Amparo Moldero Magallanes, co-owner of Amparo's Apothecary and former flight attendant, shares how finding the best hand cream led her to create her own line of skincare products and how she maintains a level of success with a few business and personal strategies that keeps her grounded. You can find her products at:
The Alpha Stories: So, tell us how your story started.
Amparo: I flew for an American airline company (Delta, former Northwest) for 15 years and retired last October 2014.
For the longest time I’ve had a love hate relationship with body moisturizers, having a myriad of genetic skin allergies it was hard for me to find one that worked long term. One day in April of 2014, I was staying at my best friend’s house and we got to talking about making my own lotion or body cream. She was an entrepreneur, so naturally she was very excited about the prospect of me "making something”.
Then she told me to do the research and I did! Eventually, we went out and bought some raw materials. I then came up with my very first body butter, and on my next flight out I brought it with me. It instantly became a hit with my crew family until they started asking to buy some.
That’s how I started!
Wow, that’s amazing! Now, I know why the flight attendant on one of my flights back to Manila instantly showed me your hand cream and that’s how I learned about your company. So, what happened next?
Amparo: So, for the better part of April to October 2014, I was selling my body butter to friends and family and then, I came out with a second variant by August of 2015.
In September 2015, my airline offered an early out program and I immediately took it.
I joined a mega bazaar in my adopted hometown (Baguio city) and I then opened a shop after that.
The rest is history.
What do you think is the most important part of starting a company?
Amparo: I truly believe the most important thing to me when I was starting out was to have the full support of my husband and family. It was not necessarily finances but having to completely see how my vision unfolds helped me achieve it.
When you were just starting the company, how did you maintain a level of organization and at the same time making an impact to the community?
Amparo: Quite frankly, a level of organization is easy to achieve by following tried-and-tested business formula such as supply and demand, etc. We started out with a small inventory that mainly catered to our online orders and maintained a showroom inventory for walk in customers. Being strategic to maintaining inventory and cash flow was definitely helpful when we were starting out.
In terms of having an impact to my community, I feel like it is seen when I become an example of what one person can achieve. If you put your mind to it, it’s always easier to relate to people you actually know and use them as a point of measurement for your potential success. By being down to earth and accessible and always helpful, you can let other women know that you do not have to meet society’s requirements in order to start something you truly like. You don’t necessarily need to have a bachelor’s degree or an immense amount of money to start doing something that you like, but certainly those can be helpful. And lastly, not all the extraordinary business people you see started out as instant success stories. Nothing is an overnight success!
If you were to tell us, what are some of the strategies that has helped you become an industry leader in the skincare business, what are they?
Amparo: I believe that first you need to find something you can pour passion into, something you love to do. As a product of both artists (and a self proclaimed artist myself), it was easy for me to transition into making products that required using my hands and my artistic flair. My exposure as a flight attendant added knowledge about what sells and what women look for in products. My background in Medical Technology didn’t hurt my transition from serving airline food to handling laboratory equipment.
What was your most inspiring moment doing what you are doing now?
Amparo: When I started this “artisan trek” I got my first few feedback and people started telling me how wonderful my product was and how it has helped them with their skin problems as well. These were my babies (products) and they have gone and made me proud!
And you should be very proud of what you have accomplished! How do you measure success?
Amparo: I measure success neither by profit nor social media followers. I declared myself successful the moment when one person accepted my product and felt good about it. That’s how I measure my success.
Do you have any success habits?
Amparo: I would say it includes having perseverance, diligence, customer service/personalization, confidence and integrity. I always equate my products to who I am. I would never sell something I will never buy. All my products on display, I have used myself first.
How do you start your day?
Amparo: I start my day always with a prayer of thanks, always. Thanksgiving for another day, always in awe of how wonderful my God is and how far I’ve come. This action keeps me grounded and reminds me that in everything that has happened is a series of answered prayers from my energy to make more soap to that large account that just came in!
Lastly, what makes you truly happy? Do you think happiness is critical to succeed?
Amparo: I am happy that I found something I love to do and actually make a living out of it! I am happy that I have my own time! I am my own boss and now I have more time for my family.
I definitely believe that happiness is critical to success. My chosen field is not cutthroat nor does it involve killer deadlines, to not be happy in this position is an atrocity.
Seriously as in life, and any chosen field, if you are no longer happy with what you do, you die a little each day.