An entrepreneur from Quezon City started her humble business in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Little did she know that this would eventually turn into a big business venture.
Owner Ergel Joy Cruz said she got the inspiration of selling egg drops after watching several Korean dramas.
Cruz said they were actually surprised when other entrepreneurs showed interest in their food business.
But Cruz noted that it wasn’t an overnight success, noting that she initially tried selling snacks like potato fries and takoyaki in 2019. However, her small business was among those affected when the COVID-19 pandemic happened in 2020.
“No’ng time na ‘yon akala ko babalik na kami sa probinsya kasi hindi na po namin kaya dito. Kasi mahal ang renta at ‘yung mga gastusin. Sabi ko sarili ko ang hirap ng ganun,” she recalled.
Cruz said she really wanted to start her own food business but doesn’t have the capital to start one. She and her family then decided to conduct a garage sale in July to raise money for her food business.
By selling their old furniture, housewares, and clothes to their neighbors, she was able to raise around P6,000.
“Nakakatuwan naman kasi nakapag-ipon kami from that. And then no’ng nag-search ako online, meron na pa lang nag e-egg drop dito,” she said.
Although she’s not a trained cook, Cruz worked hard to develop the perfect recipe.
Cruz said she worked hard to make her brand stand out from others, saying: “Inaral ko siya, tinikman ko ‘yung available sa market.”
“Una sa mga kapitbahay muna namin, pa-try ko sa kanila kung OK ba, kung pasado. And then nagulat ako na sobrang gaganda ng feedback nila. Lalo akong na-push na “ay ito kahit online lang, kahit wala akong physical store ka-career-in ko talaga ito,” she added.
Cruz said they can accommodate around 120 orders per day with her home-based egg sandwich business called “Toastado.”
In Oct. 2021, Cruz decided to offer a business package worth P39,000 that includes equipment, supplies, and kitchen training to interested clients.
From a capital of P6,000, Cruz now earns around P100,000 per month.
In less than a year, she earned 50 clients from Luzon and as far as IIocos and Tuguegarao.
But due to the influx of interested entrepreneurs, they had to temporarily halt the operations of “Toastado.”
“Gumagawa sila ng sarili nilang name, tinutulungan ko sila mula sa raw (materials), lahat po kompleto training, paano lutuin, paano magbenta. So ‘yun na po ang business namin,” she explained.
“‘Yung iba nakakatuwa from bahay nagkakaroon sila ng physical store. Ibig sabihin, maganda po talaga ‘yung business,” she added.
Cruz has a message to individuals who are planning to establish their own business: “Wag po kayo matakot sumugal. Kung gusto mo, gagawa at gagawa ka ng paraan kahit na pandemic. Kahit na ang hirap na ng sitwasyon na pakiramdam mo kung makakaya mo pa ba. Trust the process lang po and believe in yourself.”
