Ex-call center agent is top female entrepreneur awardee

SHE speaks fluent English and worked as a customer service representative in one of the major call center companies in Cebu.

But 35-year-old mother of five Hazel del Castillo didn’t want to confine herself in air-conditioned cubicles and decided she wanted to be her own boss.

Her life-changing decision to start a small business selling ice candy and snack items made Castillo a winner in this year’s Search for WINNERS or Women In Need Now Entrepreneurs and Rolemodels held at J Center Mall last Tuesday.

Castillo told Cebu Daily News that she also worked as a promo specialist of a children’s wear brand, a customer service staffer and a call center agent.

“I think there is still so much more I can do and I’m fond of cooking snack items so I thought of starting a small business that I can do from home because I also have five kids to manage,” Castillo said.

Castillo started with selling snack items like masi, biko, maja blanca and ice candy. She could sell 1,600 ice candy bars daily and earn a P1,300 profit out of P3,600 income which she saves.

Tech savvy

She sells her products at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center where her husband works as a jail guard and to schools where her children study in.

Castillo’s former co-workers questioned why she had to quit her well-paying jobs to start her own business. She said she believes that having one’s own business means earning more than a regular employee.

“You pilot your own business and what you make depends on how hard you work,” she said.

Castillo took a Computer Science course at the University of San Carlos but was unable to finish it due to cash constraints.

Her tech savvy helped her surf the Web for recipes and tutorials for her children’s lessons.

It’s this trait that helped her win the grand prize in the Asian Carrier’s Conference (ACC) Top 10 Winners held last July 30.

All winners

For that special subcategory, Castillo will be awarded on Sept. 4 at the Asian Carrier’s Conference that will be held in Shangri-la’s Mactan Resort and Spa.

Castillo will receive a Siberia Internet Kiosk, one year free broadband subscription from PLDT, P15,000 worth of PLDT, Sun Cellular and Smart products and P10,000 cash.

“That is on top of the P50,000 cash that she received for being this year’s grand prize winner,” said Search for WINNERS chairperson Carmel de Pio Salvador. Castillo also got the special awards Ms. Gaisano Grand Malls, Ms. Friendship and ABS-CBN Kapamilya Star of the Night.

Other winners were first runner-up Lourdes Badilles of Barangay Subangdaku who runs her own sari-sari store and second runner-up and Ms. San Miguel Purefoods Winnie Sicad of Barangay Cubacub engaged in selling of motor parts.

They took home P30,000 and P20,000, respectively.

Teresita Adrias of Barangay Guizo, who makes and sells puso or hanging rice was also awarded Most Promising Candidate and won P10,000 cash prize.

Special awards Ms. New Placenta and Ms. Virginia Food were given to Ma. Liza Remajo Lagura of Subangdaku.

Ms. Sunstar Bisdak Magazine awardee was Carmelita Nacua Bihag of Tawason while the Ms. San Miguel Brewery award was handed to Juliet Buhawe of Centro Mandaue.

The Ms. Uratex Foam award was given to Daisy Flor Ponce of Cambaro and Ms. Langkawi Discovery Spa award went to Rosie Galon Maramara of Looc. Reporter Aileen Garcia-Yap