September 15, 2021
by Jeremiah Agonia
Mary Kay Ash, an American businesswoman who founded Mary Kay cosmetics once said, “Don’t limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, remember, you can achieve.” and this idea has been proven by many students who committed themselves in the business industry. Developing this kind of attitude has been prominent to students nowadays. Some of them establish their own business because involving themselves in marketing and negotiations interests them, while others possess the purpose of having another root of income. This endeavor would require you to be confident with yourself, source out your skills, and be a believer in what you can do, which these students willingly carried through despite their different motives, they have allowed themselves to exceed their limits and go out of their shells, according to Mary Kay Ash’s advice.
Starting a business, big or small, would take a lot of courage, determination, and dedication to succeed. I experienced all of these when I was still starting in this venture, which made me invest an endless amount of time, effort, and energy. Even Eduard Jeremy Martinez, a BS AMT 3rd year student, mentioned that interest would help you grow your pursuit. According to him, his interest in motorcycles is the kick start of his life as an entrepreneur.
“Bale mahilig kase ako sa motor at pagmomotor … kaya na isipan ko what if ako nanaman yung bibilhan kesa maubos pera ko kakabili”, he said.
Indeed, having an interest is also an essential part of putting up a business. Thus, possessing the interest will drive you to be more dedicated to your plans.
A bumpy venture packed with obstacles and problems will always await you when managing your walk of life. Besides, the difficulties will double up when you are a student at the same time. I did not accomplish each milestone overnight. Behind those numbers of customers and orders that I acquired each week, were a lot of errors, sleepless nights, and days of looking for the right supplier. While doing all of these things, I still perform my duties as a 2nd-year student, making everything more challenging for me. Balancing your time as a business owner and as a student will always be a struggle. Some students like Miqueas Lontoc and Jellyn Maregmen from BS AvM 1A, even mentioned that in business, time is something that you cannot control. There could be instances where your customer will contact you during school hours, making your responsibilities overlap. It has been a matter of weighing your responsibilities and knowing your priorities. Hence, George Nicole Medina, from BS AMT 4A, shared how she deals with this daily impediment,
“Weighing responsibilities was the biggest challenge I had as a co-owner of a business and a graduating student. What I usually do is a strategy I call “70-30″. If in a day I did 70% of work, I’ll try to maximize 30% of my day for my academics and vice versa.”
Regardless of these never-ending problems, being a student with a business will open your mind to the different values of life. Aside from handling finances, the lessons and realizations that you encounter along the way will always be more than your revenues. Patience has been one of my biggest lessons in this voyage. It made me realize that everything must undergo a process because attaining something worthy will never be easy. More importantly, being proud of yourself and the concept of hard work are also learned in this industry, as Sophia Mae Bautista, a student/business owner, emphasized in her interview. She even mentioned that she believes in the saying, “Persistence is the key to success.” Striving hard in this path will always lead to multiple advantages in life. It has helped many students become more of the person that they want to be. As Novelle Maregmen from BS AvM 2A said,
“The satisfaction of earning money without asking my dear parents has taught me to value every cent. I have realized to be kinder, better, and professional. Exercising engagement through discussion, communication and negotiations are some of the prowess I have never dealt with before in my life.”
Despite the uncertainty of our business path and the contrasting obligations as students and young entrepreneurs, the hustle and bustle will always be the first choice, and opportunities like this will never be missed out on by someone with the same mindset as us.