HOW IT ALL BEGAN

THE DARK

Back in September 2018, I was living my usual routine, working at a bank where I had spent the past seven years. Around 6 p.m., when I got home, I saw my husband lying down while my son, Ansel, who was three years old at the time, played beside him. For the past few days, he hadn’t been feeling well — shivering, pale, and weak. I told him we should see a doctor, and he agreed. In eleven years together, he almost never wanted to see a doctor. So when he said yes, I knew he was really unwell.

He got up to get ready, but soon I heard him throwing up in the bathroom. After that, he started his Maghrib prayer before we go to hospital, while I stayed nearby, playing with Ansel. Just a few minutes later, in the middle of his prayer, he suddenly collapsed and began to shake. Within minutes, he was gone—right in front of me and Ansel. I still remember Ansel asking me with his innocent face, “What happened to Papa?”

Everything happened so fast that I couldn’t tell if it was a dream or reality.

*The doctor later said it was angina pectoris — chest pain caused by a lack of blood flow to the heart. 

TURNING POINT

After my husband passed away, there was a financial obligation I had to settle — and the amount was far beyond what I could cover with my salary as a bank employee. I kept thinking about how to resolve it quickly, and eventually, I decided to start a leather bag business.

For the past year, I had been selling leather bags as a side job, just to earn some extra income. Since my hometown is known for its leather craftsmanship, I would take pictures of bags from local stores, post them on social media, and some people would buy them.

But I knew that if I were to leave my corporate job, I couldn’t run the business like that. It had to be real, and I couldn’t do it halfway — I had to go all in. Leaving a stable job to start a business with no guarantee of success was a huge risk. All I remember at that time was telling myself, “I will make it work!”

THE LIGHT

In mid-2019, my business journey began. I decided to name my business ANSELMÉ, inspired by my son’s name, “Ansel”, and myself  “me.”

Being a self-taught business owner and a single mom wasn’t easy, but I truly enjoyed the journey. I got more time with Ansel, taking him to and from school, playing with him, and cooking for him, things I never had the chance to do while working in corporate. My network also grew. I now have employees, a supportive community of fellow entrepreneurs, and amazing ANSELMÉ customers who encourage the growth of the business and support other major players in the leather industry. And the best part? I was able to settle financial obligation within a year - something that would've impossible if i hadn't started ANSELMÉ.

Choosing to start this business is a decision I have never regretted in my life. The biggest lesson I’ve learned from this journey is: “You never know how strong you are, until being strong is your only choice.”