This resilient mom left her corporate career to start her own  business. She overcame challenges and built a successful flower company that blossomed amidst the pandemic.

Jenielyn Sicabalo-Nieva worked for one of the country’s leading banks before she started a flower shop business with her florist husband. Deciding to quit her job to become an entrepreneur was a tough choice to make but Jenielyn pursued her goal to spend more time with her family.

She also used the values she learned from her experience in the corporate world to bloom into a new career as her own boss.

“Grabe po yung transition po saka yung adjustment kasi nasanay po ako sa corporate setup kesa po sa ganito na business kasi mag-start po talaga from scratch,” shared Jenielyn.

(“It was a major adjustment for me to transition from the familiar corporate set-up to this kind of business where I needed to start from scratch,” shared Jenielyn.)

“Going from being an employee to working for myself was not an easy transition. Be prepared to make sacrifices along the way and get used to starting something from scratch,” Jenielyn recalls.

“Ginamit ko lang din po ‘yung values na natutunan ko po from the corporate world like customer service, kung paano mag-serve sa clients,” she continued.

(“I also used the values ​​I learned from the corporate world like customer service and how to serve our clients well,” she continued.)

“I also used the learnings from the corporate world like excellent customer service,” she continued.

In the beginning, Jenielyn faced scrutiny from her friends who doubted that she and her husband could support their family by selling flowers. Undeterred, the husband and wife duo saw the potential in establishing meaningful connections with their customers by catering to their needs during special occasions and significant milestones.

With hard work and perseverance, the couple was able to start their own business together. MP Nieva’s Flower Company specializes in making flower arrangements for weddings and other special events.

The flower shop thrived in Jenielyn’s community until the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Like most small business owners, Jenielyn and her husband had to make the difficult decision to close down their shop during the height of the pandemic in 2020.

In search of ways to provide for their growing family, she and her husband decided to move back to their hometown to start a poultry business. The couple faced hurdles along the way before they could gather enough capital to start over and return to Manila to rebuild their flower shop business.

Now, Jenielyn’s business is flourishing once more. Having been named a Gawad Madiskarte 2023 finalist, Jenielyn shares that her recipe for success is connecting to her customers’ emotions.

The annual awards recognize the members of Madiskarte Moms PH, an online community for Filipina trailblazers seeking to pursue their dreams and create thriving businesses.

“Parang nakakagulat kasi sa dami-dami pong magagaling na mompreneurs at isa po ako sa napili. Sobrang achievement po for us para ma-establish po ‘yung credibility ng aming shop na ito,” she says.

(“I could hardly believe that I was chosen among many outstanding mompreneurs of the community. The recognition was a big boost to establish our shop’s credibility,” she said.)

“It was a huge honor to have been chosen among other outstanding mompreneurs of the community. It also gave us an opportunity to share our story,” she adds.

“We serve to connect to our clients’ emotions. Flowers help deliver messages that sometimes words can’t say,” Jenielyn adds.

By setting clear priorities, she achieves work-life balance and can juggle the responsibilities of her business and home life.

“Ngayong 2024, iniisip ko na kailangan right balance lang. Kasi iba pa rin yung effect sa mental health. Balance lang dapat, may time ka for your kids and may time for the business,” Jenielyn shares.

(“This year, I will make sure that I achieve a work-life balance, to take care of my mental health. I need to spend enough time with both my kids and business,” Jenielyn shares.)

“My advice for other moms like me is to set your goals and priorities. What needs to be done first?”

When the journey gets difficult, Jenielyn says that she looks to her family as a source of inspiration.

“Tuloy ka pa rin dapat. We have to know our whys. Bakit natin gagawin to? Syempre para sa akin, may mga anak na ako, dalawa na po ang anak ko,” she said.

(“You just have to keep going. We have to know our whys. Why are we doing this? For me, I do this for my two children,” she said.)

Inspired by other mompreneurs who make a positive impact on their communities, Jenielyn gives back by patronizing products that are proudly locally made by small business owners.

Jenielyn’s journey to becoming a business owner highlights the incredible resilience of Filipina mothers like her who are part of the Madiskarte Moms PH community.