RISK LEADS RISK LEADS TO SUCCESS TO SUCCESS

By Jhanelle Eunice Pereña

Since milk tea got popularized in the Philippines, Mr. Christian and his girlfriend have been drinking it every day. Considering they have been drinking milk tea ever since the outbreak of the pandemic hit, they chose to start their own milk tea business in order to make money from their passion. They are certain that this will be a huge hit because many people now enjoy drinking milk tea, particularly teenagers with a sweet appetite. Now, they have a gorgeous physical store with a refreshing and invigorating ambiance that people will like visiting. Although it is quite small, it is still a good starting point for them to develop their own business and expand it in the future.

During their business journey, Mr Christian and his girlfriend learned the value of time given that time travels quickly and you must make the most of it Additionally, they also gained knowledge on how to establish an entrepreneurial business mindset because they learned that they must be innovative with regard to how they will sell their products and also how to be adaptive and flexible because market demands and trends change regularly. As a result, a business owner must be prepared for these changes and be creative in their pursuit of financial success.

The most difficult aspect of being an entrepreneur is dealing with an angry customer who has numerous complaints when deliveries are late and orders are incorrectly filled because the workers are tired and stressed out, thus mistakes and errors are unavoidable, yet Mr. Christian extends his patience because he believes that "the customer is always right" because your customers will be the reason for your success. They will always buy and come back to you if they are happy and pleased with your products and services, which is why each customer should be valued and their grievances should be heard.

When Mr Christian was asked what advice he can give to prospective business owners who were also interested in starting their own businesses, he emphasized the need for being a risk-taker as one of the key characteristics that a business owner must possess It is important to not be afraid about trying anything new because you will learn a lot about yourself and about how life works Being curious and ready to take risks was one of the things that helped their business grow because if they hadn't tried, they wouldn't be happy and contented today. They would much rather act and do something than wait for a miracle and do nothing.

Mr. Christian is one of many business owners who believe that in the future, their business will be profitable and have several branches around the country. When he was asked how he envisioned the company ' s growth in the following five years, he recalled a business partner who franchised their previous business. Their business partnership started out well, but after a while, conflicts and monetary difficulties caused instability, so they decided to separate ways Hehas now established a new business nd they are now because they are rything and do ey stated that the dramatically in and time since r business in ontrol. He e as an employee orkplace with k schedules to now that they over their time. ome a huge n their lives since they ave to wake up early to hey can leave and go nd have someone look ness, and they can do without being y hectic schedules.

According to the owner, he views success as having fulfillment and flexibility to run your business the way you want it to. And they have already achieved that level of success, and their business has the potential to expand even further and have multiple franchises in the future, but for the time being, they will focus on developing the growth of their own business first, and the day will come when they will be ready to form newpartnerships.

We all have the freedom in starting up our own business but capability and dedication are only limited to gifted people. Sometimes launching a business is based on what destiny wants us to be, maybe this is the path that the universe wants us to take - for the better and for our own good.

People differ in experiences which makes their journey unique, and what works for one individual may not necessarily work for another. Today, we have the privilege of learning about the entrepreneurial world and the journey of a successful business with the help of Mr Khendrick Dela Merced, an 18-year-old entrepreneur who recently started his online business.

His online business specializes in selling a variety of designs and sizes for shoes catered for different preferences. Khendrick Dela Merced comes from a family with a business background. His family operates "Ilocano's Pancit Caballo '' near Doña Manuela Elementary School. In addition, Khendrick mentioned that his mother previously managed a tiangge, a small marketplace.

His idea of starting a business began when he stumbled upon a video on TikTok where the content is about individuals drop-shipping shoes from China to the Philippines. The video ignited his interest leading him to have the possibility of starting his own shoe business. Without hesitation, the next day Khendrick and his partner made a logo and his entrepreneurial journey began.