Meet the Filipino founders building businesses on TikTok Shop, Shopee

From contact lenses and Mangyan honey to baby clothes and the latest gadgets, here's how Filipino entrepreneurs are using e-commerce platforms to turn their dreams into businesses MANILA, Philippines – At 22, Bridget Cortez was already juggling two different worlds. On some days, she attended Business Management classes at the University of the Philippines. On others, she put those lessons straight into practice, meeting suppliers, checking new contact lens designs, or traveling between Pampanga and Manila to run Eyeconic, the business she started while still in high school. It began in 2020 with a P15,000-loan from her grandmother. Cortez initially resold contact lenses as a small side venture. Over time, Eyeconic began developing its own designs with manufacturing partners and selling to customers around the Philippines and abroad. The challenge for a young brand, however, was getting noticed. STUDENT ENTREPRENEUR. Eyeconic founder Bridget Cortez (left) and a collection of the brand’s products. Photo by TikTok Eyeconic eventually turned to TikTok Shop, where sellers can market products through short videos, livestreams, and collaborations with content creators. Instead of relying on a large advertising budget, the company could demonstrate its products, answer questions, and introduce the people behind the brand. “What I love most about TikTok Shop is that it gives MSMEs a fair chance,” Cortez said in a press release by TikTok Shop. “We don’t need a massive marketing budget to be seen.” TikTok Shop has since become Eyeconic’s main sales channel, according to the company. Its growth has also created part-time work for students who host livestream selling sessions while continuing their studies. Mindoro’s Mangyan honey Other sellers are using e-commerce to connect rural producers with customers farther away. Naturefood, founded by Emmanuel Gantalao and Bryan Lagman in Pampanga, began with honey sourced from Mangyan communities in Mindoro. It later expanded into more locally sourced products and built operations covering repackaging, marketing, fulfillment, and distribution. MANGYAN HONEY. Naturefood founders Bryan Lagman and Emmanuel Gantalao (left) and members of the company’s team at its operations facility. Photo by TikTok Shop The company said its sales increased by 300% after it expanded its use of TikTok livestreams, affiliate sellers, and other platform tools. It now employs more than 130 people and works with farming communities and local suppliers. “Many Filipino MSMEs already have excellent products, but they need better access to digital tools, education, and platforms,” Gantalao said. TikTok Shop said more than 90% of the sellers on its Philippine platform are local businesses. (READ: [Finterest] How to earn on TikTok Shop, according to the app’s top vendors) Shopee MSMEs For Jennalyn Indigado, meanwhile, online selling offered a way for her family to start over. Her family had raised hogs for five decades, but the spread of African Swine Fever in 2019 ravaged the industry and forced them to look for another source of income. The idea for Samara Baby & Kids came from a much more ordinary problem. Indigado was searching on Shopee for tie-side shirts for her baby daughter, Samara, when she realized other parents might be looking for the same products. That was how her journey into an unfamiliar world of garments, digital marketing, and e-commerce began. “Coming from agriculture, we had very little knowledge about garments, e-commerce, or digital marketing,” Indigado said. “That was all new to us.” She credits Shopee’s seller programs and account managers with teaching her about inventory, pricing, marketing, customer behavior, and financial management. Eight years later, Samara Baby & Kids has grown from a handful of listings to about 700 products, 1.7 million Shopee followers, and around 400 employees, according to a press release by Shopee. HOMEGROWN. Santara Baby & Kids founder Jennalyn Iniago (left) and Tech Smart Philippines founder Christopher Bautista (right). Photo by Shopee Sometimes, a business begins with a hobby. Like many gadget enthusiasts, Christopher Bautista, founder of Tech Smart Philippines, often had trouble finding the latest and greatest tech devices in the Philippines. He started small, listing a single power bank online. Eight years later, Tech Smart Philippines has more than 2,200 product listings on Shopee, along with a 4.9 customer rating and a 100% chat response rate. Bautista said the company’s growth has depended largely on earning and maintaining customers’ trust. “When you have a good reputation, customers will come back to you even if you’re priced slightly higher than others,” he said. – Rappler.com