In this class, I gained an in-depth understanding of social entrepreneurship and I have learned how it was aligned with what I was doing since 2016. Before I ventured to put up a business and actually having a cause, I was an active volunteer of various movements for the environment. Subsequently graduating with a business degree, I initially thought of putting my own business apart from my endeavor in the academic field.
Somehow, it already dawned on me to craft something for a larger cause – a cause bigger than myself, the recognition, and my desired profit. Being an advocate for the environment, I was exposed to different challenges that our country and our nature, for that matter, face.
Being a tiny fish in the sea of entrepreneurship, I braved the field to create even a slight difference. By which, looking back, I know I am not there yet; however, I am glad that I have already started and have quite spread the word on how we could be able to help with our own little effort.
Background: The Happy ‘Shift’
In 2016, I was a struggling young professional spending nearly a decade in both the academe and corporate fields. It was also the time that I have celebrated a year in graduate school. I was juggling studies with all these jobs feeling that there was still a void I need to fill.
I have started crafting my vision of a business – not labeling yet if it will be a commercialized one or a social enterprise. Back then, I just thought that I need to be able to do something – mostly for myself. But doing it only for myself was not fulfilling. It will not fill the void. More so, it will only make it worse.
When I was starting to tap various manufacturers and suppliers for a business focus and offering still unknown then, I have recognized marginalized workers who give businesses affordable products that are being sold way too expensive in the market. These workers get an estimate of 0.03 percent of the total retail price and sometimes even lower, almost for free.
I could not help but empathize and I felt that ‘need’ to do something. That was the exact time I knew that I need to get going. Happy Shift PH was born.
Rationale
Happy Shift is a passion project to empower and support the local community in the many how to’s of all-natural, sustainable, and green living.
Happy Shift went through different positive changes throughout its early years. Today, it is a retail online shop promoting and supporting all-natural items that are sustainable, cruelty-free, vegan-friendly, and made affordable for everyone.
We, at Happy Shift, advocate for the environment and livelihood supporting the local market. Our online presence is a venue to learn more about the environment, its struggles, and viable solutions to preserve it and uplift it.
We provide a ‘shift’ to usual consumed products with the commitment to delivering an unceasing contribution to the benefit of our environment and our homeland.
Product Offerings and Benefits
Happy Shift offers a range of products from makeup, bath, face & body items, products for home & living, and continue expanding to novelty and other artisan collections. All are made from all-natural and sustainable materials.
These products benefit stakeholders – mainly local manufacturers (marginalized workers), local businesses (for other supply needs), and consumers. Happy Shift assures that all products are safe-to-use and made affordable for consumption.
Happy Shift products, while do not have approved therapeutic claims, are mostly derived from real and natural ingredients. We refuse to put chemicals on our products as to not cause harm to consumers.
In the long run, we aim to be a one-stop-shop for the daily needs of the Filipino people. We are for everyone. Currently, our markets are mainly from the masses and middle-income earners. We aim to turn every customer to be an advocate for the environment and help us with our mission and vision to help the local community and provide all-natural and sustainable products for the nation.
Our Value Proposition
We aim to maintain financial sustainability in the long run, but we believe that putting a huge margin will not help one of our main stakeholders, our consumers. We, therefore, adjusted how to manage finances and how we spend it; thus, not to make our customers suffer by purchasing costly products. We want to venture that supporting our local products are better and more affordable. After all, we are making the products in the Philippines for the Filipinos.
While we, after all, is an enterprise, we do not want to be known to be high-priced. We offer premium products at the most available price as possible. We want to have a share in the social market.
We aim for social change. We want the market to help the environment and gain traction of effort through word-of-mouth in terms of promotions.
Shainne Hostalero 