A small business can be started with a capital as low as Php 2 thousand, representatives from the Small Enterprises Research and Development Foundation (SERDEF) told listeners of the “Pamilya Mo, Pamilya Ko” program aired over Radyo Veritas yesterday, March 2.
One of the ways this is possible is by becoming a dealer with direct selling companies which abound in the country, said Victoria Jardiolin, SERDEF member and CEO of Natasha, a home-grown direct selling enterprise.
Jardiolin said that the budding entrepreneur dealer can invest his or her small capital in a starter set of products (which can be cosmetics, shoes, bags, clothes, accessories and many others) and a product catalogue with which he or she can go from house to house or office to office as an independent seller. Most direct selling companies also provide orientation and training to their network of dealers to enable them to become effective in selling, customer relations, and related aspects. From such modest beginning, the dealer can grow his income if he or she is persistent and willing to work hard enough.
Aside from Natasha, other well-known direct selling companies in the country are Avon, Amway, and Tupperware.
Dr. Paz Diaz, SERDEF Board Secretary, added that aspiring entrepreneurs can build a home-based business with very little capital by cashing in on skills like web-designing, writing and editing, and desktop publishing.
While averring that entrepreneurship is not for everyone, Marilou Gatchalian, SERDEF member and Miriam College Department of Entrepreneurship Chairman, said that formal education can help develop latent entrepreneurial competencies.
On the other hand, Francisco Medina, SERDEF Trustee and CEO of MEDZ Shoe Corporation in Marikina, stressed the importance of running a business “with a heart.” The key to business growth and survival, according to him, is to offer good quality products at an affordable price, and delivered on time.
The SERDEF group also apprised the program’s listeners with the various entrepreneurship promotion activities of the foundation, including entrepreneurship and management seminars, studies and publications on entrepreneurship education, and entrepreneurship faculty development workshops.
