The stationery store arrived, a responsibility I had never had before, but it was within my dreams (and my needs, haha!).
The place was tiny, at that time it had black and silver painted walls (since it was a bank) and a cement floor... so changes had to be made...
By that time, the Fundapec loan had given me a good credit history, and my dad had very good credit, so he told me to be his guarantor for a loan and he would give me a third of the loan... so we did it, they approved us 300,000... he stocked his business and I started with 100,000... but, brace yourselves!! 😅
I had to change the floor, about 15,000 in ceramic, and everything, I had to paint it 3 times because the colors wouldn't come off... another 15,000... also set up shelving for merchandise, about 10,000, I bought a display case at Corotos for 8,000 because it was used 🤣, my table and a chair at IKEA for about 5,000 and what was left went into merchandise...
The merchandise wasn't a big deal, because for me, everything was cheaper than what I found at the suppliers 😅🤣
Thank God I had my laptop for homework and I had already bought my printer some time ago for 15,000 with part of the Fundapec credit so that my homework would be cheaper.
That's how I started, a lot of money and all you could see was a table, a laptop and a simple printer... for making copies, printing and scanning... it was across from a school, so I thought it would be profitable quickly... but what you think and reality are two different things.
I opened the doors in September 2018, just as classes were starting, people were asking for everything and I had NOTHING 🤣🤣... I knew where to find the best prices online but I didn't have the capital and I also had to pay the loan for the premises and Fundapec...
I attended university, some days in the morning, other days in the afternoon, and it was closed more than open. I put my number on the wall and received messages and orders all day 🤣
That's when I decided to hire one of my sisters-in-law (the smartest girl I had ever met), that's why I trusted her with everything when she was about 15 or 16 years old... she would go to school and then to the stationery store...
Folks, we were selling for 30 to 100 pesos... beginnings are tough... when 500 pesos came in, we had a party 🎉🥳 literally...
By that time, my husband had traveled to Spain again, for his doctorate (3 years, he only came in December)
You know, I was in charge of everything, Gehrig's mom, I had to excel at university, I had to run my business, handle payment responsibilities, the house, homework, in short... thank God Gehrig has always been a healthy and happy child because if he got sick, my world would stop turning.
Our time together was spent in that small room... that's how we spent almost 4 years.
Over time, everything became more difficult, I owed two loans, credit cards, and the business didn't seem to be taking off, but I used to say that for having nothing, it was a success, it was mine, I couldn't cancel it 😅
I remember that before that I went to many interviews and everything was NO... I was hired at a school and in two days I was fired because they didn't have the group they expected (that paid 12,000, so I thought I would at least have my monthly payments covered... that's why I accepted) and that happened just when I was teaching the subject of Teaching Planning and Didactics 1.
Looking back, those first years were a lot of sacrifice, but also a lot of learning. Every challenge, every obstacle, taught me that, despite the difficulties, there is always something valuable to gain from every experience. Sometimes, the biggest goals arise from the humblest beginnings, and although the road was longer and more complicated than I imagined, I always knew I couldn't give up.
Today, as I remember those moments, I realize how far I've come and how every step, however small, brought me closer to fulfilling my dreams. My business, although it started amidst uncertainty, gave me the necessary tools to learn and grow.
What follows is a story of transformation, of how everything made sense when I began to discover my true passion and purpose. But that, friends, is a story for the next blog! 😉
Thank you for joining me in this chapter of my adventure. See you soon to continue this journey!