It was a huge surprise for me when I heard Michelle,(she's 28) and her fiancé(he's 29) had netted ₱700,000.00 over the ten months they both spent baking cheesecakes from home for neighbors. What's more, they only baked on weekends!
But how did it start?
I knew that Michelle and her fiancé had just come back from New York where they had attended a culinary school together. (That's where they met.)
It took me a while to get the details, but it's certainly a story worth telling.
According to Michelle, they started baking basque burnt cheesecakes (the trending cheesecake) quite casually and to see if neighbors will like it and be willing to re-order.
To their surprise, repeat orders started to come in. Soon, through word of mouth, people they didn't know started wanting to order the same cheesecakes!
How much was she charging for each cheesecake? ₱800 per box(around 8") was her answer.
How did the customers pay? Was it cash upon pick up? No, payment was mostly through bank transfer and customers had to pay in advance. Customers had to confirm their orders 2 days before the pick up day. This meant customers had to confirm their order on a Thursday if they wanted to pick up their cheesecake by Saturday. This way, Michelle knew how many cheesecakes she had to bake on Saturdays and Sundays.
This went on for 10 months when Michelle and her fiancé had to stop suddenly. Michelle's dad had mysteriously taken ill and had decided to see a specialist doctor in the US. Michelle had to accompany her mom and dad to assist them.
Michelle's dad was operated on and has recovered. Michelle and her fiancé(now husband) are still abroad.
Technically, Michelle and her husband netted ₱700K during their 10 months of operation. But had they been able to continue their weekend home enterprise for 3 or 4 months more, I am sure they would have reached the ₱1M(net).
I had a chance to ask Michelle and her husband if they had enjoyed the time when they were receiving orders and baking cheesecakes. Michelle said she just remembers being very tired during that time. Her husband said the same thing.
My thanks to Michelle for sharing her story.
