Turn your hobby into a biz – Gem Zapanta

When Gem Zapanta established “Put It In Paper” in 2017, with a start-up capital of PhP5,000, it was because of a hobby. 

“Journaling/crafting was my hobby and there were items I’d like to have but didn’t come cheap so I ventured into offering my crafting services and reselling stationery,” she said.

She was actually initially apprehensive entering this line of business. “I was brought up with the thinking there was no money in this field,” she said.

But inspired by her sons, she persevered, eventually not just getting back her capital, but earning profit.

Nowadays, Gem said the big challenge is completing tasks by the deadline. This could also affect creativity. Nonetheless, she said: “Deadlines are easy to face as I work with grace under pressure. For creative blocks, that’s quite hard to (face)… but I push myself into creating even if I’m not in the mood to create because this is where I get money to pay bills.”

Since she also engages her clients to ask them what they really want, it makes the tasks easier since Gem said she no longer has to create something from scratch.

And for people who may want to also open their business, what tips can Gem give? 

“Let’s admit (that) my industry is not essential, and with the pandemic right now, you need to be practical and realistic. Competition is brutal and logistics is a challenge. But if you really want to go into the world of stationeries and crafting, you need to find your niche, build your brand, target your audience and be consistent,” Gem ended.

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