Chapter 27
No Job. We Started Small Business, Making and Selling Salted Peanuts
My letter of resignation from CPBC due to conflict with its leadership was effective after 60 days. This will gave me a little time to settle all the needed documents that I will endorsed to the leadership. I would like to leave my work with all responsibilities turned over to the leaders who will take over my responsibilities.
Because, I have no work, we planned with my wife, to start a little business in 1988. We need to earn something for our food and other daily needs. We have two young children, the eldest 2 ½ years old and the 2nd, was 5 months. I knew, it will be hard to start work with a church, given the recent situations. It was hard to get employed again.
I cannot think of anything to earn an income, except sales. Selling something to eat was, I think, easier than selling intangible things, like insurance. That time, I have no money even for transportation. It was hard to be jobless.
I talked with my wife, Hesther. “We are now jobless. Our children were still small. They need milk and good food. What do you think? Can we start a small business to make a living? I think a small business is a way for us. Let us have a dynamcis. Waht shall we do?”
We studied our alternatives.
Then, Hesther said. “Let us make Salted Peanuts and Banana Cakes. We have made these before. We know to bake Banana Cakes. We will make Salted Peanuts and Banana Cakes at home. Daday will help us make the, with Nato.” Daday was helped cares for our boys. Nato, was a student in high school, who stayed with and helped us in some works.
Hesther with Nato and Daday will help make Salted Peanuts and Banana Cakes. Will also pay them. They will produce. I will take charge of selling.
Few months ago, we made Salted Peanuts” and Banana Cakes. We made just few pieces. We trained two Grade 4 students at Guihaman-Buntatala Elementary School to sell our Salted Peanuts and Banana Cakes. The 2 students bring them to their classes. During recess, the sold these to their classmates.
Every afternoon, the two girls, bring back the amount sold. We gave them their share. The two students love their work. Every day they have little money. And they have a free snack. They can get either a Banana Cake or a pack of Salted Peanuts.
I made plans how to sell them at CPU, Jaro Plaza, Lapaz, Molo, Mandurriao, and Iloilo City.
We made Salted Peanuts Saturday afternoons. We made Banana Cakes Sunday evenings. We deliver them Monday mornings. Then we made Banana Cakes Wednesday mornings for delivery Thursday mornings. Salted Peanuts can go on for a week. Banana Cakes only for 3 days.
Hesther manages our productions. Nato and Dayday assist her. I do the selling alone. I will just carry the products inside two Paper Bags. I carried it in a public jeepneys.
We have three kinds of salted peanuts. The “Ordinary Salted Peanuts”. The “Hot Salted Peanuts”. And the “Extra Hot Salted Peanuts”. The very hot salted peanuts were intended for those who drink bear and liquors. We put native peppers on our salted peanuts. The many the small peppers, the more hotter, the salted peanuts became.
The returned Banana Cakes, I brought home as feeds for our two piglets. I bought 2 paper bags to put the items. Then, I rode a jeepney to the stores. I carry the two paper bags to the passenger jeepenys and deliver our products to possible sales outlets. There were different outlets opened for our venture – big, medium, small and very small outlets around Iloilo City. We also deliver our salted peanuts and banana cakes to sidewalk vendors.
I studied the expanse and strategy for selling our products. We started with stores at the front of CPU. Then we enter CPU Student Enterprise and some stores within CPU. At the back of CPU, near the church, there were many homes and some stores. We delivered Salted Peanuts and Banana Cakes to them on consignment.
At Jaro Plaza and around, we sold to sidewalk venders. We consigned to them our products. Every Monday and Thursday. And made collections. We got back the unsold and bring home to our pigs.
We consigned our products to 2 Iloilo Mission Hospital canteens. There were several stores at the back of the hospital. There we consigned our products. We delivered at 3 canteens of Iloilo National High School, two canteens at Don Benito Hospital, two canteens each at West Visayas State College and Western Institute of Technogy. We delivered also our products to street vendors along the way.
Inside and around La Paz Plaza and La Paz market, we were able to deliver our goods both to small stores inside the market and to street vendors. We delivered at Provincial Capitol canteen, Philippine National Bank canteen, St. Paul’s Hospital canteens and at different stores along the highway.
We delivered at the canteens of University of San Agustin, University of the Philippines-Visayas, Iloilo Doctor’s Hospital and nearby stores like “4th of July Store” and other stores along southern street of San Agustin University.
