Client Stories > Jesusa Ferrer

Micro-enterprise : Furniture business
TSPI Branch : TSPI Lingayen Branch
                                    

“Ang negosyo ng ibang tao, lulubog, lilitaw. Ayokong mangyari sa akin yon. Natutulog na ang mga tao, gising pa ako.. kasi gusto ko, may maibebenta ako.” [Other businesses rise and fall.. and I don’t want that to happen to me. That’s why, even when people are already sleeping, I’m still awake… because I want to be sure that there is a finished product that I can sell]. Twelve years in the furniture business, Jesusa Ferrer still exemplifies the values of hard work and diligence, which brought the micro-enterprise to where it is now. Starting with just P1,000 as capital to build three rocking chairs, Jesusa’s furniture business has grown to be a manufacturer of assorted furniture made out of mango wood, with capitalization now at close to P200,000.

Growing up in the furniture trade, Jesusa is adept in managing the business - from product design all the way to production and finishing. She recalls, “habang nag-aaral ako, pag-uwi ko, tinitingnan ko kung anong ginagawa ng mga magulang ko” (While I was still studying, I always observe my parents in the business when I get home from school). The earnings of the family business enabled her parents to support all twelve of them in their schooling. However, time came when the business’ earnings were not enough to meet the family’s needs. Being the eldest, she decided to quit school during her 3rd year in university so that her siblings can finish their studies. She opted to help in the family business and hence, even became more knowledgeable about the trade.

Not wanting to depend on her siblings, Jesusa started her own furniture business in 1993 using locally available mango wood. “Kapag hindi ako nagsumikap, aasa lang ako sa kapatid ko. Hiyang-hiya po ako.” [If I do not work hard, I’ll end up relying on the help of my siblings. I am embarrassed to ask for help from others]. Armed only with her knowledge of the business, Jesusa started producing rocking chairs manually. To sustain the business, she knew she needed additional capital to procure raw materials as well as equipment.

It was the year 2001 when TSPI finally reached her nearby barangay in Binmaley, Pangasinan. When Jesusa heard about the TSPI Kabuhayan Program, she was very eager to join. “Successful daw ang TSPI kaya gusto ko sumali. Lumipat ako ng bahay kasi sa dati, wala pang sentro doon. Lumipat ako para mapalapit sa TSPI.”  (I heard that TSPI is successful that’s why I really wanted to join. I even transferred residence to be nearer to TSPI since there was no center in my area before.) She availed of her first loan of P5,000 and used it to hire an additional laborer and purchase equipment needed for production.  As a result, she was able to increase her weekly production to 10 rocking chairs and 5 pieces of a new product – long, reclining chairs called long jones, which she delivers to 2 furniture shops in the nearby barangay of Malindong and Tunton in Lingayen. From then on, her business started to pick up. With additional loans, she was able to produce new kinds of furniture and even do custom-designed products for clients.

After availing of 8 loans amounting to P94,000, Jesusa can now produce an average of 20 pieces of rocking chairs and 20 pieces of long jones a week, depending on the orders.  From just 1 laborer, her workforce is now composed of 14 workers - 4 furniture makers, 3 part-time workers in-charge of finishing (‘barnisador’), 3 weavers, 2 cutters, and 2 wood-carvers. She was also able to acquire about P74,000 worth of equipment needed to improve her production, such as electrical tools like saws, to make working with wood easier and faster. Taking into account her productive stocks, her business which started from a mere P5,000 loan now has an estimated asset value of P191,500. With the increased production capacity, Jesusa now regularly supplies furniture to 3 furniture shops in the nearby barangay of Malindong and a furniture shop in Tunton, Lingayen. She also supplies to a shop in Mangaldan and another in Zambales on a per order basis. She intends to further expand her sales by purchasing a second-hand jeepney to deliver furniture to 10 different shops located in Lingayen, Mangaldan, and Zambales.
 
Jesusa acknowledges that TSPI has been a big help to her and her family. “Noong araw, isang kahig, isang tuka kaming pamilya. Pero ngayon, pagdating ng TSPI, meron konting pag-angat.” (Before, the family lives on a hand-to-mouth existence. Now, with TSPI, we start to experience a little prosperity.) Not only did the micro-enterprise elevate the economic status of her family, but it also created significant impact in the community. With the desire for others to also prosper, she readily shares her knowledge and skills to those who want to take up the business. “Pag merong gustong mag-apply sa amin at hindi nila alam, tinuturuan ko sila. Kasi gusto ko na habang istambay sila, meron silang ginagawa. Kahit lumipat sila sa iba, ok lang yon. Basta natulungan ko sila. Ang pakiramdam ko, pag kumikita sila, parang kumikita na rin ako.” (If there are people who want to work for our business but lack the skills or experience, I teach them so that they will have something worthwhile to do. If they move on to work for others, that is fine with me. It’s enough for me to know that I have helped them somehow. When they earn, I feel that I’m earning also.) At present, her business provides employment to 14 people in her community, which includes working students. She now has four full-time furniture makers while the rest of the workers are paid on a per piece basis. The furniture makers, cutters, and wood-carvers earn an average of P1,500 a week while the weavers and those in-charge of finishing (‘barnisador’) earn an average of P300 a week. Through their involvement in the business, the workers are now able to support themselves and their families. Moreover, six of the people who received training in the business have already started their respective furniture enterprises. 

Jesusa Ferrer.. an empowered entrepreneur – no wood is hard enough to her skilled and determined hands.

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