The past few years have seen a significant rise in the number of women entrepreneurs, particularly mothers who have ventured into small businesses from their homes.
In 2015, of the estimated 900,000 registered enterprises in the Philippines, 32% were SMEs and 28,000 of these were Women SMEs (or a business with 51% of ownership held by a woman or women). Eight years later, after the pandemic, the number of all registered businesses in the country stood at 1.08 million, according to the DTI in 2023. Of these, a third, or 313,608 were owned by women.
The Covid-19 pandemic gave rise to women entrepreneurs when, in 2020, over 7.3 million Filipinos lost their jobs due to the lockdowns. A report by the Asian Development Bank in 2021 revealed that employed Filipino women accounted for 44% of job losses in the second quarter of 2020, higher than the 38 to 39% share in 2019 or before the pandemic hit.
Filipino women have historically proven themselves to be resourceful and quick on their feet. They turned to the one thing they knew they could rely on: themselves. Mothers who sought ways for their families to survive the financially and emotionally devastating times began making and selling everything—from baked goods to savory dishes, while others ventured into plants and related products.
Personal Collection (PC), one of the country’s leading direct-selling companies, recognizes that women make excellent entrepreneurs, especially when they are provided with the right products to sell. PC’s award-winning products range from home cleaning to baby products and personal care, giving thousands of women around the country livelihood opportunities in their localities through their extensive dealer network and more than 600 branches spread all over the Philippines.
Moms leading The Great Life
Personal Collection successful dealers: Josephine Mico, Mary Ann Rabina, Susana Bulan
PC believes that women, moms, and Filipino families deserve the Great Life when it launched 20 years ago and began providing earning opportunities for everyone willing to take the challenge and improve their lives.
PC’s business model and programs for their dealers train them to do better in life, inspire and nurture their dreams, and lead them to discover skills they may not know they have—whether it’s how to communicate their message or how to handle business processes or how to lead their teams.
Great Life Manager Josephine Mico turned her family’s life around when she became a PC dealer. From being an onion farmer whose husband was a fishball vendor she now has a PC store in their hometown.
From Josephine’s PC business, the family was able to send their youngest child to college and finish Business Administration, while their second now manages a business. Josephine says the money her business brings is comparable to a professional manager. “May sarili na rin kaming sasakyan,” she says.
Susana Bulan, a PC Dealer in Quezon City, is another success story. A high school graduate, she didn’t have many opportunities open to her but she was good at selling. Before she joined Personal Collection eight years ago, she had a small sari-sari store.
Selling PC’s products, however, proved more lucrative. “Nakapagpa-graduate ako ng dalawang anak, may sariling sasakyan na ako,” Susana says. “Ang prinsipyo ko ay hindi dapat umaasa lang sa sweldo ng asawa dahil mahirap pag iniwan or nawala na sila; magtira para sa sarili mo.”
Her message to moms who want to become entrepreneurs: “Be positive,” she says in Filipino. “We do everything for our families and we shouldn’t be afraid of hard work.”
Mary Ann Rabina joined PC a year after Susana. Like all moms, her main goal was to make enough money to send her three children to school—and she did so through her seven years as a PC dealer. Today, she has her own PC store in her home.
She says the mantra she’s had in her heart for the past seven years is “NENEGU (Never ever, never ever give up).” It’s a lesson we all can learn from.
Become an entrepreneur with a small capital and without experience
The biggest misconception about starting a direct selling business is that you need a large capital; the second is you need a lot of sales experience.
The world is full of successful businesses that started in homes or garages by people who had never ventured into a business before.
If you’re a mom who wants to become a mompreneur, then consider Personal Collection to achieve the Great Life. Direct selling provides a flexible and lucrative opportunity for moms to balance their family responsibilities while pursuing their entrepreneurial dreams. And with Personal Collection’s high-quality products, you don’t need to come up with an original idea of what to sell — it’s all ready for you.
Here are 5 skills that PC’s programs will teach you:
- Effective communication: A crucial skill in entrepreneurship, women are naturally adept at building strong relationships, actively listening to customers, and conveying their ideas persuasively. PC will teach you how to turn this into a business skill.
- Collaboration and team building: Creating an inclusive network that fosters cooperation brings out the best in teams, which leads to increased productivity and innovation for everyone.
- Adaptability: Having your own business means you have to navigate unforeseen circumstances. PC’s training helps you become more adaptable and resilient to overcome challenges to achieve long-term success.
- Empathy, attention to detail: In an entrepreneurship context, empathy is the ability to understand customer needs and choose what products or services will resonate with them. Whether it’s offering the right products to the right people or identifying people to persuade them to join your network, women’s natural meticulousness and organizational mindset can help grow their businesses.
- Innovative thinking: Personal Collection has been an innovator in the conceptualization, manufacturing, and marketing of its products. This mindset is passed on to its dealers who become part of a great company that is environment-friendly as well. PC encourages diverse perspectives and innovative thinking among its dealers, whether it’s marketing their products on online platforms or creating ways for people to see their products.
Women entrepreneurs are driven by passion for their ventures — Personal Collection helps turn this passion into commitment and a long-term vision for their businesses, families, and communities. To know more about the award-winning company and how to become a dealer visit Personal Collection’s website. To sign up to be a dealer, click here.
