Due to the uncertainties brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, moms have started exploring work at home opportunities and opening their own businesses. And while launching one in the middle of a crisis is risky, many use social media to their advantage to grow their venture.
One of them is Ian Russel, 25, a full-time mom and business owner. She started selling her baked goodies around five years ago for additional income, but as her business grew, she eventually quit her office job to focus on online selling. “At first, I was selling random items like makeup, skin care, etc. Then, when people who tasted my cooking started to ask how they can order food for events, I started selling food and joining bazaars,” she tells SmartParenting.com.ph in an email interview.
As with any business, Ian has good days and bad days. “This year, the most I made was around Php20,000 for a week’s income. I sold about 480 pieces of cakes in tubs which cost around Php120 to Php150 each. The least I made was around Php5,000 for one week,” the mom of one shares.
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWGoing viral on TikTok
Ian and her daughter, Acacia.PHOTO BY courtesy of Ian RusselRunning your own business comes with its own set of challenges, but Ian won’t trade it for a corporate job any time soon since she gets to spend most of her time with her family and her almost 3-year-old daughter, Acacia. “I can take care of my daughter, see her grow, and make money at the same time,” she shares.
CONTINUE READING BELOWwatch nowThe mom admits that their livelihood was hit hard by the pandemic. Some towns in Bataan, where Ian’s family resides, went on lockdown so people stopped buying or reselling her food. “I decided to pause for a moment since I have a child at home and I don’t want to risk our health and safety for a couple of thousand pesos,” she shares.
Instead, the mom turned to TikTok, a popular video-sharing app, to distract her from the quarantine. “My account, @russelfoodstory, started last March,” Ian shares. “I was just really bored and thought of downloading the app. At first, I just made random videos like dance and dubbing, but then I saw this user named @newt, who makes cooking videos on TikTok. I said to myself, ‘Ah, pwede pala ‘yung mga ganung klase na video dito,” and that’s when I started to shoot myself preparing and cooking food.”
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWIan was surprised that her videos were gaining traction. Since she wanted to help aspiring bakers and business owners, she thought of sharing her “tried and tested” products, which she dubbed #negosyorecipe. “I have a notebook of all the recipes that I already tested and tweaked to my own liking. Some were from my grandma and my mom,” Ian shares.
She adds, “My first #negosyorecipe was making banana bread. I wasn’t really expecting it to blow up, but it did (it’s currently at 98,000 views). Then, my viewers started requesting for more recipes that are trending and easy to do.”
Recipes you can use to start your own food business
Ian's #negosyorecipes look so yummy!PHOTO BY courtesy of Ian RusselADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWWe’ve already featured Ian’s choco butternut crinkles (click here to learn how to do it!), but she’s allowed us to share more of her viral #negosyorecipes. If you love cooking and baking and want to open your own online store, you can start with these goodies:
Chocolate Dream Cake
@russelfoodstory No Bake Chocolate Dream Cake using Lava Cake / Fudgee Bar ##fyp ##foryoupage ##easyrecipe ##easydessert ##homecooking ##nobake ##yummy ##foodie ##edutokfood
? I Just Want to Be the One You Love - Boxout
Ingredients:
- 4-5 instant chocolate cake (lava cake, fudgee bar, etc)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/8 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup milk
- Melted chocolate
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
Procedure:
- Place chocolate cake in your preferred container. Set aside.
- In a pan, mix dry ingredients and pour in milk.
- Cook in low heat stirring constantly until pudding thickens. Layer on top of the chocolate cake.
- Pour melted chocolate on top of the pudding and chill in freezer for 15mins or until chocolate hardens.
- Sift some cocoa powder on top and serve!
Milo Mochi Ice Cream
@russelfoodstory Milo lovers! How bout some Mochi icecream? ##pinoycooking ##fyp ##foryoupage ##easyrecipe ##easydessert ##dessertrecipe ##sweettooth ##tiktokph ##yummyph ##food
? ???????????????????? - ????????????Ingredients:
- Milo Ice Cream
- ¾ cup glutinous rice flour
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp milo
- ½ cup water
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWProcedure:
- Scoop some Milo ice cream. Wrap with cling film, form into a ball and chill in the freezer.
- Let's make the mochi! In a pan, bring to a boil the water, sugar, Milo, and gradually add the glutinous rice flour until, mix until it becomes like a sticky dough.
- Dust your table with some cornstarch, dump in your mochi dough and roll until it's flat.
- Get your ice cream balls, cut up some dough and cover the ice cream with the dough. Seal the bottom and take out the excess dough if there's any. Put it back in the freezer for at least 30mins.
- Sprinkle some milo powder and serve your mochi! Enjoy!
How to grow your food business
While having her own business allows her to be with her daughter, Ian still needs help, especially when large orders come her way. Luckily, her husband (who works the night shift) helps her take care of Acacia until Ian finishes preparing the orders.
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWThough her TikTok helps a lot in promoting her business, Ian says she never stops advertising her products. “Join buy and sell groups or download buy and sell apps,” she says as an advice to startup businesses. “This will help a lot especially when you’re just starting.
Make sure to beef up your social media page, too. “When you have an established social media account that’s aesthetically pleasing, people tend to get more interested, especially if they can see or read feedback from your previous customers. Not only is it eye-catching, it’s free advertisement as well,” she says.
Lastly, start your business only when you’re ready. And never stop learning. “Know when to start, pause, and stop. Stop if the business is losing so much rather than earning,” she shares. “Maybe it’s not the right business for you or not the right market. So stop, but continue learning. We have Google, YouTube, and more platforms where you can learn for free so use those to extend your knowledge in improving your craft.”
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWWant to start working from home? Click here for more ideas.
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