A SPRINKLE of passion. A cup of creativity. And a dash of obsession.

These are some of the main ingredients that brought a mother and her daughters into the pastries and sweets business.

When Zeny Tong?s second daughter, Marissa, asked her for a product to showcase in a sales class in college, she didn?t hesitate to suggest chocolate chip cookies. They are always a hit and very easy to market.

But she also encouraged her daughter to make variants so that her product would be more interesting.

As mother and daughter worked on the project, they instantly felt that they?re onto something they could earn from and enjoy at the same time. Thus, Sweet Success was born.

Zeny had been in the catering business for 10 years before she eventually got tired of it. She had been contemplating on her next venture when her daughter approached her for the project. It was the push she was looking for.

It helped that she has always been baking as a hobby, even taking lessons to hone her skills.

When they started Sweet Success in 1998, they concentrated on sweets and dessert bars, but they still included Zeny?s chicken relleno, a favorite among friends and loyal customers.

?I used to give chicken relleno as gift to friends, and they liked it so much that they started ordering it, too,? says Zeny.

At first, most of the orders came only during the Christmas season, but as word got around, customers came knocking all year long. That?s when Zeny?s two other daughters, Melissa and Marjorie, stepped in to help.

Kiddie fair

In October 2008, Marjorie, a hotelier in Edsa Shangri-la, suggested that they join a kiddie fair in the hotel to widen their market and expand their network.

They sold cookies with colorful, attractive designs, among them the baby collection bouquet cookies.

Their products were a hit among the kids.

It was there that they saw the demand for designer cookies and personalized cakes. This opened the door for them to venture into the kiddie pastries market.

They set up a Multiply account and posted photos of their products and other details so they could discuss with their customers special requests and order suggestions.

?We didn?t really put the prices of our products in our Multiply site because we want to encourage our customers to contact us so we could personally attend to their requests and discuss their ideas,? says Melissa.

From dessert bars and chicken relleno, they went on to add cookie lollipops, cupcakes, and theme cakes among their products.

Wholesome image

Since their target markets are kids and young moms, they are keen on keeping a wholesome image for their company. That means a big no to kinky and sexy designs.

?If a client wants us to make such designs, we give them other options or just politely refuse them,? Melissa adds.

And as they entertain ideas from clients, they also give suggestions until both parties? goals are achieved.

This ensures customer satisfaction and at the same time preserves the company?s image.

Mom Zeny does most of the baking, while daughters Melissa and Marjorie let their creativity out through the designs.

?We invest in cake design books and research through the Internet different techniques so we could create more designs for our products,? says Melissa.

It also does not hurt that both sisters are very hands on when it comes to their business.

?I am very OC (obsessive-compulsive) that?s why I could not continue with my landscape painting class. But after trying out cake-designing, where everything should be in perfect order, I found my true calling,? Melissa adds.

Marissa, who is now based in the United States, designs and updates their Multiply and Facebook accounts.

Multiply site

Since joining the kiddie fair more than a year ago, they have accepted orders ranging from bridal cakes, baby shower cookies, basketball-themed cakes, and cartoon character cookies, among others.

Opening a main bakeshop is one of the immediate goals of the Tongs in the near future, but for now, they rely on their Multiply site (www.sweetsucccess888.multiply.com) and through word-of-mouth advertising.

?We are making Multiply and the Web as springboards, but we also have plans of expanding and having an outlet, to reach a bigger market,? says Melissa.

For now, they are content just baking and designing in their home, where a part of the garden is converted into an extension of their ?baking house.?

Like Santa?s elves, the family also has its gang of household helpers that assist them in the preparation of their products.

?We?re lucky because we discovered that some of our household help are really talented in packaging and making ribbons and other package designs,? relates Marjorie.

The sisters have also started to teach their help who want to learn how to design cookies.

?We have them start on the easy, little ones. That way, we could let them do the easy projects themselves,? says Marjorie.

?And it also helps when we have big projects and all of us are in our day jobs,? Melissa, a banker from BDO, adds.

Kids? approval

For them, it is very important to have their customers?, especially the kids? approval.

If a little boy loved his basketball-themed birthday cake, or a little girl?s eyes went wide with delight upon seeing her Malibu Barbie birthday cake, the Tongs knew that they have done their job well.

Every project is a learning experience for them, so they always try to accept unique and challenging orders because they know that aside from the experience, the products would be very good additions to their portfolio.

Zeny always make sure that every cake, cookie, sweet, and cupcake that comes out of her oven is done as if she is preparing one for her family.

?I cannot sell a product that I cannot serve to my own family,? she says.

And as their company?s name signifies, the Tongs are positive that greater success is in store for their sweet business.