You would probably find it hard to believe that a small-time entrepreneur could build a dream house and Samgyup resto business because of her charcoal business.
Meet MJ, 26 years old. When she started Ecobriqs, in less than half a year, she shared she was able to earn six-digit figures from the business, she said in an interview with the ‘Philippine Star’
MJ Loleng‘s charcoal business started to take off in 2019 when Inasal and Samgyupsal restaurants were flourishing and her business became popular in 15 restaurants.
According to MJ, there is no need to fan when you use her charcoal and it lasts three times longer than traditional firewood.
However, the pandemic also tested her business.
When restaurants closed due to the lockdowns in 2020, MJ lost her income and sales dropped to zero.
From being a charcoal supplier, MJ built her own Samgyupsal restaurant in Laguna with the help of her savings from the charcoal business.
They said they started with P5,000 capital wherein they only sold kimchi at that time, until orders started to increase.
According to MJ they consume 40 kilos of kimchi in a week. Soon they also launched meat.
MJ’s Samgyup hit quickly even though we are still in a pandemic, which is why she was able to immediately build a physical restaurant in just six months.
Now her Umma’s Samgyup earns P20,000 to P60,000 per month. She was also able to save her charcoal business which now has over 80 clients all over the Philippines.
Because of her charcoal biz, MJ was also able to build her dream house. She also bought her own secondhand car. Thanks to her Ecobriqs Charcoal Briquettes.
Today MJ continues to grow her business; able to help many have jobs.
In the feature shared by PhilStar she has this advice for everyone related to business.
“Usually, nag-ii-stop ‘yung business sa fear ng failure. ‘wag n’yo siyang katatakutan, think of it as always as opportunity to grow, to learn. In business, there are only two consequences. You either win, you either learn. So ‘wag mong susukuan hangga’t mahal mo ‘yung ginagawa mo, hangga’t nando’n ‘yung passion mo, hangga’t nakikitaan mo siya ng purpose, gawin mo lahat nang makakaya mo.”
Truly inspiring lady entrepreneur! And in a Facebook post, she shared her joy and gratefulness to her team. “I am also proud and beyond grateful to ecobriqs and umma team who made this vision happen.”