HAPPY 10TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!!

    I started this blog 10 years ago today. My intention in creating this blog was to chronicle my journey in planning and actually putting up my own business and becoming my own boss. In my first post were a declaration of that purpose and an image of a Barbie CEO; the image serving as a symbol of what I wanted to achieve or project myself to look like in the future.

*Very confident and knowledgeable, dressed to impress,
and armed with the right tools to succeed* 

    Fast-forward to 10 years, this is now what my Barbie symbol looks like: 

 *Disheveled, looks lost and a little embarrassed!* 

    But kidding aside, I think the next Barbie best describes me (or what I hope I look like) (when I am not disheveled, lost, and embarrassed).

*Free, can work anywhere, a lifelong learner* 

    And then this also after accomplishing whatever I was working on. 

 *Relaxed, carefree, and with a positive outlook in life* 

    So really this time, I will tell you what happened to me and this business venture after 10 long years… I have become a professional freelancer! And it feels like I have indeed become a businesswoman and a CEO of my own company. I offer editing, writing, and marketing services to clients from various industries here and abroad! And yes, I get to be like the Barbie in the third picture because of freelancing! (Achieving fourth Barbie picture is in the works, hopefully before my retirement age :D) 

    Here is a definition of freelance/freelancer from https://www.flexjobs.com/: “a freelance job is one where a person works for themselves, rather than for a company. While freelancers do take on contract work for companies and organizations, they are ultimately self-employed.” 

    Now let’s not waste this full decade’s worth of experience that I have, shall we? Let me jot down things I have learned in my 10 years journey. These are a mix of realizations I had over putting up a business for the first time until I finally embraced fully freelancing as a business and professional career in one. 

1. Your first business might fail and that’s alright so; just learn more and try again. One’s first business may succeed or not and either way, that’s perfect. Though aiming and planning for success is important when starting a business, putting up a business involves a lot of hard work and many factors are at play. If you succeed the first time, awesome, if you don’t, learn why you didn’t and try again. My first business venture was called Super Occupation Superhero or SOS. It was specially crafted to focus on creating quality educational, motivational, and inspirational materials aimed to help children, teens, and even adults to achieve their dreams. I now know that the brand name was too long but that was just part of the problem. I also did not do a product test before launch. So after that experience, I am bent on learning more and am hoping to launch a similar venture soon. 

2. Define who your clients are. You cannot serve various types of clients all at once when you are just starting. Unless you have a lot of experiences or have put up businesses before, it is best to find just one specific market for your first business and learn how you can serve them well. Then expand to a larger market when you already have mastered your initial target. As I have mentioned earlier, my first business catered to children, teens, as well as adults. So that was another major mistake that I did in my first business venture. 

3. Find your bliss and determine how you can build a profitable business around it. It is true that if you do something that you love, you will never work another day. Your bliss can be your hobbies or the things that you love spending time on. I love learning and mentoring younger people, that’s why I built SOS. However, I failed at determining the profitability part. 

4. If you have lost your bliss, go to the core. If you realize later on that your bliss is not making you happy anymore, then rest. If you still don’t get the same inspiration from your bliss after you have rested, then find the core of your bliss and focus on that. In my case, SOS still made me happy even if it did not turn out to be profitable. But unfortunately, I cannot live (buy food) using that excitement alone. Going back to the core of my bliss, which I have identified to be helping people through Information, Education, and Communication, I was able to shift to another fulfilling but more profitable venture that gives me the same bliss: freelance writing and editing. 

5. Join communities that will inspire you to do better. Social media is wonderful because it has allowed easier ways to find people and groups that you can join, learn from, exchange ideas with, and share and understand yourself and your goals. I have joined a lot of freelancing communities, some formal, some informal and they are all wonderful, each with a unique brand that serves a certain purpose. In 2020, I had the honor to be accepted as a Member of the Freelance Writers’ Guild of the Philippines, founded by Miss Aimee Morales, MA Creative Writing graduate of the University of the Philippines and a freelance writer, editor, and writing mentor for more than 20 years. It is through that group that I realized that freelance writing is not just a means to earn money but a profession that is essential not only to academes or media outfits but even to various private industries, government institutions, and non-profit agencies that need to communicate their own products, services, and ideals and reach out to people. 

