In traditional hierarchies, men have always dominated the business industry, an old belief imprinted on our minds. But today, women from Generation Z are determined to change this sexist dynamic and show that it is time for the world to see the power that women have. To introduce their leadership skills and innovative minds and change the old narrative people have lived about.
In the same manner, families have been ruling empires and establishing businesses across the world for centuries. Notable figures in society have taken the privilege to mark their names in magazines, newspapers, billboards, and even books, known for their distinguished entrepreneurial skills.
While everything appears to be a gamble in the business world, risk and expectations will always have their invisible magnets pulling one another. When you open the gate to welcome the probability of becoming a successful entrepreneur, what do you weigh first?
For Gen Z businesswomen, it is more than the financial risk, the accompanying challenges, and the roller coaster ride of having one and managing your own. It is about constant competition against others, being innovative, flexible to changes, transparent, and specific in an industry that is still male-dominated.
Blooming Bloomlane by mlt.
When starting a business, there is so much to learn and consider. It is no easy feat, particularly for students.
At just 23, Julie Rose Malitao, a fresh computer engineering graduate from Mogpog, Marinduque, is now making waves as the co-owner of Bloomlane by mlt. A growing business known for its trendy, handcrafted bouquets, ranging from money, biscuits, and chocolate flowers to skincare and DIY floral arrangements. What started as an accidental venture has flourished into a successful three-year-old business.
IN PHOTO: Julie Rose Malitao
“Nag-start ang Bloomlane noong 2022, to be specific, July 30, 2022. Bago mag-ka-Bloomlane kase, inutusan lang ako na gumawa ng snack bouquet para sa birthday,” she recalled. Furthermore, according to Julie Rose, while scrolling on her TikTok’s FYP, several tutorial videos flashed on her screen, which, unbeknownst to her, would inspire and give her the idea to try the same business.
Together with her sister, Angelica Malitao, and their friend, Renalyn Hilario, they launched Bloomlane with limited capital as they were still students at the time. With no certainty, if anyone would buy their products, the three took risks anyway, and luckily, their customers loved their bouquets, turning their small idea into a thriving business.
Engr. Journey’s brewing success.
Starting a business is not a walk in the park. On the contrary, it is about paddling your own canoe.
As a dynamic entrepreneur, Engr. Journey Zen Jaen, CIE, from North Fairview, Quezon City, is also making her mark in the business world as the force behind Coffee Grounds PH, Palanyag Cafe, Foodle, and Zen Trends PH. From coffee stalls and mobile coffee carts to food ventures and trending products. She turned her passion into a bustling business, proving that engineers’ precision and innovation go beyond the technical field and into the world of entrepreneurship.
IN PHOTO: Zen Jaen in Palanyag Cafe
“Coffee is an accidental hero product, I sell in Lazada e-commerce as a side hustle. Then, word from a friend na ‘hit’ daw ‘yung Grab Food. Since gusto ko din pumasok dun, I wanted a product that I can sell to both Grab and Lazada,” the twenty-eight-year-old entrepreneur narrated.
Journey started her two main businesses—Coffee Grounds PH and Palanyag Cafe—back in 2021, during the pandemic. Given the situation, she was once one of the many workers who settled into work-from-home mode due to health circumstances. That was when she began to try selling in e-commerce marketplaces, truly determined to venture further.
“And there goes coffee beans and drip bags. Dahil sa nature ng item kaya ‘yan ‘yung napili ko. I started a brand, and it boomed. It was a hit at that time. I fell in love more with coffee and its nature; that’s why I decided to pursue the business,” she happily recalled.
Consequently, Journey saw her business as a great opportunity where she could help people, especially coffee bean farmers. “I saw a gap between consumers and the farmers. Na halos hindi pa marunong mag-brew ng coffee ‘yung mga tao noon. ‘Yung mga farmers din, hindi pa sila makabenta that time. So I feel like we’re bridging the gap. Also, we supplied startup coffee shops. Now I’m a full-time business owner na.”
Sarap Treats, Erika’s college hustle to business growth.
Like the two, Erika Babe Cipriano, a 23-year-old BS Entrepreneurship graduate, began her business during the pandemic. Brought by the nature of her college program, which requires them to sell products, it became her drive to enter the business world and create varieties of products she can sell in school and around their neighborhood, such as pastries, chips, money bouquets, and sticky rice cakes.
IN PHOTO: Erika Cipriano
With strict lockdowns, health protocols, and online classes keeping her at home, she found a way to maximize her time and saw the circumstance as a great way to explore her college program. “Online class lang kami, bawal lumabas, so ginamit ko ‘yung mga free time na mag-YouTube para makakuha ng iba’t-ibang product ideas na pwede ko pa maibenta,” Erika said.
