The One with the Business
Discovering Online Shops Managed by College Students
by Angelica Orteo and Carlos Sibucao
In this fast-paced world, almost everything has become technology-driven, driving people to become more dependent on the internet. Moreover, most people nowadays use it as an opportunity to earn knowledge and money; for education and work or maybe both. How productive! Being a student in this time of pandemic has always been very challenging for everyone. But what if you’re also running a small business alongside college? Yep, it’s definitely possible!
Let’s check these various online shops managed by college students amidst Covid-19.
Soph&Stitch
If you’re into cute stuffed toys or dolls which you can give as a present to your family, friends or even to your significant other, then ask no more because “Soph&Stitch” is here to provide you with the cutest and very adorable handmade crochet dolls in town! And if you’re wondering what a crochet is, it is the art of creating textiles by using a crochet hook to interlock loops of yarns, thread or strands of other materials.
“Soph&Stitch” which was launched last October, 2020, is owned and being managed from production to finance by Sophia Marable, 19, a 2nd year BS Food Technology student from University of Sto. Tomas. Sophia started crocheting only last year just as a hobby until some people pushed her to try starting an online business of selling her personally handmade dolls. The name of the shop was originally Sophia and Stitch which was suggested by a friend but then she thought it was too long so she changed it to Soph, as people call her, and “Soph&Stitch” was born.
Currently, she only offers designs of crochet dolls that she has already made before like Koya and Cooky from BT21, fish, baby yoda, stitch, groot from Marvel’s Guradians of the Galaxy and appa from the Last Airbender. Her dolls quickly caught the attention and interest of a bunch of people when they were first posted on Facebook and so she decided to really start putting them out in the market. And worry not because her products are perfect for all ages especially to those who are young and those who are young at heart!
When asked who inspires and motivates her to push through with her small business and eventually make it grow, she answered,
“Of course loy and my family motivated me so much. My sister invested in me when I was just planning it and my other sister helped me in designing my contents (online). Now that I have continuous orders, I get motivated with the fact that I earned because I worked hard for it.”
Just like any other businesses who are just starting to make noise online, she also faces different challenges and for her the most challenging part is handling the social media market online and to have more followers/customers to engage with her shop because she added that she’s not really creative that much when it comes to designs. She also gets the anxiety that people online might not like her products but she stated that instances like that is part of the business and maybe those individuals aren’t just the right market for her.
Sophia added that before she was still able to balance her college life and her business but now that she’s taking up more major subjects, she decided to lessen the orders she accepts since her academics are her first priority.
According to her, she’s already planning to make human dolls like Disney characters soon!! If you haven’t seen and ordered one of her crochet dolls, you’re totally missing out.
So go ahead and order them in her shop’s official Instagram account @sophandstitch!!!
Classic Finds
Thrift store fashion has arisen in the country for years now, however, the pandemic hindered the industry to operate physically. Hence, the rise of Online Thrift Shops such as Classic Finds that promotes sustainability as it also debunks fast fashion. With her heart for fashion and business along with her aim to help her family earn extra income, Khiel Precious Flores, a third year student of BA Journalism in the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, launched Classic Finds last June 2020 on Instagram. With her interest in vintage vibes, she thought of the word “classic” from her shop’s name as it also fits her products perfectly.
“We are raising awareness. We care for the customers and we share for the environment,” Precious stated.
From candies and stickers she sold when was a child to selling pre-loved clothes from the 30kg bales she buys from her supplier, she continues to strive harder. Targeting teenagers and the youth who love fashion, along with accommodating and acknowledging audiences in different ages, Classic Finds now offers made-to order customized clothes personally made and crafted by Precious. Upholding sustainability, those customized items under the Precious Pieces collection, in which designs could be picked by the customers, are made from used clothes and fabrics.
Along with her burning passion in business, fashion and advocacies, she is also passionate in her studies. Hence, her difficulties in managing her time especially when deadlines would be given simultaneously. According to Precious, there would be episodes when she doesn’t want to do anything at all — — both academic and business stuff. Aside from that, The competition between what’s cheaper and more affordable is another challenge as it also challenges the business’ capital and labor.
“Saan mo kukunin ang capital mo? Paano ka mag-start? Paano mo mage-gain ang trust ng mga tao? Paano ka makikilala lalo na now na andami nang start up businesses?”
These are just some of the challenges that Precious has faced in starting up her business but according to her, gaining customers is the most challenging part. Regardless of those dilemmas in both academic and business aspects, she finds inspiration and motivation within her family, along with her love for clothes and her dream to be recognized, building her own fashion brand in the future. Also, with the presence of God and of the people who supported and is still supporting her together with the customers, her drive to continue further sparked.
“Someday, in my own little way, I will change the world.”
As her business helped her family a lot, it has also guided her towards her self-discovery; learning a lot of things she would have not known if she didn’t pursue her business. Given that fact, she wants to give back and share her blessings and success in the future. In addition to having physical stores and more customers to come, she also aims to have beneficiaries, donating to organizations aligned with the advocacies she’s upholding such as women empowerment, ending gender-based violence and environmental protection. As she truly believes that her main purpose in life is to help other people, she wants to use her business as an instrument to achieve that.
Visit @classic.finds_ now to know and discover their products more. For women empowerment and for a better environment, shop now!
Anklet Kulet!