At Plaza Libertad we have vendors that sold our products on the streets. We consigned at the canteens of Iloilo City Hall, Development Bank of the Philippines, to vendors near Ker & Brothers and vendors at the seaside areas to the port going to Guimaras.
After six months, we bought a 3rd Hand Jeepney from my Mr. Reinerio Ramos, who stood as sponsors on our weeding. We bought it for P20,000. We paid P5,000 down payment. And the remaining amount, payable in 6 months. We still carry our paper bags. But only from the jeepney to the stores.
The jeepney was strong. I found out, however, that only the two rare brakes were working. The two front brakes were disabled. I have to make it really careful driving in Iloilo City, with only the rare brakes. After several weeks, I have the front brakes repaired.
With our transportation, we expanded our small business to Mandurriao and around the Housing Units. We proceeded to Molo. We also got business to two stores at West Visayas Hospital in Mandurrriao. We went as far as Arevalo.
We also expanded to the northern part of Iloilo City, down to Gran Planes Subdivision, reaching Leganes and Zarraga. We also reached out to Pavia.
In six months time, we have about 150 outlets selling our products. During all those time, there were no outlets that were not able to pay the consignment we gave them. Every Monday, our deliveries of Salted Peanuts and Banana Cakes were paid. And also every Thursday our new deliveries of Banana Cakes.
Four months later, Mrs. Rosea Saplada, the sister of Hesther in Bacolod City, started baking Cupcakes and Brownies. She sold it to outlets in Bacolod City up to Kabankalan in south Negros. She also delivers from Bacolod City up to Victorias, in north Negros.
She sent us, Cupcakes and Brownies, every Monday, for delivery in Iloilo City. So we have new products to offer our customers.
One time, at Iloilo National High School, I met my former girl friend. She was going to the school canteen. We met. I was just out from one of the canteens. I came to her. I was carrying my two Paper Bags with some of our products. I went to her, smiling. She looked at me. She smiled. She said. “What are you carrying? You seemed busy? What’s that?”
I told her, I was delivering our products Salted Peanuts, Banana Cakes, Brownies and Cup Cakes. I extended her my hands. We shake hands. It was quite long, nearly three years, after our last meeting.
I asked her about her husband. She told me he was alright. He was busy with his new assignments. He was a police officer. I told her, we’re alright with my wife. We have no child yet. She told me, they have no child also. I extend her my hands again. Again, we shake hands. I bid her good bye. I said, we will met again one day.
One time, at CPU Students Enterprise, Mrs. Tamayo, wife of CPU Vice President, saw me carrying two paper bags and putting my products at CPU Canteen. She came. “Pastor Rudy what are you selling. Salted Peanuts? Why? You resigned from CPBC and sold Salted Peanuts? Why?”
To boast my feelings, a little, I said. “Yes, Maam, I am selling Salted Peanuts. We decided to start a small business.
"It’s hard to be an employee all our lives. We have to punch a card, to show we were present in the morning and in the afternoon. I have to start our own business. We will work to make it grow and big. We produce and sell our products all over Iloilo City. We hope to make a million one day.” I looked at Mrs. Tamayo and smiled. She smiled back. ” Pastor Rudy, I think you’re doing right.” I am not thinking of a million pesos. I am thinking of a million seeds of salted peanuts.
In less than a year, we have about 150 outlets all over Iloilo City. Money, just small amounts, came in tricking twice a week – Mondays and Thursdays. The challenge remains. It you want to make more money, go business. But. I think, our’s was not to make more money. Only, something, sufficient for our needs.
And, with a little success in our small business, I started to think going into broadcast ministry again. I was in broadcast ministry when I was Pastor of Central Maao Evangelical Church in 1973. I would like to revive it. Speaking the Word of God, direct to people, face to face, or reaching them through the Airlanes, were the same. God’s words, whatever the means, could reached minds and hearts of people seeking for God and truth.
We prayed asking God for a way to start a radio ministry, as He gave me at Maao Central Evangelical Church before. With a Radio Ministry, we can reached out to churches, the members and pastors in Iloilo, in Panay and in Negro Occidental.
We can reached out to our Ecumenical friends. We will be able to reached our friends and partners in the Farmers Association and the Labor Unions. We put the burden of starting the broadcast ministry before the Lord. We believed, He will help us find a way.
Part of the series The Ministry Years (chapter 27 of 48)
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