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By Katrina Mennen A. Valdez
He was set to take up
architecture at the university, but he listened to his parents
instead.
They told him that the profession
would deprive him of sleep and the opportunity to make more money
elsewhere. So Jonas Tan Ang decided he would rather be a businessman
and get rich quickly.
Thirty-year-old Ang owns
the Off-Price Store, a shop that offers original signature brands at
a lower price which he started three years ago.
He sees his business as an
alternative to people who could afford to buy nice and branded
garments, but would rather spend their money on something else.
“The opportunity opened for me
when the factories [of branded products] agreed to sell to me their
excess [goods] at a lower price. I knew it would clicked. That was
how Off-Price started,” Ang relates.
As a young entrepreneur, Ang
realized early enough that in his kind of business, the customers
have to be the forefront of everything. “Knowing your market is
the most essential goal not only in putting up a business, but more
importantly on how you would keep your company profitable,” Ang
says.
He knew that if we wanted to
attract customers it has to be conducive to shopping. This is the
reason his shop feels and looks a cut above other stores that sell
signature overruns.
“I want my customers to feel
comfortable and well attended by my sales staff at Off-Price, I want
them to feel special; that is why, I see to it that my stores look
nice, spacious and neat,” he points out.
To prepare himself for the risky
world of entrepreneurship, Ang worked for a marketing company for
two years right after college. He relates that the work experience
taught him to be assertive and confident. Significantly, it also
enabled him able to build his network, establishing his connections
not just here but abroad as well during his business trips. Besides,
he says, travel has broadened his horizon.
But then Ang has had an early
start in business. In kindergarten, he sold stickers to his
classmates and during his elementary and high school, he took on
messengerial jobs and sold school supplies on the side. “I knew I
wanted to earn ever since, it was a great learning experience for
me, through that I got to mingle with old people and see different
ways of handling business,” he says, looking back.
Ang, a graduate of the Ateneo de
Manila with a degree in Information Management, downplays the risks
in business as a risk, explaining: “When you venture into
business, you basically control your money—where to invest and in
what type of goods. Unlike currency trading or stock market, you do
not have a hands on control; thus, building your own business is
safer.”
He started the Off-Price store
with only five employees, which have grown to 70 in three short
years. His staff looks after the inventory and ensures that stocks
are new all the time. They are trained to take care of customers,
while Jonas is out there looking for potential partners.
“I go abroad at least eight
times a year to see new trends, and buy stuffs for my stores.
Basically, my shop offers branded garments, shoes and bags,” Ang
shares.
Despite having two stores, one in
Ortigas in Pasig City and the recently opened outlet on Jupiter
Street in Makati, Jonas prefers to keep his business simple, yet
profitable.
He philosophizes: “I
don’t want to overly complicate everything, because I still want
to sleep. I don’t actually consider my business a big one, but
I’m very proud of it because I worked hard for this. You have to
go after your dreams because no one is going to get it for you.”
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