Kamilla, a mother of two, began her business in custom stationery but faced the daunting challenge of starting from scratch with minimal resources.

I started my hostel, Casa Hostel Sweet Home, in 2019 when three of my children began serving church missions.

My name is Jorge Illanes. My wife Andrea and I have two children, Matias and Samuel. We are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

My journey began when I was working in a call center, torn between my career goals and wanting to spend more time with my son.

Ian Alfonso D. Santamaria Jr. is a professional teacher by training, but entrepreneurship became his true calling.

Gheraldyne Lisbeth Saavedra Rucoba, founder of Manos Mágicas, has always been in love with art and handmade creations.

For Rumaldo Filho and Thaís Miranda, life was a financial struggle. While already employed, they found themselves searching for a path to improve their economic situation and gain financial stability. Their desire for a better life led them to take a leap of faith and enter the world of entrepreneurship.

Monica Cedeño started her beauty and hairdressing business, BellayNatural, seven years ago with just 20 clients in her living room.

After Mabel Chikordi Moses returned from her mission, she needed a way to support herself. With a passion for fashion design and a willingness to learn, she participated in the Self-Reliance PEF training, which helped her discover new opportunities for growth and enhance her skills.

Helen Friday Igah felt a strong need to help support her husband in managing their family’s responsibilities and ultimately make a difference in their lives, but she realized that she could only do that if she were contributing in some way.

In 2019, Jadon won first runner-up in the Philippines Academy Awards. He and his wife work together to grow their business, with his wife doing most of the marketing. They have now partnered with Grab and FoodPanda.

After the pandemic, Liezel lost her online services clients. She needed a new way to provide for herself. After receiving a bag from a friend, she felt inspired to sell similar products. Liezel found a good supplier and began selling her bags live.

Janine needed a source of income that would allow her to balance her new life as a mother without giving up her passion for handicrafts. She saw an opportunity to transform a hobby into a profitable venture.

As a single mother, Carmen felt that having a dependent job was the safest option. Upon taking the “How to Start and Grow My Business” course, she realized she could start her own business and still support her family. She decided to leverage her talent for cooking.

Gabriel launched his business in 2010 but was unable to officially register it until 2015 as he needed machinery that would allow him to produce shoes that were professional quality.

Jose was just 20 years old when he started his first business: a garbage-collection business. This ignited the entrepreneurial spirit inside him.

Alicia began to dream of her business five years ago. She even designed the logo, but she was afraid to move forward because she believed she needed a lot of startup money. In August 2023, she learned about an Academy course that would help her start her own business.

In 2019, Benjamin established Casven IT Solutions but lacked initial business know-how. Inspired by Academy training and a trading exercise with a paperclip, he embraced the rule of thumb “Start Small, Think Big.”