I saw a lot of smiles coming out of vendors from this event. I couldn't blame them because aside from the fact that this is a full bazaar, it's certainly a way to prove that there's a lot of potential for MSME's in the country. This is the STARPRENEUR Bazaar held at the FIFTH at Rockwell in Makati. This is organized by Bela Padilla and Filipino entrepreneurs Ms. Lanie Tañedo and Mr. Dennis Valbuena. If you are familiar with the brand Bela by Bela Padilla, they are the same folks who started her cosmetic, product and perfume line with her a couple months ago. This time, they're working with young Hollywood star and PH showbiz royalty Iñigo Pascual.
Iñigo says "It's something that I wanted to do for a long time. I've dreamt about it since college but I never got to finish my course in entrepreneurship. I've been involved in acting and music, and I wanted something different from that. Before I met them (Ms. Lanie Tañedo and Mr. Dennis Valbuena) I really wanted to start something but I didn't really know what to do and where to start. They showed me the ropes on how to start a business. They also showed me technology because it's different now. You really have to learn what's on trend, and for me, they really are the ones who guided me."
He adds "A lot of the products we have in herzy. is mentholated, and if you just got out of the shower, some complain from the heat, and they're already perspiring. I wanted folks to still feel fresh and clean after trying our products. The difference between men and women is, we want everything to be simple, less fuss, when you try it, it's really nice and smells good. It's easy to use and carry around. The ingredients are also natural, I even styled my own hair with it, and admit that sometimes men are even more vain about hair. We hope you love these products! I hope you love the Brow Serum which they initially designed to grow and nourish hair, last minute, we thought of using it for the brows because people often ask me about it. This was named after my Grandfather, we just turned the Herzig into Herzy to make it easy to pronounce."
Mr. Dennis Valbuena replied "We really appreciate that. Now that you've learned from us, it's your turn to guide others about the business. He was very hands on. We saw his potential right from the start."
At the event, they also took time to talk to entrepreneurs about their businesses and how they started. It was a very nice way for other entrepreneurs to learn from each other and perhaps network so they could also improve their businesses. The Runway Atelier also got their cute models on stage sing and walk for the event. Seeing kids there was super cute!
Meanwhile, I have also managed to use the herzy. products this week and so far, I'm loving the herzy. Hairstyling Stick the most. Like him, I've got pretty wavy hair which gets uncontrollable after a few hours. It made my dilemma of looking well put together easy because you can get rid of those frizzy fly away hair in just a few seconds with it. The herzy. Body Wash not only smells good, but a bit minty. It feels fresh even in the hot afternoons in Manila. They've really made a very promising line of products designed for men (that can also be used by women). Best of all, men don't have to smell like flowers LOL.
There was a bit when Inigo Pascual sat down and talked to other MSME's. The chat included Mr. Dennis Valbuena of DL Wear Private, Mr. Nio Siggaoat and Ms. Valerie Lim of beauty brand Ready.Set.Glow (RSG), Twin CEO's Mark and Spencer Elimanco of LINKIT (who introduced high tech calling cards), Ms. Audrey Ong of Sweet Kamote, Ms. Jana Berenguer of J&A The Label (of TikTok fame, you should check out their story), Ms. Rich Garceron and Mr. Jed Homar Sison of Anytime Fitness Hemady Branch (whom you might want to check out to have no excuse to go to the gym) and Ms. Elvira and Eleanor of Thermomix.
The event also featured Dani by Bela (fragrance of Dani Baretto under Bela Padilla's brand), Bela by Bela, The Runway Atelier, AY Clothing Shop, Get Spotted, Sweet Kamote, Kittly Manila, Show Idea Mayumico, iWhite Korea, Hiraya Pilipina, Pan de Carpio, Prints FX and Signs, Miruku, Duchess The Label, alas hot sauce, FizzStop, Nutral, Developers HideOut, Luka's meat products, and a lot more.
The STARPRENEUR BAZAAR was so much fun, and I hope folks not just the consumers learned a lot from the business owners who shared their stories on stage. Congratulations to Bela, Ms. Lanie Tañedo and Mr. Dennis Valbuena. Can't wait to see what you have up your sleeves this year and beyond!
