STARPRENEUR Bazaar at the Fifth at Rockwell

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!

Here's a short chat we had with him at the venue:

 

 

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.

 

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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!

UnionBank 9th E-Talktales: Helping MSME's with UB GlobalLinker Platform

The damage brought about by the pandemic has been huge. The most affected sector has been SME's and a lot of them have been downsized or closed down. Unionbank can provide them the tools to make them whatever they want to be so they get the support they need and enable them to achieve more even in the face of the pandemic. They are committed to make businesses thrive.

Unionbank has been the best MSME's bank. Unionbank's Mass Market Chief Manuel Santiago Jr. says "This is our 9th edition and Unionbank is your partner. MSME's are the backbone of the Philippine economy but have very limited support, hit hard by the pandemic. Our digital expertise enable us to help a lot of people to do things beyond banking. Running a business can be hard, and businesses have little to no online presence and have no access to financing. Today, the applications usually are paper based and tedious. Unionbank offers a solution for MSME's with a platform Global Linker so they get everything they need in one app. This has everything you need to start and grow your business. Business owners need a place to build their online store and promote their products. They can get tips from entrepreneurs, start their banking relationships in this platform. You also need the tools for financial transactions and this can access and manage accounts for MSME's without going to the bank. You can pay BIR, SSS, Pagibig, do online check deposits, avail credit lines via the app. Expansion can be easy with easy access to loans. Applications are approved on the same day and is done by data driven credit rating. Access to credit is not only limited to a few big companies. We are digitizing the supply chain via blockchain technology. With this connection we can support the growth of industries through the supply chain ecosystem. As they grow, we can make accepting and tracking payments easy. The payment gateway can provide payment requests, collect payment, fund transfer, debit cards, credit cards and access it on the MSME Banking App."

You can have GlobalLinker and meet other like minded businessmen, learn from their successful businesses and apply best practices with your own. The payment gateway can also make things easier for you to make transactions online. People are hesitant to get loans for their businesses but I guess, this would make it easier. They looked at it as an opportunity to lend to smaller businesses and develop the infrastructure that automates things even during the pandemic. They have rolled up these products faster. Today they are now able to process loans during the same day. In the past, they would be required to pass financial statements before they look at a borrower's data. Now they have MSME's who benefit from it.

You can now download the Unionbank GlobalLinker App on Google Play and visit https://unionbank.globallinker.com for more information about this platform.

BUYanihan Site and Music Video Launched

To help micro, small and medium enterprises, the Association of Filipino Franchisers Inc. just launched https://Buyanihan.shop and got several pros in the business hooked so they too could share their experiences and get PH back on track and be part of the running economy. Raffy Canare of AFFI hosted an online session to introduce the new website and their several partners who is part of their projects. AFFI President Jorge Wieneke says “This is important to handle employees, to benefit from it, this program is not a sales pitch but an offer to help MSME’s get through the hard times. These programs can be availed bu businesses and save a lot on operation costs, to help us all to recover. This is for all of us, we talk to them to help MSME’s.” They invited different groups and companies for the launch, and they all showcased their programs to help businesses weather this pandemic, hearing them optimistic amidst the economic slowdown felt so good to the ears.

LOCQ CEO Mark Yu (who also partnered with SeaOil) explained the concept of PriceLocq which is a mobile app to buy fuel for consumption later on. This gives the chance for consumers to purchase when oil prices when it’s low so you can save on fuel. This can be redeemed in 200+ stations. Aside from that, they also release exclusive offers and can be done on a fully cashless transaction. This has been launched in June 2020. Their mission is to provide certainty in uncertain times. This is part of the Buyanihan movement to mobilize msme’s amidst the COVID crisis.