Are handmade and woven accessories a part of your fashion staple? Good thing because we got you covered as “Anklet Kulet!” is just a few clicks away!! Anklet Kulet! is an online accessory shop started and owned by Xya May Zepeda, 21, a BS Statistics student from University of the Philippines Los Banos, which specializes in creating customized weaved accessories like anklets, bracelets, pet collars, and bag tags out of embroidery floss and mercerized yarn. She launched this business of hers last July 2019 because according to her, she has always had a thing or two for anklets, especially the handmade and woven ones. The name Anklet Kulet! is a result of her interest in word plays and it was submitted as her business pitch for their Entrepreneurship fair back in Grade 12.
When asked why she chose to produce and sell customized weaved accessories, she said that aside from the enjoyment she gets from making handmade accessories, she also loves the idea of customers being able to pick a certain design and choose the colors that speak for them.
According to her, she personally weaves embroidery floss and mercerized yarn together to create a unique piece that is perfect for teens and young adults.
But of course, managing a shop while fulfilling her academic responsibilities is not an easy thing to do and there are also struggles that come along the way like being too excited whenever she gets a new order during a weekday and being tempted to start on it right away. But in order to overcome this, she observes discipline by allotting her weekends solely for Anklet Kulet! and her weekdays for academic work. Being a college businesswoman, she is also facing challenges like being able to maintain the business amidst stiff competition and also balancing her time with the business and her personal life.
“Aside from being able to help my family financially, I’ve always wanted to make myself proud and to be the best version of myself everyday. This has always been my motivation to make my business grow,” she stated.
As for her future plans, she aims to maintain her business for as long as she can and eventually make it bigger to reach more potential buyers.
If you’re looking for high-quality, authentic, fashionable yet very affordable handmade and woven accessories, go check out @ankletkulet on Instagram now! For more details, you may refer to her shop’s highlights under the titles “how to order!” and “faqs”.
La Velé
Looking for essentials you need at home during lockdown? Worry no more for La Velé is here for you. As lovely as its name, La Velé is an e-commerce launched in August 2020 on Lazada and Shopee by Lovely Grace Campang, a second year BA Broadcasting student in the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. Targeting students and adults, her 10 shops produces various products, mostly home essentials, from different suppliers.
Transforming the pressure she felt to complete interest, Lovely decided to ask her uncle to train and help her in starting up her business. At first, she felt annoyed and pressured from her relatives running businesses on Lazada but as time passed by, her interest in the business industry grew. According to her, she doesn’t want to ask her parents for money to buy the things she needs and wants, especially in the midst of a pandemic where earning money has become harder for everyone. That’s why with the money she received from her 18th birthday, she invested in an e-commerce business.
If you’re wondering, E-commerce or electronic commerce is the buying and selling of goods and services over the internet. These business transactions occur either as business-to-business, business-to-consumer, consumer-to-consumer or consumer-to-business.
As amazing as it seems, being a student-businesswoman is not that easy. Aside from having difficulties in gaining her capital, as her parents want her to be fully independent, Lovely is also struggling in managing her time, whereas both business and academics require time and attention.
“As a seller, I need to manage my store, get products from different suppliers, track my income and expenses, pack orders and go to the drop off station to deliver it. Those were the things I needed to do everyday for Lazada. I am unmotivated to study and it’s hard for me to keep up with my blockmates since most of them are really focused on academics and organizations. Time is my biggest struggle, and physical, mental, and emotional health are next,” she stated.
Despite the different struggles she is facing, with the help of her family’s motivation that she can also succeed in the industry like them, she chose to continue to strive for she also wants to invest in the things she needs in order to be stable in life. As for her future plans, she wants to add different stores more and hopefully, to produce her own products.
What are you waiting for? Open your Lazada and Shopee mobile applications now and check out La Velé’s shops to know more about their products! You can also check out their Instagram @laveleshop.
Shookulit
Now for the chocolate products like pastry lovers out there, don’t worry because we didn’t forget you! “Shookulit” is another online shop which sells imported chocolate ingredients for baking, brownies and also Cabanatuan longganisa! It is owned by Abby Tantoco, a BS Architecture student from Polytechnic University of the Philippines who just launched “Shookulit” last September, 2020, to help with her family’s income during this pandemic.
According to Abby, baking became one of the trends during the pandemic when it comes to hobbies so she thought it’s a wise choice to sell raw materials for baking since the market competition in selling baked goods was already high. She said that she gets her chocolate ingredients from a close friend supplier and the brownies are home baked.
She also shared to us that one of her struggles is that people even message her during her class hours for orders and there are times when she finishes those orders first before her school works. It is also a challenge for her to promote online especially when people don’t seem to notice as Filipinos are still very picky with food. Another one is that some of her close friends also ask for discounts when buying her products.
Abby added that her family is her number one inspiration which motivates her a lot in handling her chocolate business as they really helped her push through in finding customers, setting prices, etc. And because of the fact that she really started it to help the family in paying bills and other necessities.
She’s now planning to make promos, additional flavors for the brownies and also put on a sale during occasional events. So what are you waiting for? You can check and avail this chocolatey goodness through Shookulit’s Instagram account @Shookulit™️ (@shookulit.ph) and on Facebook at @shookulit.ph!!
It’s been almost a year now of us being stuck in our own homes. This pandemic has affected many lives and has shut down many businesses but these college students proved that they can be young entrepreneurs who can create their own platforms through social media to sell their crafts to the world while still fulfilling their academic responsibilities. So let’s all show our support to their small businesses online and avail their products because who knows, one day they might be the next big companies that we’re going to look up to!!
