Today we’d like to introduce you to Cleo Salanga and Elaine Somodio. Them and their team share their story with us below.
Please kick things off for us with some background on where this story starts.
It all started off with two registered nurses, Cleo & Elaine, who had a vision to inspire and empower others. Who were both passionate about giving back to the community and hoping to make a change in the world in any way that they can. With this vision, we decided to go into business together and create a brand, Come & CE. We simply put our initials together and used a play on words, so our name is pronounced “come and see” and THAT was the start of our journey! With this brand, we hope to encourage everyone to live life authentically, become the best version of themselves, to feel beautiful and to love the skin they’re in. We are also big on mental health and self-care which is why we wanted to create a safe, judgment-free space for others to truly express themselves and a space to spread love and kindness. We want others to feel our support and to let them know that we believe in their passions, dreams and goals even if they don’t believe in it themselves.
In the Filipino culture, we have sometimes experienced the doubts and being questioned by our own families about these dreams and goals, especially if it did not relate to the medical field. And if anyone else is experiencing this or has experienced this, we just want you to know that we accept and believe in you and we are here to support you every step of the way. We want to motivate you to follow your OWN journey. We inspire, uplift, and encourage others through our daily positive affirmations/quotes or through the products that we sell. We want our products to make everyone feel beautiful and empowered. We sell accessories such as earrings, bracelets, anklets, sunglasses, and our personal favorite: crystal stone necklaces that each have incredible meanings and are filled with good energy. We love good energy and positive vibes, and that’s how we feel whenever we wear our products. We hope that with these accessories it brings people more self-love and confidence within themselves and to live life with intention. We are also very passionate about helping and trying to bring positive change within our communities. . As registered nurses, we provide compassionate care for our patients in the hospital but we wanted to do MORE. We wanted to get out there and do something!
So far, we have donated to places we believe in, set-up a virtual community service, and even collaborated with other amazing nurses in our community (Julie and Aimee) to provide covid care packages for those in need. We look forward to setting up more community service opportunities in the future. We hope through our efforts, we can inspire others to do the same as well and we can all work together to change the world and make it a better place. Like Mother Theresa says, “It’s not about how much we give, but how much love we put into giving.” We had so many big plans and ideas and we were trying to figure out how to tie our vision to inspire and empower with our love for fashion. With Come & CE, we make sure that everything we do and every product we sell means something not only to us but to our customers as well. And so here we are, brand new entrepreneurs… learning every step of the way and LOVING IT!!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. A lot of roadblocks, doubts, comparisons, fear, anxiety, etc. But like they say – It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey and every journey has its challenges. The beginning of the road was a struggle because we had no idea how and where to start. We had so many ideas, but we were trying to figure out how to put it into action. We learned through the endless resources online and through people, we know who have given us such helpful advice and guided us along the way. We had a lot of fear getting into this business – fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of not getting support, fear of other’s opinions or judgments. But we realized that everything we want is on the other side of fear. Once we faced our fears, we began to grow as a business and a brand but also grow as individuals. Other than the fears we had, some struggles we may have come across is learning how to use social media as a tool to get us out there and let us be known. Hashtags, patterns, same color schemes??? Say what??? There are so many strategies that we had no idea how to use in order to grow.
Also with both of us being full-time nurses, trying to be consistent with our content and making time was another challenge we had to overcome. But just by being our authentic selves and really engaging and connecting with our followers has made such a difference. We love this community and connecting with other inspiring businesses because we all empower each other and we all want each other to win and succeed. The overwhelming amount of support we have received so far is unbelievable. It really does make a difference in who you surround yourself with. Despite all the struggles we may have faced, we are in this for the long run!! It’s a bumpy road but it’s definitely worth the ride!!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The both of us work as Registered Nurses at one of the top Acute Rehabilitation Programs in the nation, which is something we are so proud and honored to be a part of. As rehab nurses, we care for patients who have had organ transplants, strokes, spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, fractures and so much more. We provide compassionate care and endless support to our patients throughout their entire journey to recovery and it’s so rewarding to watch their progress each and every day. We are able to connect with both our patients and their families and work with such an incredible team of doctors, therapists, managers, case managers, dieticians, etc. We have the most amazing team that works together so well in providing the best care for our patients. Like they say, teamwork makes the dream work! Being part of our patients’ journey and just hearing them say “thank you” and seeing how grateful they are before going home is what makes us feel that we are making a difference in their lives. THAT feeling is what truly fills our hearts and makes us feel whole. Nursing really is a “Work of Heart” <3
What makes you happy?
MAKING A DIFFERENCE is what truly makes us happy and we believe that this is our purpose here on earth. Whether it be by empowering or inspiring others, giving through community service, supporting other people’s goals and dreams, or helping others feel beautiful through fashion. Our mission is to make a difference and if we’re able to reach even one person, then we are fulfilled and complete. Our goal is to grow and reach more people and spread love, kindness and happiness in any way that we can. Come & CE has opened doors and opportunities for us and we can’t wait to “CE” where else this takes us. The possibilities are endless!! The support we have received so far also brings us so much joy and happiness. Special shout out to all the love we have received from our families, boyfriend, friends, coworkers, son, and all our AMAZING followers who have turned into friends. We can’t thank you enough and we appreciate each and every one of you. You guys are the reason we keep going!! We love you all!!!
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: comeandce.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/come.and.ce/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ComeCE-2085611654851915
Image Credits
Angela Dela Cruz Joshua Salanga
