STRUGGLES OF AN ENTREPRENEUR

Living in a small village in Cagayan De Oro, an employee of a company of a certain product Mr.
Carlito Bale makes money to provide for his family in Koronadal. Mr. Carlito applied in
different jobs and did everything to give his family a life that he never had. He can provide for
the needs and the demand of life but he doesn’t have any savings for the future. No savings for
the house and future expenses for the education of his child no improvement in life and tired of
his cycle. He maybe had a job but it is not enough to give his family the life that he wants for
them. And one thing is that life is hard when you are far away from your loved ones. He never
stops worrying about his family when something happened to them. That is when he came up
with the idea of starting a business.

In May 2011 Mr. Carlito Bale decided to be with his family in Koronadal City. He told his wife
that he wanted to put up a business particularly selling/retail spare parts and accessories for
motorcycles, considering that one of the major sources of income of the people in Koronadal
City was driving a tricycle or motorcycle. They looked for a business location that was
accessible to their target market. October 8, 2011, they started their business with an initial
capital of one hundred thousand pesos (P100,000.00). For the first six months, they experienced
difficulties to run the business because of the following factors;

a. No mechanic
b. Limited stocks Available Due to lack of capital
c. No marketing

It wasn’t easy, aside from the 3 factors that there are more famous, trusted, and proven motor
parts within Koronadal. The challenges were too heavy and it happened that time her mother was
sent to the hospital because of a serious illness. He was really devasted because of all these
problems. The owner was almost about to give up because the sales is not enough to pay monthly
expenses such as rent, electricity, water, her mother’s maintenance, and his child’s tuition fees.
He began to sink into debt since everything is not going into the plan. He regrets going back to
Koronadal because he was convinced that he can provide the needs of his family if he only sticks
to his old job. He was thinking of shutting down his business and go back to Cagayan to reapply
for his old job.
Fortunately, In the month of June year 2013, there was a supplier of spare parts and accessories
for motorcycles who offered a credit line with 60 days term. In the same month, they hired a
mechanic who has the ability and knowledge to repair a damaged motorcycle, and from then on,
the sales increased monthly. They observed customers flocking and day-by-day number of new
faces were coming to their shop and were amazed by the quality and the services that they
provide. Mr. Bale was so overwhelmed by all of these things. He was shocked in disbelief
because he never thought of his business being recognized by so many people.

It is the beginning of their success…

Their business continued growing day by day, month by month, and year by year. They afford to
build their dream house and provide for the needs and wants of their family. Life was good and
every day, he learns and realizes something about being an entrepreneur. He is the mind behind
the success and he has control of everything in his business. Everything went right and her wife
Mrs. Bale was also able to start her own business. Challenges are still there but the courage and
the passion were stronger than the challenge. He grew as a father, husband, person, and
entrepreneur.

In the year 2020, the spreading of coronavirus was intense to the point that the government
declared a lockdown. People were forced to stay at home for safety of everyone. Many
businesses were affected because of this. Including their business. Since many people were
forced to stop working or work at home, transportation such as motorcycles or tricycles is not
needed. So in line with the protocols and to respect the government’s implementation, they were
forced to close their business in the meantime. Luckily, they have savings and it is okay for them
to stay at home since they have money to spend on their needs during the lockdown.

Mr. Bale thought that everything will be normal after a month. But it didn’t. the spreading of the
virus continued and it leads to another extension of lockdown. He wasn’t able to open his
business and was still stuck at home. Well, it is a good time to build a stronger relationship and
bond with his family, but the thought of losing his customers is bothering him. The pandemic has
negatively impacted enterprises such as in the form of increasing costs, reducing sales, and labor-
related challenges including remuneration or retrenchment.

His business was shut for a whole 6 months. No sales, no income and still people are afraid of
going out because of the virus. Price changes since the pandemic. Demand shocks and problems
with supply chains contributed to increased volatility in import, export, producer, and consumer
prices in the months. They need to increase their prices for them to have income. It was hard
since his customers noticed the sudden change in price. Some say it’s expensive some say it’s
overpriced. But as time goes by, people are adjusting to it. Mr. Bale’s business is slowly rising
again. New customers were recognizing their shop and many were also satisfied with their
service. They were able to get back the lost income during the pandemic.

And up until now, CJ Motorparts Trading is a stable business with a newly opened branch.

Even if your business is successful, entrepreneurship comes with a mix of inspiring days and
challenging days. Life as a business owner will be riddled with challenges, obstacles, and
hurdles that you'll need to overcome in order to achieve the success you desire
A successful entrepreneur always has a strong sense of self-confidence and a healthy opinion of
their skills and abilities. Their personality is assertive and strong. They are always focused and
do not really dilly dally with the issues at hand. This is what makes them different from the rest