Build Ecosystems, Not Empires™

A newsletter about culturally rooted marketing & growth for purpose-driven BIPOC founders. Short notes on building your biz while staying true to your vision, values & joy. Unsubscribe any time.

By Gelaine Santiago of Founding Possibilities​

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Hey Reader,

When I started my first business, an e-commerce Filipino jewelry company working with artisans and social enterprises in the Philippines, people actually told me it was a bad idea.

They said that nobody would want to buy products from the Philippines.

They told me that Filipinos were cheap and had no money.

They advised that, if we wanted to be taken seriously, we needed to serve the “mainstream market” (aka. white folks).

(FYI - most of this was said to me by other Filipinos. Not out of malice, but because they genuinely thought it was true).

At the time, I was 25 years old and had just panic-quit my corporate job. I was young and inexperienced and didn’t come from a family of entrepreneurs. Wtf did I know?

So we listened to folks with “more experience”. Instead of building the business we wanted - one that was proudly and unapologetically Filipino - we went another route: carrying products from all over the world. India, Uganda, Guatemala, the Philippines and more.

After 3 years of catering to a mostly white clientele and not making much money, we decided to pivot to our original vision: a business where everything was designed and handcrafted in the Philippines, built for the Filipino community.

The moment we owned our truth and highest vision, we finally started to get real sales online. Even more, we began receiving thoughtful comments from strangers on the internet (now paying customers!) about how much our work meant to them.

That business eventually became a multi-6-figure global brand with customers all over the world, grown primarily through organic marketing and word of mouth. And it's since inspired more than a dozen businesses like it. Yes, that’s a brag 💁🏻‍♀️

Thing is, I meet founders all the time who think they need to tone themselves down, code switch, or perform a certain way in order to make ends meet. They fear what it might cost them if they said what they really wanted to say. Often, they know what they want to say - but the voices in their head are so loud that the words won’t come out in a way that feels right.

So my question to you is: what is it costing you each day that your business isn't reflecting your most authentic and unapologetic self?

For me, it cost three years.

The takeaway: Don’t water yourself or your highest vision down. The REAL magic happens only once you show up as the fullest, realest version of you.

This week: Write down one thing about your business that you’re afraid to say out loud. Hit reply and tell me. I read every email, even if I’m slow to respond.

Sending you only the realest vibes :)

Gelaine

PS - Helping founders step into their highest vision and show up as their most fullest, authentic selves in their marketing is what I do in my coaching program, Your Real + Rich Brand Story.

In the first month, we give words to your Why, who you want to serve, and what makes you uniquely magic. Then we craft a brand story that feels like the most real, rich, and wonderful version of you.

This is the first time I'm offering this as a 3-month program with extended coaching support. I'm looking for folks to help me pilot it, available at a discounted price. Only 2 spots left.

​Check out the program details here, or reply to this email if you’d like to talk it through!