Sweet success
ONE DEFINITION that probably best suits millennial entrepreneurs is passionate. They dive into an enterprise not to seek financial gains as the primary goal, but because they are passionate about it and hope that by being so they can create a better, happier world. This perhaps is the best recipe for success. Entrepreneurial couple Carolyn Anne H. Estrada and Cliff Darryl K. See thus follows this in their sweetest business venture, which they named C&C Desserts.
“We aim to spread joy through our products. To make profit is just secondary,” Ms. Estrada told
BusinessWorld in an interview. “Both of us have full-time jobs so we only get to make the orders after work and the deliveries the following day. It is hard sometimes. But it’s nothing when we see our customers happy and satisfied with what they received,” she said.
Being a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship Minor in Culinary Arts, Ms. Estrada said that having her own business had been her longtime dream. This had been the same with Mr. See, who took up Bachelor of Science in Management Engineering Minor in Finance. The two, who met in 2011 when they got employed by the same company, both have a sweet tooth and so they initially eyed franchising a particular desserts business. They soon learned, however, that it did not fare well so they decided to not invest in it.
Such drawback did not stop them from pursuing what they really wanted. In 2013, they took another stab at running a business, but this time opted for a homebased one in which Ms. Estrada’s passion for cooking and baking would be finally put to good use.
“We tried to sell cupcakes, cakes and other desserts like leche flan and cookies to our colleagues, friends, and relatives. Now, we have a lot of customers ordering from time to time. I can say that word of mouth really does help,” she said, adding that C&C Desserts’ online presence is a big boost as well.
Some of their products can now be bought at select coffee shops and stores. They also get to receive orders for nail spa parties and other events such as weddings, debuts, birthdays, and baptism.
These sweet, little successes, of course, are not without challenges. Number one of which is juggling their respective 9- to- 5 responsibilities and
the demands of the business, shared Ms. Estrada. There is also the stiff competition, which they cope with by innovating their products, creating new flavors or twists.
The next step for C& C Desserts, Ms. Estrada said, is to join bazaars and to have a kiosk in the near future. She said they look as far as having their own café as well. These plans may be possible as some of their friends have also invested in the business.
Asked for her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs, she said it is important to set goals and to take action toward achieving them. It also helps, she added, that one delivers more than what is expected because it is a great way to be noticed and to build trust and following among customers.
“For me, an entrepreneur’s true success is not measured by how much money he or she earns. It is about making customers happy with the products or services offered. At the same time, it is important that one enjoys and loves what he or she does,” she said.