With MSMEs comprising 99.5% of business enterprises in the Philippines, the need for them to adapt to the changing market and increase their reach is more important than ever. Recognizing this, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has identified the digitization and innovation of MSMEs as one of their key priorities as they continue to improve productivity growth and generate employment opportunities among MSMEs. Many entrepreneurs now go online to scale their businesses through the variety of tools, features, and opportunities that e-commerce offers.

E-commerce platforms such as Shopee are not only accessible, but also a more seamless way for all kinds of businesses to go online. With its wide reach and initiatives such as Shopee’s first mega sale of the year, the 3.3-3.15 Mega Shopping Sale, sellers such as Geline and Camil are able to find new opportunities for their businesses spurred by two deep passions: love for fashion, and advocating animal rights. 

From fashion enthusiast to loungewear entrepreneur

From being an avid online shopper, Geline’s background and love for fashion enabled her to thrive as an online seller. With her knowledge of the tiangge (bazaar) market scene, she initially sold her mother’s creations of printed dresses in a brick-and-mortar store. When the popularity of e-commerce platforms grew in 2020, Geline decided to ride the wave and bring her business online selling sleepwear and loungewear that she designs herself at Trend Studio Manila. 

Shopee continues to be Geline’s platform of choice, even now that she’s a seller. She started joining Shopee’s monthly campaigns mid-2022, and saw first-hand how the added exposure from marketing campaigns helped her reach more customers. At present, Geline has more than 50 staff who help sew and reproduce her own designs. She even recalls being overcome with the feeling of kilig after acquiring a truck for her business and buying their family’s dream house.

“At first, I never saw myself as a full-time entrepreneur when I started selling online. Shopee has made it easy for me to channel my passion and capabilities, and grow our business in order to support my family and my staff. When my staff tell me stories about how they’ve renovated their homes or set up their own sari-sari stores, I feel so proud and happy because all of us share our accomplishments,” Geline shared.

A pet supply store rooted in animal rights advocacy 

Camil is a passionate animal rights advocate and part owner of House of Sioco Pet Supplies. Her online selling journey started with her buying pet supplies in bulk for their 35 rescued cats and dogs at home. When her husband Mac pitched the idea of selling some of the items online, Camil was hesitant at first because they were unfamiliar with this new terrain, but they chose to persevere. 

While there was a learning curve in navigating the platform, Camil and Mac’s hard work paid off. They availed of Shopee’s marketing packages and saw their orders double and even triple during big campaigns.They now offer about 800 product listings and average over a thousand orders per day during double-day campaigns.Their efforts in sending product photos, replying to buyers’ messages, and mentoring staff on excellent customer service, have enabled a culture of trust with both clients and her team. With this, Camil hopes to be an inspiration to other online sellers who are afraid to take the leap.

She shared, “Shopee gave us a stepping stone as passionate pet lovers and now a strong foundation as entrepreneurs. The opportunities that they have given us enabled us to grow our business while still delivering quality service to our customers who have put their trust in us. I hope my fellow sellers will take advantage of these opportunities and always put customer service at the heart of their businesses.”

Geline and Camil are a testament to what sellers can achieve on Shopee. This 3.3-3.15 Mega Shopping Sale, catch discounted products and vouchers from Trend Studio Manila, House of Sioco Pet Supplies, and many more! For more information about Shopee’s 3.3-3.15 Mega Shopping Sale, make sure to visit https://shopee.ph/m/3-3. 

This February, Cyramae Ubaldo opened a candle business, Candle La Vie, with a start-up capital of around around P10,000.

“(When) I started planning my wedding, I thought scented candles would make great souvenirs,” she recalled. Though, obviously, these would also be applicable for any other events. And “that gave me an idea to start this business.”

Since she finished BS IT, Cyramae said she never imagined that candle making would become her passion. In a way, this makes the venture challenging.

“Some days I tend to become hesitant if I’m going to pursue this business. (I have) lots of negative thoughts (about this business) – e.g. that it might fail right away, that no one would purchase the goods, that my candles won’t be pleasing compared to others,” she said.