Of course, a business won’t be one without undergoing several trials and errors. Eventually, as a Gen Z businesswoman that she is, little by little, Erika slowly grasped the important techniques and things to consider and had the chance to sell her products online. With the help of her online friends and customers, it became easier for the starting businesswoman to slowly broaden her business’ reach.
“Unti-unti na ako nakikilala at maraming natatanggap na orders. Pinagpatuloy ko ‘yung business ko habang nag-aaral na siyang naging source of income ko at naging support sa school expenses na rin hanggang sa makapagtapos ako ng college. Sa tulong na rin ng DTI kaya na-push ko mag-business habang nag-aaral para magkaroon ng extra income.”
The delays, the struggles, the horror of getting scammed.
Yet, their journey is anything but easy. They need to be wise in balancing their time, resources, and materials, and manage their income responsibly.
According to Julie Rose, one of the most encountered challenges in their business is the inevitable delays in the delivery of materials that often lead them to supply shortages. Additionally, miscommunication within the team sometimes causes them to mismatch the lists of the order lists, causing them to have incomplete bouquets. Thus, to properly address these errors, Julie Rose and her team had to be creative.
“Magbibigay na lang kami ng discount or ibibigay na lang namin for free. May ibang okay lang sa kanila at may iba din na nagagalit, pero naiintindihan naman namin kase mali namin ‘yon,” she explained. Taking these challenges as a learning opportunities to improve their customer service.
And despite the growing number of business owners with similar products, Julie’s team refuses to see them as a threat. Rather,“…nagiging challenge na lang ito sa amin sa pag-iisip kung ano-ano pa ‘yung i-improve namin para mas mapaganda ‘yung product na ino-offer namin.”
On the other hand, Journey echoes different stories of struggles. E-commerce was a huge hit back in 2021, where whatever you put on the market, there is always someone willing to buy. But in that same year, things started to change for her business. Supply issues emerged, especially in the coffee industry, where global demand soared, resulting in Filipino farmers struggling.
“Mahirap man pero sumabay kami dun. We had no choice pero magtaas rin ng presyo. Mag-cope sa changes. Isa ‘yun sa most memorable experience namin. Na halughugin ang buong Cordillera at Batanggas para lang maghanap ng coffee na ibebenta dito sa Manila,” she recalled.
Another major struggle that Journey and her team faced was getting scammed. Since all transactions were done online, she had never met her suppliers in person. One of her trusted suppliers, to whom she paid full money, disappeared like a bubble.
“Pag-check ko ng Facebook group, her name was all over it na and hindi lang kami ‘yung ini-scammed niya. Madami kaming tinakasan niya at hindi na namin nahabol ‘yung pera na binayad sa kaniya. This scamming happened twice sa amin.” Regret was visible as she recollected her experience of getting scammed a couple of times. There are many downsides in business, particularly doing online transactions. Hence, no matter how entrepreneurs responsibly manage their businesses, this unfortunate experience will still happen.
In addition, they also faced adjusting to new BIR regulations on e-commerce transactions. Although they were already registered, the new rules had a significant impact on her business. “Unlike traditional businesses that deduct expenses before computing taxes, ‘yung tax’ as new regulations apply to earning before deducting costs like shipping, ads, and platform fees. This significantly impacts profit margins. Tumaas din ‘yung costs ng platform fees and logistics. And confusion din sa accounting namin. Mga struggles talaga na kailangan namin harapin,” she ended.
However, Erika, also acknowledges the struggles but believes that in today’s modern world adapting to changes and seizing new opportunities is the key to growing a business.
“Gaya ng social media, hindi mo na kailangang maglako or ibenta isa-isa kasi napaka-powerful ng online platforms para makabenta ka,” she reminded. Erika also shared the value of good communication with the customers to build trust, ensuring them to keep on coming back
Generation Z, in shaping the industry.
Indeed, this industry is still a male-dominated field in some sectors. That said, numerous Filipino women struggle to gain the same amount of recognition, facing constant doubts from other people who perceive them as inexperienced in running their businesses.
Women, in particular, are still experiencing gender bias, unequal access to financing, and societal pressures that we historically favored when it comes to leadership positions. The business sector may have progressed, but the road to success is still more challenging for young female entrepreneurs. Yet, women being women, the spirit ignites and carries on to show that they can also lead. They have the heart and the fire of passion for their dreams and the intelligence to contribute to society.
“For my personal experience, nababago ng mga young entrepreneurs ang business industry today in terms of digital transformation. Since kapag youth, hindi naman ganoon kadami agad ang fund para kumuha ng mga pwesto kaya ang nagiging option namin e through online business,” said Julie Rose.
With the rise of social media marketing, more young people are motivated to launch their crafts, broadening their reach and accelerating their business growth like never before. Utilizing an avenue that brings them to the ladder where each step means redefining the landscape and continuing to foster diversity. Mirroring a future for women who are not solely achievers but women who are empowered to leap.
