“I have never worked a day in my life without selling. If I believe in something, I sell it and I sell it hard.”
I love that quote by Estee Lauder. I can totally relate to what she is saying and I guess more so because it pretty much encapsulates what my life is right now.
Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to sell. I wanted to sell in the department store, in the supermarket, in the neighborhood bakery, in the school canteen. The whole idea of talking to customers, punching in their purchase in the cash register, wrapping their items and putting it inside the bag without forgetting to write that big check mark on the receipt (with a red pen at that!) and attaching it on the bag with a stapler — these all just fascinated me! I would admire the sales ladies (in their stockings and high heels, mind you) and the prettily made-up cashiers… and I said that someday, I will be like them!
Fast forward to today and here I am now running my own little shop! I have something I can already call my own business.
But like all dreams worth pursuing, it hasn’t been easy. I have learned so much in the past months of putting up Grace Home, running it, and growing it.
Here are my first thoughts about being an entrepreneur :
1. Passion plus commitment can create something out of nothing
I am proud to call it my own because I built it from scratch, from ground zero —and yes, I built it on my own. I am proud to have it carry my name, for through and through, this is something that bears my life and soul. I love it the way a mother loves, protects and cares for her own child. Therefore, it is also my dream to see it grow to its full potential.
2. Despite all my best plans, things can sometimes go wrong
In the 3 months that I’ve had this small business, I’ve also gotten my few bumps and bruises along the way. Suppliers not meeting my deadlines, product research and development not progressing as I planned it to be, inaccurate sales reports, losing inventory and yes, even me breaking my own product! (You can already imagine how I beat myself up for this!)
3. The hard work allows me to reap rewards
In the same breath, I can also say that in the short span of time I’ve had this baby, I’ve also experienced a lot of highs, joys, and triumphs. Receiving good customer feedback, getting more orders from all over the Philippines and also a few from other countries now (yesssss!!!), selling out on all my stocks in trunk shows and pop up events, being featured in the press, and more importantly, being recognized now (as not just a blogger) but — as an ENTREPRENEUR, and yes, a real entrepreneur at that — no matter how small this business of mine may be.
Dear Spoiled Mummies, know that you are never too young, too old, “too mummy” to pursue your passions! Don’t let anyone or anything stop you from dreaming and going for it. Here’s to us, the new generation of #MummyBoss!
Grace Home is my baby, born out of love and passion, and nurtured continuously with again, even more love and passion.
I am grateful to each and everyone of you for all your support to my little endeavor. My heart is full with all your love and appreciation! Thank you for welcoming Grace into your homes.
Congratulations Grace! Keep inspiring! 🙂
Thank you, Ives! You are an inspiration too! xxx
Hi, Grace!
From one mom and entrepreneur to another, despite the learning curve in the beginning, it’s pretty awesome growing something from nothing – that is yours alone – isn’t it!
My husband told me that you were having a trunk show a few months ago, so I invited my mom to take a look. We had lunch in inagiku, then went downstairs. I was so excited to look at your things! When I saw that you had a beautiful looking spread of food and photographers, I asked the uniformed Shangrila girl if the event was open to the public. She said she was not sure. I didn’t want to gate crash or risk being asked to leave, so I told my mom that it might be by invitation only. It looked very beautiful though – from afar, lol!
I wish you the very best. I think Estèe Lauder rocks too! ✨
Hi Angela,
Yes the trunk show I had last June at the Makati Shangrila was the launch of Grace Home. The event was open to the public – invitation was posted on the blog and on my instagram. Too bad, we didn’t get to meet! I hope you can come to the next one…I have one this weekend OCT 17-18 (Momzilla Fair, Rockwell Tent) and OCT 24 (Tatler Trunk Show, Kirov Showroom Rockwell). Hope to see you there! xxx
Hi Ms. Grace,
I just started a small Italian restaurant with 2 other partners, my first time ever to venture into something like this. We are just about to reach our first month and things are going ok, some days are still slow tho and we are still figuring out how to market it more aggressively. This past month has also been like a roller coaster ride, some good days and some discouraging not-so-good days sales wise. Reading this short blog of yours this morning tho helped ‘uplift my spirit’. I have always dreamed of owning my own business…I am a mom too and I cannot imagine myself doing the 9 to 5 company work and sacrificing the time I can spend with my kids. The restaurant is walking distance away from our house and very convenient for me to look after yet I can always be at home in times I should be. Thank you for inspiring me, thank you for making me realize that ANYTHING is always gonna be hard at the start, there will be mistakes and things (or people’s actions) that you cannot always be in control of… but as long as you keep your eye on the goal and believe that your product is good and you assure to keep it that way for your clientele then things will get better, and success will eventually follow. Thank you.
Wow, thank you for sharing your story with me… I am touched that you got inspired by my story too! You’re right, it’s not easy having our own business – but you know what, there are rewards too. Just keep on trying, even though many times you may fail. The point is we always try and give it our best shot — all the time! Best of luck to you in your endeavors!