But with the support of her partner, “I was able to push through.”

She has yet to reach ROI, but Cyramae thinks this is a profitable business.

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

“Don’t be discouraged and lose hope even if the process is difficult. It will always be hard at first. The most important thing is that you love and you’re happy of what you’ve been doing. Even it is a small progress, it’s still one step towards your goal,” Cyramae ended.

For those who want to get in touch with Candle La Vie, head to Facebook or Instagram.

Elo Athletics – better known as just Elo – was conceptualized around July 2020, and officially launched via Instagram in October of the same year with an investment of around PhP150,000 to cover startup costs and the initial inventory of products.

It was, perhaps, a line of business Jico Ambrocio would eventually enter.

“I’ve been very close to the fitness industry, trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle ever since I was in high school,” he said. “I was an active gym goer before and I pursued weightlifting as my main source of physical activity throughout college and even when I started working.”

Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, Jico was placed in a similar position as many others – i.e. “I couldn’t keep doing it because all the gyms had to temporarily close down.”

Jico tried exercising at home by doing bodyweight exercises such as HIIT, but he said he didn’t enjoy it as much as working out in the gym “maybe because there was always a feeling of isolation and uncertainty during this pandemic, that I couldn’t push myself to perform intense exercises.”

And then he came across Yoga, “and it really changed my perspective on health. Yoga taught me to be mindful of my emotions and to adopt a holistic approach to fitness.”

The newfound love – i.e. Yoga – led to the establishment of Elo Athletics.

“I… felt that the brand can open opportunities to spread the importance of taking care of our well-being, especially our mental health,” Jico said.

LOVING THE INDUSTRY YOU CHOOSE

It helps that Jico studied Business Administration and Accountancy in college, and “it has always been a personal dream to be able to start and grow my own brand. Back then, I thought my first brand would fall under either the food or fashion industry, and not in the industry that Elo is currently a part of.”

All the same, “thinking about it now, I love the industry that I’m in because I know that the products and services we can create will be valued by a lot of people since most of us really value our well-being. My degree helped me make better decisions for the brand but it was my personal experiences that really pushed me to do my best.”

As a new biz, “we haven’t reached ROI yet,” Jico admitted. Nonetheless, “I’m seeing a lot of opportunities for the brand to grow and I’m still personally investing more money in it so we can create better experiences for our customers. I would say that it’s a profitable venture because we are able to generate a healthy volume of sales, but it also requires a lot of patience to see it through until it eventually reaches ROI. Hopefully that happens soon.”

FACING CHALLENGES

There are still challenges.

“One of the main challenges I face is being insecure about the brand and its progress. I’m constantly aware of the actions of competitors and I tend to compare the growth of my brand to theirs — which has negative effects on my confidence, and belief in our products,” Jico admitted. 

However, “I have learned to overcome this feeling by focusing on the things we currently have. I realized that if I start looking inward — looking at positive customer reviews, or how many customers we’ve served, I am able to help myself view these challenges positively and constructively.”

On the business side, delivery and logistics are also challenging the running of the business. 

“I have to ensure that the products arrive to customers on time and in their best state. This means that I would also put a lot of effort into tracking the status of deliveries and communicating with customers, and consistently working with our couriers and partners to make sure that the delivery process is good,” Jico said.

But Jico is confident Elo will eventually carve its name in this industry.

JUST START

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

“Don’t be afraid to start! The fact that we have to invest money in a business means that we have a tendency to make sure that everything is perfect before launching — because no one wants their money to go to waste. However, the act of actually launching your product/service and getting it out there will really help you create better products/services for the people you cater to. Start with something small, listen to your customers, innovate and improve, and things will get better,” he said.

It helps to do initial research about the industry: the product, the prospective customers, competitors, etc. “Understanding how your brand will fit in and provide value in an industry is the key to consistently growing your brand and following,” Jico ended.

For more information or to order, head to IG: @elo.athletics, or Facebook.