Among the popular merchandise at the Celadon young entrepreneurs’ show were bags, clothing, and fashion accessories. Photo courtesy of Ateneo Celadon.

Many of the student entrepreneurs at the recent Ateneo Celadon Young Entrepreneurs Show started with as little as P20,000 (US$490), selling imported merchandise or original designs through social-networking Websites.

Philippe Arenillo and Ryan David began with only P40,000 (US$981) as capital when they launched the Perfect White Shirt. The two worked on their visibility by participating at bazaars at the World Trade Center and in Greenhills and Wack Wack. Today, aside from selling online through their Multiply site, they also have a regular stall at Greenhills.

Women’s tops from Perfect White Shirt catering to alma mater loyalty sell well among students.

Ateneo business management students Geline Chua Caedo, Richard Lim, Rachel Sy, Angel Talastas, and Twinky Valeriano started Zigzaggen as a school project with only P20,000 and an ingenious idea of making bags from old newspapers.

“We have a small group of underprivileged people who make the newspaper banigs (weaved newspaper). We pay them for every quality banig they produce. For the actual bag making, we subcontract,” Caedo reveals.

Self-confessed “thrift lovers” Bea de Jesus and Trissy Perfecto exercised their creativity by buying clothes from their favorite thrift stores and altering them or adding embellishments such as buttons and ribbons. One particular standout under their Chuuku+Hatsu line is a vintage print chiffon dress that was originally a skirt.

Vintage print chiffon dress from Chuuku+Hatsu at P599. Photo from Chuuku+Hatsu.

Wider reach through social networking
Multiply seems to be the top choice of these student entrepreneurs possibly because “it has more options, allowing you to post pictures and blog. Its accessibility allows young entrepreneurs to tap a wider market,” opines Kennelyn Ng of Ateneo Celadon.

Being able to post photos is important, especially among online vendors. “It’s difficult to sell something that the customer doesn’t see,” points out Lester Fuentes, a brand manager for an offshore e-commerce outfit.

“It’s also easier to manage photos on Multiply than on other social networks,” observes Fuentes, an Ateneo graduate who also had an early start in business and now manages cereal dessert shop Cerealicious with five other friends.

Social-networking sites also enable these young entrepreneurs to manage both their personal and business contacts.

Without a brick-and-mortar retail shop, these entrepreneurs are able to keep overhead costs to a minimum, delivering their merchandise themselves or shipping at a cost shouldered by the buyer. Payment terms vary from vendor to vendor, although bank transfers and G-cash payments are common.

Encouraging entrepreneurship in the young
Formed in 1985 by a group of Chinese Filipino Ateneans headed by Wilson Lee Flores, now a columnist at the Philippine Star, the Ateneo Celadon derived its name from a kind of jade porcelain resulting from years of refinement by Chinese master potters.

This year’s event, focusing on the theme “Proud to be Pinoy, Proud to be Chinoy,” is the second fair hosted by the Ateneo Celadon. The group was able to tap more than 70 small and medium entrepreneurs, 10 of whom were students.