Of Motherhood and Running a Business: Sisters Behind Hanabishi Appliances Share Their Challenges and Triumphs
Hanabishi Appliances is known all over the country for its quality products for Filipinos. Established more than 35 years ago, the company manufactures products that give people, especially moms, the time to pursue their careers and passions — something that Cherish Ong-Chua and Candice Ong-Ang both do.
Cherish is the VP for Finance and Marketing. She oversees the accounting department and, at the same time, looks for investment opportunities for the company. She also monitors market trends, and creates and executes marketing campaigns. Candice, meanwhile, is the VP for Operations. She also heads Hanabishi’s service department and manages the company’s after-sales service.
Working Efficiently While Prioritizing Family
“Our culture in the office is very family-oriented. We follow an 8-5 office schedule, and we believe that family time is important. I try to adopt the culture that we try to promote in the office, which is to work efficiently so that we can spend more time at home,” Cherish said.
Candice shared that being a hands-on mom despite being busy with office work is something that they got from their mother.
“I think, as a mom, you just do it automatically. You have responsibilities at work, but your family will always be at the back of your mind and your first priority,” she said.
Balancing work and home can be quite challenging, especially when it comes to allotting time.
“Sometimes, there are conflicts in schedules and you have to prioritize work. But in our family, we try to work around our family’s schedule because family time is very important to us,” Candice said.
To Cherish, the most challenging part of being a working mom is “never being able to shut off.”
“I like to delve into the details of
my work to make sure we have all bases covered and we’re working as efficiently
as possible. At the same time, I make sure that the kids are doing well in
school and have eaten their meals,” she shared.
Their Favorite Mom Appliances
Apart from taking care of business and their loved ones, there is also the challenge of running a household.
Cherish, who loves to cook, said that she is thankful to have the digital pressure cooker and air fryer in her home. Both products are among Hanabishi’s bestsellers.
“The digital pressure cooker saves me so much time. Instead of taking 2-3 hours of cooking, it gets it done in an hour. With the air fryer, I get to serve my family less oily and healthier food,” she shared.
Candice, meanwhile, loves the HDESUGAR rice cooker.
“It’s my new favorite because it allows me to eat rice without the guilt. It’s a very versatile cooker as well. It can cook other dishes and even soup,” she said.
Advice to Moms Who Also Run Their Own Business
Cherish and Candice are both blessed with daughters, and they consider it their greatest achievement that they are able to take care of them while growing the Hanabishi brand.
“As a mom and a business owner, we get pulled into thinking that we need to give 100% to the business and another 100% to the family. It’s important to keep in mind that we only have 100% to give, and we need to save a good percentage for ourselves. This way, we get to enjoy the best parts of being a modern mom. It’s when we take care of ourselves that we can give our best version to our family and our endeavors,” Cherish emphasized.
It is important to know your worth as a woman, Candice said.
“We are amazing and we can do anything that we put our heart into. Prioritize it this way – God, then Family, then Work, then Social Life. You will find that everything will fall into place. Just like the exercise of how to fit all pebbles and stones into the jar, always start with the biggest things first,” she concluded.