6. Learn from others but do not compare yourself to them. Each of us has our own journey to take to reach our individual goals. I have seen some people in my community easily earning six figures several times a year. It’s awesome and crazy. Sometimes I ask God, when will my turn come to earn really big money like them but of course I know I need to go through a different journey so I can be where God wants me to be. So what I do is be thankful to get to know these amazing people, be inspired by their success, emulate their best practices, adopt those that are applicable to the services that I do, and enjoy my own journey to my own kind of success. 

7. Define your own success and work towards that. This is important so that you don’t get lost on your way to your own success. Some define success by the figures in their bank accounts, some by owning a house, while some by being able to help their parents send their siblings to school. When you have a clear picture of what success looks like to you, it becomes easier to achieve it and enjoy your wins, no matter what other people think success should look like. Take one little step at a time until you can take bigger steps. The important thing is you are moving in the direction of your own dreams. 

8. Give value. Now in the 10th year of my blog, I feel more strongly about this life advice that Albert Einstein once said, “Do not try to become a person of success but try to become a person of value.” Thus, to complement item number 7 in my list, I think the best way to define success is that point in time when you also have the ability to give. If you can give love to people dear to you through your financial achievements, then that can be your success. If you can volunteer some of your time to a worthy cause and help people without expecting anything in return, then that can be a form of success as well. 

    I have been writing every now and then for this blog for ten years now, hoping to give value to the writing industry and help various audiences from both the business and communication fields. Even if my blog did not become popular nor has given me any profit, I still believe it has been an important part of my journey and success as a freelance writer and editor. 

    This blog has served as my portfolio through which I was able to bag writing and editing consultancy contracts for an online shopping magazine and an e-commerce website, among other freelance writing and editing gigs for other publishing outfits. This blog also became my avenue to express my passion for social entrepreneurship. And when I need to write (because writers just want to write, even if not for money) but my current assignments do not involve writing (e.g. editing or indexing or translating), I go to this blog and find refuge. 

    To summarize, Elle Goes Into Business blog has given me so much more than what I hoped for. While recording my business and freelance writing journey, I have learned a great deal on so many subjects. In addition, thinking of what next to write about in this blog has also developed in me a love for lifelong learning, evident in my penchant for attending seminars on various things that catch my interest. Ten years into blogging, I pray that this project has also been valuable to others somehow. My quest now for the next ten years or more is to continue this blog and of course, with it, the continuation of my pursuit to explore and share the exciting world of information, education, and communication applied to business and various professions, especially to freelancing.

    Special thanks to you who has stayed with me and my blog despite my intermittent posting.  Please stay tuned because my services shop will be available soon and so you can be the first to find out the services I can provide to help you. 

    Let me end my anniversary post with something to inspire us all -- Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do. -- Pope John XXIII

How Social Enterprises Respond to Covid-19

 

It is about a year already since the Covid-19 outbreak began in China. In the Philippines, it has been seven months since different versions of community quarantine has been put in place to combat the spread of Covid-19. If you are wondering what has been the effect of this year-long menace to social enterprises and their beneficiaries, we have gathered some relevant articles all over the world that you can read. The write-ups will show you that while social enterprises are also gravely affected because they serve the most vulnerable sectors, they also can be a model and important partner in recovering from crisis because social entrepreneurs are knowledgeable and adept in solving social problems for years.

1. Helping Social Enterprise Respond to Covid-19

https://www.socialtraders.com.au/helping-social-enterprise-respond-to-covid-19/

Published: March 23, 2020

Origin: Australia

Excerpts: Here we provide some key issues for social enterprise to consider, some tips to work closely with your customers and some useful information and financial assistance available from Governments that we will endeavour to keep updated via the Social Traders website.

