Since the pandemic happened, a lot of people have lost their jobs and now struggling to find a way to get through each day without a stable income, and I am one of them. Days after loosing my clients, I’ve decided to learn new skills using what I already have at our house, which was the stove and oven toaster. I’m now teaching myself how to bake and sell it online.

Food business is now booming and many people have entered the same field, may it be online of offline.

As I have observed, many Filipinos have already started putting up their own little ventures by offering something that we all love—food. Ube pandesal and Baked sushi are two trending in the online food business since the month of June 2020 started. One of the trending snacks I’ve tried was the Palitaw with a Twist by Palitaw Queen.

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Full of creative minds and determined souls have shown their resiliency and inventiveness through these food ventures.

If you are interested to start a home business of your own, here are some helpful tips from homemaker, Cherish Ong-Chua, Vice President, Finance and Marketing, at Hanabishi.

1. Think about a product that you want to offer.
   Are you or someone in your family good in baking or cooking? Capitalize on your skill and passion in determining the product you want to offer.
   
2. Know your target market.
   Ask yourself if the product you’d like to put out there has a market. Food, for one, can have an immediate market—your family, colleagues, and friends.
   
3. Quality over quantity.
   Make your product worth your customers’ money. Of course it goes without saying that you have to ensure that the items you sell should satisfy your customers. Offer products that they will like so that they can tell their other friends and relatives about it. This way, more people will be interested in your products.
   
4. Invest in good equipment.
   If you’re going to pursue a business in food, make sure that you have quality equipment. At Hanabishi, They have a range of products that can help you with your cooking and baking needs, such as broilers, grillers, fryers, and electric cookers. For those who are into baking, they have mixers, food processors, ovens, and more.
   
5. Make purchasing convenient.
   Make it more convenient for customers to purchase your products. For example, most businesses have gone online these days and customers can easily buy the product of their choice and have it delivered safely and securely to their home.
   
   Make the customers easily place an order with just a few clicks and taps on their computers and mobile devices. Offer the option to have your products delivered or picked up from your house.
   
6. Create a social media account.
   Most Filipinos are social media users and being on FB and IG makes you more visible to them. In fact, according to a recent Nielsen Homepanel Tack-on survey, 49 percent of Filipinos who shop groceries online prefer Facebook.
   
   In making your goods available through these social media apps, make sure that you take good photos. Food, most especially, need to look delicious and enticing to attract customers.
   
7. Think and plan ahead.
   Expect challenges to come your way and make sure you keep up with consumers’ changing behavior. It’s not easy, but with hard work and foresight, success will come your way.