How do you turn your passion into a business? MJ Loleng, a 26-year-old entrepreneur, used her passion for sustainability to build and expand her business. In this article, we’ll learn some of her secrets to success.
MJ is no ordinary woman. When she was 22, she built Ecobriqs, an innovative eco-friendly charcoal business. With zero capital, she turned waste coconut shells into usable charcoal briquettes. With her idea, she was able to bring in investors who also shared the same passion for sustainability.
Even more, her business also helped her provide jobs to those in need, a goal that she has always wanted to do.
MJ was interviewed by the OG Team where she explained, “Naranasan kong maging mahirap so alam ko yung feeling kaya mas gusto ko pang makatulong sa mas mahirap pa.”
Ecobriqs was a big hit when the samgyeopsal or Korean barbecue restaurants became popular. The briquettes were the perfect coal to use because they were smokeless, odorless, and reusable.
Unfortunately, her success halted when the pandemic came, and many restos were forced to shut down. Determined to succeed, MJ took fate into her own hands and decided to build her own samgyeopsal business instead. She opened Umma’s Samgyup Café, a samgyeop-to-go business with her friends.
“Ang kapital lang do’n is P5,000. That P5,000, lumaki siya ng lumaki. Kasi hindi namin in-expect din na maraming bibili sa province kasi ‘di naman masyadong kilala dito yung samgyeop,” she recalled.
Since then, MJ’s business portfolio has grown, allowing her to earn over P100,000 a month. She also learned stock trading so she could earn more.
Her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is to be determined and persistent in achieving their dreams. MJ was quoted in a report by Yummy.PH saying, “Hangga’t may pagpupursigi ka and if you’re persistent, anything that you want to do and your dreams in life, kaya mong i-achieve basta maniniwala ka lang sa kakayahan mo.”
The successful entrepreneur also reiterated the importance of hardwork and learning more.
“You have to do everything that you can. You have to study. Hindi ka puwedeng tamarin kasi may pangarap ka,” she added.
On MJ’s Facebook, she shared that her passion to help others has inspired her to start a business. Now, that she has gone a long way, she couldn’t help but look back at her journey. She said her faith and courage helped fuel her dream to strive for success.
She wrote, “For the past 4yrs I was just crystal focus on surviving and making things happen. I know I’ve always wanted to help, and I know that I can do it by building a business. ”
“I also didn’t know how we got this far. I just keep the faith, believe in my team, took the risk, give it ALL IN, and did my best,” she added.
Like MJ, you too can learn how to turn your passion or hobby into a profitable business. You might be surprised where your business ideas can take you!
You can watch the video feature of the OG via Youtube channel:
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