Celebrity-TV personality Wilma Doesnt is among those who have adjusted well to the challenges brought forth by the pandemic. She ventured into the food business and put up a restaurant called Chicks Ni Otit. Here's a little chat with her.
How has the pandemic changed you?
It changes a lot of things from my personal point of view. As a mother I get to know more of my children since I have to stay at home 24/7. With my showbiz career I'm still into it. But I've realized having your own business is more important because it helps us survive in the trying times. Nothing is permanent in this world, but your family. Determination and your small business is yours. That's for keeps.
How did you start the food business?
Pre pandemic we opened the eatery to cater for a class C clientele. Then here comes the pandemic and we started to go delivery house to house. I do it personally to create awareness that we have a small restaurant.
Can you share with us some of your experiences dealing with it amidst the pandemic?
Every single day we encounter different types of dine-in customers. My husband is the one who cooks. I do online marketing and my three children help us in the service. We are eyeing to put a second floor.
Can you give us a personal take on how the pandemic affected the SMEs and business owners like you?
A lot of multi-million companies closed down due to pandemic. The advantage or should i say advantages of the SMEs like ours is, it's so simple for us to maintain or we have low overhead or expense in the case of Chicks Ni Otit we didn't hire any personnel. We work as a family for us to save more income and to keep our business to stay afloat.
Now that the restrictions have eased, what do you think about making adjustments?
Since it's more lenient now, we assure the safety of our customers and our staff as well. We make sure that we sanitize our utensils and glasses. Social distancing is important and the advantage of our restaurant is, we don't use aircon. It's safer due to proper ventilation, and we do general cleaning every monday.
What makes you successful in most things you do?
The secret is so simple: attitude+skills+determination=success