More and more celebrities are becoming entrepreneurs lately. Most foray into the food business or open their own bars, while an others build their own production studios and go on to produce their own shows and movies. But this isn’t the same expectation when you are still 20 years old.
For Elijah Alejo, there is no such thing as unusually early. She starred in her first sitcom at age six. And she’s has now her own perfume line at age 20.
Haliya, a brand named after the Bicolano mythological Goddess of the Moon, and a fighter herself who, as the myth says, has defeated the Bakunawa or the moon-eating dragon. Elijah brings this fighting spirit in real life by building this brand on her own.
“Me lang po,” she said when asked if she has partners in creating her new business. “Nakakatakot, it’s a new world, pero parang andun po ‘yung excitement,’ she revealed.
On choosing scents, she is so fond of perfumes that it took her just months to do research and complete the requirements for her new brand. The biggest challenge that she is meeting right now is establishing the selling component which she wants to do first in the online space — where there is no easy mechanism to let her buyers smell her scents.
On advice to her generation in starting a business, like the mythological character Haliya, she advises them to be fearless. “‘Wag po kayo matakot mag business. Pero at the same time alamin n’yo din po kung hanggang saan lang po ‘yung kaya n’yo i-invest,” she said.
Elijah prides herself with also sourcing her own products locally. ‘Yung mag perfumes sa market now are more of English, or French. I opted po talaga na kapag sinuot ng mga buyers, they would say na ‘Hay. Pilipino ang may gawa nito’,” she expressed.
On what are the advantages of choosing her scents, Elijah immediately said that it is her scents’ long-lasting aroma which is its first selling point. This is her unique selling proposition.
For now, Haliya is available on TikTok shop, Lazada and Shoppee. Elijah is also committed to doing live selling on her TikTok account as soon as time permits. She is willing to juggle this while filming for her weekly musical teen-oriented show MAKA.
In closing the interview, Elijah urges the young to just try, even on things that intimidates them. After all, if they start early, there is still so much room for errors and so much time to try again.