Coming from a family of skillful patisseries, Josephine De Lara has transformed her hobby into a business. However, this was not an overnight decision that she has made. Before she took the leap of faith to become a full-time businesswoman, Josephine was once an office employee of a private sales company.

Back then, she would make a few boxes of puto cheese and torta to sell to her officemates. They were enamored by the unique taste of her delicacies and started to refer her business to their respective acquaintances which then increased the demand for her homemade goods. 

Everything used to be manageable for her; however, as her customer base increased, the demand for her time in baking has also inevitably increased. Because of this, she made the choice in 2012 to go full-time with her hobby and make a business out of it. 

This decision was also supported by her husband who co-managed the business with her. They both attended culinary arts training in order to gain additional skills and knowledge in baking and pastry making. This enabled the workload for her to be lesser as she can also rely on her husband in the preparation of their cakes and other pastries. 

Alongside improving her skills, Josephine and her husband took the extra mile to market their businesses when they do transactions with the banks and other private companies. Her business which used to be only known to a good number of individuals has now become a supplier of several other business and companies; one of which includes the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI). 

She, later on, learn about the RAFI Micro-finance, Inc. (RMF) while waiting at the office’s lobby where she chanced upon reading RMF’s leaflet. From thereon, she joined RMF and has since become one of its loyal clients. Through her loans in RMF, she was able to purchase additional equipment for the business in order to cater to the increasing volume and demand for her products.

Although business has been growing exponentially, life as we know it has its own way of challenging a person’s resilience. This has been the case in Josephine’s life when she was diagnosed with myoma in 2017. She was hospitalized in December – a peak season for the business. This has challenged her family as she is also the prime person who does the baking. Nevertheless, she was fortunate to have a family of bakers who later on helped the family during this trying time. “Business as usual” — as she is quoted saying.

When asked on the secret to her success, Josephine would humbly share that it is all due to her faith in God, and the patience in doing business. Apart from which, she said that having the credibility and integrity is very crucial in maintaining good customer relations. 

Now, Josephine’s only daughter has already finished college and is employed in one of the leading food production firms in the country. She is also slowly training her daughter in managing the business. She is also able to employ more people in the business — with four on-call staff and six part-time workers, most of which are students. During peak seasons, she is able to employ about 20 people to be of aid to the business. 

With the increasing demand for her products, Josephine has now put up a branch in Carcar, which is managed by her sister where customers could make their orders. She also plans to take yet another leap of faith by venturing into café business which would allow her to display her products for another market segment. 

Josephine’s life is an inspiration to individuals who have the hesitation to turn their hobby into a source of income. There is always a big and grand world out there — full of possibilities. And sometimes, just like Josephine, taking that one leap of faith is just all it takes for the achievement of one’s lifelong dream.

RAFI Micro-finance, Inc. (RMF) celebrates its 20 years of elevating the lives of Micro-entrepreneurs. RMF is a program of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) that provides the vulnerable and disadvantaged with comprehensive financial services that enable them to have a stable and rewarding means of livelihood to elevate their quality of life.