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Delia A. Cenderio, 58, a proud CARD, Inc. client and a multi-business owner from Paco, Manila, stands happily fulfilled in one of her stores.

Investments over momentary luxury is Delia’s philosophy. Whenever she receives resources or earns an income, she treats it as a seed she can grow into another income-generating opportunity. This discipline, combined with her hard work and competence, has enabled her to own and operate multiple stores in Manila. Delia took up a Bachelor of Science in Commerce and reached her third year in college. A natural risk-taker, she left her home province in Bicol and braved the fast-paced life of Manila. Her first jobs ranged from saleslady to security guard and later ship loader at a petroleum company. First try While being employed, she decided to run a small-scale vending business. From a modest PHP 4,000 capital, she began selling slippers and placed her goods along busy streets and sidewalks. Her beginning reflected the same: far from a wide, comfortable road to success, it was more like a narrow sidewalk that

demanded her patience and persistence with every step. She would move from place to place, seeking spots with enough passersby to reach potential customers and maximize her sales. While she continued selling, she was able to rent her own space to sell her goods and eventually a second space. During that time, she noticed the growing trend in beauty products. So in 2017, using the savings she had accumulated, she opened another space dedicated to cosmetics and personal care items, bringing her total number of stores to three. While others might celebrate their early success with small luxuries, Delia chose to keep saving and reinvesting. But as her business continued to grow and require more of her time, she eventually left her job to focus on it entirely. Embracing growth and competition A year after opening her new space, a peer invited her to attend their CARD center meeting. It paved the way for her to become one of CARD, Inc.’s pioneering clients in Paco, Manila. As a client, she took a PHP 50,000 loan, her first, which she used to help purchase a pick-up truck to support her business operations. She kept her stores thriving with this. CARD, Inc. later offered her bigger loans. It allowed her to expand her stores, opening one for baby care products, another for ready-to-wear clothing, and one for groceries. But maintaining and growing these businesses was never easy. With the rise of online shopping and the emergence of competitors, her ready-to-wear store, baby care products, and beauty goods were heavily affected. Still, she embraced the competition. She searched for low-cost suppliers of her items to stay competitive and focused on high-quality yet affordable goods. And when competitors copied her products, she adjusted her prices. She shifted prices and product selections strategically to stay competitive. She believes that even if her profit decreases, what matters is that she keeps her capital moving and continues earning each day. “Para kahit maliit ang tubo ko, lumalaban ako. Kasi sabi ko, kung ako’y magpapatalo o susuko, talunan ako.” (Even if my profit is small, I keep fighting because I tell myself, if I let others beat me or if I give up, then I’m a loser.) For her, such challenges show her how much farther she can go. Keeping forward It goes like this every time: her competitiveness and reinvestment ensure that, whenever she earns and saves, she is also building something. At present, Delia operates six rental apartments totaling eight residential units and has six commercial spaces for her stores with six salesladies assisting her. This discipline and hard work have not only nurtured her business growth but also enabled her to purchase land properties in her hometown in Bicol and a house in Cavite. As she continues to grow her businesses, she now aims to make further property investments and save more.

Ask her about the secret to her success, and Delia will simply say: “Keep your personal wants out of your business money.” She advises focusing on growing your funds and repaying your loan provider’s trust by repaying responsibly. It is indeed a principle she has lived by from the very beginning. From a few pairs of slippers on the sidewalk to the multi-business venture she runs today, Delia has proved that even when life gives you only a narrow sidewalk to run on, discipline and persistence can still take you far. /PR