The pandemic might have put a strain on our finances, but it also brought out the creativity of many people. A former Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) who lost his job due to the pandemic became a successful businessman.
Victor Dela Cruz of Tito Billy’s Baked Cheesy Cassava ATBP was one of those affected by the pandemic. He used to be a chef on an international cruise ship, but he was sent home due to the lockdown. After he lost his job, he was worried about where he could find enough income for his family.
The idea came when he and his family enjoyed a cassava cake made by his mother.
“Nagumpisa kami noong pandemic. Kasama ng anak ko at brother-in-law ko, mahilig kami kumain ng meryenda, so ‘yung mother ko nagcome up ng cassava cake. Nagustuhan ng mga relatives namin at nakatanggap kami ng feedback na bakit ‘di niyo gawing negosyo,” Victor shared on GMA’s Pera Paraan.
Victor pooled together the P8,000 financial aid or “ayuda” they each got as startup capital.
“Inisip namin saan kami kukuha ng pampuhunan. Yung natanggap namin na ayuda na P8,000 pinagsama-sama namin para gamitin para magumpisa kami,” he added.
But starting a cassava cake business is not an easy task. They had to be creative and come up with something unique for their customers.
Victor and his family decided to develop a cassava cake with different special flavors. They offered eight flavors: Classic, cheesy, ube langka, ube macapuno, ube cheese, buko pandan, salted egg, roasted cashew, and mango cheesy.
When they started, Victor recalled that they only had around three customers. He also personally delivered the cassava cakes. But now, they already have a shop that sells over 150 to 200 cassava cake boxes in a day.
Victor is proud to share that from their “ayuda”, they were able to turn it into a business earning P40,000 to P50,000 in a week.
“Yun ang pinakamagandang nangyari sa akin kasi hindi ko na kailangang magibang bansa, magsakripisyo na lumayo sa pamilya,” he said.
There are things to keep in mind when you transition from an employee to an entrepreneur. Among those is to prepare a business plan and try to keep it small at first. You must also be aware of the financial preparations needed when starting a business.
How To Make Cassava Cake
In a bowl, whisk together egg, sugar, condensed milk, evaporated milk, melted butter, and vanilla. Add in cheese, buko, macapuno, and shredded cassava.
If you want to make the flavored versions, you can add the flavoring, extract, or pure ube.
Fill muffins cups with the mixture and bake. Once cooked, add in toppings.
You can watch more inspiring stories from the video GMA’s Youtube channel:
- IT Engineer Quits Job To Sell Siomai, Now Earns P5,000 A Day - June 30, 2023
- From Chocolate Cakes To Noodles: Maricar Reyes’ Food Businesses - June 25, 2023
- How To Be A Cebuana Lhuillier Authorized Agent - June 17, 2023