From a balut vendor to a supplier
Despite the spiraling cost of living, Nenita Solon of barangay Lapasan,
Cagayan de Oro City, is not losing hope for a better future for her
family as she gains headway in her balut trade today. Not that life for
this 46-year-old wife and mother has been easy. But she believes that it
is possible for one to achieve a better quality of life through a
no-nonsense dedication to one's occupation, hard work, patience,thrift
and determination to succeed.
Nenita, who is Neneth to friends,had a long, tiring day yesterday
tending to the demands of her growing balut business, retiring quite
late. Yet today, she was up by 4:30 a.m.for yet another day of the trade
that has come to ease economic pressure of her family and which she
finds potentials of success.
As soon as she got out of bed, she looked at her record of the previous
day's work-how much was remitted by the balut vendor against the number
of balut she disposed. She saw that most of her vendors have paid
promptly. By 5 a.m., she was ready to cook the eggs for distribution
later in the day. She cleans the eggs in a big basin half-filled with
water. By 2 p.m., a long line of vendors wouid form before- her
four-by-six meter-shop.Nenita disposes from 300 to 600 baluts daily from
which she nets an average of P500 a day.
Neneth, who took three years of agriculture in college, is a natural
entrepreneur. Her husband worked as school watchman in the town of
Bilar, Bohol. Neneth helped her husband by selling homemade goodies such
as buko bar, turon, fruit cake, yema candies and polvoron. Between them,
the two were able to send their two daughters to college, both taking
commerce courses. The elder: daughter failed to get her degree because
she got married, but the younger daughter completed the course.
"I engaged in whatever possible business there was," Neneth said in
Cebuano. She said she often came up to userers, specially for money to
pay her girls' tuition fees.
But in 2001, she was able to take out a P10,000-loan to start a balut
trade. Then, her life started to change for the better.
"Lahi na gyud karon nga na-miyembro na ko sa coop (My membership with a
co-op made the difference)," she said, referring to the Mindanao Savings
& Credit Cooperative (MinSave), a member borrower of the Federation of
Pcople's Sustainable Development Cooperative (FPSDC). Compared to the
sky-high interest rates charged by the 5-6 lenders, MinSave charges only
24%,o 27% per annum to their member-borrowers.
Neneth used the loan from MinSave to buy 18-day old baluts from
Vaiencia, Bukidnory at P5 each. She then sold the eggs at P6.50 each to
balut vendors. When she proved to be a good payor, MinSave let her
borrow a bigger loan of P35,000 in 2003.
"Ako lang pagka-tawo ng akong gi-capital sa MinSave (I used my own
person as collateral with MinSave)," she said. Malu Alipoyo, branch
manager of MinSave Carmen (Cagayan de Oro City), said that Neneth alwavs
did pay promptiy.
The bigger loan from MinSave allowed Neneth to expand_her balut trade.
Instead of going around to sell the eggs, she bought a three-boxed
incubator which could contain as many as 12,000 fresh eggs, which
allowed her to become a suppiier to other balut vendors. More and more
balut vendors (including trisikad drivers and, students during school
break) came up to her applying as balut vendor.
Neneth said that two high school students, of ages 13 and 74, get balut
from her. Each owns over P100 a day. "Kagahapon, nalipay gyud sila kay
nakapalit sila og bag-ong t-shirts gikan sa ilang kita" (They are happy
since yesterday they were able to buy new tshirts from their earnings,)
she said.
To encourage them and help them earn a good income, Neneth supplies some
of her vendors with steamers (a gas stove keeping the baluts hot). She
says she is trying to compete with big suppliers from as far as the
cities of Cotabato and Ozamis who also supply balut to Cagayan de Oro.
These traders,says Neneth, sometimes undercut their competitors by
slashing their selling price.
Neneth is now saving to buy additional incubators and other needed
equipment. "Perhaps, a delivery car,'she quipped.
"Ang challenge nako sa uban nga ilang tagaan og pagtagad ang negosyu ug
dili madiscourage kung medyo kini mohinay (I challenge others to try
entrepreneurship and should not become discouraged if ever their
business slows down)," she said.
"Kinahanglan usab ang kakugi, gamay nga pag-antus ug pagdaginot apilan
sa pag-ampo(Hard work, thrift, a little patience, and prayers are also
needed)," she concluded. -Yul S. Caringas
--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CARLOS ANI - International Microfinance Consultant - SEEDFINANCE Corporation Chairman
Mailing address: PO Box 90 UPLB Los Banos Laguna, Philippines 4031
Emails: carlosani@gmail.com , carlosani@seedfinance.net
Landline Phone: +63495010127 (PLDT)
Cellphone Numbers: +639152919580 (Globe) and +639328590859 (Sun)
Websites:
CARLOSANI.COM - http://www.carlosani.com
DEVJOBS - http://www.devjobsmail.com
PHILDEVFINANCE - http://phildevfinance.posterous.com
My News Clippings - http://www.myclipps.posterous.com
Family website - http://www.anifamily.net
SEEDFINANCE Corporation - http://www.seedfinance.net
Skype name: carlosaniph
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
***********
This message is intended only for the named recipient and may contain confidential, proprietary or legally privileged information. No confidentiality or privilege is waived or lost by any misdirected transmission. If you received this message in error, please notify us immediately by telephone at +63495010127 and immediately delete this message from your system. If you are not the intended recipient, you must not use, disclose, distribute or copy any part of this message. Thank you.
***********
