Business 101

I just wanted to share this to you, hoping it might interest everyone from putting their own businesses.

I’ve known a guy who had a hard time getting some finances to fund his study. And eventually have learned that he stopped going to school. Few months passed, he started to bring in meryenda to school teachers and students at a school were my mom was teaching. Like Bananaque kamote que and related Filipino Favorites. I sometimes talk to him a bit, but he doesn’t talk that much, but smiles a lot. He seems to have a lot of courage within him, you can tell just by merely looking at him. He seldom frown, and i often see him smiling at people even if he doesn’t know them. We’ll i’m quite thinking that might have been an attitude possessed by a salesman. Being friendly.

I made my way to college, and my mom still teaching in grade school, i still visit her on their school when i need some money to buy some school requirements or to get some allowance. I still see him around the school selling meryendas both for students and teachers.

Years have passed, i graduated with a Bachelors degree in computer science. One day i ‘ve decided drop by my mom’s school. Didn’t noticed the guy i used to see selling his meryendas. I am thinking that he might already have taken some jobs or something.

I got my first job as a technical support in a local ISP in Baguio. I accepted the job even with a very low salary. By then i wasn;t thinking about earning that much, i was just interested in learning more.

I went home one day and was a little hungry, saw some deliciously looking banana cake laying on the table. Took some and taste good. I asked mom where she bought it. She said she bought it from the guy who ussually sell meryendas on their school. T’was the guy who used to sell bananaques and kamote ques.

I wasn’t surprised that he might sell new stuffs, it’s normal for a saleman. What surprises me is when my mom told me that this guy already owned a bakery near his house. Wow! the guy who used to sell kamote ques was able to put up a bakery by simply selling from kids.

Now i still see him selling these things. Even until owning a bakeshop. I saw him in a bus terminal one time. I don;t think he remembers me. I just smiled and said. How’s life? he said. “eto, nagbebenta pa rin ng kahit ano ano…”, then i asked “di ba you own a bakery sa trinidad na? bakit naglilibot libot ka pa ren?”… he just smiled …

I’m not really good a telling stories but i hope this one would inspire some. One question might arise from the story is that, why would he still be selling on his own, when he already own a bakery? I’ve just learned from him that, it was already almost part of his life, and makes him happy selling these cakes himself. He can actually gather feedbacks at once directly from clients. He will know if there is something wrong on the products he is selling, and the like. From these information he is able to provide better tasting cakes for his clients.
Building your business is not simply putting up a product that you think sells. You need to research and get in touch with your market and learn what they really need. A good product in the US might not be a good product in the Philippines. One good example is when you think of selling knitted jackets in metro manila, or in some other warm places. This might be a good business in cold places but not in warm areas.