MANILA, Philippines — Just as we had inspiring heroes fighting for the Philippines’ right to self-government and freedom from colonial rule in 1898, we also have modern-day heroes who continue to contribute to the nation’s growth and to individual self-sufficiency.
These are not just overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) but also Filipinos who overcome hardships to achieve personal and financial empowerment through entrepreneurship right in our own country.
According to the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) “generate 62.4% of the country’s total employment, contribute 36% of gross value added, and account for 25% of total exports.”
One would be surprised at how many of them are women, many of whom are moms. They are lovingly called mompreneurs.
Madiskarte Moms PH, an online community that supports starting and established mompreneurs, exemplifies the enduring spirit of Filipinos whose businesses create opportunities for people.
Creating products using materials and designs that are Filipino-centric impacts everyone in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. It creates direct and indirect employment for suppliers and communities.
If there is any modern-day example of heroes, it is Filipino mothers who are smart to realize that it does not take a huge capital to start a business. When they changed their mindset and decided that it could be done, they do it successfully.
These mompreneurs tell their stories.
From OFW to business owner
For Lois Gabriel, mother of three girls and an OFW in Dubai for six years back in the early 2000s, the secret to becoming an entrepreneur was using her biggest skill: coordinating things.
“Not everyone can coordinate with too many suppliers all at the same time. I am very good at reminding clients, following up suppliers, and doing quality control during execution,” she said.
In Dubai, she used her degree in communication and her skill at organizing events to put together events for her friends and church mates. When she came home to the Philippines to give birth, she decided to put up Lois Gabriel Events, where she wears many hats, such as event coordinator, host and professional makeup artist.
“My first attempt didn’t materialize. In 2008, I enrolled at the School of Fashion and Arts (SOFA), where I took up makeup artistry. That was a game changer. I launched my makeup artistry page, where clients were also looking for events coordination, and so that saw the rebirth of Lois Gabriel Events. Currently, I have five people on my staff and some on-call staff for whenever I have event bookings,” she shared.
The pandemic put her business to a halt, but not her dreams. “My husband was earning enough for our daily needs, but we had no savings. Also, a very important reason for starting a business was my self-fulfillment as a woman and human being — that I am able to surpass the mediocrity cast upon women. It takes a lot of sweat and tears to be able to sustain a business,” she explained.
Another former OFW, April Ocampo, who worked in Macau and Singapore, now makes business out of honey.
Sweet life with honey
April Ocampo was an OFW in Macau and Singapore until the pandemic hit. In 2020, she came home to the Philippines, on maternity leave from work abroad. The pandemic left her unemployed for the next three years, and so she became a full-time mom.
She wasn’t used to not working, and thus suffered from post-partum depression. It made her question her worth and deal with anxiety and self-pity.
“Napaka-ganda ng tinatakbo ng career ko noong wala pa akong anak. OFW po ako at tumutulong sa pangangailangan ng pamilya namin, may sariling pera at kalayaan dati. Nawalan ako ng identity,” April confessed.
To be honest, she said, in the beginning, she decided to put up a business simply for herself, “para sa aking sarili, para po sa sanity ko, at lalong-lalo na po sa self-worth ko.”
In January this year, she put up Bounty Honey, which sources wild honey in Mindanao. Her business began with only 18 bottles and a capital of P3,200. Now, she is faced with the happy problem of supply since the demand for her honey is rising.
Mommy Princess, who worked in business process outsourcing for 18 years, sells hand-crafted accessories.
Leaving the comfort of the corporate world
Mommy Princess is a mompreneur who embodies an entrepreneur who tried her hand at business while still working as an employee (she worked in business process outsourcing for 18 years), until she finally decided to quit her job and run her business full time.
During the pandemic, her company paid its employees three months’ salary despite halting work (they went back to the office after).
While stuck at home, she sold homemade body wash under the name Isla but pressed pause because she couldn’t find the right supplier. In 2022, she pivoted Isla to handmade accessories using macramé and clay because they do not expire.
“I’m a single parent with a 10-year-old child, and I still handcraft my jewelry pieces. When I have a lot of orders, I ask for help,” said Mommy Princess, who employs stay-at-home moms and working students.
Mommy Princess shared that one of the biggest challenges in starting a business is limiting one’s belief. “When you’re surrounded by people who are not business-minded, you get inputs like ‘Mahirap yan,’ ‘Naku, saturated na ang market.’ The advantage in 2022 was that it felt like everyone was starting a new normal life. So, why not defy all the odds? What kept me going was my assurance that God’s got my back. His grace is sufficient,” she expounded.
Baking her way to success
Another corporate employee since she graduated from college, Ayeng Antonio-Mendez opened Abuela Café and Bakery in the last quarter of 2022 and began full operations in August of the following year.
When you have a full-time job, starting a business takes courage because you are either giving up a regular income. It could also be that if you don’t quit your job later on, you end up adding more stress to your life.
“In terms of our corporate job, we were doing very well. But on the business side, this is the most complicated because construction was ongoing then and there had been delays and additional costs,” said Antonio-Mendez.
Mom to a four-year-old girl, Ayeng says her family (she and her husband, in partnership with her brother and her sister-in-law) started the café because it was a long-held dream of her mom.
“We were all working in the corporate world, and we thought why don’t we try to build our own business so that someday our children will also benefit from it and maybe continue its operations. We also had some recipes, which we had inherited from our grandmothers, so it was like making their legacy and ours, combined, come true and make it continue to evolve,” Ayeng explained.
Lois, April, Princess and Ayeng have created a chain of impact around them — not only economically but also mentally. They show fellow women, especially moms, how to be brave, to be open to new possibilities and to take on challenges along the way.
Empower yourself like these Filipino moms. Madiskarte Moms PH is on Facebook.
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