Profit is ensured at blur

The city of Cebu undeniably offers a lot of excellent bars, where most of the young and even older generations can find the perfect venue to just hangout and relax.

Bars nowadays are considered as the right spot to unwind and forget for a while the books, computers and working table. Yet, one major dilemma would be finding a bar that is not crowded, not suffocating and a safe place to just spend the night away and enjoy.

Well, say hello to a newly opened bar by a young businesswoman.

"It all started during the Sinulog, when I went to this bar with my friends and I was persuaded when I saw that there were only two to three bars that was open and most of the other stalls were vacant." Said Ema Apollo Antigua, 26, the young proprietor of blur said. Blur is one of the chains of bars located at Juana Osmeña St.

"I was tired of going to crowded bars and spend my money, so I thought that I could just open a bar of my own. Invite friends over and meet new faces as my customers," she added.

Hence, she opened blur to finally start up a business to keep her busy. It was a two-way process for her aside from earning, she finds everyone in her bar including herself enjoying with what they cater and offer.

Being in this venture was not hard for Ema since she already had the working experience on Food and Beverage in Hong Kong where she stayed for nine years. Yet, this newly opened business of her involves a great risk since she put this up with her hard earned money, she confirmed a big amount of capital is needed in this business, from the staff, stocks down to the lights and sound set up.

"I just opened up this bar, so I can’t really tell if it’s going to have a big profit," she shared. But with the valued customers around it’s quite obvious that it is not a question whether she is earning from her business or not.

"Some of the customers ask on drinks that we don’t offer yet, but we usually tell them that the drink they want will be available on the following day." This is how Ema creates good relationship with her customers; she makes sure that her regulars will have no regrets hanging-out in her bar.

If Ema can’t be seen in the counter of her bar, she is in the grocery buying stocks to complete the bar menu. Ema admits that she is a hands-on owner, and she makes sure that her presence will be at her bar from the time it opens until the time it closes. With the help of five other friendly assistants, good service that her bar offers is not a problem.

Blur is one of the 14 bars in Cavanas.

Ema said Cavanas has an association where owners agree on uniform pricing, however, giving discounts to customers remains discretionary to the bar owners.

Aside from the pricing, Cavanas makes sure the music programming among the bars is done fairly.

Any type of business venture will always involve risk and it takes one brave soul to do so, like Ema Apollo Antigua. If one is passionate about a business he/she is in, no amount of competition in the business industry will easily put it down.