GARBO's FIRST DAY

It was GARBO's baptism of fire and just like any initiation it was exhausting yet rewarding.

The Grand International Christmas bazaar was our first bazaar ever. Considering that it's only a two-man show, me and my business partner, from booth preparations and design, promotions, sales and marketing... everything eventually paid off!

The outcome has exceeded our expectations. We never imagined our products, mostly oversized leather and canvas handbags, would be appreciated by the market. But with how things turned out, we only have our customers to be thanked for.

Some of them even gave their contact numbers and email ads for us to give them updates on our latest products. Others have even already placed orders. There were also those who invited us to take part on their future bazaars.

We also received interesting feedback on product improvement and customer service. But what was even far more interesting was seeing our customer return to shop for more handbags and interact with us like we have been existing for years! It was amazing!

Furthermore, the surprise visit of the organizer herself, Tintin Bersola, who has bought 4 handbags as Christmas presents, pleased us the most. She has personally conveyed to us that her staff has commended our booth and our products as one of the most promising among the other bazaar participants.

We were all in 7th heaven and though exhausted, their positive comments and encouragement to put up our own shop gave us the strength to pursue our goal further...taking it to the next level.

Here are some of the faces of our satisfied and happy customers.

But what was even more inspiring was seeing valuable friends giving support to our new found endeavor.

Well, Garbo has ended 2008 with a loud bang and it will certainly be starting 2009 with a promising twist.

Let's see.

YOU'RE INVITED!

It's BAZAAR season and we are joining the hype.

Great thing is you don't need to have special RSVP invitation to join the crowd because...YOU'RE INVITED!

What could be a better way to test the water than joining well organized and publicized bazaars. And for this year, GARBO will take part at the annual Noel Discovery Bazaar and Christmas Shop Expo at World Trade Center and the Grand International Christmas Bazaar.

Based on the September 2008 of Entrepreneur Philippines, joining bazaars to launch newly introduced product into the market is the first bold step, strategically and economically, before taking a big leap at finally joining the saturated club of retail business.

How to join bazaars? Here are some quick steps to follow:

1. Inquire. Bazaars could be anywhere from a basketball court or parking lot turned into an overnight shopping venue to an A-list venue such as NBC Tent and Rockwell Tent where A-B shoppers frequent for best buys. But wherever the venue is, the first step to do is inquire. Big and famous venues such as the Megatrade Halls of SM Megamall and the Word Trade Center in Pasay City keep a calendar of events through out the year. You may ask for a copy that includes address and phone of the contact person.

2. Research and choose. Now that you have a copy. Choose the event that suits your product /services and budget. Bigger and famous bazaar venues require bigger budget. Each bazaars have different themes and objectives and they require their participants to comply. But before choosing, I strongly recommend that you do a background/history check on the organizers. Perennial bazaar organizers have strong support from different media organizations which is a perfect opportunity for your product to have a media exposure.

Bazaar guidelines, floor lay-out, payment terms and contract are then given to the interested bazaar participant. All you have to do is sign up!

3. Prepare. Once you are already decided, make sure to make the necessary preparations from product delivery, area set-up and design, marketing strategy to purchase monitoring. Make a checklist of all the items/activities you need to accomplish before the bazaar. Doing this would keep you on track of all the necessary items. You wouldn’t want to start the bazaar without your supplies, would you?

4. Reach out and keep in touch. Along the way, do not forget to make connections. Give your calling cards to the people you are coordinating with. Bazaar organizers always keep a list of interested bazaar participants for future references and they are always willing to help. After all bazaar organizers and bazaaristas have a symbiotic relationship.

With the event drawing nearer, we can't help but feel the pressure and excitement of seeing our product penetrate the market. Surely it won't be an easy ride but with our product's value, we are confident that we'll somehow have a great time!

Then GARBO is not going anywhere but MOVE FORWARD!

GO GREEN! GO GARBO!

Though this might sound like a cheer leading chant from a cheer leading competition, it is in fact a promotional effort to save the EARTH.

Yes. You are right. We are taking the initial step in promoting environmental awareness thru our product. Thus, I am proud to say that this sets GARBO apart from other retail bag companies following the footsteps of Wal-mart among other big companies who have committed to the same endeavor.

We are TAKING RESPONSIBILITY IN PROMOTING A GREENER ENVIRONMENT by giving FREE 48X40X10 inches ECO-FRIENDLY REUSABLE BAG for every purchase from our shop. With its size and color, combination of Black and Red, it can surely be a convenient, trendy and fashionable bag to carry around.

Just recently China joined the growing club of environment conscious country such as Ireland, South Africa, Russia and Hongkong in promoting an aggressive countrywide campaign towards banning the use of plastic bags which are deemed to have caused serious pollution and waste of energy resources.

Thus, instead of plastic bags, non-woven reusable shopping bags are being used. Aside from being environmentally friendly, they are fashionably attractive as well! In fact, for the last 6 months there has been a growth in the business of non-woven shopping bags manufacturing and suppliers are even looking into a more significant increase in production and style for the next years to come.

As China takes this stride into a serious campaign, we are hoping that Philippines would do the same thing.

With this in mind, our NATIVE BAYONG might be the NEXT BIG THING!

Then not only would Philippines become an ECO-FRIENDLY country, but also a FASHION FORWARD nation as well!

A TOTE FOR YOU

I always thought that only women need to carry large bags to store their accessories that they can't live without.

But with the increasing electronic gadgets/accessories that men fall for such as ipod, laptop, cellphones and PSP which eventually became a necessity for making life more interesting rather than intricate, they now require increased storage to keep their accessories in place while being on the go.

