A 36-year-old owner of a mini-convenience store in barangay Paknaan, Mandaue City won this year’s Search for WINNERS (Women in Need Now Entrepreneurs and Rolemodels) contest.
Dulce Senerpida’s inspiring story about how she started her small business at home and grew it into a mini-convenience store was chosen over the 19 other women entrepreneur candidates’ stories on how they started their businesses.
Sari-sari store owners Marilyn Pajol, 44, of barangay Alang-Alang, and Jessica Solon-Seno, 43, of barangay Casili, were first runner up and second runner up winners respectively.
They each got cash prizes and special prizes from sponsors during the awards night yesterday at the J Centre Mall in Mandaue City.
“The grand prize winner took home P50,000 cash followed by the first runner up with P30,000 and P20,000 for the second runner up,” said Search for WINNERS chairperson Carmel de Pio Salvador.
her business
Without a job and faced with the prospect of starting a family with her unemployed husband, then 20-year-old Senerpida had to find a way to earn.
Failing to finish college, she said she saw marriage then as a way out of her family problems.
At the start of 1997, Senerpida then, 21, became an Avon dealer and began selling Avon products.
In December 1997, she earned enough from selling the beauty products to set up a home-cooked food business in her home.
“I earned about P25,000 and used about P5,000 to start a food business. I bought what we needed like big casseroles for cooking. I buy the ingredients and he (her husband) cooks them,” she said.
They set up a makeshift store in front of their house and started selling home-cooked food there.
In 2006, the business grew and the couple found an opportunity to rent store space and sell their home-cooked food in the private market near Paknaan Elementary and High School campuses.
They also started to diversify and sell other basic products that people would need in their homes.
“We started with just the basic needs, some vegetables and spices and other needs at home like brooms and the like,” said Senerpida.
Their store’s location had a lot of foot traffic helping their business to grow further.
She also said their being sensitive to their customers needs also helped them to decide what products to sell in the store.
“We always take note of what our customers would look for and then buy stocks the next time we shop for our inventory,” said Senerpida.
From an Avon dealer, Senerpida now finds herself and her husband running a mini-convenience store that earns at least P15,000 a day, which is enough to support needs of the family.
The couple, who have two children, said they would continue to grow the business so that they see their children through college.
Senerpida said they would want their children to finish a degree so that they could improve their lives and provide more for their family in the future.
She said she would use what she won to buy more stocks for their store.
“We can add more basic needs like led lights, switch and other home needs that we still don’t have in the store,” she said.
She said she was grateful for having been given the opportunity to join the search, which didn’t only provide them with funds to grow the business but also taught them on how to grow further the business through the seminars provided by the mentor-businessmen.
Other Awardees
Other special awardees this year include Ms. Rolinda Galon of Looc who was awarded Ms Gaisano Grand Mall and Ms Congeniality, Ms. Virginia Food was given to Lindy Genon Mendoza of Guizo, Ms Mama’s Love and Ms SMB awardee Rona Macalolo-oy Ortega of Cambaro,
Ginallyn A. Duran of Canduman got the Most Promising Award and received a cash prize of P10,000 for her food business selling sticky rice cakes.
Senerpida also got the Ms Three Sixty Pharmacy award and won for her barangay one unit motorcycle from Granstar Motors and Industrial Corp.
Salvador said they planned to put more twists to next year’s search, which was supported by barangay officials of Mandaue City.
The Search for Winners contest is part of the activities of the month-long Mandaue Business Month organized by the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry.