Starting a business is undeniably enticing. It is inspiring to hear business owners tell their success stories. Having the know-how in managing a business is something that can help aspiring entrepreneurs overcome the hurdles that they may encounter along the way.

The College of the Holy Spirit of Tarlac (CHST) in partnership with Vitalstrats Creative Solutions (VCS) will be holding a 3-day webinar series that aims to inspire would-be entrepreneurs and help them learn more about the world of business. Proceeds of the event will go to the preparation of CHST Batch 99 Alumni Association’s Silver Jubilee Anniversary and their selected charitable institutions.

Happening on March 5, March 19, and April 2, 2022 the event series will be hosted by Atty. Vanessa Raymundo-Uy and will feature VCS Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Amrei Dizon as a resource speaker.

The fundraising event is entitled The ABC’s of SMEs: A Webinar Series on how to Jumpstart and Grow your Business. Through the webinar, attendees can expect to learn practical insights in starting and growing an enterprise and the importance of following business strategies.

Amrei earned a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts, Major in Visual Communication at the University of the Philippines, Diliman and finished her Masters in Entrepreneurship at the Ateneo Graduate School of Business. Alongside her partner and VCS’ Director for Finance and Human Resources, TJ Joson, Amrei built, established, and grew her business with the VCS team through 17 years and counting.

This webinar series aims to help entrepreneurs build their businesses, make a name for themselves, and nurture a good reputation in the field. Amrei will impart her knowledge in assembling an effective business model, how to innovate a strong brand, and how to compete in the market, especially in the new normal. This series will also cover topics on marketing strategy to help businesses differentiate themselves from their competition.

Before VCS became a thriving company, it was once a struggling micro-enterprise that operated without enough business knowledge and an established network. They also didn’t have enough capital to operate and compete with bigger corporations.

“We knew how hard it was not having access to education, market, funds, and support from an entrepreneur community,” says Amrei about VCS’ early years. “There is a high mortality rate for MSMEs in the Philippines and it is hard to survive the first year.”

True enough, the Forbes Finance Council says that micro-entrepreneurs are susceptible to failure within the first five years. The reasons behind this is because some businesses don’t have enough capital, they do not meet the market needs, they don’t have the right team, they can’t compete with established competitors, and they don’t have attractive consumer pricing.

Since the demands of consumers are constantly changing, entrepreneurs can benefit from learning about the best ways to adjust to the wants and needs of their market.

“There has been an increasing demand for business education,” says Amrei. “MSMEs are a big driver in the Philippine economy. However, they are the most vulnerable in the business sector. “

Amid the pandemic, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) reported that there were more than 900,000 business registrations in 2020 alone, and 91 percent of these were startups. That is the number of entrepreneurs trying to enter and survive in the competitive field of business. This goes to prove that Filipinos view entrepreneurial opportunities in a positive light. With the extra push and support, they can succeed.

As VCS CCO and a Go Negosyo mentor, Amrei has made it her purpose to help educate micro-entrepreneurs in the Philippines.

This project with CHST is the first partnership of VCS that advocates for startup entrepreneurs. VCS has done several collaborative projects in the past, including creative partnerships with the Philippine Marketing Association, the Philippine Association of National Advertisers (PANA), the Advertising Suppliers Association of the Philippines, as well as the International Coast Clean-up. VCS also actively collaborates with academic institutions like the CIIT College of Arts and Technology and the Far Eastern University for student internship and training programs.

This partnership with CHST goes beyond simply helping startups. TJ, who has been instrumental to VCS’ survival and growth as managing partner and entrepreneur, is an alumni of CHST Batch 99 and is in the board of directors organizing the homecoming event. Amrei also finished her elementary education at the Holy Spirit School in Quezon City. For both of them, this partnership is a great opportunity “to give back to the institution that honed and made us who we are today.”

Through this webinar series and fundraising for the homecoming event, VCS wants to inspire people who may be considering starting a business of their own. This is part of VCS’ advocacy to show its unwavering support for micro-entrepreneurs.

VCS hopes to further continue partnerships with other institutions in providing support for MSMEs. The Philippines is rich with enterprising people who can dream up relevant and innovative products and services, but need that extra leg up so their businesses have a chance to prove itself. If given the chance to flourish, MSMEs can create jobs, stimulate economic growth, and bring progress to whole communities. While the field of business can truly be cut-throat, VCS instead chooses to inspire and encourage, to give our fellow dreamers the much needed assist in their own journey to success.

Got that great business idea? Want to be your own boss and start your own venture, but afraid of risking it all and failing? Learn the basics of running a small to medium enterprise (SMEs) before taking that leap of faith!
This webinar series is open to all aspiring business owners, budding entrepreneurs, CHST alumni, and anyone who has a dream of building their fortunes from scratch!
Join us at The ABC’s of SMEs and learn what it takes to start and grow your business!
Register now at https://bit.ly/abcsmereg to reserve your slots! 🔥🔥🔥

VCS AND THE COLLEGE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT OF TARLAC BATCH ‘99 TEAM UP TO BUILD BRIDGES AND LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR MSMES