Rotaractors Thriving in Business this Pandemic

When the first lockdown was announced last year, many Filipinos thought it was only going to last for a month. That month stretched into three and more until people started losing count and have spent more time in their homes as they stayed safe from COVID-19.

It was during these months that many struggled financially. Businesses closed and a lot of people lost their jobs. But eventually, as people eased into the new normal, businesses were able to reopen with some even launching in the middle of the pandemic.

If you are a an aspiring entrepreneur or you simply want to support small businesses, we asked some Rotaractors with business ventures of their own to share their inspiring stories of resilience and action. We hope you get inspired, in one way or another, to pursue whatever project you have in mind.

Artèstilo of Alondra Mikee Ella Fuentes

RTR. Alondra Mikee Ella S. Fuentes is a Rotaractor and a 21-year-old entrepreneur from the Rotaract Club of Barangay Palatiw Scholars. She is currently a 4th year college student taking up Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship at the Pasig Catholic College. She is also an active student leader in their school: Vice President of Student Coordinating Body and Vice President for Creatives of Young Entrepreneurs Society Council.

Ever since she was a child, she already has a passion for arts and crafts. She started her business last August 3, 2021. The name of the company is Artèstilo, which is a combination of tagalog words “arte” and “estilo” meaning art and style in English.

Artèstilo designed their own line of handmade artworks and fashion products which are innovative and creative. Since handicrafts are unique expressions of a particular culture or community through local craftsmanship and materials, the company will meet the demands for artworks combining them with fashion style to make them unique. This will increase the appreciation of art and styling it with fashion at the same time. Artèstilo offers products suitable for those who appreciate and love handmade products and style them with fashion.

The company first introduced handmade accessories made from natural dried flowers and resin that can be customized and made to order perfect for special events especially during holidays as a gift for their special someone.

During this time of the pandemic, she made it easier to cope with using e-commerce. She utilized different social media platforms and shopping apps to expand her target market. She also managed to fulfill her responsibilities as Rotaractor, Student, and Entrepreneur by simply knowing her priorities. She knows how difficult life is especially right now, but she believes that if you want to achieve your goals and grow as a better person, it will not be easy but those hard work and sacrifices will surely pay off someday. 

Note: Voucher alert! Please use the code “R4RXARTESTILO” to get 10 pesos off when you buy handmade accessories from Artèstilo PH.

Gabriel’s Sanctuary of Levin Landingin

Rotaractors are servant leaders who do not only excel in service but also rise in the field of business. President Elect Levin Landingin of Rotaract Club of Rizal Centro proved to be an epitome of a rising entrepreneur and a dedicated Rotaractor to his community. Levin, as what his friends fondly call him, has been actively participating in civic engagements at a young age and is now a Medical Laboratory Science student at Far Eastern University-Dr. Nicanor Reyes Medical Foundation. Inside Rotaract, he is an inducted member from the Transform Year 2020-2021 and the incumbent Public Image Director of his Rotaract Club for the Life Changing Year 2021-2022.

Levin in relief operation of Rotaract Rizal Centro for fire victims in Antipolo City circa June 2020. While outside Rotaract, he is also affiliated with various organizations, he is a Global Peace Ambassador at Global Peace Chain, a core campaigner of Upper Marikina Watershed Coalition, and the present general manager of Gabriel’s Sanctuary. Levin manages his time as a student, a Rotaractor, and an entrepreneur. He currently manages the family business, Gabriel’s Sanctuary, is a local tourist spot in Antipolo.

Rizal known for its picturesque Sierra Madre view and breathtaking sea of clouds. It is a campsite that promotes camping with a purpose wherein visitors do not only camp for leisure but for a deeper purpose which is to help their small community in Sitio Binayoyo wherein dumagat tribes and local mountain stewards live. The sanctuary perseveres in their corporate social responsibility to alleviate the plight of their people under the mantra of “Makakalikasan, Makatao, and Makabayan.”

Currently, Gabriel’s Sanctuary, together with Masungi Georeserve, Green Party of the Philippines, and
60+ organizations that make up the Upper Marikina Watershed Coalition calls an end to quarrying and
mining in Upper Marikina Watershed. The Sanctuary had various achievements since its foundation such
as 500 native trees planted as part of reforestation project, provided sustainable jobs to locals, solar
street-lighting projects, provided environmental awareness seminars, and other community projects
that benefits their immediate community and adopted educational institution.

