Be Rewarded For Your Hard Work with Trixie Arce
November 3, 2021
Before becoming an entrepreneur, Trixie worked in advertising for almost four years. In her own words, it was a "patayan" culture where 2 hours of sleep was considered a luxury. Then the pandemic hit and one of the industries badly affected was events and advertising. Trixie lost her job. However, it was the blessing in disguise that Trixie did not expect. She finally had the time to do activities she always wanted, like blogging, vlogging, and hosting. Freelancing opportunities also opened up for Trixie. Most importantly, she can focus on Trixie’s Kitchen and grow the business.
Show Summary: “You deserve to be rewarded for your hard work.”
Trixie Arce is a part-time project manager, food entrepreneur, colleague, and one of my closest friends. She started her business, Trixie’s Kitchen, in 2017 as a hobby that first introduced her lechon belly to her family, friends, and neighbors. Fast forward to the present day, Trixie’s Kitchen can service big companies during their major celebrations and sells 200 kilos of lechon belly per season.
Before becoming an entrepreneur, Trixie worked in advertising for almost four years. In her own words, it was a patayan culture where 2 hours of sleep was considered a luxury. Then the pandemic hit and one of the industries badly affected was events and advertising. Trixie lost her job. However, it was the blessing in disguise that Trixie did not expect. She finally had the time to do activities she always wanted, like blogging, vlogging, and hosting. Freelancing opportunities also opened up for Trixie. Most importantly, she can focus on Trixie’s Kitchen and grow the business.
In today’s episode, we go one-on-one with Trixie to talk about her journey transitioning from the corporate world to the online community and all the struggles in between. She gives us tips on how she stays on track, how she juggles her day job and Trixie’s Kitchen, and the importance of self-care and prioritizing your health above all.
So please listen to the full episode, follow Trixie’s inspiring story, and share it with your family and friends.
Show Highlights:
Why is it important to reward ourselves? How did you start practicing self-care?
13:03 Trixie
- When I started freelancing, I was earning more and had more time for myself. I began practicing self-care to reward myself for the hard work that I do. I spent little by little until I set a fixed budget of P1,000 per payday for self-care. And after realizing I had hypertension due to my sleepless nights in my previous job, I saw the value of prioritizing my health. I made sure to sleep 7-8 hours every night to get enough rest.
- Accept that you deserve to spend for yourself a portion of your hard-earned money. When you put yourself in a position where you don’t receive love for yourself, that’s when you feel like exploding. And we don’t want that to happen.
What made you start a food business?
21:09 Trixie
- Trixie’s Kitchen was born during the New Year celebration of 2018. My mom asked me to cook something new as our main viand. As I like challenging myself, I thought of making lechon belly. I watched eight different Youtube videos on how to make it. I mixed and matched the recipes from those videos, added my flare, and poured my love into making my first ever lechon belly. The ending was that my family LOVED it.
- My friends also loved my lechon belly during our intimate parties. They encouraged me to offer it to other people as well. And I did. My first test market was a success, so I decided to go big and public with my lechon belly.
How was it like transitioning from the corporate world to freelancing?
49:35 Trixie
- Transitioning was a very long learning curve for me. I cried many times. There were a lot of tools required that I didn’t have experience with. I was clueless, made many mistakes, and was called out for them a lot of times. I had to sit down and learn the different project management apps and tools of the online world. It took me about 4-5 months to get the vibe of freelancing.
How do you manage your time and productivity while juggling your day job and food business?
48:19 Trixie
- Effective time management requires being on top of your schedule and knowing your heavier and lighter days. In my case, I would cook more for Trixie’s Kitchen during the lighter days of my day job and on weekends. I’m thankful for freelancing because I have more freedom and flexibility to schedule my activities. I have time to rest, do errands, self-care, and time for my business.
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