HANA: Good afternoon, I am Hana Sebe, Production EVP and this is Kianna Lazaro, HR

EVP. And we are from Prima Facie from St. Scholastica’s College Manila.

KIANNA: We are a company that seeks to revitalize the local shoe industry, fosters
environmental sustainability, and empowers Filipino community, through our product Ananda.

HANA: The Ananda is an innovative and comfortable casual sneaker which utilizes a
combination of synthetic leather and waterlily leather. The shoe is mostly covered with synthetic
leather while the quarter panel and tongue components make use of the waterlily leather. The
waterlily-leather parts of our shoe showcase an environmental and cruelty-free way of enhancing
a typical sneaker design. This is an innovative breakthrough by transforming waterlily pests into
a profitable product.

Our sneakers are available for both males and females. For males, the sizes range from
8 to 12 while for females, it ranges from 5 to 10. Its minimalist design can fit both genders’ shoe
style.

Searching for the waterlily supplier for our company was not difficult. We were able to
easily contact our supplier, Fernandina Waterlily Handicrafts Association, through the use of sms,
and they are easy to work with.

On the other hand, searching for a manufacturer was tough. We went to Marikina and
communicated to five shoe manufacturers who all declined our product since they could not meet
our deadline. That did not stop us from pursuing our product and eventually, through
perseverance, we were able to meet our manufacturer, Felicel Shoe Manufacturing. We knocked
on every door of manufacturer we saw and we even got overtaken by night just to find a trusted
manufacturer.

These were our prototypes. There was a misunderstanding with our manufacturer for the
first version so the waterlily parts were interchanged with the synthetic leather. After some
revisions, they were able to make another prototype in a span of only two weeks.

We strengthened the waterlily leather by applying a mod podge coat, an all-in-one glue
slealer, over it. We also worked with our manufacturer to lengthen the shoe laces. Then we
worked with the marketing department to determine the quantity to be produced per size.

I used project and risk management templates to help manage our team and also a quality
checklist to ensure the all of our shoes are of best quality. We were able to produce 30 pairs of
Ananda for our first batch by second week of July. We received positive feedback which led us to
produce a second batch of 50 pairs by second week of October.

We worked with our marketing department in developing a dance video to show our
customers how comfortable and sturdy our shoes are.

KIANNA: A company would not be successful without productive and motivated people. Let
me begin with explaining how we organized ourselves. Each student created a resume and they
applied for roles based on their interest and skills. We matched them with the positions available.
We did one step more for CEOs and EVPs as we also had an election process. We made sure
each one understood their roles and also had a goal-setting activity.
 Next is training. We organized fund-raising activities for our initial capital. We treated these
as training opportunities since our members learned how to strategize, do marketing and sales,
learn about finance and so forth. But aside from these and the JA mentoring sessions, we also
organized a mentoring session with an EVP from East West Bank.

Motivation and communication are important. We want our members to be engaged in

their work. We organized a town hall wherein each department head gave updates. Members had
the opportunity to ask questions and bring up concerns. We also celebrated by rewarding
deserving members and had fun through a fashion show and giving our sweet treats.

We even gave members motivational letters. This very personal and sincere approach
was appreciated. To make sure that they are happy in the company, we also conducted an
employee satisfaction survey. And results showed a 90% satisfaction rating.

We used 360 degree feedback surveys to measure performance. We decided to do the

360 degree approach to ensure that we get a complete evaluation and followed it up with one-on-
one performance discussions.

And last but not the least, we crafted our rewards and recognition program. Aside from
rewarding our high-performing members through certificates, we will also reward them with a
larger share of the profits. The EVPs will also get a slightly bigger share than the members.

Hana: I am very proud to say that almost 70% of our inventory were sold by December.
In the future, we are planning to add more colors, more neutral tones based on our customer
feedback. We are also excited about our upcoming product Reis, casual sandals that also uses
waterlily-leather.

KIANNA: Our company draws its strength from its team members, the lifeblood of the
organization. Juggling all the duties effectively and efficiently is one of the difficult parts of being
the Human Resource head but working and handling people is the most challenging yet rewarding
part of this JA journey. It’s not easy when you handle people as each one has a unique
personality. But my experiences in Prima Facie has helped me prepare for managing people in
the future.

HANA: Being a production EVP was not easy as a business revolves around the
product. We needed to ensure our product is something our customers would want to buy.
Although our journey was strenuous at time, I have learned so much in this role. I developed
interpersonal skills as I communicated to various manufacturers and suppliers. I am a shy
person but this role gave me confidence to lead people and publicly speak right in front of you
on behalf of my department. Seeing that our efforts helped in the success of our company, I am
very happy and grateful.

KIANNA: We’d like to thank JA and all who helped us become who we are today. Again, we
are from Prima Facie. Buy a shoe, clean a river. Thank you!