1. What are your experiences handling business in normal vs. new normal (pandemic season)?
   Business before the pandemic were much easier in almost all aspects. Local tourism was alive and
   we had no fear of providing face-to-face services with our clients. Now, during the new normal, it
   demanded more capital but less profit due to certain safety adjustments. People are now less likely
   to travel unvaccinated and with a great hesitancy that comes with travelling. In our field of tourism,
   business owners now suffering greatly and in turn affects the status of local economies.
2. How do you handle your time with Rotaract plus your Business?
   Managing my time between Rotaract and Business was hard at first. I was needed in service projects
   for the club and was also needed to monitor the business, so I was torn between the two. But as
   time went by, I handled both in combination and also found a way to fuse my two priorities as my
   club also conducts tree planting activities in our campsite and assists us in community projects,
   basically it’s a win-win situation.
   Gabriel’s Sanctuary as seen in partnership with Rotaract Club of Rizal Centro in a service project
   “Brigada Eskwela 2021”

Snickerspring of Chan Santos

Christian “Chan” Santos is a 21-year-old multimedia arts student who has been inducted thrice as the public image director of Rotaract Club of Malabon since he joined the organization in July of 2019 at the age of 19. Alongside acting as the public image director, Chan is the club’s president-elect.

Being creative and skilled at drawing, Chan showcases his work online on his Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages under the name Snickerspring. Most of his works are portraitures, which is also his side hustle—commissioned artworks. He started making money from his works in 2019 from making portraits for clients with a variety of mediums, such as graphite, inks, markers, watercolors, and gouache.

Nothing much has changed with the process of his business in this trying time compared to then, Chan said. Communicating with the client, checking-up and keeping in touch with them for approvals and revisions, and shipping out the finished artwork, that has always been the usual. The only thing Chan misses is seeing the faces of his clients—mostly friends and families, some are strangers—as the genuinely smile in joy when they open and see the artwork in person for the first time whenever he can personally deliver the product.

Chan said, running a small freelance business while balancing his studies and being a Rotaractor can get bumpy sometimes as clients might come at any time that could be conflicting with his schedule at school and his duties as a volunteer. He would normally lay down his rates, terms and conditions and ask clients for a deadline to plan out and check if the commission will be doable, and if not, he’d politely talk with them for a more manageable price and date as art can take time, practice, and energy—physically and emotionally—to finish. 

Lastly, Chan acknowledged that the pandemic has been and still is a challenge for everyone and their businesses, but we never give up in our ventures as we become more creative with our strategies to attract engagements and customers. The art community has its share with that struggle, but Chan said he was happy to see artists popping out everywhere developing their confidence to sell their works and open commissions to support their needs. Chan has one important thing to leave with the readers, that is that art, in any form, in the Philippines are easily looked over and belittled in the contrary of how difficult it is to produce and how challenging it is for artists to reach potential customers and even just for engagements. The Philippines has so many amazing artists, Chan said, with what he is seeing online, and it’s about time that we recognize that, for the labor and skills of what they make and how much their works are really worth of.

Nama Microgreens of Skyrene Bacalso

Skyrene Bacalso is currently working as Business Application Consultant at Infosoft Consulting Corporation, an IT and Accounting Service that provides Implementation and Customer Support solutions to address evolving customer business needs and requirements in both local and international markets. 

She is passionate about community development and social entrepreneurship as she involved herself in various organizations during undergraduate until present. Prior to joining Nama Microgreens – her co-founded a startup company, she was the Co-head for Livelihood Program at Alexa Mira Society Inc, a not-for-profit organization sponsored by Rotary Club of Burnaby Canada that focuses on uplifting lives and teaching livelihood for a group of families in the most vulnerable sector in Pasig City, Philippines. To date, she is astoundingly committed to her causes – community holistic development and social entrepreneurship. She is currently serving as the Club Administrative Committee in Rotaract Club of New Rise Kalookan North. Joining Rotaract has helped her realize what she can do more with less in pursuit of servant leadership and service. 

At present, she is the co-founder of Nama Microgreens, a small business that aspires to achieve responsible consumption and production in accordance with SDG 12, whereas she is at the helm of Finance and Marketing. Juggling both business and volunteerism makes her a real Wonderwoman in her way – having been able to help the community, despite the pandemic through Rotaract and helping the environment through Nama as a core value of her business. Both have their unique approach, but overcoming the hurdles of being confined and restricted as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic bolstered the business and made serving Rotaract worthwhile.  

As Ralph Waldo Emerson quoted: “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”