No doubt that Filipinos are fond of sidelines or so-called "raket" such as selling stuff along sidewalks, streets, offices, schools or house-to-house. Social networking and internet access have great impact in changing the shape of our personal businesses. Check the top 10 common Filipino sidelines of 2014.
Investment: Php999 (Internet plan)
Primary skills: Dynamic and English Communication
The demand of Filipino online services is increasing. As per Elance report, as of February 2013, the Philippines ranked 4th in the number of online freelancers with 89,207 and ranked 9th highest earnings with USD7,141,783. Odesk and Elance are the two biggest online work platforms and currently announced its merger. If you think you got the skills in finance and accounting, customer support, sales, writing and translation, administrative support, IT support and web development, then grab you laptop and join the global online outsourcing but make sure you have stable connection of about 5mbps.
2. Direct Selling
Investment: Php200 to Php1,500
Primary Skills: Selling
Filipinos are sociable in nature that’s why as per DSAP,
there are more than 2Million Filipinos joined in direct selling. There
are more or less 50 direct selling companies offer different products like
clothing, cosmetics, home products, supplements, baby care, shoes, bags,
fragrances and even water purifier. With
a minimal investment of Php200 to Php1,500 as registration fee, an individual
can already earn from 10% to 25% of the product price. When I was in my college years, I joined Ever
Bilena, Boardwalk and MSE, these are my sources of income aside from daily
allowance I received from my parents.
3. Multi-Level Marketing
Investment: Php3000 to Php20,000
Primary Skills: Marketing
Other than simple direct selling, the new business craze
that you could find in Facebook and in Metro Manila is the Multi-Level
Marketing. It is so-called MLM since an individual earns not only from sales he
generated but also from the sales effort of others they recruited. The
investment in this type of industry is higher compared to direct selling. Take
note that before joining in MLM, take extra time to know your company since the
credibility will always be the consumers’ confidence. Among the few companies
that engage in MLM are VMobile, AIM Global, Amway and USANA.
4. English Tutorial for Koreans
Investment: Php0
Primary Skills: English Communication
The Philippines being one of the top English speaking countries became a great hub for Koreans who want to learn English. This is the great opportunity for the Filipinos to earn extra income from their English talent at Php300 to Php400 per hour. If you can’t find your own Korean client you can apply at the nearest English Tutorial Centers for Koreans.
5. Special Subject Tutorial
Investment: Php0
Primary Skills: General and Subject Specific Knowledge
Not all of us are excellent in English to teach Koreans like me. So let’s make profit from special subjects like Mathematics, Accounting, Web Developing, etc and find potential market. I know that I’m excellent in accounting but I don’t know if I’m a good teacher. So the first time I offered my service, I offered it for free only for those living near my house like Paranaque. Why free? Since it’s my first time, I need somebody to assess my teaching skills. Well it went positively, my student insisted to pay even for only Php100 per hour. That’s a fair deal.
6. RTW from Divi or Baclaran
Investment: Php3,000.00
Primary Skills: Selling
Clothing is one of our basic needs and everyone of us always wanted to look presentable. Then let’s take advantage from this need. Let’s shop in Divisoria or Baclaran for a big wholesale discount and sell to the province through our family, relatives or friends. My neighbor shared that from their Php3,000 investment, now they have weekly budget of Php20,000 for their RTW business bought from Baclaran and being shipped to Isabela. That’s a great growth.
7. Photography
Investment: Php50,000
Primary Skills: Photography
From hobby to business, well this is the coolest sideline. Unfortunately you must have your good quality camera like DSLR for you to look like a pro and it cost at about Php25,000 to Php50,000 plus accessories. If you don’t have photography background, find a friend who could professionally teach you or join the basic photography workshop of Photo World Manila at Php4,700 for 5 sessions.
8. Home Service Massage and Salon
Investment: Php1,000 to Php3000
Primary Skills: Therapy and Cosmetology
Massage is as easy to learn as 1,2,3. If you want a good
training, anybody could enroll in a vocational course offered by TESDA which is
usually for free. The demand of home service massage and salon is increasing as
most Filipinos wanted to relax right in its home. Now, buy your kit and post an
ad in your neighborhood or online like Sulit or find some recommendations. At
Php200-Php300 per hour is surely a great deal.
9. Mobile Load for Sale
Investment: Php500
Primary Skills:
Loading business is a good idea for start-up entrepreneurs.
The average profit is 5%-15% per transaction. You may offer your business to
your family, relatives, friends, friends of friends, officemates, classmates,
and etc. It would be better if you offer 3 networks, Smart, Globe and Sun. Just
keep in mind to monitor your load balance, have your “in” and “out” inventory
record and always check your phone for possible messages.
10. Lending
Investment: Php2,000 to Php20,000
Primary Skills: Negotiation
This is a silent but notorious sideline. Most Filipinos
do not have an easy access to bank loans or any formal loans due to extra non-readily-available
requirements. In effect most of us would prefer to borrow cash from angel
lenders, 5-6 or foreigners such as the well-known Bombay or Turko. To start
your own personal lending business, take note that interest plays great role, you may apply a 3% to 5% per month. Warning:
10% monthly interest is very onerous and you might be considered a notorious
lender.
