From shop designer to marketing director for emerging e-commerce company in Middle East - Badz Nazareth

Badz Nazareth

From shop designer and hair and make-up artist to marketing director

When asked about himself, Baz Nazareth said he is a person who loves to dream and foresee the future based on his beliefs and understanding. To live and work overseas were his dreams after watching the 1998 sitcom Sex and the City.

With the support is his second parents and the ‘love for I have for someone’, he flew to Dubai in 2016. Amazed with the beautiful things found in the city, Nazareth, on a visit visa, realized life overseas was not as glittery as in the movie. “As a tourist, if you don’t have so much in your hand, then you will end up eating nothing. Searching for jobs was not easy as well,” he said.

The main reason why he opted to work abroad was for his mother to go back home and let her stop working as an OFW. “She has been working as an OFW since we were in high school and for me, this is my time to repay all the sacrifices she made for us. I was able to understand how hard for her before and she did it all without any hesitations,” he said.

He found his first work when he went to Sharjah and lived with a family whom he personally knows. Nazareth tried teaching from one of the schools in the northern emirate, however, he found out that despite having a degree in the field, he felt the job wasn’t for him.

The OFW, who has been in the UAE for five years now, then worked as a designer for a shop. He accepted the offer as he has a little background in designing way back in the Philippines. Following the employment acceptance, big opportunities followed. He was given a chance to do all designs for Ramadan, dress up celebrities, conduct his first fashion show, among others. He was also able to meet and offer his creations to Hollywood stars, Lindsay Lohan and Madonna. He was also given an opportunity to meet the impalpable Michael Cinco and other famous designers through his designing career.

Careers in the Philippines, UAE

Before embarking on an OFW journey, Nazareth worked as a hair and make-up artist. He considers this profession as his ‘bread and butter’ as it sustains his needs to hone himself. “It helped me so much to where I am today. I’ve met different people from different walks of life,” he added.

Excelling in this career, Nazareth was the National Champion for Ever Bilena Bridal Hair and Make-up Competition. He wore many hats: he was a pageant artist, fashion adviser, choreographer, extemporaneous champion, debater, and orator. While in the Philippines, he also worked as a customer service representative and worked in a salon.

Currently, Nazareth is the marketing director of Coupoonshop, an e-commerce company that offers free marketing to various establishments in the UAE that need marketing help. “The vision of the company is so pure and relevant to what we are experiencing right now. It is very timely, in the sense that we focus on digital forms of marketing. When I heard the vision and the objective of its core, it made me realize how impressive it is in helping companies to sustain their needs. I am very passionate about putting myself 100% because I know there is value in it,” he said.

“In this job, I have met also different people which somehow gave me so much understanding about life, perseverance, their own choices, most especially their struggles to put up a business. It is also an eye-opener for me to see the situation of how they manage to help others as well, most especially our fellow kabayans. Coupoonshop is transformative and broad when it comes to helping others and how huge is the platform. We want to change somehow how the coupon industry runs towards other small enterprises,” he further added.

Nazareth’s advice for his fellow Filipinos is to ‘believe in your dreams, no matter how hard it is, no matter what we face in the future, just keep on going and ask for guidance to Him’.