If you’re looking for ways to augment your income during these challenging times, you don’t need to look farther than your kitchen to start a business. As you may have observed, many Filipinos have already started putting up their own little ventures by offering something that we all love—food.

From ube pandesal to baked sushi, to new twists to fries and cheesecakes, our enterprising kababayans have shown their resiliency and inventiveness through these food ventures.

If you’d like to start a home business from your kitchen, here are some tips that may help you in establishing one.

1. Think of the product 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. 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, we have a range of products that can help you with your cooking and baking needs. broilers, grillers, fryers, and electric cookers. For those who are into baking, we have our mixers, food processors, ovens, and more.
5. 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. We have been running our e-commerce site for about two years now and with the new conditions dictated by the pandemic, we had to review its system and implement the necessary updates in its features to address the anticipated influx of online shoppers. Our customers can now easily place an order with just a few clicks and taps on their computers and mobile devices. Likewise, we are now offering them the option to have their products delivered or picked up from our warehouse.
6. Set up a Facebook or Instagram 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 specially, need to look delicious and enticing to attract customers.
7. Be forward-looking. 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.

Aside from being a homemaker, Cherish Ong-Chua is the Vice President, Finance and Marketing, at Hanabishi. She graduated with a degree of Marketing at De La Salle University- Taft.