2. Impact-first: Social Enterprises in the Philippines Innovate to Respond to Coronavirus Pandemic

By Adriel Nespiros

https://www.isip-ph.com/blog/2020/4/13/impact-first-social-enterprises-in-the-philippines-innovate-to-respond-to-coronavirus-pandemic

Published: April 15, 2020

Origin: Philippines

Excerpt: Social enterprises are part of the MSME sector which makes them not an exemption to the negative effects of COVID-19. Despite this crisis, social enterprises continue to innovate to respond to the health emergency whether by developing new products and services, providing alternative means of delivery, or hacking the current systems in place. Here is a list of social enterprises in the Philippines who are not only sustaining their operations but also spearheading support to help mitigate the effects of the pandemic.

Uproot - a social enterprise in the Philippines delivering farm produce during Covid-19

3.    Social enterprises also hit by COVID-19 pandemic

https://cnnphilippines.com/business/2020/8/14/social-enterprises-affected-by-COVID-19.html?fbclid=IwAR3nIFjgr9w2PdCl1AUEm-wh2soI8WXQ90lhKGpol2SyvOg6GsocpqsZW4A

By CNN Philippines Staff

Published Aug 14, 2020 6:08:50 PM

Origin: Philippines

Excerpt: “Social enterprises in the country are also suffering from the slowdown in business caused by the ongoing health crisis. Sixto Donato Macasaet, executive director of the Foundation for a Sustainable Society, Inc., told CNN Philippines’ Newsroom Ngayon Friday that more than half of its partners all over the country either had to fully or partially stop operations due low revenues as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

4. Why social entrepreneurs are critical to our response to and recovery from the COVID-19 crisis

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/05/schwab-foundation-covid-response-alliance-social-entrepreneurs-coronavirus-recovery-response/

By World Economic Forum

Origin: Geneva Switzerland

Excerpt: "Social entrepreneurs are battling at the forefront of this pandemic to serve the most vulnerable populations using their ingenuity to confront the problems on the ground.” 

Do you have any information about social enterprises and how they are coping in Covid-19? Let us know in the comments below.

8 Ways to Take Your Green Bazaar Shopping Up a Notch!

Hello, fellow eco-warriors! Like most of you, when I decided to shift to using eco-friendly products to help save the environment (which isn’t always an easy task), I soon realized that eco-bazaars is the best place to go. There we can find merchants that are kind to Earth offering loads of environment-friendly products and services, so we can do green shopping for our food, fashion, and home needs all in one place.

Surely, like I do, you have plans in your calendar to visit and buy at the latest eco-friendly bazaar happening in your town. So I am sharing these tips so you can enjoy your green shopping more and even take your green bazaar experience to the next level!

1. List down the things that you actually need to buy. Just like in any shopping activity, planning is the key to being able to shop for all you need and stay within your budget. What with tons of organic soaps and shampoo, native bags, local fresh fruits, cause-driven products, ethical fashion, refillables, and eco-friendly personal care items, etc., to be found in an eco-bazaar, it is quite possible to hoard and buy excessively which is of course, not our goal. For example, do we really need to buy a new eco bag when we already have a lot stashed at home?
   Think also if you have family and friends who will be celebrating their birthdays soon and add their names and your gift ideas in your list. Perhaps you can find an eco-friendly alternative which you can gift to them.


2. Get to know the shops that will participate in the fair. Check the event's website and see the different shops that will be joining to sell their products. View their products so that you can get an idea of their items and compare these with your list. Study also the shops for the purpose of checking if they are indeed green businesses. Sadly, there are also stores who just pose as responsible and fake their way in joining green business bazaars just for monetary gain.


3. Make sure that you got the date, time, and location right. Events like this (and other trade fairs) are usually held for a specific number of days only and which could be moved to another location by the succeeding weeks, season, or year. So make sure you got the date, time, and location details down to pat. Otherwise, you might find yourself looking for the fair in BGC when it is yet to be held there by next week, and is still being enjoyed somewhere in Quezon City.
   
   
   

   


4. Bring your containers and eco bags. Eco-friendly trade fairs usually have refilling stations so make sure you have with you clean and dry containers and eco bags to catch all your goodies. Some shops may offer reusable containers that you can buy, but in order for you to practice reducing and reusing, take a look at home for empty containers that you can bring with you instead.
   Be resourceful. You can also bring old paper bags and gift wrappers or even banana leaves to wrap your finds with. Offer to wrap your own purchased goods especially when there are buyers in line so the store sellers, who are committed to help us with our sustainable living, can have more time to serve more people. 


