Manila – November 20, 2018 – Facebook, in partnership with Connected Women, a global community of women entrepreneurs, celebrated women entrepreneurship day with the #SheMeansBusiness “Opens Doors” event. Representatives from the Department of Information and Communications Technology, and the Department of Trade and Industry attended the event together with women entrepreneurs who have participated in #SheMeansBusiness workshops.

#SheMeansBusiness has been launched in 21 markets around the world, including the Philippines, and is designed to reach both aspiring and established women entrepreneurs through a series of workshops and online resources that will arm them with the knowledge, skills, connections, and technology required to build and grow their business.

In the Philippines, over a thousand Filipino women entrepreneurs have participated in #SheMeansBusiness workshops in over 10 cities, since 2017. “When women do better, we all benefit. Filipino small business owners are resourceful and we want them to understand how going digital can expand their ventures. Through the #SheMeansBusiness program and our partnership with Connected Women and Bayan Academy, we aim to connect entrepreneurial women with empowering tools, peers and networks.” said Clair Deevy, Director of Community Affairs, APAC and Latin America, Facebook.

“Tools like Facebook has made it easier to grow your business and build better relationships with your customers. At Connected Women, we aim to educate women entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs on digital tools so they can scale their businesses, and reach a global market, even while staying close to home,” said Gina Romero, CEO and Co-Founder of Connected Women. “We hope women entrepreneurs who attended our workshops across the Philippines can take the lessons and bring their business ideas to life.”

Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs

Beyond the workshops, participants also heard firsthand experiences from those who participated in previous #SheMeansBusiness workshops including, Catherine Taleon of Cabautan, Iloilo, who owns Balay Tablea, and Daisy Catague-Cababasay, chef and owner of Takuri Cafe in Iloilo.

Catherine shared how she started out by putting in a small investment on tablea to try and get a feel of the business landscape. When she finally decided to open up Balay Tablea, she made sure to support local farmers while producing a distinct quality chocolate from Iloilo City. After attending a #SheMeansBusiness workshop in Iloilo, she learned about building the brand, driving exports, increasing sales, and attracting new customers using Facebook tools.

“When I started my business, it was more of a side line and involved only me doing all the work. But being part of a network of women entrepreneurs in #SheMeansBusiness, I gained access to tools and expertise that helped me take my tablea business to the next level. Today we are working with cacao farmers in Panay Island, and also working with women in an indigenous community who help weave our product packaging,” said Catherine Taleon of Balay Tablea. “It is truly a good feeling to be able to pay it forward to the communities that make cacao production possible, and to share the distinct taste and quality of Cacao to our customers not only in our province, but also in key cities in the Philippines.”

^{(PHOTO) Entrepreneur Catherine Taleon, Connected Women CEO and co-founder Gina Romero, Entrepreneur Daisy Catague-Cababasay.}

Daisy meanwhile, talked about how her age (she’s 58) and perceived disability (having had total hip replacement) didn’t deter her from putting up Takuri Café—which serves Asian fusion cuisine. She learned more on how to market her business online after attending a #SheMeansBusiness workshop in Zamboanga.

“It was truly amazing that at my age, I am continuously learning. In the workshop, I learned a lot about how to make the most out of Facebook—including the way we should post and how we should interact with our customers. These are things I never really thought about before, and they helped the business grow much more than expected,” Daisy said.

These are just two of the many success stories seen by Connected Women founder Gina Romero since her group started mounting the #SheMeansBusiness event together with Facebook, with support from the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and Bayan Academy. She hopes to see more as they bring the workshop to other parts of the country.

Facebook’s mission is to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together. Helping businesses connect with the people they care about is part of that mission and, to that end, the Facebook #SheMeansBusiness initiative is committed to helping female small business owners and entrepreneurs.

We are the leaders, activists, innovators, and visionaries – whether in the public eye or behind the scenes – who are revolutionizing the way people think and live. We are #ConnectedWomen.
Join the Connected Women community now, it’s free!

Join us at our next FREE #SheMeansBusiness event on December 12, 2018 at Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines!
connectedwomen.co/palawan