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| Nicole Rudio and baby Kai |
By Leilanie G. Adriano
Staff reporter
LAOAG CITY—It took a new mom
to realize the huge market potential for babies’ products when she gave birth
to a cute baby boy, who is turning one on June.
Nicole Rudio, 36, started her
home-based online business of making personalized and fashionable baby
moccasins made of quality faux leather when she decided to resign from work and
become a hands-on mom to Kai.
Nicole used to be call center
agent, then a Casino dealer and later on she tried her stint in government
service as she headed the Ilocos Norte Public Employment Service Office under
the Provincial Government until she became a full-time mom.
For years, Nicole
and her husband struggled to have a baby and when Kai finally arrived, the
couple made it a point that the baby comes first.
With a basic sewing skills,
she learned from high school, the fashionista mom was inspired to make baby
“moccs” for Kai which is a fad in the United States.
Learning by trial and error,
her skills were enhanced by researching some sewing tips in the internet. An
unexplained feeling of excitement and satisfaction filled the air when her
first project fitted perfectly to her baby.
As baby moccs sold in the
malls and online market are rare and quite expensive, Nicole said she felt
for moms who want the best for their kids yet they can’t buy a quality yet
affordable one.
In between caring for Kai,
who happens to be a good boy, even when he is not sleeping, the breastfeeding
mom decided to start her small online business with a quality sewing machine
she ordered from the United States through her mom.
From a minimum capital of
PHP5,000 to buy raw materials, her clients of “Saka Moccs” (Saka is an Ilokano
term which means feet and moccs stands for moccasins) posted in Instagram and
Facebook have grown so fast now with at least 40 available personalized designs
Nicole herself created.
Nicole gives credit to
Pinterest, a web and a mobile application company that operates a photo sharing
website, where she got some design ideas.
According to her, she felt
enthusiastic when her first three pairs of Saka moccs was sold to an online
buyer as far as Mindanao.
Offering an introductory
price of PHP199 per pair and which later on increased to PHP300 or about 50
percent; but which is still cheaper than those sold in online marketing
sites, her creation was noticed by local and international buyers in
Southeast Asia, Japan and the United States.
While fulfilling her mom-wife
duties and sewing as her latest passion, she said, “It’s empowering as a
full-time mom because you make money while at home. You also interact with
fellow moms and learn from them,” she said in an on the spot interview as this
writer also ordered a new pair for her five-month old niece based in
Hawaii.
Describing Kai as her
greatest inspiration, she said it’s indeed a blessing to have a baby and at the
same, to push an online business she is passionate of.
With a growing number of
followers and online buyers of Saka moccs, she said she is now planning to
launch an “abel” line, a local handwoven cloth, Ilocos Norte is known
for.
Aside from that, a buyer from
Singapore has also tapped her to use authentic US leather to supply the
international market.
Apart from selling quality
handmade baby moccasins, plans are also underway for the creation of more
product lines to include trendy and comfy baby apparels.
After all, a mother knows
best for her baby.
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