Couple converts small store into retail gadgets company

Earn less to help the customers save more.”

This is the slogan that the Garcia couple successfully employed to transform their small sari-sari store business into one of the largest gadgets and accessories companies in Cebu in over 10 years – The Cellpod Shoppe Inc.

Couple Edward and Nathalie Garcia also shared the key strategies which also helped them to grow the business with at least 14 outlets in Cebu now. These strategies are trust in themselves,  perseverance and hard work.

In building the gadgets and accessories brand, Garcia said they carried the slogan – “We earn less to help you save more.”

This means that the Garcias will have to maintain a small profit margin because they want to give every one an opportunity to own their preferred gadgets carried at their company’s outlets.

“It has always been that way for us, that’s how we did the sari-sari business before and we believe in the same formula that if you give your customers the right price for the products that you sell along with other give-aways, they will always give in and buy from you,” Garcia said.

Despite having a smaller profit margin, the couples managed to grow the business. Now they have a total of 14 outlets located in major activity areas in Cebu where there is high foot traffic.

Garcia recalled how they started with their sari-sari store business in 1998. They carried different snack items, beer and load cards in 1999 and become a wholesaler of load cards a year after.

Because both of them really put their heart into the business and committed their time to growing it, the couple finally were able to save enough to open their own gadget store in 2006.

Cellpod Shoppe, Inc. was then created and had its early beginning in Elizabeth Mall along N. Bacalso Street in Cebu City.

“It was just me and my wife and two helpers we hired to help us in the shop,” Garcia said.

For their initial investment, the couples started with only P50,000 as capital.

The couples then also had to buy the units that they put in display at their shop because the suppliers still don’t trust them with stocks and inventories.

“Of course we were a start up company with no track record so naturally they would not trust us but we thought to ourselves that we can start small like how we started with our sari-sari store,” he said.

Garcia said there were a lot of challenges that came along the way but they managed to carry

through all of them because they simply believed that in business there were always risks to take.

The stiffer competition among many vendors who now are also taking their chances in the Cebu market has proven to be the most challenging for the group.

“If all the people and the buyers are just pure conscious and will canvass every time they buy something, they can buy it cheaper from Cellpod,” Garcia said.

Some people however don’t go and carefully compare prices of gadgets and often end up regretting when they see the same model of phones with the same warranty in their shop.

“Our prices here are cheaper from P200 to even P700.”

Cellpod is also now the exclusive Globe Telecom distributor in Cebu.

According to Garcia, they plan to  open more branches in Cebu and in Manila next year.

“We hope to grow by another 10 branches here and in Manila which I would like to locate in new Gaisano and SM malls,” he said.