tiendesitas

I visited the site of where, perhaps, the new branch of my pet store will be located. Bound by three roads (Ortigas, E. Rodriguez and Julia Vargas) is a huge property which is partially being developed by SM and the Greenhills Shopping Center. On that property is a new structure patterned after the charming micro retail/tiangge/flea markets of Thailand. It’s called Tiendesitas and it looks great. The vast area is divided into zones or sectors such as Garments, Leather Goods, Furniture, Novelties, and Personal Care; my store was offered a spot in the Pet Zone.

The rent is not bad for the location and the terms are quite agreeable. However, there is still the costs involved with starting up a new store, including the investments on improvements and the like, plus new overhead for staff and inventory. Despite the fact that the contract will tie us down for a year (thus calculations except for initial investment is multiplied by twelve), it looks good. In fact it feels good.

I may regret this bullishness down the line but that one thing I’ve learned as an entrepreneur – you’ve got to look at the opportunity in the eye, make an informed decision and take a managed risk. I’m almost certain to go for it, more or less, because there is only so much value to conservatism and fear of loss and failure. I could just sit with what little I’ve banked and invest in the standard things, but I actually like working, doing something, getting my hands dirty. If I ever get a zillion pesos, then I can just put it in placements or bonds and live on the interest. But I don’t have anything like that.

So now it’s a matter of sleeping over the matter. I’ll see if I feel differently about it in the morning.