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Geewel Fuster: On The Blueprint of a Super Mompreneur
Raising a newborn and launching a brand are two entirely different things, but being a multi-hyphenate, architect and more recently, brand owner, Geewel Fuster shows how moms can do it all—even at the height of a pandemic
While working moms are not entirely new to the Filipino parenting narrative, taking care of one’s family by doing everything within their capacity is innate. Geewel Fuster, loving mother of two boys and wife to husband Ian, agrees. Geewel believes that Filipino moms have an inherent maternal instinct. “They want to take care of things at any cost,” she says. Citing the competitive nature of Filipinas, especially in her generation, she shares how this further elaborates that Pinoy moms will do anything for their family unit.
A Tale of Two Babies
When COVID-19 struck the country, many families stayed at their homes ensuring their family’s safety and keeping everyone’s well-being in check. Geewel had a different story: she had just given birth a few months back to Lucio and was getting herself ready to launch her lifestyle brand, Akin. But regardless of the challenges, she pushed through with her vision and was able to successfully introduce the brand this year.
“My goal is always to have a new venture to look forward to after every project,” Geewel explains. “This new brand that I just launched was conceptualized from my battle to survive the pandemic.” Akin’s story is adherent to the needs of the global zeitgeist while injecting her personal touch, encouraging collaboration over competition and giving the much-deserved spotlight on conscious and sustainable brands. “I guess every brand is a summary of the visionnaire behind it. Just like with Akin, it is my personality encapsulated in one brand.”
She adds, “Akin is something personal. It is a platform built to have a meaningful connection with creative people in areas of home, fashion, and lifestyle. My vision is to have a beautiful community of creative entrepreneurs to showcase local and curated handpicked pieces.” The goal-oriented mompreneur, of course, has her husband cheering by her side, consistently elated by her achievements. “I am lucky to have a husband who has been my supporter ever since. He even approved my brand name,” Geewel exclaims. Future plans for Akin include launching a website soon, and she and her team are absolutely excited.
The Busy Mompreneur at Home
With the pandemic forcing families to stay at home, Geewel finds the silver lining in getting to spend more time with her family. Akin, as she says, is a breather for her, a reward for being able to accomplish all the roles she plays so well. “This is my balancer from my crazy schedule since I get to be in a different world, connecting with different kinds of creative people. It’s just a matter of priority and negotiation when it comes to juggling motherhood. Prioritizing the most important to accomplish and negotiating what’s the least important to do,” she advises.
Geewel starts her day early at 5:30am since Lucio wakes up around this time. A very hands-on mom, she only has one yaya to help her with her boys. From 7-9am, you can find her assisting Lucas in his online studies. Before she takes a lunchtime break, she touches base with the family’s construction office for updates. Admittedly, lunchtime is also a chance for her to answer queries for her brand. From here till dinnertime, she busies herself juggling motherly duties and mom-boss priorities. Setting aside her “me time” at 8pm after the kids have gone to sleep, Geewel ekes in about 30 minutes for cardio and some time to do her skincare routine.
Different Outlets of Creativity
“My creative visions keep me going every day,” Geewel shares. “I need to have something for myself, or I’ll get crazy. This keeps my sanity in place.” One recent venture is her foray into journalism. You can find her column, Memoirs of the Overdressed, at OneMega.com. This is her way of voicing out her creativity. Comparing her work with Akin, she says, “Running a new brand is a different story. It’s another baby. I guess it’s like having different kinds of kids with different personalities. You take care of them individually. And you have to love them unconditionally because you gave birth to them.”
And while Geewel leads a very busy life, she stresses the importance of taking time for yourself, regardless of how much time you can spare. Aside from a good workout and her skin rituals, she has found joy in eating healthy food due to its beneficial effects—balancing her moods and giving her much-needed relaxation after a hard day’s work. When the pandemic ends, she hopes to take the family out on a trip to Japan, where she looks forward to good local food and a safe place to stay for her and her family.
The Heart of a Mompreneur
Becoming a super mompreneur entails a lot of time management, but Geewel sashays through life’s runways in her own self-aware ease. She humbly cites, however, that this is something she emulated from her parents, “I was raised tough by my parents and got their leadership skills in my early days.”
Ever engaged in her personal passions and continually focused in every venture, work remains secondary in nature for a woman who epitomizes the ultimate mompreneur. At the end of the day, her family will always come first.
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