How do you start a business as an OFW mom?
OFW mompreneur Cholen Nicole Valdehuesa shared that her main motivator to start a business is all about passion.
“You need to find what you like to do; your passion,” says Cholen. “It’s important to choose a passion at least because being a mom is already difficult, and adding a business would be a heavy burden if it’s not your passion,” she added.
However, Cholen’s main motivator to start a business was motherly love. Many entrepreneurs entered the business world with the goal of becoming wealthy, but Cholen was driven to enter the business because of her heartfelt commitment to her family’s well-being.
“I remember, we had our difficult times financially. We hit rock bottom,” Cholen narrated, explaining how she had to leave her full-time job to take care of her two-month-old baby. “While taking care of our son, I was thinking of anything to sell,” she said.
That is how Cholen started looking for passion in the things she could make. “I started to cook and sell Putoflan, pre-order jewelry, and tried subleasing flats just to have my own money and help my husband with our finances,” she said.
When her son reached two years old, she tried to DIY his birthday decoration. After a successful birthday party, Cholen found out that she liked decorating. That’s how BC D’Events came to life.
“My passion and love for decoration, aside from my husband’s salary, became one of our pillars for our family’s finances,” Cholen said. “I even supported my parents up until now because of my business. We were able to build a simple house in the Philippines and now, I am supporting two nephews in college,” she added.
Juggling motherhood and her business was challenging, yet Cholen’s unwavering motherly love and passion propelled her to excel in both realms.
“I remember, dala-dala ko si baby before whenever I had an event during weekdays kasi walang ibang mapagbilinan while his Dad is at work,” Cholen said.
“There were also times when my baby was doing his online classes while I was decorating the event venue,” she added.
Although she was super busy with her business, her motherly passion extended into her business endeavors, serving as one of her means of ensuring the financial well-being of her family.
“Putting up a business is a form of a mother’s love for her family,” Cholen said. “It requires a lot of sacrifices, commitment, and struggles,” she said.
“Your willingness to carry another burden just to help the family is selfless and a different level of love,” she added.
This coming International Mother’s Day on May 12, 2024, let’s take a moment to honor and appreciate the countless sacrifices that mothers have made for their families. Cheers to all the incredible mothers around the world!
