Two founders weigh in on learning, building, and adapting, to grow an MSME in e-commerce

Editor’s note: This press release is sponsored by Shopee and was handled by BrandRap, the sales and marketing arm of Rappler. No member of the news and editorial team participated in the publishing of this piece. Building a successful business takes more than one good idea. As industries evolve and customer needs change, business owners must continuously rethink how they grow. For Christopher Bautista of Tech Smart Philippines and Jennalyn Indigado of Samara Baby & Kids, growing an MSME on Shopee has meant continuously learning, adapting, and responding to customers’ changing needs. Their stories show how Shopee supports MSMEs beyond providing a place to sell. Through seller education, platform tools, campaign opportunities, and account management, Shopee supports entrepreneurs as they grow. Reinventing after uncertainty For Jennalyn Indigado, that journey began with learning an entirely new industry. Before founding Samara Baby & Kids, her family ran a hog-raising business for five decades as their primary source of income. When African Swine Fever (ASF) disrupted the industry in 2019, they were forced to start over. Looking for a new source of income, Jennalyn turned to Shopee. Initially, she just wanted to find tie-sides for her baby daughter, Samara, the namesake of the brand. She realized she could provide them to other parents, too. “Coming from agriculture, we had very little knowledge about garments, e-commerce, or digital marketing. That was all new to us,” she said. What helped her business grow was embracing the learning opportunities available through Shopee’s seller programs. The platform introduced her to the fundamentals of running an e-commerce business, from sales and marketing to inventory management, customer insights, and even financial management. “We made it through that journey because Shopee made it possible,” Jennalyn said. “It was like they created a blueprint that I could simply follow, step by step.” Jennalyn also credited Shopee’s account managers for guiding her as the business scaled, from encouraging participation in campaigns and new opportunities to conducting regular business reviews that looked at shop performance and day-to-day operations. “You will never feel alone because the platform is up-to-date with the tools you need,” she added. Eight years into Shopee, the brand expanded from a handful of listings to hundreds of products while steadily building a loyal customer base driven by its mission: to create jobs and provide quality, affordable products for Filipino families, especially moms. Today, with Shopee’s support, what began as an alternative source of income grew into a business with 700 products, 1.7 million followers, and around 400 employees. Building around a problem worth solving Christopher Bautista’s journey highlights another side of long-term business growth: continuously understanding what customers need. When Christopher listed his very first product, a power bank on an online marketplace, he wasn’t following a detailed business plan. “I started with what I like personally: technology, gaming, and electronics,” he shared. As a gadget enthusiast, Christopher often searched for electronic accessories that were difficult to find in the Philippines. Recognizing that many consumers faced the same challenge, he built Tech Smart Philippines around making these products more accessible. Over the past eight years on Shopee, Tech Smart Philippines has grown by continuously listening to customers and adapting as e-commerce evolved. Christopher credits Shopee University for helping him better understand pricing and new platform features, while initiatives such as Free Shipping, Mega Vouchers, and Shopee Ads helped the business reach more customers. “It’s one of the valuable resources they provide,” he said. “The Seller Education Hub is easy to understand, even without formal training. For example, they provide pricing computations, which I use as a guide to price our products fairly for our customers.” For him, earning customer trust is a value every aspiring MSME should prioritize from the start. “Focus on building your brand while delivering excellent customer service,” he added. “Because when you have a good reputation, customers will come back to you even if you’re priced slightly higher than others.” Today, Tech Smart maintains a 4.9 customer rating and a 100% chat response rate on Shopee, reflecting its focus on building customer trust over time. While Christopher serves technology enthusiasts and Jennalyn supports parents and young families, their journeys point to the same lesson: growing an MSME in e-commerce is rarely the result of one successful product or one good business idea. Long-term growth comes from continuous learning, responding to customers, and adapting as markets evolve. For aspiring MSMEs, both founders encourage starting with a genuine understanding of the problem they want to solve while remaining open to learning along the way. Shopee brings together experienced sellers like Christopher and Jennalyn to share practical lessons with the wider MSME community. Their journeys show that lasting growth in e-commerce is built not only by selling more but also by continuously learning, listening to customers, and improving how the business is run. – Rappler.com