Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Aisha Mae Bada. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Aisha Mae, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

In 2020 I started a Handwoven Filipino Bag business to showcase my culture in Miami. It was a huge surprise how quickly it got accepted. I was going to various pop up events, farmers markets, store openings, fashion shows, photoshoots back to back. I was doing all these while handling social media, our website and packing and shipping orders by myself. It grew more than what I expected in just a few short months. I was ready to scale.

However, I had a turning point in the middle of all that and I realized that I wasn’t happy. It was a lot of fun, new experiences, new connections, etc. but I always felt like it wasn’t for me. That was not the business for me. I got to know myself and realized that I prefer staying at home and working on my laptop.

So I took a huge risk. I abruptly closed down my business, donated my inventory and enrolled to an amazon online school.

That day I felt reborn. It was the perfect business model for me. I could work and travel anywhere in the world. I never have to touch inventory. I don’t have to sell in events or pack and ship orders. Everything is online and I can work from bed!

This kind of business also gave me a lot of peace of mind. It aligns with my values, goals and purpose. It will give me the time-freedom, location-freedom and financial freedom that I aspire.

It was a huge risk because I already had a profitable business but I was itching to pursue something more. I just had faith and a lot of grit and I just went after it. Out of all my business ventures theres is one thing I learned – there is no growth without risk

Aisha Mae, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Ive always been an entrepreneur since I was a little girl. My first business was when I was 10 years old. I grew up in the Philippines and in the summer I would ask my dad for 500 Pesos and I would sell Filipino desserts in the street. We had one that was very popular called “halo halo”. Its shaved ice with various toppings such as jelly, ice cream, coconut shreds, leche flan, jackfruit, banana etc. It was the perfect afternoon snack. At a young age thats when I understood the magic of delayed gratification. By the end of the summer time which is 2 months, the 500 Pesos that I started with turned to 3000 Pesos. I will never forget that feeling. It felt magical. It might be such a simple story, but the lesson and value stayed with me forever.

1. You can start where you are right now
2. Focus on reinvesting your profits then reap the rewards at the end 😆😊

Im 25 now and im now hopping into my 8th business. I wouldnt say the first 7 failed because I learned and grew so much from all of them. I just know that this time around im able to apply all the skills and lessons that i learned throughout my experiences.

One thing I wanna share is that dont be afraid to take risks. Dont be afraid to fail. Dont be afraid to try.

I refuse to recognize myself as Aisha The Purse Designer In Miami or Aisha The Business Woman In the Philippines or Now An Online Entrepreneur. However, I do want to be remembered as someone whos not afraid of going after what she wants even when she had nothing, even when she had no one

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I started 3 amazon brands that didnt work out. Now im on my 4th and ive never been more ready and more confident in my life. It doesnt matter how many times you fail. What matters is that you get back up stronger than ever.

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

My last business was a Luxury Handwoven Bag based in Miami. I was selling in stores, pop ups and Shopify. My current business is solely Amazon. What I love about Amazon is you can run it from anywhere in the world without ever touching inventory. That was huge for me. My last business required a lot of leg work and handling Shopify website and customer service; amazon however takes care of that for you.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/frosty.yourslushycup?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
• Other: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B4KT3H48/ref=cm_sw_r_api_i_1JJWESK535P06GYKM2DG_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1