5. Share the event on your social media account. We all want a better, sustainable planet so why shouldn't we use our social media accounts to promote this cause. Share the poster of the event and while you’re at it, why not do no. 6 too.


6. Be a personal shopper. Maybe some of your friends are interested in supporting green businesses but don't have extra time to visit one. Offer to shop for them. This way you can help a friend and help the shops make more sales too!
   
   
7. Take along friends and family with you to the event. Take this chance to teach your friends and family on how to live a more sustainable lifestyle and help mother Earth. Show them that it is possible to change our buying habits and make conscious choices that will be our contribution to saving our home planet. 
   

   
   
8. Visit as many shops as you can! Who knows the next store might help you realize more ways to live in a more sustainable way and help other cause-driven businesses and individuals. Be generous for the Earth. Take photos of the event and share them on your social media accounts. Inspire more people to join and take part in this journey.

Bonus tip: Find and follow online these market fairs and the participating stores. Surely, other events will pop up for your next Earth-loving purchase so make sure to mark them in your calendar to not miss them. If you need your items now, you can order to them online. Remember, no step is too small for a greener and cleaner planet.

Please like, share, and comment below your thoughts and if you share the same practices or have other tips to shares when going to up our shopping game in eco-friendly fairs! Please subscribe for more content like this in your inbox! 💓🌏

My Product Finds at The Good Trade PH Summer Fair

I was lucky to have time to visit the first kick of The Good Trade Summer Fair at UP Town Center last April 13, 2019. It was also my first time to visit the mall dubbed as the place “where great minds come together to shop and dine” which I had been planning to visit since last year, so it was two points for me that day, hooray!

So armed with my list I went there like an eco-warrior aiming for the kill! But no violence here! It’s just me trying to end my habit of using single-use plastic and disposable items that are harmful to the environment.

And now without any further ado, here are my fantastic finds! Take a look and see which ones you'd like to buy too, and, just maybe, you’d find the inspiration to put up an eco-friendly business in the future to sell zero-waste items as well.

1. Castor oil from Artem – So my first purchase is castor oil from Artem Skincare and Apothecary. I did plan to buy castor oil that day but I was planning to do so at Landmark, Trinoma just before I go home, but since it’s available there, I decided to buy it. Take note that Artem do refills! I brought with me an empty bottle that day, unfortunately though, I wasn’t able to dry it properly so I had to buy a bottle from them for P30. Fifteen (15) milliliters of castor oil is P60 so in total, I spent P90 for one 15 mL of castor oil. Castor oil at Landmark is P148 for the same volume so I got to save 58 pesos! I compared Artem’s castor oil and Landmark's castor oil when I got home and they don’t seem to differ.

Castor oil from Artem Skincare and Apothecary

2. Camomile tea flowers from Artem – Artem’s stall looks very pretty especially because of their lovely dried flower tea in huge clear jars. My mom drinks camomile tea from Twinnings because it is good for her stomach, so I was excited to find lovely dried camomile flowers being sold there. I bought 250 grams and the owner Trixia gave me instructions on how to make the tea. Just a few buds are enough for a small cup. Filter is not needed as the flowers don't disintegrate in the water. You can also bring a container where you can keep your dried flower purchase.

Camomile tea flowers from Artem

3. Bamboo toothbrushes from Druid and A to ZeroWaste. Bamboo toothbrushes come in two variants, one with regular off-white nylon brush and one with black-colored, charcoal-infused nylon brush. The lifespan of a bamboo toothbrush is 3 months just like plastic toothbrushes or until the nylon becomes frayed. Unlike plastic ones though, bamboo or wood is compostable. So going for a bamboo toothbrush helps reduce the number of old plastic toothbrushes in the garbage. Remember though that the nylon brush is still plastic and must be removed from the wooden body and thrown in the non-biodegradable garbage bin. Tip: Bamboo toothbrushes are available in different stalls for different prices. Some come with a box which is nice if you intend to give the toothbrush as a gift for friends so ask the stalls if they have boxes.