One Town One Product author Asec. Dempha Du Naga of DTI says “The Buyanihan initiative is giving hope to Filipinos, to aspire them to continue their business no matter how big they are. The platform promotes physical or online selling while giving the country support for products. This reminds us we can hope for a better future for ourself and our families. DTI will continue to support entrepreneurs in the new normal, I believe this platform will bring new hope for all, we are not alone. Thank you for supporting and the work you do for your Buyanihan project. We are grateful for your help too.”

Joy Anne Kapunan FVP of Pioneer Insurance also says “The state we are in is because of COVID, and this pandemic is a health crisis we are all facing. The cost of hospitalization is no joke, it heightened the need for insurance and several requests for MSME’s that is affordable and we have the insurance that tackles that. Hospitalization during this period is excluded in most insurance policies and we have Hospicash Lite to answer to that. This will respond on top of PhilHealth and HMO, because we want it to be affordable. Covid is covered, and other non pre-existing conditions. 18-60 yo can be insured and is used also by production/film outfits who needed to work even at these times. We also have MediCash that covers Dengue or Leptospirosis (350, 80 pesos respectively). We also have 10k cash assistance given to ICU confinement of COVID related cases. We hope we have given you answers that would help you and your employees.”

Emy Arcero of Security Bank says “We can provide Business Accounts for Payroll accounts, a free payment system via cloud based hris partner, business accounts that can be opened via Skype Video. We only require 50,000 for it.”

Globe MyBusiness Frances Caluya says “We are your trusted digital partner, our goal is to offer much more than the usual mobile phone business, so that so our SME’s can be more successful. We offer konsultamd at a discounted rate, we encourage return customers with Rush our loyalty platform, we also have fixed budget plans for employees, managers, for owners, free postpaid mobile plans and free Facebook ad credits. We also have speed up broadband plans so you can go back to business fast. Call 121 if you have inquiries.”

Unionbank VP for SME banking Jaypee Soliman says “We at Unionbank are grateful for AFFI for helping MSME’s, and what we do, we try to change the future, innovations in banking, we take care of our customers. We want them to bank the way you live. Now you can bank in your home, open an account via app and get your atm delivered at home. There are a lot of things you can do with the app. Our Unionbank Globallinker can connect you with 300k SME’s in the platform, even if you don’t have a Unionbank account. We also have a free website, to put up free ecommerce stores, have different suppliers worldwide. You can talk to peers, have quick access to accounts and borrowing funds. We have relationship managers to take care of you, even have a business Bizstarter Account with freebies like online banking, a fully featured mobile app, to do the banking for your businesses. You can even have Payroll Management with our digital banking solutions. Bux also does Online Payments, SeekCap for loans. This is to make SME’s get help they need, the future starts with U.”

PLDT Ka-asenso’s Patrick Tang says “The importance of SME’s in rural areas is part of a whole picture, to develop the country. To help to grow, there are 1.5 Million businesses registered as MSME’s, and this pandemic affected us. How do we adapt? We shifted from nation building to rebuilding. We have a new range of solutions in supporting our MSME’s and the strategy to go online and contactless is our goal. We are committed to support you 100%. More power to you!”

Pascual Group of Companies Loraine Mora of GoCab “We want to provide services for business continuity. We just launched GoCab express to improve delivery, in best and affordable rates and prices. This go much to our partner drivers, we are new players to improve this, have efficient services and help consumers get their products fast and efficient. You can download GoCab now on Google Play or the App Store.”

There are more companies that are part of the Buyanihan program, to visit http://buyanihan.shop to know more about their efforts.

AFFI wants this project to continue businesses, protect workers in the MSME sector. They also are partners with SM and their retailers inside malls. Raffy Canare remarked “We also want them to survive not just the pandemic, but the businesses too so they could provide for their families.” The Buyanihan program is just the start, there will be more, but the partner offers are already phenomenal. They also launched the official music video called Pwede Pang Mangarap (You can still dream) sung by Gary Valenciano. Check this out!

I hope they continue supporting Filipino entrepreneurs, these guys at AFFI are good people.