A story of my entrepreneurial spirit

As kids, we never really experienced hardship. Nanay and Tatay worked hard to keep food on the table and even had a little extra for life’s simple pleasures.

We didn’t have to eat asin with rice or settle for toyo as ulam like many others did. But even though we were fortunate, we were never spoiled—and we were raised to help in any way we could.

My sister took on a part-time job at Jollibee while in college. I, on the other hand, took after Nanay and sold anything I could get my hands on—so long as it was worth pitching.

Nanay, the OG Side Hustler

I vividly remember Nanay selling fruits inside her sister’s posh salon along Kalayaan Avenue in Makati. Big names like Elaine Cuneta, Amelita Ramos (wife of ex-President FVR), Herminia Alcasid (Ogie’s mom), ABS-CBN’s Presy Psinakis, and even the Ayalas and Sy’s would frequent that salon.

Nanay had a small table set up in one corner. We’d buy kilos of fruit from J.P. Rizal, haul them to the salon, and display them proudly. My tiny hands would turn red from carrying the load—but I loved helping her.

I even got to bring customers’ fruit bags to their cars, often getting tips in return. I’d save that money and hand it all back to Nanay, proud of my small contribution.

Selling Was Second Nature

Her entrepreneurial spirit rubbed off on me. In college, I sold inspired perfumes to the house helpers of Nanay’s salon clients. But my business roots go even deeper.

I was only five when we started selling boiled langka seeds in the streets of Tondo, where we lived at the time. Later in high school, my grandmother Nanay Belen would cook merienda—lugaw, champorado, spaghetti, ginataang bilo-bilo—and I’d help sell them outside our home in Project 8. Everything would sell out fast.

Divisoria Days

When I met my husband in 1999 (lol), we knew we’d end up together. So we started saving up. We’d go to Divisoria, buy clothes in bulk, and sell them to friends and co-workers. Picture us dragging huge plastic bags of shirts and blouses, squeezing into FX vans, praying the bags wouldn’t rip mid-commute. It wasn’t easy, but it was fun—and we learned a lot.

Baking, Bottling, and Hustling

When I learned to bake, I sold whatever was trendy: ube cheese pandesal, cookies, brownies, cheesecakes. I even jumped on the gourmet tuyo and chili garlic bandwagon.

Was it tough doing all this with only half my body functioning? Absolutely. But I pushed through.

TikTok and Today

Now I work full-time as a content writer. But I still find time to sell on TikTok. It’s not making me rich—but hey, it helps. I get the products I need at discounted prices, and sometimes that’s more than enough.

I’ll never be ashamed of what I do. Hustling is in my blood. I got here because of my parents’ sacrifice and grit. And one day, if luck is on my side, I’ll give them the reward they truly deserve.

Maybe This Wasn’t the Point

Honestly, this post wasn’t supposed to go this way. I was trying to avoid my real point—maybe out of fear of hurting others. But this story matters too.

So for now, here’s a little piece of me. Thanks for reading my senseless ramblings—until I’m brave enough to say more.