Designer Sheryl Ann Buenaventura: The patterns of success

After graduating from St. Scholastica’s College and passing the board exams for teachers, Sheryl Buenaventura opened a daycare and tutorial center in their village. While waiting for her students to arrive, Sheryl started sewing clothes for her and her two girls.

“I love dressing up. I have a deep, passionate love for fashion,” shares Sheryl. “But I can’t count the number of times I’ve wished my clothes perfectly fit me, since I am a petite girl.”

Then friends started complimenting  her clothes and asking her to design for them, too. Because of referrals, her clientele grew and what started as a hobby eventually became a full-grown business.

In 2017, she started her clothes brand “Style Ana,” which she named after her two daughters:  Ana Ysabel and Ana Stella. From everyday wear, Style Ana has evolved into everyday wear for the modern Filipina, making traditional clothes fun, hip and chic. During the pandemic, Sheryl decided to permanently close down the tutorial center that she had been running for 13 years to focus on Style Ana. Sheryl proudly tells us that her oldest daughter has now started her own clothes brand for the younger market.

Sheryl with husband Eric and daughters Ana Ysabel and Ana Stella.

When asked what her pattern in life is, she said, “Do business with heart and success will follow. Your brand story builds connection and trust with your customers and the community you are working with.” In the near future, Sheryl dreams of doing pop-ups abroad so she can reach more of our kababayans out there.

Sheryl shares with us her advice for young designers and entrepreneurs:

1. Stay true to your passion and follow a path you truly love. Passion should always be the driving force behind a business. Stick to what you love doing. You will never feel work as work. At the end, you turn your passion into money.
2. It’s okay to start small but dream big. Start with small investments. Focus on one niche area and expand it. I started my business as a hobby. I bought a secondhand sewing machine worth P3,500 to sew my clothes. Now, my 17-year-old daughter just recently launched her clothing line with only one design and minimal capital.
3. Find your purpose; it gives more meaning to what you do. My advocacy is to give sustainable employment to my fellow mothers and help them earn additional income in the comfort of their homes. I am also working with the local artisans in Abra and Ilocos. This partnership has been sustaining their livelihood.
4. You need a strong support team. Learn to delegate work so you can be more productive. Without the people around me, I would not be able to accomplish a lot of things in a day.
5. Set your business goals. Analyze sales and make adjustments to your business strategy as needed
6. Be flexible. In business, things don’t work out quite as you expected. Have the flexibility to adjust changes and take necessary actions.
7. Make your customers happy. Deliver what exactly your market needs. Listen and continuously gather feedback from them for improvement.