I have forgotten which comes from which store but they all look quite lovely to me.

4. Reusable menstrual pad from Druid - This is the last item that I bought. I was thinking if I should get a regular pad, a night pad, or a panty liner and finally decided to go for a night pad because I thought it is the largest trash I generate each time i have a visit from aunt flo. When I got home though, I thought I should have bought all three, but that time, I only got a small budget left for just one. Maybe next time! Tip: There are other stalls selling cloth menstrual pads which look more colorful than Druid’s. Explore your options but as for me, my deciding factor to choose Druid’s is because it has waterproof cloth for the back or outer side of the pad, which I believe other pads from other sellers did not have.

Outer, waterproof side of the cloth night pad

Inner side of the cloth night pad

5. Tooth powder from ZeroBasics– Toothpowder was on my list, but I was just looking for a P20 toothpowder advertised somewhere in The Good Trade’s event page to give it a try but I could not find it. What I got instead is a full jar of 110 grams worth P180. It says on the label that it contains mineral-rich ingredients to restore the strength of the enamel and maintain healthy teeth and gums. One hundred ten grams are a lot so I am now looking for a friend who might want to try the tooth powder so we can share the bottle and split the cost. (Do you want to share?)

110 grams of ZeroBasics Tooth Powder is plenty!

6. Organic shampoo bars from Mayumi Organics – I wish I had more money with me so I could have bought more organic shampoo bars from Mayumi Organics. The bars are so fragrant and lovely for the hair, especially color-treated hair. You can choose from various scents and properties. I was chatting with a friend while shopping and she asked me to buy for her the Green Apple Shacoon bar (shampoo and conditioner cylindrical bar). Mayumi’s shacon bars are good for dandruff and priced at P160 at 65g. I got a hair fortifying shampoo bar which also helps lessen hair fall, is sulphate free, and contains Vitamin B5 to strengthen and condition hair.

Green Apple Shacon Bar from Mayumi Organics 

Hair Fortifying shampoo with gugo from Mayumi Organics

7. Bamboo milk tea straw from A to ZeroWaste – I already own a stainless steel straw (which has already been to many restaurants already and almost got left behind in the cinema, too!) and have in fact given dozens away last Christmas to family and friends. This time I opted to give the bamboo straw a try for my milk tea and frappuccino days. I got this for P35. Now my next project is finding the right tumbler to use with my bamboo straw and what establishments will allow me to use my own tumbler and not push me to buy their own-logo infused ones.  

Smooth milk tea bamboo straw from A to ZeroWaste

8. Oatmeal cookies from The Goody Train  – I got 3 pieces of oatmeal cookies for P100. I honestly did not know much about the background of the store when I purchased from them (considering that I researched about the merchants before going to UP), but I’m sure they are zero waste too since they passed The Good Trade’s screening and customers can have their takeaway in their own containers. The cookies are a nice treat to bring home after a day of zero waste shopping.

Oatmeal cookies from The Goody Train

9. Free Loofah! I got this freebie from ZeroBasics (where I bought the tooth powder) and the owner said she saw these lying around somewhere in Batangas and thought to pick them up and share them to others for free this free stuff she got from nature!

Remove the dried outer skin before using!

Are you now looking forward to visiting The Good Trade Fair too? Don’t forget to bring ecobags to catch all your goodies as well as clean and dry containers for your fragile, liquid, and/or edible purchases and refills! And also don’t be shy to ask questions from the sellers about their products. Remember that knowledge is our power in achieving a zero waste, eco-friendly lifestyle and ultimately defeating climate change.

(Texts and photos from Elle in Business)

You might like to read:

A Good Lifestyle For You From The Good Trade

A Good Lifestyle for You from The Good Trade

Are you looking forward to adopting a low or zero-waste, sustainable lifestyle? After you have reviewed your day-to-day habits and vowed to reduce the amount of stuff you waste or throw away each day, the time for you to shop has come! Of course, you know by now that you must start to shop responsibly and only choose products that will help you reduce waste and live a sustainable and eco-friendly life. Then, get to know The Good Trade PH, and consider it as your ally as you shop your way to sustainable living.