This also holds true for career men and women, who are more conscious about time management and tidiness, keeping and organizing their accessories are two among the important aspects that need to be maintained ensuring promptness and control.

Thus, a GARBO TOTE, with its size, style and practicality, is a MUST-HAVE.

SIZE. Tote is described as a large bag that can hold almost anything. It has different compartments from both inner and outer portion where several accessories can be stored. The advantage of a tote among the other bags is its size without being too bulky and inconvenient.

STYLE. With people now being fashion conscious, having a large bag is not enough. It should be fashionably large that could be carried anytime and anywhere. This eventually what makes tote even more attractive and appealing to people.

PRACTICALITY. Its size and design are engineered to ensure versatility. It can either be used as an office bag, travel and leisure bag, gym bag or even a diaper bag...a good alternative to suite any purpose and lifestyle.

GARBO IS THE NAME

It took us more than a month of sleepless nights thinking of the right name we want to represent our enterprise.

I then wondered how Mcdonald's, Jolibee, Shakey's, Giordano and those other famous local and international brands came up with their unique brand names. I really thought it was that easy until it was my turn to think.

Hanes, Gucci, Lacoste, Ralph Lauren, Procter and Gamble, for instance are among the long list of international brand names taken from the surnames/names of the owners themselves.

And so I thought, why not name it UY or PUY or PTUY. Though people with my surname are scattered everywhere in the world and which I doubt if most of them are even related to me, I didn’t think it would make a remarkable impact. Afterall, the surname UY is significantly common and...unattractive for a brand name.

Some, however, like SAP (Systems, Applications and Products in Data Processing) AT&T (American Telephone and Telegraph Corporation) and DHL (Adrian Dalsey, Larry Hillblom , and Robert Lynn) are brand names derived from acronym or initials.

And so I thought, since my business partner's first name is Leo, we can therefore name the company P&L (Philip and Leo) which follows the footsteps of the Italian fashion house D&G (Domenico Dolce & Stefano Gabbana).

The downside was P&L, which can also be called as Profit and Loss is widely used by accountants and entrepreneurs, doesn't even sound that catchy as well.

After quite sometime of burning our eyebrows in coming up with a long list of possible names, we decided to go back to the basic by figuring out the answers to the following questions:

What do we want? What is our goal in coming up with a business? What does our business stand for?

It was on August 14 when I was in the plane on my way back to Philippines when a word suddenly popped out.

GARBO, a Spanish word that stands for elegance, glamour and attractiveness, definitely represents us perfectly with our main goal to satisfy our customers with quality mostly oversize handbags at a reasonable price integrating both style and functionality in one attractive and commendable package.

Surprisingly, I realized that our chosen name has something in common with some of the most successful brand names such as Giordano, Guess, Gucci and Girbaud...

They all start with G!

HOW IT ALL STARTED

What seemed like a hobby of buying and giving gave birth to an accidental business venture.

And who would think that a guy like me would prefer to have a handbag than an electronic gadget business?

Well...

It all started when I was searching for a perfect gift to my sister for her birthday. Then, I came across a shop that sells authentic leather bags which were fashionably crafted and affordably priced. I was delighted that I bought 3 handbags of different styles and sizes.



The shop itself was amazing. It never ran out of patrons who were mostly women fond of oversize leather handbags which they call hobo or tote. And the pleasant thing was...I could BARGAIN!

Bargaining for the right stuff appeals to me the most as it gives me a chance to work on my budget.

Admittedly, I previously think that leather bags, which were widely known and used by oldies, were mostly monochromatic and unattractive. I was wrong. Leather is definitely classic, elegant and most of all durable.

I know for one that my sister was into handbags and giving her an authentic leather handbag would be an addition to her precious collections. Thus, true to my expectations, my sister loved the bags at an instant!

The flip side was she showed the bags to her friends and they loved them too!

The next thing I knew was that my sister and I were hunting for handbags in Hongkong during her short vacation hoping to sell them back in Florida.

From then on I started to research on the net for additional knowledge on various handbags: types, materials, suppliers, quality of both local and international brands. And what surprised me was not only women are into handbags, men too!

So I decided to explore bags for men and not only leather but canvas material as well. With men now being at par with women in terms of fashion, it wouldn't be hard to reach a market dominated by women.

Same thing in business...

There's nothing like strictly for guys or girls only. Everyone is welcome to explore the field where the rule of the game is...gamble at your own risk.

This I think explains why I'm into bag business.

GARBO IS COMING TO TOWN!

Christmas season is very near and with this comes the desire for each of us to give gifts to people dear to us as a sign of thanks for a wonderful year we had with them or looking forward to more wonderful years ahead. And speaking of gifts, I have just the perfect suggestion.

GARBO BAG-AHE COMPANY will launch its bags this month! They have all the designs perfect for any day and any occasion. Take a look at some of their items:

FASHION HANDBAGS:

MESSENGER BAGS:

TOTE BAGS:

HOLDALL BAGS: (for Gym, School or Travel)

They also have laptop bags, office handbags, and hobo handbags. You can visit them at the WORLD TRADE CENTER (Philippines) from 9am to 9pm on the following dates:

Nov 21 - 23: International Christmas Bazaar
Nov 26 - 30 and Dec 19 - 21: Noel 2008 Bazaar

You can avail of the FREE Eco-friendly Shopping Bag when you purchase any of their items.

Be the first to own a GARBO bag! :-D

Blog courtesy of: meili_lo