MULTIPLY—one of the most visited sites among the youth today—has become an avenue for young entrepreneurs to jumpstart their respective ventures.

With a little creativity and spunk, establishing a network in cyberspace has never been made easier.

“[Since] most people have access to the Internet, one doesn’t have to spend much to get his or her idea across,” says Bobby Sangalang, managing director of Filed!, an online shopping store for school folders.

Vintage clothing store Love Me Vintage (LMV) owners Ynna Mayor, Edell Soliguen and Joyce Tan agree. They say, “It is easier to start a business online because one can test the waters first and see if people will like the products.”

Kei Contreras, owner of the online fashion catalogue La Ropa Barato, adds, “Putting up a business online saves time and money. In our case, all we needed to do was register the website, add contacts and post our products.”

Filed!

Filed! is a collaborative effort among friends Bobby Sangalang, AC Irasusta, Ervin Jader, Imman Santos and Steph Lim, all BS Management graduates from the Ateneo de Manila University. What started as a project for a business class is now a booming online store.

“Being students when we started the business, we wanted to offer a product that would be useful to us as well,” Bobby says. “We wanted to have a folder that could carry all the stuff we have: iPods, calculators, pencil cases, handouts, etc. We thought of a workable design, wrapped it in yummy candy-colored leather exteriors, and the fusion of organization and style was born.”

“Our goal is to continuously innovate and offer different products that solve organization problems in style,” he adds.

Their file case franchise has become among many college students’ school must-haves. Filed! customers can choose from eight colors: Plush Purple, Hot Pink, Funky Green, Flamin’ Red, Electric Blue, Magma Orange, Sunburst Yellow and Midnight Black. File cases cost P495 a piece.

Filed! will come up with funky beach bags this summer. Check out http://filed.multiply.com for details and updates.

Love Me Vintage

A common love for vintage clothing brought Ynna, Edell and Joyce together. The girls are graduates of De La Salle University, University of Asia and the Pacific, and the Ateneo de Manila University, respectively.

Now officemates, the trio decided to get involved in a part-time online business venture. “It’s fun doing something you love while earning from it at the same time,” they say.

LMV caters to teens and young professionals who are confident with their own fashion style. “They are not afraid to stand out from the crowd,” say the three. “They know what they want and what looks good on them.”

LMV sells by the piece clothing and accessories at affordable prices. Bags sell for P500-P700, skirts for P350-P550, dresses for P450-P600 and tops for P250-P500.

“You’ll never find [our items] anywhere else,” say the girls. “Once you buy [a particular item], you’re sure you won’t bump into someone wearing the exact same item. That’s one of the reasons why we decided to sell vintage clothes. We want to be unique.”

The girls say the best part about their online business is fusing income with interest. “At the end of the day, it’s a good thing that we can earn profit from something that we love doing.”

Visit http://lovemevintage.multiply.com for chic and one-of-a-kind pieces.

La Ropa Barato

La Ropa Barato—”cheap clothes” in Spanish—is a clothing business that caters to women of all ages and body types. The brainchild of mother-daughter tandem Daisy and Kei (a graduate of the Ateneo de Manila University), and Nikki (currently a student at the University of the Philippines-Diliman), La Ropa Barato also started on a trial basis.

“We just wanted to try our luck in the online world,” Kei says. “Originally, we planned to make ready-to-wear clothes. But instead of RTWs, [my sister] looked for possible designs on the Internet and posted them on our website. These photos were the first few styles available in the catalogue, and our clients could select the ones they wanted to be made for them.”

“Our business allows our clients to wear designer clothes in the cheapest way possible,” she adds. “They do not have to spend thousands for clothes. Being the shopping addicts that we are, we thought this could be a good way of sharing our taste in clothes,” Kei says. “Earning extra income is just a bonus.”

La Ropa Barato tops range from P700-P850, dresses for P900-P1000, and skirts for P500-P650. They also make long gowns; prices vary depending on the design.

To view the fashion catalogue, visit http://laropabarato.multiply.com.