It was 2012 when Rechelle Balanzat decided to give entrepreneurship another try with Juliette, an invitation-only mobile app offering premium dry cleaning and laundry services. You see, she’d tried before with a social media marketing company that didn’t quite take off the way she wanted.
Even though she faced many hardships in launching and then shutting down her first company, Balanzat felt more confident and in control when it came to her second one. Not only was she armed with a great idea and a desire to change the status quo, she’d also gained a wealth of knowledge from her previous experience. So, while there were risks, she happily jumped back into the game.
Fast forward to 2018 and Juliette has expanded from providing service to just three buildings in NYC to its first brick-and-mortar store. And not only has its clientele grown over the years, it now also includes supermodels, A-list celebrities and award-winning singers.
Learn all about how this savvy entrepreneur faces the daily challenges of running a small business in one of the most unforgiving cities in the world.
With entrepreneurship, humility is your greatest obstacle and failure is your best teacher.
In normal circumstances, humility is seen as a good thing – a virtue. It’s quite the opposite when you’re an entrepreneur because when you’re building a brand and you have something to say, you can’t be shy. You have to be able to put the business and yourself out there or you won’t get anywhere and achieve anything. That’s exactly what I did.
When I first launched Juliette, I approached a former client who owned several buildings and I asked if it would be okay to introduce my service to the residents. I got the go signal and went to town with the promotions. I put up signs in the elevators, sent out email blasts, installed a stand in the lobby and even gifted everyone with laundry bags.
Another thing I saw differently as a business owner is failure. For some people, it’s quite possibly the worst thing that can happen, but not to me. It lets you learn so much about yourself – your limits and your capabilities. Once you know what those things are, you can manage yourself better in the real world. And beyond failure? That’s where all the great ideas are; that’s where all the amazing things happen.
It can’t be all heart, but it can’t be all brain either. Chase what you want in life, but balance it with what you need to succeed.
I was with Kohlberg Capital Corporation and then with Stellarhead before I ventured into entrepreneurship. I worked hard and I would often think that if I exerted the same effort for myself, I would get ahead so much faster. As things turned out, it wasn’t as simple as I thought it would be.
Before Juliette, I had a social media marketing agency, but I had to close it down because I found out just how difficult it was to scale. I studied the numbers, did my homework and opted to cut my losses and just move forward.
The idea for Juliette began to form when I noticed that cleaners weren’t taking care of my clothes the way that I wanted. I also saw that not a lot of cleaners were tech-savvy and they didn’t have a sense of customer service or marketing. That’s why I decided to launch a company that would deliver quality service with the convenience of technology.
When I first started, it was all about breaking even, but as I grew into it, I started to find the work more fulfilling and meaningful. I remembered what my intentions were as an entrepreneur and what my goals were for Juliette. So now, every day is a balancing act between profit and purpose.
Don’t go by the book just because everyone says so. Success is not a blueprint, but a personal journey.
You have to carve out your own path and educate yourself with books, podcasts and mentors, but remember that you have to pick and choose from the things you’ve learned and apply it to your own experiences. You don’t just copy and paste how other people have achieved success. If it was that easy, everyone would’ve done it by now.
Keep in mind that whatever resources you might have, they’re there to help you be the best version of yourself, but if you’re only reading one book, listening to one podcast and conversing with one mentor, then that’s never going to happen.
Find inspiration in Rechelle and other global Filipino leaders and entrepreneurs as they share their personal stories of learning, growth and success at PH Time Is Now: Mentoring and Brainstorming Event on December 1, 2018 at the ecoSPEARS headquarters in Orlando, Florida.
You’ll also get the chance to meet, engage and collaborate with fellow innovators and changemakers; and take part in building a community of global Filipinos with purpose and impact.
