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Tyzia and Tiffany Mathay of Oh Na Na: A Bright and Colorful Motherhood

by Gretchen Gatan Fragada
May 8, 2022

Sisters and entrepreneurs, Tyzia and Tiffany Mathay open up about running a business, being each other’s support systems, and making motherhood colorful.

Growing up with a sister instantly makes life bright and colorful. And this couldn’t be more true for Tyzia and Tiffany Mathay. The two are co-founders of Oh Na Na, an accessory brand that promises a pleasant surprise with every piece.

“We’ve both always had a thing for bright, bold, and colorful accessories. Statement and fun pieces that’ll brighten up practically any outfit without having to break the bank!” shares Tyzia, the older of the two. “If we needed or had an accessory in mind that we wanted to have but couldn’t get, we’d find ways to make it. Our mom used to craft and DIY with us a lot. So we always enjoyed beading and making stuff!”

Tyzia and Tiffany Mathay on the Joys of Accessorizing

Tyzia asserts that this passion naturally trickled down to her daughter, Marina. “I love watching her have fun, playing, and accessorizing the way I do. I catch myself adoring her and saying, ‘Oh Nana!’ too often that the phrase just stuck.”

L-R: Tiffany Mathay Reyes and Tyzia Mathay Teves

“So when we decided that we wanted to share the joy and excitement of accessorizing to others, we figured why not just make and curate all the accessories we love and bring them to town? It was something we enjoyed doing anyway. So we went for it!”

On Balancing the Business and Family Time

Tyzia and Tiffany admit that running a business with your sister can be a rollercoaster ride. “In the beginning, it was all excitement and fun. Because we were both so in tune with what we wanted and how we envisioned the brand to be. We were ecstatic and eager, and we just couldn’t wait to get it off the ground.”

Working from Home

However, launching the brand proved to be a busy and challenging time. “We were so happy to be doing what we loved every day, and being surrounded by our family and kids as we worked. We’d literally be working and the kids would be playing or swimming right next to us. We thought, ‘This is what work from home and running your own business feels like? Why didn’t we do this sooner? This is so much fun!’”

Little Roadblocks

But after the business gained traction and the Christmas season approached, Oh Na Na kept getting more inquiries and orders—more than Tyzia and Tiffany Mathay anticipated. “We were completely grateful and had no reason to complain. But we also had no one to hire for help and there weren’t enough hours in a day to do it all. We were overworked with no fixed start and stop time. We were juggling our load by just passing it on to whoever had more energy, and we started butting heads a lot on how things should be done better. As sisters, we were the best of friends but also the worst of enemies. So we had to talk about each of our roles and designate them clearly. From there, we took full accountability for our own ‘departments’ and respected each other’s decisions.”

Being on the Same Page

Communication was definitely the key to ironing everything out. Tyzia and Tiffany remembered why they started the business in the first place. And from there, they fully understood that they both wanted the same thing and had the same end goal. More importantly, they had the same path to getting there. “We had to prioritize carving out family time so we weren’t consumed every hour of every day.”

Key Lessons

As two busy moms with their respective households, it was pivotal that they surrounded themselves with their support systems, didn’t underestimate their gut feelings, and avoided stretching themselves too thin.

“When we decided to launch our brand during the pandemic, we were bogged down by reasons to wait and figuring out the ‘perfect’ time to launch. We had so many plans that we felt would make the brand so incomplete without. But despite the situation, the excitement and intuition we had to just go for it turned out to be the only nudge we needed and the best decision yet.”

The sisters add, “It was tempting to do everything on our own. Until we realized we couldn’t. We are very blessed to have our husbands, parents, siblings, and friends as our support system for Oh Na Na! You don’t have to do it all—even if you know you can. Trying to do everything and please everyone will only cause you to burn out quickly. Once you see the business is up and running, you will have more flexibility to balance yourself out as you please.”

One Big Family

Tyzia and Tiffany belong to a big family. Tyzia has three children—Noah and twins, Marina and Sailor. Meanwhile, Tiffany is a first-time mom to her son—Kona. Additionally, the sisters have two brothers, Gian and Justin, with the former having two children. “We have a full-blown support system with each member. And we will always have each other’s backs no matter what. Our kids have their very own instant playgroup!” shares Tyzia.

She adds, “My three kids are the first three grandkids in our family. So for a good five years, I was the only one with kids! And because we are all so close, my parents and siblings practically raised my kids with us. So a lot of the basic do’s and don’ts were what they really picked up from me.”

“Surprisingly, our kids are all so different—polar opposites even. Sometimes, it really requires different parenting styles. I keep reminding Tiff because of that, there really isn’t one correct approach to raising kids. We cater to each of them and nurture each of them based on their personalities and differences. To top it off, I believe each age group requires a different parenting approach, too. We don’t talk to and deal with the older kids the way we do with the toddlers. We are all learning as we go and really just doing whatever feels right for us.”

Learning from A Big Sister

For Tiffany, having Tyzia automatically meant she’d have someone to learn from when it came to being a mother.

“Tyz made being a mom look easy and effortless. It just came so naturally to her. I would always watch her with the kids and say to myself, ‘I’m going to be like that with my kid, too, one day.’ But I’d be lying if I said I made motherhood look as easy as she did. From Tyz, I learned not to compare. Parenting is a mix of good and bad days. Everyone has them even if you don’t see or hear about them. So it is important to find joy in each day and to celebrate every small thing. With that, I also learned from her to take photos and videos—no matter what. Being able to go back to those memories is so special—one that I get to relive over and over each time I see them.”

The most crucial lesson that Tiffany learned from Tyzia is to try to be as hands-on as possible. “Everything happens within a blink of an eye. These moments may seem hard to juggle. But they are so incredibly precious and important for them and for me, too.”

Tyzia and Tiffany Mathay: Home is Our Safe Place

Both sisters affirm that they have similar family dynamics and parenting styles. “We don’t keep our focus on one thing—whether academics, sports, music, or hobbies. We try to bring in a little bit of everything and see what sticks with each of them.” Moreover, they both try to make their homes as comfortable, cozy, safe, and pleasant as possible for their families.

“I believe we got this from our parents. We grew up knowing and feeling that home is our safe place. It’s where we can always be ourselves and be loved no matter what. Everything else can go wrong in the world outside. But we will always have our home to turn to at any given point in our lives. And that’s exactly how I want my children to feel. It’s a shelter from all sorts of storms in life.”

Text GRETCHEN GATAN FRAGADA
Photography EXCEL PANLAQUE