From Julie Rose’s perspective, brought by the modern business environment, the notion that substantial capital is necessary to initiate a business is gradually diminishing. In her view, what truly counts is determination and planning. Demonstrating visions and goals for the future ahead. From being undervalued to becoming industry innovators. Gen Z is not merely adjusting to the economic environment, they are transforming it with their ambitions.
For Journey, she believes women are reshaping the industry in distinct ways, including bringing fresh perspectives to the market.
“Whether it is branding, customer experience, or innovation. Women-led businesses tend to focus a lot on community-building and creating meaningful connections, which is a game-changer in today’s market where authenticity matters so much. You will see in our comment section that we made our community our friends talaga. Dahil inaalagaan talaga namin ang customers namin. Alagang babae kumbaga,” Journey said. In her business, they had built a significant connection that had transformed into a community with her customers.
A woman’s touch, fueled by passion and determination, is like a fire that can have a massive impact on everything she does. For Journey, this did not only helped her business grow but also created a special partnership with her customers.
But why are women called being ambitious in their ‘business’ means negative?
When starting a business, sometimes it is frequently assumed that it will run smoothly. Hoping to encounter no major problems and errors as much as possible in its early stages. To put it in another way, the success of the business is manifested to scale immediately. This is tantamount to the strong desire to achieve success or the act of being ambitious.
Many people conceive women having high ambitions as a collective negative mindset. Some may say,“Masyadong ka kasing ambisyosa!” The notion of believing a woman cannot do a thing without men assisting releases energy that belittles the prowess and capabilities women have.
There are many Filipina who run their businesses and significantly excel in their chosen careers. Starting from scratch and slowly reaching their visions. There is nothing wrong when women show how driven they are. It is not a crime to become hard-working and put your ambitions into reality. There is nothing wrong with exercising the rights that women have.
We are now living in a world where women can lead a nation if they want. They can sing and dance their dreams out and put their names on a pedestal if they wish. Certainly, it is time to break the stereotyping culture that prevents women from savoring their opportunities in life.
Therefore, everyone should halt putting women down, underestimating their abilities to lead, and showering them with sexist remarks as if owning a dream is a sin. As women when learning to write and read, to express feelings and opinions will destroy one’s credibility and wreck their dignity to pieces.
And if there’s something Journey has learned from her business, after experiencing several unfortunate events, it is to be reminded that women’s passion and love for what you do is one of the most valuable assets you can utilize. And that women are stronger than every challenge they face.
“The road to success is never smooth—I’ve personally experienced major struggles, from supply chain issues to being scammed by suppliers who took our money but never delivered, to navigating the ever-changing regulations of platforms. But through it all, I’ve learned that resilience, resourcefulness, and a strong support system make all the difference.
For women facing similar struggles, my advice is to always do due diligence. Research and verify your suppliers, build strong relationships with trusted partners and never hesitate to seek legal protection. Regulations may change, but instead of seeing them as roadblocks, treat them as opportunities to strengthen your business foundations. Keep pushing forward because the business world needs more women like you,” Journey called to mind.
Lastly, but most importantly, do not forget to thank the real provider of all.
“Hindi madali ang pagdadaanan pero may tamang timing sa lahat. May time na nasa peak ka, may time din na mababa ang sales at okay lang ‘yon. Sa Bloomlane, kinakapitan namin lagi ang Bible verse na: Isaiah 60:22, “When the time is right, I, the Lord, will make it happen,” Julie Rose ended.
To all the Julie Rose, Journey, and Erika out there, you have what it takes to break the barriers. You may not have the perfect platform now, but who knows? Maybe you are a step closer to it from where you are now. Just continue your pursuit and practice your skills. Transform your ideas, may it be silly at first, but will create an impact as long as you know how to care for them. It is never too early for you and not too late to start yours.
Despite these obstacles, Gen Z women are continuing to demonstrate resilience and bravery. Showing how women are equipped to adapt to more advanced innovation, sustainability, and inclusivity, challenging outdated norms about women in this area, and fiercely showing that success is no longer in the hands of gender and age. It is no longer boxed inside corporate boardrooms, with men asking for a cup of coffee instead of their valuable suggestions.
May you be reminded that women are always capable in many ways, even in distinct fields. As a woman, know that you have a lot to prove. From simple ideas until you can turn them into reality. Everything you do will be exponential if you start the step by believing in yourself. Women always have the ability and our gender will never be an issue. You just need to trust yourself and embrace your abilities. Acknowledge the spirit of the woman within you.
Thus, to every woman out there starting to build their name in this sector, believe it is yours to own. You are exactly where you belong. Now soar high; you are the industry itself.
