uly 9 is a double celebration for Trish and Jeffrey Geronimo as it’s also the 9th month birthday of their only son and their church wedding that was attended by more than 200 guests from all over the Philippines. The original wedding date was supposed to be March 18, 2019. But then the pandemic hit, and because of it, they decided to postpone their plans and move the date later when things are a bit better. 

“At that time as we tried reaching out to our wedding suppliers, we had a lot of questions and uncertainties I’m sure other engaged couples had because of COVID-19. It was partly challenging but when Trish and I focused on the present situation, we grew even closer together, we got to know ourselves better in times of crisis and limitations too. And then it clicked to me, that maybe it was God’s way of reassuring us that we are where we’re supposed to be, that because we were just so sure of getting married, we would be able to wait for that perfect time. And thinking of it now, we are more confident and sure of our next step in life together.”

On Business during the pandemic 

Looking back when the surge came, sales were starting to slow down. It went to the point that their passbook for the business account reached negative figures. Raw materials were getting harder to find because of the trouble with the importation of goods. Almost all of the suppliers struggled greatly in this pandemic.

“I had good, industrious, and hopeful people with me, and I just couldn’t let them down because of the worldwide health crisis. As their leader, I needed to do something. So what I did was, I used my personal savings meant for our Church Wedding and to-be-constructed house. In short, aside from our wedding, being postponed, even our future home was put on-hold. What motivated me to do this is my Team. We even added more employees before COVID-19 came. To think that during the peak of the pandemic, a lot of people lost their jobs. Why would I allow my employees to experience the same hardships? No one wanted this pandemic to happen. Unlike other companies that closed down for good or retrenched their workers, I made sure they were kept well and safe. Their welfare is more important than the material things I dreamt of in that moment. And once I was able to establish keeping them, I spent the remaining of my savings in producing Aqua Skin products. It was as if we were all starting from scratch all over again. With that challenge, I was able to see how each and every one of the team pursued to make the brand work. I saw their dedication, loyalty, and trust not only with the brand but with me as well.”

Today, the Aqua Skin Philippines team is still complete—growing in fact! 

“I am utterly grateful for these individuals for putting so much of their heart and soul in Aqua Skin. And whenever I look back at the ordeal we’ve been through and I can never express the pride I have in them.”

 Struggles that overcome the business

Aqua Skin’s success story is always worth telling. For just 5 employees working in an apartment unit years back, all that they have now has been a dream come true. They started out having little to nothing to invest, as well as no connections to aid them in climbing the market. The beginning was just from a humble home. All the success is the fruit of love, trust, and hard work of everyone from the team. 

According to Jeffrey, despite the hurdles of being tricked by business partners, instances of loss of sales, and the grandest of them all: the pandemic, they never stopped. 

“The moment you stopped working, you lose twice of what was already made in your craft. It’s okay to pause and to recollect, but never stop thriving if you want to be successful in business. Actually, the pandemic became our motivation to move forward. It works to focus on the solutions rather than the problem. Be proactive, as the say. That’s the best takeaway we can ever give anyone. Giving up is never an option, there will always be solutions coming your way. You just need to trust the process.”