A BUSINESS BORN OUT OF LOVE: THE SUCCESS STORY BEHIND THE LIFESTYLE STORE

From Employee to Entrepreneur

Entrepreneurship isn't exactly a walk in the park. It's risky, it's stressful and the success rate for new businesses really isn't all that flattering. But that didn't stop Mon Pestana, Managing Director of The Lifestyle Store, from turning his passion into one of the most successful e-commerce sites in the Philippines.

"It all started from a great need, just like how everyone else starts out. To be quite honest, there was a time when my family had a few setbacks on certain things. I was working then as a corporate individual simply trying to make a career out for myself," said Mon Pestana. "Thats where my inspiration to provide more for my family came from," he added.

At some point during his career, Mon had the opportunity to travel abroad. "One of my friends toured me around, we went shopping and I was able to come across places where I found really good deals on branded items that I normally wouldn't buy for myself. Bit by bit, I learned the ABC's on which brands are good and what are the best places to buy from. And at some point, I thought what if I bring some of these back in the Philippines to sell to my friends and some people I know that would be interested to purchase luxury bags at this price range."

"We did everything very crudely in the beginning.

Product pictures were all shot either on a bench or on a bed," Mon stated. "Some of the customers also didn't want shipping so I did meet ups and took long drives from Antipolo to places as far as Batangas. Luckily, many people bought the items and I earned profit within 1-2 weeks," he added.

The Birth of a Fashion Retail Hub

"We started out as The BagMaster Philippines. My sister Carol played a big role in influencing me to pursue this online venture. She's the one who had an online store first and taught me the ins and outs of selling on Facebook and Instagram."

Since day one, The BagMaster has sought to deliver affordable luxury for every Filipino by selling items from iconic brands such as Longchamp, Kate Spade, Michael Kors, Coach, Guess and Nine West for a fraction of the original price found in retail shops. "Our goal is simple: To make it possible for the average 'Juan' to make a stylish impression everyday without breaking the bank," said Mon Pestana.

"Before all this, we joined a bazaar at Evia Center and sold items at the trunk of my car. Since then, we've always had a Noel Bazaar in Filinvest. Now, we also go SMX to maintain our presence because it provided us the avenue to reach a wider audience. For me, one of the defining points in our history was the day when Zalora gave us a call and invited us to sell through their platform. We went from a small business selling our goods on Sulit.com and Facebook to a certified store in Zalora - and it was marvelous," he added.

As his retail business grew, Mon began expanding his product line and included luxury watches, fashion apparel and even kid's clothing into the mix which eventually led to the introduction of The WatchMaster, The FashionBuddy101, and Jsofia Clothing respectively.

Takeaways for Every Fashion-preneur

Starting a business from scratch isn't easy. There will always be speculative customers, the ones who question the authenticity of a product, and there are those who are hard to convince to shop online.

"My simple piece of advice - exhaust all means possible to fully explain what you sell and let the customers check the items because at the end of the day, their purchase decision is all that matters. We give our customers 1-year Warranty, a 30-day Money back guarantee and a Returns policy in place for their peace of mind. At The Lifestyle Store, our business is not just to make money. Establishing a continuous trusting relationship with our customers is what defines and gives meaning to our daily operations.

"I like to inspire people and mentor them, and I believe I can do that by sharing mystory. And on that note, I'll say this to every aspiring entrepreneur: Whatever drives you to succeed, it should always be who you do it for. There's no drive more powerful than one that is made out of love," Mon affirmed.