The Business of Love: Finding True Success Forever

by Penny Angeles-Tan | Feb 12, 2018 | Business

Reg Onglao and Gian Drilon

A blissful relationship and a strong business are two of life’s greatest achivements and if you find yourself able to merge these two, you are definitely doing something right.

Starting a business is not an easy decision to make but 26-year-old entrepreneur Gian Drilon took his savings and explored ways on he could start a business of his own.

He researched and read articles on online selling until he stumbled upon the Lazada selling platform.

In May 2016, he opened his first shop, Asenso Shop, where he sells products such as toys, games, and items for mothers and babies. The first few days were smoothsailing, but as months went by, it came to a point where he would get hundreds of orders a day.

His girlfriend of nine years, Reg Onglao, started helping out when she had free time after work. She does special projects for Gian, among which is to help automate processes in the business. With her help, handling the business became easier for Gian.

“Back when we started, I used to be the only full-time employee of the business handling everything — from product selection to packing. Within a few months, the orders quickly grew and became too much for me to handle alone, but like what others would say two is really better than one,” says Gian.

To date, Gian and Reg, with the help of their five employees, handle four shops aside from Asenso Shop. These are:

• Watch Me!, their main shop where they sell fashion accessories;
• Asenso Healthcare, which contains health and beauty products;
• Gold Panda, a shop under a special partneship with Lazada where they sell gold bars; and
• ZG Designs, where they offer graphic t-shirt printing.

“I have very big dreams for our Lazada stores, and I always want to keep on improving. Every month, I keep on adding more and more assortment and I also venture on new product categories. Just like my life together with Reg, our love steadily grows each day with more and more varying experiences. I dream of starting a family with her, having kids, and buying a house,” shares Gian.

By working together, their relationship and business grew together determining their mutual career plans.  During Lazada’s Online Revolution Sale in 2017, the couple once received 7,000 orders in one day and this made Gian decide to take their relationship to the next level.

Gian proposed to Reg last December when he asked her to help him reboot his broken computer. When she opened it, she was surprised to see photos popping out with the question, “Will you marry me?” to which Reg replied with a sweet YES!

Through Lazada, Gian made his dream a reality. Not only does he get to spend his future with Reg, but he also is able to reach a nationwide pool of customers.

Juggling personal and business relationships altogether is no joke. “I remind myself that Reg and I are in a committed relationship—where two different people choose to become one, working together towards a common goal, and where each person complements and helps the other one grow,” shares Gian.

Gian and Reg plan to expand their business in the coming months and like them, you can do the same with Lazada Philippines’ selling platform. It offers a straightforward start-up process for merchants who want to start their own online selling business.

Selling on Lazada just takes three easy steps. Visit www.lazada.com.ph/sell-on-lazada/ to find out more.

About Lazada Group

Launched in 2012, Lazada is the number one online shopping and selling destination in Southeast Asia – present in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

As the pioneer of the eCommerce ecosystem in Southeast Asia, Lazada helps more than 135,000 local and international sellers as well as 3,000 brands serving the 560 million consumers in the region through its marketplace platform, supported by a wide range of tailored marketing, data, and service solutions.

With over 210 million SKUs available, Lazada offers the widest range of products in categories ranging from consumer electronics to household goods, toys, fashion, sports equipment and groceries.

Focused on delivering an excellent customer experience, it offers multiple payment methods including cash-on-delivery, comprehensive customer care and hassle-free returns through its own first and last mile delivery arm supported by more than 100 logistics partners. Lazada Group is majority owned by Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE: BABA).