Something I Wish I Knew Before Part 2: Starting a Business [Teacher’s Edition]
Beyond the awe-inducing label of ‘CEO’, and the pride that comes with being able to call yourself an entrepreneur, most of us are aware of the potential challenges and uncertainties that come with establishing a business. Knowing this, the next thing you could ask yourself is, “What key concepts or ideas should I be aware of before wanting to start my own business?”
This is why we have compiled the insights of some of our own esteemed teachers and students from the Enderun Community that have experienced establishing their own successful businesses.
This article is part of Ink Enderun’s series titled, Something I wish I knew before. While the first article focuses on several hacks that students may benefit from in their college experience (click here to read), this article highlights the narratives on the pains and gains of starting one’s own business.
The business series will be divided into 2 parts; The first featuring the Enderun teachers with practical knowledge on establishing a business, and the second featuring the various college students within campus that have grinded their way to create their own businesses while still managing their academic and organizational responsibilities.
For this part of the series, we asked our beloved teachers and professors all about their respective businesses, their journey towards executing their visions, and most importantly we asked them:
What is something you wish you knew before starting your business?
Chef Laetitia Moreau is Enderun Colleges’ Executive Pastry Chef and a Professor to all the aspiring chefs and bakers within the campus. Last August, Chef Leti together with her close friend, Nikki Paras, opened Simone and Amelia, an online bakery that specializes in fresh pastries that aim to mix French and Filipino heritage and culture while taking inspiration from childhood memories with family and friends.
Chef Leti shares how she met her business partner Nikki, and how their shared love for food led them to start their own business during the Pandemic “we really had a lot of fun together, made us passionate to do something you know, to be an entrepreneur… So we decided, okay, let’s do our own thing together during this pandemic…and that’s how we created Simone and Amelia.”
During the interview, we asked for her inspiration in starting Simone and Amelia with her partner. She explains that the business name and theme was inspired by her and her partner’s own fond memories with their grandmother.
“I remember the fact that my grandmother, whose name is Simone, used to make like a caramel cream and we used to put it on the top by a window…Nikki, my partner said, Oh, you know, I have this kind of memory with my grandmother, and her own grandmother’s name is Amelia. So we decided to create a company that is dedicated to our grandmothers.”
After hearing her story in establishing Simone and Amelia, we then asked her the most important question of all, “What is something that you wish you knew before starting a Business?”
Her Answer: There is No Space for Improvisation.
Chef Leti explains that the experience of starting a business is similar to the act of preparing for a run. She emphasizes on the importance of preparedness in ensuring the smooth flow of business operations. “For me, you need to have everything ready because you know, it’s like when you go to run. You prepare your bottle of water, you prepare your snacks, you prepare everything in your pockets.”
She also narrates how she could have benefited from this strategy and how time management also remains as an essential part of the planning process.
“There was a pastry that I have wanted to do since a long time, but I knew that I would not put it on the menu right away. So I said, Okay, I have time…But now there’s no time to do the test…
I feel like if I knew it before, if all the items for my menu for at least six months, we’re ready, we’re set up. It would be much easier. So plan ahead.”
By the end of the Interview, she leaves a message dedicated to all the aspiring business/bakery owners to not be afraid of chasing your dreams and to simply go for it.
“My only advice is do it…you read the story about all of the famous company leaders, and they always begin and at a certain point where it didn’t work. And I think it’s a part of it…
It’s about being able to handle when you think you have a good idea but no one agrees, but still remaining hopeful. It’s being able to handle it when it’s not working…
So when you really follow your idea, don’t be scared. Dream, but don’t expect too much and Go for it. Really go for it.”
Want to know more about Simone and Amelia? Follow them on their Instagram page!
Sir Victor Fernando is a franchise director and one of the co-founders of Big Apple Express Spa. Big Apple Express Spa was established in 2005 and is the Philippines’ first ever express spa business.
Previously, Sir Victor worked in the IT field. Being exposed to a stressful work environment made him realize that the best outlet to relieve stress was to enjoy a massage that was both affordable and convenient. However, services at the time were non-existent.
“During that time, it was very hard to find an affordable and cheap massage. You normally have to spend more than 1,000 pesos to get a good full body massage.” Seeing this gap in the market made the idea automatically click between him and his other friends, which led them to found Big Apple Express Spa.
