The question I gave her was my usual query to entrepreneurs whose business managed to survive the health crisis last year. But her response caught me completely off guard.
She replied “God is the business owner and I am merely the manager so I know the commercial enterprise will succeed because in God nothing is impossible.”
I never thought that God and business could mix together. But when Teresa Mar Siega of Paper Bags and More mentioned it, I thought that is one unique way of looking at her company because it takes a huge chunk of the emotional burden of managing a business off her shoulders.
One advantage Teresa has over other entrepreneurs is that her products will always be in demand even in the midst of a pandemic. Packaging products will always be of use to anyone selling small items whether it be offline or online .
For centuries, paper bags have been part of trade and commerce.
Proverbs 16:3
“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.”
While cloth bags or crates are used to pack goods in larger quantities during its transfer from manufacturer or farms to retailers, paper bags are used to distribute smaller quantity goods to customers.
Because of paper bag’s structural firmness and surface feature, it is ideal to print high-quality images, logo, designs. In fact, making paper bags is a hit for fashion, luxury and premium gift packaging industry.
While most entrepreneurs look at paper bags as mere packaging for the more important product it encases, Teresa found them to be highly saleable.
I got this information during my Zoom conversation with her while promoting the coaching program Kapatid Mentor Micro Enterprises.
Just like any typical breadwinner, Teresa started earning money as an employee in order to meet her family’s daily needs. She was then working for a shipping box manufacturing company based in Cebu as business development officer.
One day, Teresa decided to take a closer look at the process of crafting paper bags. Her years of working inside the company made it easy for her to figure out the manufacturing process of producing the packaging material.
When Teresa finally decided to set up her own company, she chose paper bag bulk supply arrangement as her core business. She made this possible armed only with training from her previous job, a small capital and a dose of confidence.
The first thing she did as an entrepreneur was to submit a proposal to supply paper bags to a famous hotel-chain in Cebu. As luck would have it, she bagged her first order of 3 sets of 5000 pieces with the said hotel-chain. Together with her husband, they were able to comply with the order as well as bag supply contracts from other hotels and hospital establishments locally for ten years.
When the COVID 19 pandemic pummeled the hospitality industry, Teresa shifted to online platforms catering local bulk orders on demand. With her earnings, she was able to purchase equipment such as printers.
Teresa mentioned that she reports regularly on the financial state of business to who she considers her only Boss, God, at the end of each day. She tells Him the challenges and problems she encountered during the day.
Like a good manager, She has never sacrificed employee welfare in order for her company to profit; nor did she let go of any of her staff for the company to survive during the COVID19 pandemic. She always seeks God’s approval on her proposed plans for the company to move forward and grow.
Teresa is currently introducing to customers shipping boxes for products of local sellers, as well as other packaging materials such as cloth.
With her strong faith in Divine Grace, Teresa hopes to survive more trials that will come her way and continue to expand the business.
For orders, you may reach them through their Facebook page: Paper Bags and More – Cebu.
For as low as Php 5.80/pc, you can have a paper bag that has your company logo printed on either side.
For more information on local products that are proudly made in Central Visayas, visit DTI Region 7 Facebook page.
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