13. Nikki Tabberrah, 28

Instagram: @lifebycasa

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LifeByCasa

Life by Casa is a local lifestyle brand that aims to celebrate each and everyone’s spaces with handcrafted home and self-care pieces that help make one feel right at home. This business started as a passion project last August 2020 when Nikki, a hotelier, was trying to make sense of the situation we found ourselves in. “It is undeniable that the pandemic caused a financial strain,” she admits, “so I was also looking for ways to slowly diversify my income due to the severe financial impact on the tourism and hospitality industry.”

In the beginning, Nikki merely wanted to share her creations and discoveries with others; but with the support of her friends and the community, she turned it into a business using only Php2,000 as capital. Along with her fiance, Andrew, they started selling vacuum-packed ready-to-bake bakery-style cookie dough packs and eventually transitioned to non-perishable, locally-made items like handwoven buri mats from local weavers of Quezon so they could also continue to earn a living. After seeing their business’s potential, they decided to experiment with their very own home decor product: premium handcrafted soy candles offered at pocket-friendly prices that aim to promote a sense of calm and wellness during this time.

Clean Pantry PH is an online store that carries plant-based staples from around the world. Steph is passionate about health and wellness and shares that she used to love checking out boutique fitness studios and health food stores whenever she traveled. However, when the pandemic started, Steph let her overall wellbeing fall to the wayside. She didn’t fuel her body right and started feeling the effects a couple of months into working from home. That was when she went vegan overnight and worked really hard to change her relationship with food and her body. During this time, she noticed that most of the ingredients or vegan snacks she wanted to try weren’t easily accessible here in the Philippines. That’s what made her want to start a business: to help others who are transitioning to a plant-based lifestyle.

“During a period in our lives when stress and fear are running high, there is more of a need to take good care of ourselves, our bodies, and our minds,” Steph stresses. “The Clean Pantry PH mantra is to help you nourish and flourish by bringing you the best plant-based staples from  around the world.”

11. Porshe Caina, 28

Instagram: @wear.porshelana

During the pandemic, Porshe started a business of handmade wearable art called Porshelana. They are all personally made by Porshe, so no two designs are ever the same. Porshelana aims to embrace the beauty of rawness, inner light, and freedom towards the artistic pursuit of an unconventional lifestyle. Since the business started last March 2020, Porshe has collaborated with other artists and has even had tiny auctions where people really loved bidding and buying to own their pieces of art.

Porshe admits that the inspiration behind the business was simply survival itself and getting away from the pandemic art block. “I wanted to function as an artist even when my day job and outside projects suddenly stopped,” Porshe shares. She adds that she had actually planned this a long time ago, but it was the pandemic that pushed her to finally do it.

Without regular distractions and suddenly being stuck at home doing nothing, making earrings kept her sane and she just started selling online. Everything was as a one-woman team: the designs, video prod, photos, layout, collection ideas, customer service, and shipping. “I am thankful that I was brave enough to try,” Porshe says. “This gave me a better perspective and direction.”

10. Crystel, 26

Instagram: @japaninabox.mnl

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JapanInABox.MNL

JapanInABox.MNL is an online store that started its operations in October of 2020. They offer surprise boxes curated with Japanese chocolates, candies, noodles, snacks, drinks, some anime merch, and whatnots. They also sell individual goodies and other products from Japan upon request.

Crystel shares that working from home wasn’t new for her. However, it became absurd and exhausting due to the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ). With so many demands in terms of working hours, meetings, and other tasks; Crystel became very sickly. She experienced panic attacks almost every day and had trouble sleeping. When home didn’t feel like home anymore, she realized that she needed to prioritize her health. Since quitting wasn’t an option, she decided to pursue an online entrepreneurial journey instead.

“I have always wanted to share my love for Japan and I think the best way to do it is by offering its authentic goodies through @JapanInABox.MNL,” she explains. “Even though starting a business in these trying times isn’t solid gold, the amount of support from my family and friends – special mention to my husband and mom – made me decide now is the time. As the Japanese idiom goes, Ichi-go ichi-e 一期一会 — each moment is always a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

9. Stephanie Turiano Sinco

Instagram: @plainsandplants

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PlainsAndPlants

Aside from being the Communications Officer of Seda Nuvali, Stephanie started her business Plains and Plants two months after the lockdown. It happened when she and her husband were redecorating their home and she was looking for one specific plant. When she found it, she thought, “Maybe others would want it, too.” And that’s where it all began. She built her online accounts and started posting in plant groups, amazed by the support that people had for her business.

Since the hotel was greatly affected by the pandemic, Plains and Prints became Stephanie’s avenue for happiness. She started getting clients and was able to grow her love for plant care at the same time. Clients’ feedback pushed her to bring more and more plants into people’s homes. “One thing I really love about having my own business is the time that I get to spend with my family, especially my kids,” she raves. “I can run my errands, deliver plants, and still be able to be with them. It pushed me to work harder and I’ve never been in greater joy.”

6. – 8. Pau, Keena, and Sam, 24

Instagram: @tutorlabmanila

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TutorLabManila

Pau, Keena, and Sam started the online tutorial center, Tutor Lab Manila, in July 2020, after Keena received support and encouragement from her friends and family. As she tried to figure out what to do career-wise after resigning from her teaching job, she found an enormous amount of time during the pandemic to build her own company. She then reached out to people who best suited her vision, and Sam and Pau joined the business.

The idea behind Tutor Lab is very simple: they want to help children and parents adjust to the new normal. Lots of children, especially preschoolers, decided not to enroll in schools while some parents opted for one-on-ones. That’s what they built Tutor Lab Manila for: as a supplementary learning scheme for families at the comfort of their own homes.

Additionally, they were inspired by Sam and Pau’s current situation in school, where teachers get laid off and paid a lot less. “We thought of teachers and tutors who might be in the same situation as us, and those who might be struggling even more so,” they explain. “We wanted to provide side hustle opportunities, while also providing quality service to our clients.”