They opened their first branch in Robinsons Galleria in Ortigas to reach many working professionals. The business continued to grow from one branch to over 20 branches. As of last year, Big Apple Express Spa commemorated its 15th year anniversary, celebrating the success of its services towards many Filipinos.
Sir Victor explains how since the spa’s early beginnings, they have remained true to their vision of establishing an affordable and convenient spa accessible to everyone despite the skepticism they received upon starting. “Essentially we’re proud of the concept that we’ve made. Back then, you know, people would ask, what’s an express spa?…But we’ve stuck with our brand, we’ve stuck with our identity. So now, we’re still Big Apple Express Spa even after 15 years.”
Of course, we then had to ask him, “what is something that you wish you knew before starting a Business?”
His Answer: If you see the Opportunity, Take it.
“Part of the entrepreneurial journey is experiencing and learning all the trends, finding them out, and then seizing the opportunity. If I knew how big it [Big Apple Express Spa] could be, I would have jumped right into it right after college. So I mean go straight into it. But you know, we’re not fortune tellers, we can’t really predict the future. So for me it’s just really about seeing the opportunity and then taking advantage of it.”
Towards the end, his main advice towards aspiring entrepreneurs and current business students is that no one is ever too young to start a business so long as one is passionate about it.
“An entrepreneur will find ways. Even if you’re a student, you will find ways to learn, find capital, or find all of those things and put it all together. For me, that is where it all starts.”
Want to know more about Big Apple Express? Check out their Website and Follow them on their Facebook and Instagram page!
Ms. Justine Pongase established Just In Bites in 2015. Just in Bites is an online business selling baked desserts and, recently, expanded to serve baked savory dishes. Ms. Justine is well known for baking delicious red-velvet flavored and carrot flavoured cupcakes, as well as vegan chocolate chip and nutty cookies.
“Just in Bites” name and theme is rooted from Ms. Justine’s philosophy, which is that desserts must have a good balance.
“For me a good dessert should always feel balanced. There should be a certain lusciousness, even when you eat it. So that’s how I started and that was the main motivator in going into the business…Also, that is why it is called Just in Bites. Because, I will make sure that whatever I put in there, you’ll finish it in less than five bites; Thus, Just in Bites.”
Since the start of her business, Ms. Justine was able to maintain this concept and theme while continuously improving operations and marketing to adapt to the evolving trends in social media. “Over the years I’ve learned how to manage my time and how to operate the business. In terms of the whole concept I have come to realize that there are certain things that I had to modify especially when it comes to aesthetics.”
That was when we asked her, “what is something that you wish you knew before starting a business?”
Her Answer: It is essential to have knowledge on accounting, social media marketing, and professional baking.
In the interview, Ms. Justine discussed the challenges of understanding the proper costing of inputs and investments upon starting her business. “It was hard…attempting to understand gross profit and finding out my net profit. I also had difficulties accounting for investments as I started upgrading my materials like stand mixers, and such.” This is why she recommends aspiring entrepreneurs to have basic knowledge on accounting to avoid these financial dilemmas.
She also mentions that it is important for business owners today to acknowledge the power of social media for marketing. “I wish I knew that social media would be such a great tool for it because, if I had foresight what would happen to social media I would have made sure to learn more about it.” Recognizing this opportunity led her to create social media pages for Just-In Bites and work on its aesthetics to boost customer attraction which was proven to be effective.
Lastly, she indicates how beneficial taking professional baking classes would have been when she was starting to sell her baked goods. “I wish I took up dessert and baking classes. I’m a self-taught baker, so maybe if I invested into developing that skill formally. Maybe then I have a hand up in building aesthetics in desserts.” Taking this into account, she allows herself to be open in learning more about these technicalities as to further grow her business.
With that, Ms Justine shared her top three pieces of advice for aspiring business owners and bakers that want to start their own bakery.
- Do your market research well
- Ask yourself, “How much of yourself can you dedicate to this?”
- Just go for it.
“If you’re interested in starting up an online bakery or any business idea, do your market research. Find out what’s already out there and maybe take a look into what other people want, that is not necessarily offered so that it can be your niche.”
“Not just only with time, but also with [the] mental strain. How much of it can you handle because it’s all about setting yourself up for the challenges and being realistic with your limits as well.”
“I feel that the worst thing that can happen with any business idea is that you never make it into a reality. No matter what the outcome is, you tried. Then you can see it is success because you’ve gone through the whole experience, and it became a reality.”
Want to know more about Just In Bites? Follow them on their Facebook and Instagram page!
