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Money-Making Valentine
Cupid with his arrows, cute little hearts, tempting chocolates, elaborate bouquets…Love is in the air once again as the season of hearts rolls right around the corner. Beyond the romance of candle-lit dinners and walks on the beach, Valentine’s Day means big business. This is one of the busiest times of the year next to Christmas and New Year. Filipinos are known to be romantics at heart, and spending for their loved ones on Valentine’s Day is a must on their list. Want to cash in on the Valentine business boom? Here are some money-making ideas that you may want to try this season of love.
If you’re too shy to express your feelings through words, then let flowers speak for you. This Valentine’s Day, why not try putting up your own flower shop? According to Agaton Pedrigalla of Flowers by Aga, Valentine’s Day is one of the lucrative seasons in the flower industry. “All Saints’ Day and Valentine’s Day are the busiest times of the year for us. Especially during Valentine’s, almost everyone orders flowers. Last year, there were still many walk-in customers aside from those who ordered,” he says. Pedrigalla says that there are four classifications of a flower shop, depending on the amount of capital that you invest in.
A Class A flower shop is usually found in malls, like Designer Blooms and Holland Tulips. They use a capital of more or less P1 million or higher. For this type of flower shop, the owner usually has to hire a florist to do the arrangements and a clerk to man the store. A Class B flower shop has a capital of P500,000 and is found in commercial areas. People who put up this type of flower shop usually rent a commercial space for P10,000 to 15,000 a month. The Class C flower shop is the simplest kind, with an investment of around P300,000. The fourth classification is the Class D-E, also known as a walk-in designer. “They are mostly home-based and put arrangements together at home,” explains Pedrigalla. He adds that the projected payback period of your investment usually ranges around a year or two, but will also depend on your talent and creativity as a florist. In Pedrigalla’s case, he made an initial investment of P20,000 and then partnered with Nick Pelaez of St. Nicholas Catering and Event Management to help share the cost. “I started in the Class D-E bracket. Now I’m in Class C…We’re just moving the cash around,” he adds. Prices of floral arrangements would depend on the size and design of the product. Pedrigalla usually charges around P2,500 to P10,000 for a standing floral arrangement in funerals.
Pedrigalla gets his supply of flowers from the Flower Market, formerly known as Dangwa, at Dos Castillas St. in Manila. He admits that it’s cheaper to get flowers directly from the suppliers, but quickly interjects that it is still better to get flowers from the flower shop because of the added artistry in a floral arrangement. Pedrigalla’s clients come from his 24 years in the flower industry. They range from corporate accounts like Bangko Pilipino and Quaker Oats to ordinary individuals. He advises newbies in the flower industry to advertise their products through magazine photo shoots and doing set-ups of TV shows. He is currently doing the flowers arrangements for Johnny Litton’s TV show. “There’s nothing hard about entering the flower business; you just have to be willing to do what you have to go, and like it,” he says.
Love to cook? Try your hand in putting up a romantic and cozy restaurant. Market researches have shown that restaurant occupancy reaches its peak in the season of love. The most important thing in the restaurant business is the location. Make sure you situate your restaurant in a place where people go and hang out. Putting up a restaurant also requires quite a large capital. To offset the costs needed for this type of business, you can put it up with a partner so that you wouldn’t have to feel the pinch of expenses too much. This will allow you to have someone to help you with the day-to-day managing of the business. Running a restaurant business requires a lot of equipment and materials. To save yourself from the hassle, you may want to try franchising a well-known restaurant. This way you can bank on the restaurant’s name and won’t have a hard time getting customers.
Are you creative? Do you love arts and crafts? Then maybe putting up a gift shop is the business for you. You can either make your own little gifts and sell them or get a supplier of stuffed toys and other knick-knacks. Start small first and use family and friends to showcase your different wares. Their word-of-mouth will get free advertising for your business and, who knows, you might make it big like Papemelroti or Blue Magic. Valentine’s Day is not only the season of love; it is also the time for business opportunities. Enjoy your Valentine’s Day and don’t forget to make cash on the side! |
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Say It With Flowers
