The rise of e-commerce platforms in recent times has made it easier for Filipinos across the country to start their own online businesses.
Apart from generating income, there are multiple factors – both personal and external – that inspire a person to start their own business. With this increasing interest, what are the motivations that drive someone to become an entrepreneur?
For overseas Filipino workers like Donald, becoming an entrepreneur meant being able to spend more time with his family. Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, Donald worked in the UAE hotel industry. Although he was able to provide for his family, being away limited him from celebrating special occasions and milestones, so he decided to go home in 2019. When he got back to the Philippines, he made a living out of selling hotel-grade curtains and bedsheets to leverage his hotel industry experience. Initially, he marketed his products through door-to-door sales, but since he was away from his family for a long time, he wanted to spend more time at home. This is why he decided to start selling online.
Donald set up a shop on Shopee to expand his reach to a nationwide audience and boost his sales, all from the comfort of his own home. Today, he has over 100 employees helping him run his Shopee store, and is now able to spend more time with his family. “When I was away, I was never able to celebrate holidays with my family. I took the leap to go home and start my own business – which has changed my life for the better,” shared Donald.
“Because I started selling online with Shopee, time with my family is now a luxury I can enjoy since I can run my business from home. I’ve learned a lot from my journey as an entrepreneur, but I know that business is always changing. I need to adapt, change, and innovate, and Shopee makes it easier for me to do that with new features, tools, and online courses that I can access from my home.”
Meanwhile, for hobbyists like Heron, starting his own business enabled him to build relationships with his customers, and even foster a sense of community with those who share the same interests as him. Before becoming an entrepreneur, he was already an avid collector of imported action figures. When he chose to sell some items from his personal collection, Heron realized he could make a business out of his hobby. With his knowledge on the niche market of collecting action figures, Heron successfully set up his own store. Although he initially started out with a traditional brick and mortar store, he eventually transitioned to e-commerce and sold collector’s items on Shopee.
With Shopee, he was able to grow a customer base who have the same interests and hobbies. He maximizes the platform’s features to directly communicate with his buyers, and build affinity for his business. “I never expected that my hobby would turn into my full-time job. When I needed to sell some of my items to build my savings, it felt like a happy accident that there were many people like me who share the same interests and are interested in buying my action figures,” shared Heron.
“When I joined Shopee, it helped me take my business even further because it became easier to track my stocks, monitor sales, and reach new customers with the different in-app features. My relationship manager has also been a big help in guiding me every step of the way. I didn’t know how to start, but it became a lot easier with Shopee. Everything just fell into the right place at the right time.”
If there’s anything Donald and Heron’s stories have shown, it’s that becoming a successful entrepreneur is within arm’s reach. It takes drive, determination, and personal experience that spark a sense of entrepreneurship for one to take that leap and start their own business. Shopee commits itself to helping entrepreneurs drive their businesses forward through the multiple benefits of e-commerce.
If you want to become an entrepreneur and grow your business online with the numerous benefits of e-commerce, start your online selling journey with Shopee today. Download the Shopee app for free via the App Store or Google Play.