Forced to stay at home when the community quarantine took effect in March 2020, many parents and other family members turned to either newfound hobbies or reignited passions. It was not to ward off boredom and anxiety but also to compensate for lost income when they became jobless because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For the following families, the passion now became an online job based at home, which they now intend to keep even when the health crisis ends.
Mother and daughter’s paella business
Cristina Flores, her husband Ferdi, and their two kids Ina Dheanna, 24, and Irish Nicole, 17, were among those financially hit by the pandemic. Cristina and Ina decided to set up a business selling one of the family’s favorite weekend treats: seafood paella.
Cristina took care of the cooking duty, while Ina managed the business side of the venture they called "Paella ni Mama." With an initial capital of Php3,000, mother and daughter produced 20 tubs of the Spanish dish that were ordered and paid through online transaction.
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWEach tub was good for two persons and priced at Php180. In return, the business owners got double of their cash out to earn a profit good enough for them to accept more orders and get the business going.
Daughter Ina now also sells cookies as a sideline while starting a new marketing job in lieu of the one she lost due to the pandemic.
Wife’s baked sweet treats and hubby’s savory baked sisig
To satisfy her craving for different types of bread during the lockdown, Ruby Rull-Tungul learned how to bake cookies, cheese rolls, and cinnamon rolls. The working mom of two got so good at baking that she felt confident to sell her products online using the brand name "Doughlightful."
Ruby said she can’t really quantify her initial capital as she was, at first, buying the ingredients for personal consumption only. But she already earned back the capital to keep accepting orders.
CONTINUE READING BELOWwatch nowRuby pointed out her potential income could be bigger if she could bake not just during weekends. As it is, her weekdays are already reserved for her full-time job, though she has a work-at-home arrangement.
Ruby’s Kapampangan husband Jun Tungul is the real cook in the family, she said. After learning about baked sisig from his sister (who, in turn, discovered the dish online), he just made a few tweaks here and there before coming up with his version that he now sells under the brand name "Savory Blessings."
Aunt and nieces’ sweet treats
Athena Fregillana recalled rekindling her love for baking and cooking at the start of the lockdown. Then she started sending baked goodies to her friends and officemates “as a surprise ayuda.” She got “heartwarming feedback,” and people encouraged her to sell her products.
She collaborated with her nieces who also love bake and formed "Happy Tins" on May 20, 2020. Since then, its specialty cookies (chocolate chips, Nutella overload) and cake loaves (banana, carrot walnut) have reached satisfied customers across the metropolis.
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWAthena’s starting capital was Php8,000 and her average income from Happy Tins ranges from Php10,000 to Php15,000. She told SmartParenting.com.ph, “It really depends on the number of orders we get per week. Right now, we’ve introduced new products in our menu, so it helped us to sustain our income more.”
The newbie food entrepreneur and freelance advertising producer admitted opening the business to save money for Christmas shopping. She also wanted to give her nieces “baon,” which was their “sweldo” from helping her out. But she found herself investing in equipment and getting into collaborations with other online businesses. She discovered she wanted to be in this venture for the long haul and for more Christmases to come.
There's still another way to earn through selling foodstuff even if you don't or can't cook. It's called online reselling. Click here to learn how.
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