates your message or expertise to your target market.

Samples:

So, are you ready to have your logo made by these moms? Don’t you just wish that you had even just a tiny bit of their talent. I know I do! For those who want to check if they do have that creative talent or if they can experiment on creating logos on their own, please check out the Basics of Photoshop session of my dear cousin, Amanda De Ocampo on July 25. It will be a webinar so you can just call in from home! The session is just at Php 500 so hurry and sign up now! http://manilaworkshops.com/events/enter-entrepreneurship

Do you know of any more talented women designers who can create amazing logos, website designs, book covers or mobile application designs? Feel free to comment below! I will build my list of the top 20 Filipino women designers for my next post!

Look at my lovely little girl in these cloth diapers. These are Cluebebe diapers and I got the chance of interviewing the two mompreneurs behind this brand.

Cluebebe Diapers of Zeeka

Zeeka in Cluebebe Diapers

An Interview with Mompreneurs Jaclyn Ilumin and Em Garcia of Cluebebe Diapers

Em and Jac from Cluebebe Diapers

Both Em and Jaclyn are working moms. Em is mother to 2 kids – Champ (3yr old boy) and Pie (1yr old girl), while Jaclyn is mother to two little girls named Jana and Mattie.

Em is happily married to her best friend, soul mate and life partner for 5 years now. She is currently working for a Multi-national Oil Company. She loves travelling and photography. Before she gave birth, she was a wedding photographer. When the baby came, she decided to focus on her kid and her work. She is a breastfeeding and cloth diaper advocate. Her goal in life is to be a successful career woman and mompreneur. She wants to be someone her family can be proud of.

Jaclyn has also been married to her husband for 5-years. She is currently working in the IT industry for an investing firm. She wants to be financially independent and she plans to do this through this business. She wants to share the benefits with other moms when it comes to cloth diapers.

Ginger: Hello, Ladies! Thank you for agreeing to be featured in MommyGinger.com. So first of all, can you tell us about Cluebebe and how long have you been in business?

Em and Jaclyn: We are in the cloth diaper business — basically, retail and wholesale of Cluebebe Diapers. We have been in business since Sept 2012.

Ginger: Who is your market?
Em: Our target market would be would-be moms and new moms with kids aged 0-3 years old. We target class A-B+ market since our cloth diapers are premium cloth diapers. We also go for the Fashionista mothers.

Ginger: Wow, I think I’m part of your target market! How did you come up with this idea? What made you decide to start this kind of business?

Jaclyn: My partner and I are advocates of cloth diapers. Seeing other mompreneurs in the diaper business, we were inspired to have our own brand and start small. I was a fan of the brand ever since and I love the Tutu Diapers. I wanted to sell fashionable premium cloth diapers here in the Philippines.

Ginger: Were there any obstacles that you faced when you decided to pursue becoming a momtrepreneur? What are these?
Em: Oh yes. It’s a struggle to balance family time, work and the Cluebebe Business. At times, we sacrifice ‘personal’ time being to fulfill our role as a mompreneur, but I still feel fulfilled at the end of the day. I love what I’m doing and I love the fact that through our reseller program, we are also able to help starting mompreneurs.

Ginger: What are three traits that you think a mompreneur should have when starting their own business?
Em: You need to have Creativity – in a competitive world, mompreneurs need to be creative and think outside the box. Also, Relationship Building Skills– in any business, relationship with your customers and business partners is very important.
Jaclyn: Perseverance and patience. There needs to be a goal to work towards to, to maintain drive and to be objective. Most businesses are not overnight successes but through hard work, one can make a business successful.

Ginger: Do you have any unforgettable lesson that you learned as a Mompreneur?
Em: It’s fulfilling to do something that:
i. You are passionate about
ii. Can help other people

Being mompreneur is a hard endeavor specially for a working mom like me, But I realized that if you have a vision for your self and you have a personal mission you want to fulfill, that’s enough to keep you going.

Ginger: What advice can you give to other Momtrepreneurs?
Jaclyn: Study the business you are planning to venture in. Figure the ins and outs financially and operationally to balance the risks versus the rewards. Most of all, make the jump!

Em: Look for something that you are passionate about and build on it.
• Have a personal vision and mission for yourself and be guided by it.
• Learn and enjoy learning while running your business
• Be creative at all times
• Don’t be afraid to take risks
• LOVE WHAT YOU ARE DOING!
• At at the end of each day, Thank God you are better than yesterday.

Ginger: Thank you ladies and I wish you success in your business!

Cluebebe Diapers contact information:
• Website – www.facebook.com/CluebebePhilippines
• Email address – cluebebeph@cluebebe.com
• Mobile Number – 09178935224
• Facebook Page – www.facebook.com/CluebebePhilippines
• Twitter account – @CluebebePH
• Instagram – @CluebebePH

Butter & Whisk Confection by Ann: Lessons on Whipping Up Courage