Because of the health crisis of the past two years, a lot of businesses had to face closures and downsizing. But on the other hand, a lot of small businesses and young entrepreneurs also took the opportunity to start their own businesses even in the midst of the pandemic. The risk continued to be great, but a lot of success stories proved that a thriving business during the pandemic isn’t impossible.
One inspiring story is that of 19-year-old Ryan Mendoza. He is the founder of Bubble N’ Fizz, an online store that sells a variety of bath bombs and bubble baths. He shares with WhenInManila.com that the idea of selling bath bombs started with deciding on an idea for their business class in school. Upon discovering bath bombs through YouTube, Mendoza instantly thought that the product was unique, a bit new to the local market, and has the potential to grow big.
Throughout the pandemic, Mendoza nursed that idea until he finally decided to put it into action. Without huge capital or financial support from his parents, he saved up a total of PHP 1,700 during his senior year of high school.
Mendoza then spent countless hours researching on his product, going through Facebook posts, online articles, Reddit threads, and YouTube videos.
“It’s all about how willing and devoted you are to learn your craft and actually loving the process from the start,” he says.
He got his first sale through Facebook Marketplace, and through word of mouth, it led to more customers.
It wasn’t all an easy journey, of course. One of the challenges he had to overcome was maintaining the quality of his product while keeping it at an affordable price.
“I used to get a lot of complaints about how the products are inconsistent, if not poor, in terms of quality,” Mendoza reveals. “It took me a year to make and improve bath bombs and at least hundreds of them ended up being breaking apart that I realize what ingredients should and should not be put in a bath bomb. It was a matter of trial and error. I’m actually grateful that it only took me a year to find the exact recipe.”
And so, from a single post on Facebook Marketplace, he was able to move his online business to other platforms and e-commerce sites, making it more accessible to a lot more potential customers.
Mendoza shares that the process of building his business also taught him how to value his time even more, especially since he had to take care of operations by himself. Even the process of creating his products became a daily habit for him.
For the first year and a half, he reveals that the business would only get up to a couple of thousand pesos in sales monthly! It doesn’t seem much, but he continued on and grew his business. Now, he earns up to six figures a month—that’s coming from a starting capital of PHP 1,700.
“Keep in mind that you have to be more understanding and are willing to put in the work with such consistency and determination, two precious keys for long-term success,” he shares.
Mendoza also shares with WhenInManila.com that he learned how managing money is one of the greatest factors that will set you apart from other aspiring entrepreneurs.
“As you can see that running a business is shaped by a combination of coordinated and complementing factors: having the habit, patience, work ethic, how you manage your assets, and how you leverage yourself in the market.”
Having gone through the journey of building a business from scratch, Ryan Mendoza shares this thought to fellow young entrepreneurs:
“Focus on the things that make you happy and feel fulfilled when you’re doing it. Have a taste of everything, but be discerning, meaning that you should only decide on the things you might think would work for you in the process. Improve upon what you are good at and use it as leverage.
“Having the mindset of chasing money is not sustainable in the long run, because once you’re tired, exhausted, or drained out, there’s no longer going to be a solidified foundation for you to push yourself to aim and strive even better. Take your time to learn and acquire experience along the way. Mistakes are there for us to ponder on it and learn from it, so do not overjudge yourself, but rather be constructively critical about what you can do to improve and progress. Remember to always be patient. Life is not a 300m sprint. It’s a marathon.”
You can check out Bubble N’ Fizz on Shopee here!
Do you have a story for the WhenInManila.com Team? Email me at vivien.wheninmanila@gmail.com or send us a direct message at WhenInManila.com Facebook Page. Join our Viber group to be updated with the latest news!