The Good Trade Fair at UP Town Center (Photo by Elle in Business)

The Good Trade organizes zero-waste and sustainability fairs and gatherings where environmentally and ethically conscious men and women can come together to converse, sell their goods, and/or shop. It is the brainchild of Jana Bunagan, who is into stock trading as her career and social entrepreneurship as her vocation, focusing on her advocacy to give back and help people achieve and enjoy a sustainable lifestyle. 

Jana began her passion projects in 2016 with Clover Hartly, now converted to Create Good, an online initiative divided into three categories: Re-Store  –  a pop-up space that gathers local brands that help various causes; Refresh – an avenue where one can donate used wedding and event flowers to hospices and shelters; and The Street Store – also a pop-up space but dedicated to giving the needy a chance to shop for free. Volunteers, especially store assistants, are welcome in these ventures. All these three are still up and running and creating positive impact in their respective cause.

Donated shoes at The Street Store (Photo from The Good Trade PH)

     The Good Trade came into Jana’s mind two years later, specifically in May 2018, when the zero-waste sustainable lifestyle became a trend. Her experiences in organizing pop-up spaces enabled her to quickly put up The Good Trade’s first fair with less than three months of preparation.

     The Good Trade’s first event was held in July 21 – 22, 2018 at the Bonifacio Global City Central Square where it was able to gather 35 merchants. 

The challenge then was how to bring merchants outside their comfort zones as most of them were only starting up, used to online selling, and consider the financing and manpower aspects in joining a bazaar a huge ordeal. But as they say, good things come to those who persevere. Fast forward to the present, The Good Trade is now having its Summer Series composed of four weekends in four locations. Recently (and successfully) concluded fairs were held in U.P. Town Center (April 13-14), and Ayala Malls The 30th (April 27-28). Next locations in the series are: 

-          Glorietta 2 (MRT/Makati), May 4 to 5

-          Alabang Town Center, May 11 to 12

(Photo from The Good Trade PH)

Some zero-waste and sustainable products being sold include organic soaps and shampoos and other personal care with minimal or no packaging or in reusable or biodegradable containers, bamboo toothbrushes and drinking straws, biodegradable cleaning materials, cloth sanitary pads, ethical fashion, fair trade food products, and many more.

https://www.facebook.com/mayumiorganics/ (Photo from The Good Trade PH)

Aside from being a venue for conscious shopping, The Good Trade Fair also hosts talks and workshops from good impact organizations. There will also be recycling stations, repair stations, and donation stations as well. Anyone can go to the Fair and shop as there is no entrance fee. Just visit The Good Trade’s website for details on future venues and partner merchants.

Information for Merchants

For interested merchants, they can visit The Good Trade website and check the dedicated page where interested merchants can apply. Only applicants that fall under at least one of the following categories will be considered:

• Bulk Food + Homemade Snacks (Package free food)
• Cause-driven (Fundraising, Provides livelihood for a community)
• Sustainable Travel (Eco-tourism)
• Ethical Fashion (Uses deadstock fabric + fair trade)
• Upcycled (Uses old materials and turns them to something useful)
• Refillables + Vegan Personal Care (Cruelty-free skin products)
• Zero-waste Tools (Alternatives to single use products)

Rates depend on the venue inclusive of taxes.

My Personal Experience

      I was able to visit the first leg of their Summer Series at UP Town Center and the merchants there were all helpful and very friendly as you can see here at my photo with Angelica, chemist and owner of Mayumi Organics, and at my short video with Trisha, proprietor of ARTEM Skincare + Apothecary. I enjoyed shopping and I will share with you my haul on my next post so you can see what items you might like. I am certain that you too will enjoy shopping and conversing with great like-minded peeps in this very, very good event of The Good Trade. 

Angelica of Mayumi Organics (Photo by Elle in Business)

Trisha of ARTEM Skincare + Apothecary (Video by Elle in Business)