MANILA, Philippines — When a woman tries to spark change in the society, it's always inspiring and uplifting. And when she does this while using her passion as the center of of it, then than it's even more admirable.
The women of Beauty Scout, an online source of wellness and beauty products, shared how they turn their businesses into platforms that inspire worthwhile advocacies.
One of its business segments is a social enterprise called Scout for a Cause, wherein one box is curated by one of their member entrepreneurs with some proceeds dedicated to their partner foundations.
"We have beauty and skincare health and wellness, home and living and riturals," Beauty Scout co-founder Rochelle Romero told Philstar.com in an exclusive interview.
"We have different boxes, and percentage of the sales from the set boxes go to different foundations, such as Bright Faces for (those with) cleft palate, Steps Foundation for displaced dancers, ICanServe for cancer patients, and Voice of the Free for the (victims of) human trafficking."
The women behind Scout for a Cause shared pieces of advice on how to make your social enterprise thrive:
1. Find your purpose
"I think the purpose came along the way because we want to do something. And that's what makes this endeavor much more fulfilling for us," Beauty Scout founder Rhoda Aldanese shared in an interview with Philstar.com.
"So it's a lot of hard work for us, really. But we are happy because we are able to help for a cause, we help other people."
Since their business sells "rituals" or wellness products, Aldanese also shared that their business is "habit-forming" as it "disciplines us to really do things on a daily basis."
2. Go for it
"If you feel that there's something that you want to achieve, just try to do it one time and see if you can be successful at it. Kasi if not, you will always have what if's," Ria Olizon, founder of wellness brand Real Scents, said.
Founded during the pandemic by moms wanting to have disinfectant sprays with no harmful chemicals for their kids, Real Scents has since expanded into a full personal care and home line proud of its unique combination of natural scents.
Apart from Real Scents, Beautyscout.ph offers a wide range of beauty and wellness products, from OPI nail polishes, Pili Ani skincare lines and complete sets of makeup brushes, to even CMV Txokolat vegan chocolates. Beauty Scout also takes pride of exclusives such as floral and balloon arrangements from Balloons & Blooms and specially curated meal plans from Wild Flour Manila.
3. Be open to learning
"This industry was something new to us, and we are in our 40s and there are a lot of things that we don't know," Sarah Garcia, another lady boss behind Real Scents, said.
"It's never too late to learn something new. Just take it all in," she said. "Don't be afraid to ask other people for help." — Photo, video by Philstar.com/Deejae Dumlao
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