Enterprise: Dream Wide Awake Company
Founder: Angela Regis
Industry: Food & Beverage
Year it was founded: 2017
Location: Pasig City, Philippines

With a passion for coffee, Angela Regis together with her husband started Dream Wide Awake, a cafe and creative company.

They bring pop-up beverage bars to events and provide commissioned creative services. They take pride in their products that are made with all-natural ingredients sourced locally and prepared sustainably.

The couple also makes sure that they don’t only offer the best coffee, tea, and chocolate drinks to their customers but also offer the best to the farmers who are behind their locally sourced ingredients.
They practice fair trade to ensure that local producers get economic benefit from their venture.

In conversation with GlobalLinker (GL), Angela Regis (AR) shares her business journey.

GL: Tell us a little bit about yourself
AR: I’m Angela, Ella for short, born leftie but was trained to be a rightie in my early years. Save for the challenges in illustration and brief moments of dyslexia, I’m now grateful to have a good combination of right and left brain thinking. I believe this gave me the flexibility to shift from the corporate world into entrepreneurship. Together with my husband Christian, I’m now able to pursue my passion by combining creative liberty with calculated moves.

GL: How did you start your business?
AR: We’re regulars at cafes, where we feel relaxed and felt inspired. Sometime years ago, the so-called third wave coffee hit the Philippine shores, and we got interested. We discovered that coffee is both an art and science—two things that me and my husband love!

As our interest grew, we took barista lessons and eventually decided to put up our own mobile cafe business, where we bring a coffee cart to pop-ups and events. Along the way, we’ve met wonderful people on our entrepreneurial journey. We’ve explored more sustainable ways of living and doing business and it became our advocacy.

Locally-grown produce also has sustainable and economic benefits, so we’ve decided to source local ingredients and participate in fair trade as gratitude to the farmers who thoughtfully grow the crops that we use in our business.
 

GL: Tell us about the unique challenges that you have faced working on this enterprise.
AR: It’s a rollercoaster ride! As an events-based company, we experience the ‘feast or famish’ effect, wherein the peak and lean seasons are high in contrast. We needed to learn - and we’re still learning – on how to manage our finances so that when the lean season comes, we can still be in good shape.

COVID-19 taught us that the lean season can extend well beyond our projections. These days, we’re learning how to be agile and flexible. We’re learning to innovate. We’re learning that Plan B isn’t really that bad at all, because it may even lead to a better path than we’ve originally planned.

GL: As a woman, was it harder or easier to face this challenge?
AR: Women and men have varying levels of strength. I find value in knowing who I really am, what my strengths and weaknesses are. This way, by knowing the real me, I am guided to the path that will eventually lead to my bliss.

GL: Do you think that there are things in our Pinoy culture that prevent women from being becoming entrepreneurs?
AR: There are still a lot of patriarchal notions that society tries to construct when it comes to women. However, there’s a silver lining. I see more and more women taking charge of their life, household, and business. I think of it as our journey as a nation--we’re not quite there yet, but we’re getting there.

GL: What is the unique advantage of being a woman in business?
AR: We are flexible. We have a huge capacity for challenges, and this gives us a better fighting chance at innovation in the face of unfortunate situations.

GL: Are there specific DTI programs, training, or assistance that helped you overcome business challenges?
AR: I learned a lot from KMME not only from the mentors, but also from my classmates and our dear DTI representatives. Their unwavering support helps us gather strength and courage to face business challenges.

GL: How was your enterprise helped and empowered other women?
AR: We may not have women employees yet or women communities that we’re helping, but it’s part of our long-term goal to collaborate with women. As of the moment, we’re using pandan bags made by women weavers in our packaging, and we’re hoping to do some more in the future.

GL: What message can you share with others, especially other women, who are looking to achieve their own dreams?
AR: Know the real you, and stay true to who you are. If you follow your bliss, you’ll always be where you’re supposed to be regardless of the challenging situation around you.

To find out more about Angela’s products, you can visit her online store here (dreamwideawake.linker.store) Buy local; support women-led enterprise!

Also read: Create your own online store on UnionBank GlobalLinker for free

To explore business opportunities, link with Angela Regis by clicking on the 'Connect' button on her profile.

Disclaimer: This article is based solely on the inputs shared by the featured member. GlobalLinker does not necessarily endorse the views, opinions & facts stated by the members