Success? It may be in the bag
Entrepreneurship Fair lets USC students test marketability of their product designs
Straps
STUDENT entrepreneurs of the University of San Carlos (USC) have opted to venture into businesses that push for innovation, care for the environment and give jobs to partner communities and micro-enterprises.
Mildred Caceres, chief executive officer of Sundry Fashions and Creations, said her group has invested P96,000 to start the group’s Vogawise Matbag business, a mat and travel bag in one.
“This was the only business idea, out of the four that we submitted, that was approved by the panel because it offers something new to the market,” she said.
The mat, which is ideal for picnics or small gatherings, can be converted into a travel bag. The group targets local and foreign tourists who frequent the beach.
According to Go Negosyo, a good business idea doesn’t need to be totally new but it has to be different or better than those existing in the market. It has to be innovative, relevant to the consumers’ need, affordable and profitable.
Sundry Fashions and Creations sub-contracts their matbags from a bag maker in Talisay. The group supplies the designs. Colorful matbags are priced at P549, while plain matbags are priced at P489.
Caceres said they generated some P5,300 total sales during the first day of the 6th USC Entrepreneur Fair at the Ayala Activity Center.
The three-day fair, which ended last Monday, showcased 22 startup businesses. The combined sales of the start-up businesses for the threeday activity amounted to over P200,000.
Another start-up business, PolyCrafts gifts and giveaways, tapped the weaving skills of women from a GK (Gawad Kalinga) community in Cebu to produce bags, box organizers and puso key chain, made from discarded polypropylene (PP) straps.
Dominique Suzanne Calienta, who heads the group’s marketing and sales, said they ventured into this business to maximize the use of waste PP straps, which can still be converted into useful items.
Going green
“PP straps are a hardto-decompose plastic waste, so, instead of adding a burden to the environment, we thought of recycling the strap and turning it into crafts,” she said.
PolyCrafts invested some P90,000 to start the business. The company is composed of six members.
Calienta, a GK volunteer since high school, said she was introduced by her friend to a GK community that is into weaving. “We are not only after of the profit, we also want to provide livelihood and promote empowerment to small communities here,” she said.
The group sources their PP straps from three companies for free. Calienta urged other companies to donate their used PP straps to continue the business and advocacy that they have started.
Jomes Kemuel Ibanez, the group’s human resource manager, reported that they generated some P2,600 sales on the first day of the fair. Ibanez said most of their buyers are foreigners.
“They buy puso key chain and bags as homecoming gifts,” he said.
PolyCrafts target markets are companies and institutions.
When asked how to grow their business, Calienta said they hope to train more people into weaving or partner with other weaving communities to cope with the demand.
New skills
They also plan to partner with companies to ensure steady supply of raw materials and collaborate with designers to improve designs and come up with more product variations.
Calienta also said they plan to continue the business after graduation as they have already provided livelihood to their partner community.
The Entrepreneurship Fair serves as the practicum of the business students of the USC, where they are given one semester to craft the business plan and one year to operate the business.