People say we all have fixed destinies – a red ribbon wrapped around our wrists, guiding us to the future that we are meant to live in. But what happens when someone cuts off the strings themselves and writes their own story? Juliana Carisle, a marketing expert, broke the cycle and took it upon herself to write her very own story.
Upon graduating last 2018, Juliana was just like every fresh graduate—lost and uncertain of what she wanted to do. At 19 years old, Juliana knew that she was meant for something; and so, the job hunting began. Throughout the years, she has successfully established a routine and made it her mission to give everything she can offer when it comes to work. But 2 years of a monotonous routine can only get you so far… And then came the pandemic.
No one was prepared for the pandemic and the endless lockdown that it came with. Many of us believed that within a few weeks, life would resume and everything would go back to normal. While some tried to perfect their dalgona coffee, Juliana took that time to rest and think about things. This particular event in her life, where her self-awareness reached a different level, is what she calls her “wake up call.” After two years of tirelessly and mindlessly doing the same thing, she started to think “Hey, maybe I am meant for something else!”
Without hesitation, Juliana built her brand. Wait, correction: she built brands (yes, plural!).
Write This was her first pandemic project, where she offered services that revolved around writing, making resumes, editing, and more. To her surprise, many clients enjoyed her services, thus allowing more opportunities to rise. On one occasion, a multi-millionaire businessman was so impressed with her work that he asked Juliana for help with his ongoing book. After offering expertise to various clients, she was surprised by how much she enjoyed creating a brand and toyed with the idea of being a full-time entrepreneur.
Despite knowing that it was risky, Juliana took the chance anyway. Why? Because the best plot twists are often hidden between what if’s, and only the brave ones are meant to find them. Living in Valenzuela offered her an interesting opportunity to cater to the city’s needs. Then came the birth of her new project, a Vendo car wash called MyLoad n Wash.
At the time, car washes weren’t allowed to open because they weren’t considered “essential”. So, she decided to snag the opportunity to invest Php15,000 to create a car wash package online. Before she knew it, she had earned a total of 1.5 million through this venture.
Creating a brand has never been more enjoyable for Juliana. With two successful brands under her belt, she wanted to branch out even further and decided to open Karisel Furniture, an online furniture store. While the possibilities were evident, she didn’t think about how hard the logistics could be. As a one-woman team, Juliana realized that it was a challenge to do everything —marketing, creating layouts, doing customer service, and even handling the packages! Finally, after listening to her heart, she came to the conclusion to shelve this project after a few orders, feeling as if everything had become a chore for her.
Instead of taking it as a failure, though, she looked at Karisel Furniture from a different angle and treated her experience as a learning curve, no matter how short-lived it had been. It’s a venture that she considers as an unfinished business. Creating a brand is always a case of trial and error, and she is grateful that in a short amount of time, she was able to become even wiser.
Now at 22 years old, Juliana has created the brand ourcase.co. From the branding and the website to the marketing and the content, she worked tirelessly. Along the way, however, she was able to establish an online partnership with an artist – the person responsible for the wonderful designs of ourcase.
Hold your horses, though. That’s still not where the journey ends! Juliana has also established Reverse Marketing and Reverse Marketing Academy, where she takes on clients and shares her experiences in marketing, sales, branding, and graphic design through online courses.
The sudden popularity of online courses allows people to learn things on their own or through various educational sites. But with Reverse Marketing Academy, Juliana made sure to make use of her platform: sharing her experiences, failed ventures, right decisions, and a multitude of stories to the world. Because despite her goals to surpass her limitations in the field of business, Juliana knows her real mission: to inspire. To make the world believe that if she could do it, then so can everyone else.
No, Juliana doesn’t think of herself as an “expert.” However, she is very well aware that she has the experience that allows her to teach and train. She may have graduated as a Magna Cum Laude, but she knows that those accolades don’t matter that much in the long run. What matters is what you’re going to do with your life. Taking control of your narrative and making choices for yourself is always a good thing.
Five years in and counting, Juliana knows that her adventure does not have a definite stop. It is a continuous ride with Juliana riding the beauty of letting go of her “what if’s”. And for as long as her story is alive, she’ll never get tired of saying this to the world: it is never too late to start and try!
Got any other inspiring people we can feature? Email me at angeline.wheninmanila@gmail.com or send me a direct message at When in Manila Angeline on Facebook. Interact with the team and join the WhenInManila.com Community at WIM Squad! Join our WhenInManila.com community on Viber, as well!
