Being your own boss

Getting paid for doing what you love right after college is sweet, but

doing all that for your own business is sweeter. Young STAR lists down three young businesses who went straight from unemployed to self-employed.

MANILA, Philippines - It’s been said that that college is the gateway to the working world. That’s probably why we do everything we can to get good grades, in order to land a decent job after we graduate. But it doesn’t always work out, does it? Sometimes, we end up working at a job we hate and we begin to wonder how life would be like if we worked for ourselves instead.

Starting a business without any prior experience is scary, and it probably is—it’s just like being thrown into the pool as a baby. It’s either you drown out of panic or you go with the flow and survive. Yes, there are certain things you need to figure out, like where to set up shop or how to get people to buy your product, but these things will come naturally as you create a business plan. The real problem is convincing yourself that you can do it and that it is feasible.

Take it from these three creatives: these folks prove that BYOB, or being your own boss, is as scary but also just as fulfilling as it seems.

The Girl + The Bull

Believe it or not, Gab Bustos, the head chef of The Girl + The Bull, was self-taught. When he finally found his passion in cooking, he charged  on just like a Bull, without fear and with total confidence. But his education and craft is not totally unrelated. After all, cooking is also an art form where the plate is the canvas. 

And as it happens, their food is exactly that: pieces of art. Every element in the dish is essential to the overall experience, and complemented by a friendly service staff headed by The Girl, Thea de Rivera. Her job is to make sure that their customers are satisfied with the food and service.

Being in their early 20s, some patrons have had some doubts about their abilities, but the couple have learned to embrace it. “We’re no longer afraid of telling people that I dropped out of school,” Gab says. And more often than not, their customers are more amazed than fazed.

Having little experience in running a restaurant, they figured everything out on their own. Aside from eating out as a form of research, they also considered working 24/7 as one of their job perks. “It’s nice because you’re doing what you love to do. The responsibility is 100 percent more but the reward is also 100 percent more,” Thea says.

Everything about The Girl + The Bull is creative, humble and raw. How they approach their food and service is as straightforward as it gets: make your customers happy and treat them like family.

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Come visit The Girl + The Bull at 346 Aguirre Ave., BF Homes, Paranaque City. You can also check them out online at http://facebook.com/thegirlandthebull

Serious studio

Having the same affinity for design, Deane Miguel and Lester Cruz started We Are Moving Things, a company that explores design in a fun and innovative way. The studio was known for their seamless identity work with brands like Tao Po, Better Home Bakery, and Antidote Brewing Co., and they have no plans of stopping anytime soon. Now known as Serious Studio, they head to a bolder and crisper direction with their new personal brand. But don’t let the name fool you; they are still as fun as they have always been.

Even before graduation, Lester and Deane knew that they weren’t cut out for the typical nine-to-five desk job so they created their own business that they know will help them grow as artists. Serious Studio started as a simple partnership, but when more projects and investors poured in, they expanded to a team of six.

Everyone has a specific role in the business,  but the team always comes together to brainstorm and collaborate when working on project. Mind you, it is not just all about finding the perfect font, and pretty color palettes. Serious Studio capitalizes on solving design problems by putting themselves in the users’ shoes. The studio’s process, portfolio and personality attracted a lot of clients but they recently decided on working with people who share their values of nation-building and good governance.

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The Serious Studio can be found at http://serious-studio.com.

Shutterpanda photography

Karen dela Fuente and Mare Collantes did not expect any of this to happen. Both coming from the documentation and publicity department of their college music org AMP, their love story with photography started with a couple of shooting gigs with their friends. After a few projects, they wondered, “Ang sarap sigurong kumita while doing what you love.” So they made the jump.

They came up with the name Shutterpanda and after a few projects, they started getting new photographers on the team. Among them now is Lorraine Sandel, the team’s main videographer. 

Two years into the business, Shutterpanda has already collaborated with organizations such as the British and Spanish Embassies, Philippine Educational Theater Association, and the School of Fashion and the Arts, and the list keeps growing.

What seems to makes Shutterpanda stand out from other studios is their playfulness with their shoots and photo editing. From double exposures to overlaid two-tone gradients, the 10-man team pushes the boundaries of events photography.

What Shutterpanda claims that the secret to their success is their commitment to working as a team. Every team member values each other’s talents and contributions in every project. For them, it’s not just a job, but something they do with their close friends.

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Check out Shutterpanda’s portfolio at http://shutterpanda.com. Photos by KAREN DELA FUENTE