#seth alegado

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Suiting Up in Social Media By Seth Melchizedek T. Alegado

Professional and budding entrepreneurs have found a home in social media platforms. With social media, entrepreneurs can connect with a larger audience and can thus promote their product or service. Consequently, they get an advantage over other entrepreneurs especially if they make full use of these social media platforms. Be that as it may, is social media for business or not?

At the core of social media is the purpose of connecting with other and/or familiar people. People set up their accounts to which they reflect themselves through their posts, reactions, and manner of use. May it be transparent to who they really are or only an aspect of them, social media accounts are established to be seen by everyone or at least a number of people. Undeniably, people tend to project themselves in social media platforms in a way that is relatable or, most commonly, likable to other netizens. This is similar to marketing, but instead of a product or service, people market themselves to an audience.

With this in mind, it cannot be said that social media is not for business because, although unconsciously, people are already branding themselves as they are. Businesses then are not unwelcome to the network. In fact, social media openly presents bigger opportunities to these businesses for expansion and popularity.

Nowadays, start-up businesses utilize social media to establish their target market even before the release of their product or service. This does not only help in their promotions and sales, but it also helps in facilitating communication and building a relationship between the entrepreneur/s and the (potential) customers. For example, entrepreneurs can get insights from customer reviews and complaints on how they can improve their product or service. Moreover, they can enhance their market intelligence from which they can refer to for marketing strategies and tactics.

Other businesses, on the other hand, use social media as their transaction channel and/or their cyber location. In particular, businesses which do not have their very own websites are free to do so as some social media platforms offer functions to cater businesses and help in some processes (i.e. gathering Web analytics data). However, these businesses may soon seek full authority or control over their site and opt to have their own website. Nevertheless, social media is truly an appropriate tool for start-up businesses.

The flexibility and authority that entrepreneurship provides suit the ease of access and popularity of social media among almost everyone in the world. Social media platforms do not only help bridge the gap but also strengthen the relationship between entrepreneurs and customers, thus benefiting both along the way. Whether for personal or entrepreneurial purposes, social media is a new ground for the corporate world.

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A Day in the Life of a Baker

By: Seth Melchizedek T. Alegado

          Cakes have always been at the forefront of any special occasion next to the celebrator (if there is any). Those layers of sweet icing spread upon blocks upon blocks of soft pastry do not fail to catch the eyes of guests and of kids especially. Add to that the handiwork and thought given to design the cake according to the theme and motif of the event which are perceived to be usually cute and artsy. Nonetheless, only a few appreciate the time and effort the bakers put into these pastries that only ever live for less than a week after coming out of the oven.

​          Froilan S. Alegado is an emerging baker in General Santos City. What had only been a simple preparation for his wife’s birthday celebration became an opportunity for him to start up a business in baking homemade, customized cakes for the public. Without any formal training in this industry, he has already acquired valued customers that do not hesitate to patronize his work, and this network continues to expand as more and more people get a glimpse or a taste of his products. His cakes are interesting and delicious enough, but his dedication also calls for as much appreciation.

​          At 5:00 a.m., Froilan starts his day with a prayer of thanks to the Lord. Then, he is up and about preparing breakfast for the family. Within these early hours, Froilan spends his time for the house and his family and sees to it that everyone has arrived safely in school or in the workplace. On a few occasions, he would wake up much earlier to catch up with morning deliveries or to continue/begin working on bulk orders.

         After sending his children and wife to their respective stations, Froilan goes to the market to buy the materials and/or ingredients needed; however, he prefers to do this 2 days before delivery. At home, he would begin preparing for the day’s order/s by creating the cake bases, boxes, fondants, gum paste flowers, and etc. If there are any orders for the next day, Froilan would also start baking the cake/s a day before which would take 1-3 hours depending on the quantity. Before frosting the cake/s, he has around 1-2 hours to do daily household chores while waiting for the cake/s to cool. When the cake/s are ready for frosting, it is time for him to get creative and design the cake/s. This process would take around an hour depending on the complexity of the design. Finally, the cake/s will be delivered right to the customer’s doorstep.

          For the rest of the afternoon, he posts his finished products in social media and communicates with previous and potential customers. Oftentimes, his wife contacts him about cake orders she had gathered within her network. He also does research on new cake recipes, cake designs, and baking tutorials to improve his craft. In the next few hours, he returns to tending the house and spending time with his family. Further into the night, he prepares for the next day’s orders once again before taking a good night’s rest.