Sari-sari store, Net cafe a full-time enterprise

AILEEN Armecin Aribal was doing well as a furniture company production superintendent until she was let go by the company during the 2006 economic crisis.

Instead of finding another job or feeling sorry for herself, Aribal, then 37, focused on the sari-sari store that she and her husband set up in 2003 in barangay Labogon, Mandaue City.

“We opened the store with an investment of only P3,000. But it was not performing well even though many people were buying from us. I sometimes had to use my salary to sustain it by buying stocks and paying for the attendant we hired,” said Aribal.

She was bent on growing the business that she turned down a job offer from another export company.

In three years she was able to save enough to open an Internet cafe as well.

“In 2009, I opened an Internet cafe with three computer units and and an investment of P50,000,” said Aribal.

She said she earned an average gross income of P100, 000 a month from the new shop.

The income went to expanding the business and the education of a niece and nephew since the couple have no children.

Aribal said she learned a lot from her former boss, a Chinese businessman, about the importance of a good location for a business.

For her sari-sari store, she kept in mind customer traffic with daily needs in retail.

“Our place is near a squatters area with many residents. That was a good captured market for me,” she said.

Her small store sells basic goods from food to hygiene and clothing needs, which neighbors buy.

“Most of my customers buy daily their shampoo, rice, seasonings from me. Some even buy socks for emergency cases. As much as possible I stock up on many products that people usually buy on retail,” said Aribal.

She said she starts early at 5 a.m. arranging her goods and repacks charcoal and rice.

She said she would work harder to grow the business and perhaps set up another sari-sari store elsewhere which would benefit others when she hires helpers to attend to the store.

She was also able to grow her Internet cafe, adding six computer units.

Aribal and her husband eventually separated. Instead of dwelling on the loss, she focused on helping relatives and other people.

Through her business, Aribal was able to help send two nieces and a nephew to school. They finished nursing degrees and are now registered nurses.

“In my own way, I hope I was able to give them a good opportunity to also help their family,” she said, confident that this was God’s purpose for her life as well.

Aribal is one of 20 women entrepreneurs included in the Search for WINNERS or Women In Need Now Entrepreneurs and Rolemodels last August organized by the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the Mandaue Business Month celebration last June.