Ka-Entrep Board Trustee & Education Committee Head Vik Delos Santos
Party and events entrepreneur Vik Delos Santos has gone a long way and continues to provide events services with diversity and innovation.
His family business—JOE’S PARTY SHOP was a handed-down business from the father- the late Jose Manapat de los Santos who retired as a worker in 1984. He established Joe’s Balloons, derived from his name, right under his residence in Santa Mesa, Manila renting tables and rattan chairs and selling balloons. At 73 years of old age, Jose could no longer run his business. So in 1989, he handed down the management of the business to his youngest son Vik, being newly-married to Elizabeth Rolda.
Fresher approach
Youngest son Vik, at the helm, introduced more items for birthday parties such as clowns, piñata, balloon decors. He likewise geared the enterprise targeting expansion and growth. After one year, he opened the first branch in busy Legarda Street in Sampaloc, within the commercial part of the University Belt in Manila.
The first branch’s location was perfect being near the market, schools, and churches. Vik de los Santos believed that the newer branch will place Joe’s Balloons at the cutting edge, since the original one is 2 kilometers away and located in a residential area. In the mid 90’s, Vik opened another branch in E. Rodriguez Sr. Boulevard in Cubao, Quezon City, near a church, school, and other business establishments.
The new expansive strategy meant spreading out services too. With the help of wife Elizabeth, they added clowns, mascots, magicians, jugglers, decorative balloons, and video and photo coverages as products and services of the aspiring Joe’s Balloons.
All that mattered with Vik was to keep the services improving and bringing joy and new surprises to kids’ birthday parties. At childhood, Vik, with his brothers and cousins, engaged in business selling rice cakes in their neighborhood at the early age of nine (9), and assisting in shoeshine jobs in downtown Manila. In the year 2004, Vik finished a degree in Entrepreneurial Management at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) Open University.
Vik and Elizabeth strongly believed that experience is the best teacher for kids to become entrepreneurs. Their three boys are all involved in running their party events business and the routine of production including deliveries, cake decorating, receptions, inflating balloons, answering calls and manning the party shop office.
From balloon maker to one-stop party shop
The 1990’s made Vik visualize Joe’s Balloons into a one-stop party shop and events provider and instituted aggressive promotions of its services and novel products. He placed promotional ads at the Neighborhood Directory in 1991 and later, to PLDT Yellow Pages. Since then, Joe’s Balloons became known in the 4th District of Manila as a major all-in party event shop. The husband and wife tandem continued to improve and expand the services of Joe’s Balloons, now known as Joe’s Party Shop and Events.
Impediments
The older Delos Santos thought of managing again and took back the original Santa Mesa shop. The younger Delos Santos complied without resistance and Joe’s Balloons became two separate entities. The older Delos Santos’ move became a drawback to the younger Delos Santos’ vision of creating a family corporation that will include his father. The family’s unity meeting called by Vik failed to convince the older Joe to agree to the new business set-up of putting-up a family corporation.
The two newer shops remained under the management of Vik. Eventually, the Cubao branch had to close down because the building owner sold the edifice. The Cubao branch moved to D. Tuazon Street, a residential area at that time. After one-year of operations, Vik closed shop due to low turnout. The shop could not even cover for its own monthly rental fee of P10, 000.
The Legarda branch, with its new name, Joe’s Party Shop survived in 2006 at break-even performance. Joe’s Party Shop rose to greater heights in services, marketing, promotions and revenues while its mother unit in Santa Mesa, was renamed Alvy’s Balloons.
Joe’s Party Shop: All-in party events provider
Joe’s Party Shop is into retailing and rentals of party and special events items. The main products include balloons, loose or packed together as decorative balloons; toys, party gadgets/materials such as palayok (clay pot with goodies in it), giveaway bags, piñata, animal headgears and rental and customized costumes, face painting, and the pabitin.
Joe’s Party Shop also rents out tables and chairs, sound systems, vehicles for motorcade, tents, parachutes and advertising balloons. It also have sub-contracted talents such as clowns, party hosts, mascots, magicians, jugglers, photo and video coverages, balloon twisting show, etc.
Joe’s Party Shop main market belongs to the C, D and E crowd that abounds around where the shop’s located. From time to time, it serves the high-end belonging to the A and B market.
Joe’s Party Shop envisions expanding to different places within Metro Manila and nearby provinces. It targets as priorities the following: the provinces of Laguna, Cavite, and Rizal, and the cities of Makati, San Juan, Pasay and some parts of Manila proper.
Vanillae Shot Bakeshoppe: An added flavor
To complement Joe’s Party Shop services, the couple established in 2010 the Vanillae Shot Bakeshoppe. Formerly known as “Cakes by Joe’s”, Vanillae Shot produces customized cakes that are affordable and originally crafted. Their second son, Buhay plays a key role n cake decorating with his passion for sculpture, drawing and creative arts. Vanillae Shot also accepts deliveries for healthful, irresistibly tasty pastries that can be ordered in bulk.
Ka-Entrep molds character and responsibility
Ka-Entrep Manila Local Council Vice-President Beth Rolda-Delos Santos. She is also the Legarda council information center (CIC) Manager
Joe’s Party Shop’s human resource comes from the neighborhood’s out-of-school youth that are jobless for a long time. The couple Vik and Beth are both very active in Ka-Entrep Micro and Small Entrepreneurs Organization of the Philippines (KA-ENTREP). Aside from holding responsible positions, the couple is also active in recruiting new members. They enlisted their much close friends, suppliers, partners, party talents, and neighbors.
Having attended seminars on costing and pricing, basic marketing, promotions and leadership have contributed in developing their entrepreneurial skills and mindset.
As active members, the enterprising couple supports other aspiring co-members by giving them moral support, reminding them of their organizational responsibilities during character formation stage and organizational formation. The couple is committed to build the organization by giving time in planning income-generating projects, and building strong base of mass members in Manila.
Vik and Elizabeth fully acknowledged they benefitted from Ka-Entrep, and developed the sense of responsibility for their enterprise and the community. Their faith for a better future lightened up as their character changed, and values reinforced. Both visualized that Ka-Entrep will become a full-blown nationwide organization with a noble and honorable purpose and that Ka-Entrep shall take its authoritative presence always exposed to tri-media, doing charity work in communities, helping the government in poverty reduction, empowering the entrepreneurs in issue advocacy work and policy reforms. ###
Contact: Joe’s Party Shop, 2439 Legarda St, Sampaloc, Manila, Telephone # 7360808, Cellphone # 09164431405, Email: joespartyshop@gmail.com, vanillaeshotbakeshoppe@yahoo.com. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/yourjoespartyshop, http://www.facebook.com/vanillaeshotbakeshoppe
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