Busy Bee-ing The Future of the Business Industry
Enderun is known for its Culinary and Business courses. In this article, we will be discussing three students in Enderun. These students are known to have utilized their skills from school to make their own businesses.
First is Cleorine Loque. Her business is named “Hiraya Pilipina”. Her brand focuses as a Woman Care Brand. She started her business in July 2019 when she was only 15 years old, inspired by her real estate agent parents. Her parents began a laundry business six years ago, which influenced her greatly to become an entrepreneur like them. She pushed to learn more about business and read books or listened to podcasts in order to understand the industry.
At first, her business was selling t-shirt merchandise with empowering statements. Since her love language is words of affirmation, she felt as though it was fitting to create shirts that showcased statements of love. Beyond this, Cleorine also wanted to provide innovative solutions to women’s struggles. She wanted to tap into the solutions that solved taboo topics like menstruation. With that passion in mind, she will be launching the Dream Bamboo Pads: a 100% natural and biodegradable sanitary pad, which she was developing during her Opportunity Seeking Class guided by Sir Ryan Morales.
Her own quote that kept her going was, “You are never too young to start your own business. We have an unfair advantage as we still have nothing to lose. Take calculated risks. Step into your strengths. That is your power.” She stated further, “You may quote my learnings from an interview I was featured in. I would not want to have it any other way. It may be difficult to juggle all my responsibilities, but I am really grateful and happy to be in this position. To be able to grow a business that touches people’s lives, especially those in my growing team is incomparable.”
For her tips on balancing time, she states to “Put yourself first. I still prioritize getting enough sleep and working out as I know that I am my biggest investment. Before I can pour my energy outwards, I need to first fill my own cup in order to balance my responsibilities.”
Next up, we have two cooking businesses. Our first business is all about baking. The business is called 1013° which actually represents Althea Zenarosa’s birthday. Althea runs a business selling all types of cookies which started on November 9, 2022.
Baking was something she did as a comforting activity, where she baked a bunch of cookies to give to her friends and family. After gaining positive responses, she decided to start selling them to earn profit and have some money to sustain herself.
Baking and start-ups have always been her passion. She states, “It was really nice seeing a business that I was able to start all on my own and I think that was one of my biggest motivators when I started 1013°”.
She would also like to thank her parents since her parents also are into business. She reminisces and says, “When my parents started their business, they didn’t have much. Starting their business wasn’t easy but here they are now with their successful business which is also part of the food industry. They inspired me a lot to keep pushing for my dreams no matter how tough things get and I think that’s one thing that I want to impart to others: To never give up no matter how tough life can be.”
All businesses have ups and downs, and Althea has stated that her whole journey was a process of learning. Even with some mistakes, she gained new knowledge and learned how to balance her life bit by bit. She remembers the start of her business and how it wasn’t easy at first. Since she didn’t know what to prioritize with a lot of responsibilities at stake. Since she is a senior in highschool, she had trouble with balancing her academics and other tasks but eventually she learned to set a schedule for herself to do it all. Her schedule was: school work during the weekdays and business during the weekends. Her having a schedule was extremely important in order for her to know her priorities first and to organize her time accordingly.
Last but not the least is Chucibo, a business by Thomas “Chu” Mendoza that sells pasta. The name “Chucibo” derives from two words which are “Chu”, Thomas’ nickname, and “cibo” which means ‘food’ in Italian. He started planning it in October 2020 and officially opened it on November 9, 2020. What started out as an idea from boredom became Thomas’ first business. He has always been fond of eating pasta, which struck him with the idea that if his friends could start their business, he could too. Ever since he learned the basics of cooking and paired with him being a Treasurer for years at school, Thomas knew how to handle money. In his business, cooking and making money are essential passions that he has. He combines cooking and managing money skills because he is his own accountant and finance manager.
Thomas believes the inspiration to start this business is himself. He recalls, “I believe that I could create a business of mine. A lot of people may think that having a business is easy. Yes, it is easy to start it, but challenging to maintain it. That’s why, with perseverance, consistency, and commitment, I could strive and continue this business up until I am old.”
A quote that he would like to impart to others is the tagline of Chucibo, “It’s Worth The Wait.” This quote conveys how you may not earn a profit quickly but there is a return later on. You have to lose money to make money. And with hard work, you will achieve your cash soon. Certainly, you have to be patient when you have a business. It takes time and effort before it becomes profitable.
A key learning that he has learned is that when you love doing something with confidence you can succeed, do it. No one will believe in you but yourself. Chucibo started regardless of the risks and challenges at hand. His tip that helped him cultivate his confidence is to avoid pressuring yourself. Prioritize yourself before the business. As Thomas balanced his life with his personal life, it became challenging but worth it. He says, “One thing’s for sure is that my personal life is always first, academics second, and my business is always whenever I am free.”
References:
Roja, M. (2023). 6 Tips to Starting Your Own Student Business, According to This Filipina Teen CEO. Candymag.com. https://www.candymag.com/lifestyle/student-business-tips-from-cleo-loque-a1791-20230421
