Nadia Montenegro, Entrepreneur and PLDT Home Biz ambassador
Cooking is more than just following recipes—it has more to do with following one’s heart as it is an act of love. For actress and entrepreneur Nadia Montenegro it’s about doing it better with passion, commitment and hard work. The success of Cucina ni Nadia is not only a byproduct of the recipes she has known her whole life; it is the result of her love for cooking and her desire to make lives better with great food.
The dream to do things better
Nadia discovered her love for cooking when she was only 9 years old, seeing her mom and grandmother hard at work in the kitchen. But the pivotal moment in her culinary journey was when she got pregnant with her first child. She realized two things: her passion was cooking, and her dream of writing and publishing her own cookbook.
Her knack for cooking was her undying fuel, but she knew that she needed the essential tools to get closer to her dream. Nadia understands the value of training and with her motivation to do things better, she decided to take weekend courses for a year at the Center for Culinary Arts (CCA). In 2019, Nadia was finally able to turn her dream into reality as she launched her very own cookbook “Have I Cooked For You?”.
But how exactly did Cucina ni Nadia come to life?
“One day, I told my friend Bechay, ‘Why don’t we record this? Let’s vlog it! So, we did, and we ended up doing eight episodes,” Nadia shares. To her surprise, many people responded positively to her vlogs. “They were telling me ‘It’s about time you did this.’”
Three years later, Cucina ni Nadia on YouTube now has over 130K subscribers.
Turning a dream into reality
Cucina ni Nadia rose to popularity and a wider reach. In 2019, also the same year she launched her very own cookbook, Nadia was one of the lucky finalists of the 2019 YouTube NextUp. Rising content creators like her were mentored by production and media channel management experts, and also received production vouchers to level up their gear.
Apart from the valuable training she received, she was always very hands-on with the whole production of her vlog and even personally reached out to her subscribers. Not a day goes by when Nadia does not spend time reading the comments section, reply to the comments, and send a message to her subscribers. For her, one of the ways to make your business better is to readily engage with viewers consistently.
“I talk to them talaga. I’m proud to say that my subscribers can feel that I’m really cooking from my heart. One priceless comment I remember is from an OFW who said, ‘I cooked your adobo and I feel like I’m home.’ Fast forward to now, and we’re actually on our 130th episode. I guess it’s really not a job anymore when you’re doing what you love,” Nadia said.
The Fastest connection to success
Connection matters a lot to Nadia. As a business owner, a content creator, and as a mother, Nadia values the strong and reliable Fiber internet connection of PLDT Home Biz. Through this, she has been empowered to master her business at home.
PLDT Home Biz, according to her, is the internet service provider that does not let her down. As Nadia handles a lot of things for her business—from deliveries to pickups, to online groceries—everything can be done despite restrictions because she has a reliable Internet connection partner.
Master business at home
Nadia’s success in her business started with a dream. With her experience, she hopes to inspire other aspiring business owners, too.
“Start small. Food is a business that everyone can relate to because we need to eat three times a day. Start with your friends and your family. If there’s one dish you think everyone will love, stick with it,” Nadia said. She added that she started with only Php 5,000. “I learned that if you really take it seriously, everything will fall into place eventually.”
“We now have social media. We have all the gadgets and tools that we need to get free promotion. If you believe in your product, go for it,” Nadia added. “Never settle for less. It’s okay to give out discounts, but remember that the priority is your ROI when starting a business.”
Of course, her last tip: value your connections. Cucina ni Nadia’s social media accounts on Instagram and Facebook have also become successful in connecting with followers and more customers. Nadia advises that having the right connections matter because they can be the partners that would help the business succeed. PLDT Home Biz, for her, is the most valuable connection to master your business because with a reliable Fiber internet connection at home, everything and just about anything, is possible.
With the new PLDT Home Biz Asenso Fibr Plans now faster, simpler, stronger and bigger where you can now be a master of your business at home. Know more about the benefits of strongest and most reliable Internet connection at home through this link.
ADVT.