Marseilla Cafe: How Did It All Begin

What kept me busy for almost a year now is my home-based coffee shop, Marseilla Cafe.  We are still on a dry run since we (my fiance and I) took a risk on putting this up along the street of Marseilla in Rosario, Cavite where it is mostly residential and people won't normally pull over just to eat.  Much to our surprise, we have locals and people outside our town, like Bacoor, Paranaque, Taguig and Cubao, and even foreigners who stayed at a nearby hotel, who exerts their time and effort just to try our dishes and drinks even though our place is out of their way and there is no parking for cars (but motorbikes and bicycles can park at our driveway).

But, of course, there are down times as well.  It does bring anxiety, but I'm fighting it by coming up with marketing or promotional ideas to keep the people coming back.  And, of course, watching YouTube videos and movies that focuses on culinary arts really helps.

Having a business is a real challenge.  It will affect all aspects of your life, wherein you have to sacrifice most of your time and lifestyle.  But I'm very blessed to have the people around me with endless support--who never gets tired of encouraging me to keep going.

How did it all start?

I really see myself as an entrepreneur in the food industry since I was young.  I drew cookies using crayons on a paper, cut it out, insert those in a small brown envelope, and sold them to my classmates in grade school.  There was a time when my classmate and I thought of mixing all the chips we have, place it in a container, roll paper into a cone, and scoop mixed chips to it and sell them to our friends!  So, yeah, I'm a business-minded person.  When I got the opportunity to study culinary arts, I focused on that and became a top-notch of our batch!  Not that I'm bragging, but I'm really proud of my achievement!  Due to circumstances, I decided to go back to back office job so I could support my dad's medical needs since there's no medical benefits when you work in a kitchen here in the Philippines.  Sad truth.

There were numerous business attempts I did for the past years where I came up with a pie that I sold to my colleagues while I work in an office.  Then I decided to put up an online pastry business called Esmis that I eventually developed with a colleague from my internship in a restaurant and created Esther as our brand that sells homemade jarred desserts (when those kind of desserts weren't popular then) dips, sauces, and did catering too.

I can say that Esther was successful, but there is still something missing.  I want a real shop where people can just come by and get their cravings fixed and not stress myself on the ingress and egress of each event and the logistics of delivering our products, because I do everything--even deliver right at the client's doorstep.  Yet I don't have the money and the guts to do so.  That's why I went back into freelancing in production, online work, etc.

But everything changed when I met my fiance, Arjay.  I used to be a person who lives day by day, without worrying about tomorrow or depress myself with the past.  Since our relationship needs more responsibility since I said yes to his casual proposal last year, I decided to have a focus and plan on my career (since I'm a freelancer in so many fields).  I applied for cook positions on different restaurants and was hired by an upcoming Italian restaurant but they went MIA after I asked about my salary.  So I went back to zero and confused on what would be my next step.  Then Arjay and I thought of putting up a small cafe/resto where he can sell his shirts and have a mini cafe on the side.  Most of our days were spent scouting on commercial or residential spaces that we can rent, but the costs were too high.  Rental fees in the metro will really burn your pockets.

He found this heart-shaped pebble (?) at the beach in Ternate, Cavite. :)

Then one morning, Arjay made me a grilled cheese sandwich for breakfast -- using pan de sal instead of the usual white bread, then sided it with potato chips that he bought from the sari-sari store.  I told him I can make potato chips from scratch and we discussed about selling it, etc.  Planning came next, proposed it to our investor and decided to put up a home-based cafe, then we execute.

Great thing we both have the same taste, whether it be on food, decor, music, anything!  We really enjoyed our trips to Wilcon Depot, other local hardware stores, the mall, gardens, etc. for canvassing of materials and whatnot.  Pinterest, Google Image, and blogs helped a lot too in planning.  The construction of the restroom was a headache since the workers were not on their right minds because they made the ceiling too low that I can bump in it if tiptoed (imagine, I stand 5'7"), so I have to have it reconstructed.  Then there goes the added expense.  Materials were way too high even if we had scouted for the cheapest seller in the area.  Arjay and I installed the carabao grass we ordered from the garden, and it was fun!  We also bought other materials in Divisoria, like the cloths that I hanged on the ceiling of the cafe.

While the construction was ongoing, I did the research and development of the cafe's menu, then registered at DTI, which was my mistake.  I was too scared that maybe someone will be registering "Marseilla Cafe" as its business name, so I went ahead and had it done while the construction is ongoing.  Never register your business at DTI if you don't plan to open any time in a month.  BIR will be charging you with late fees if you happen to register your business at DTI months (like 6 months) before applying for Certificate of Registration on their bureau.

For more details on registering your business as a single proprietor, you might want to check out this post that I made.

Before and After construction of our front yard.

Hiring staff was tough.  Although it's very easy to sort out the good ones from the 'blah' because all they have to do is follow SIMPLE instructions.  Some backed out during the interview since they were skeptic about the location of the interview, which was Starbucks by the way.  I can't blame them because I might think twice too if I were in their place.  But I had explained to them that there was construction going on at home, so I don't think it will be a good place to conduct an interview.  Training was quite fun.  I learned so many things along the way too!

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I still can't believe that we pulled this thing off.  Imagine, we were just doing our own thing before then here we are running a business?  Well, I can't say that I'm successful doing this now.  There are a lot of trials and errors along the way.  Being a hands-on entrepreneur might make you go crazy, but it brings joy to me in so many ways--but I still have breakdowns, you know.  I'm weak too!  Haha!

If you are thinking of putting up your own business, I suggest that you should.  I really am encouraging you to take this huge risk.  There are a lot of things that you will learn along the way that will help improve you to be a better and responsible person.  Plus, you'd get to help improve the economy and get to help create jobs for our fellowmen! :)  And a piece of advice, come up with a business that you're passionate on.  Don't put up a business because of the money, it will come soon if you have great quality.  Do it because you're passionate about it.


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Follow my cafe on Instagram:  @marseillacafe
Like our page on Facebook: marseillacafe

Start-Up Business Tips: Registration

Marseilla Cafe kept me busy for quite a long time, that's why I haven't blogged too.  Making your dream into fruition is not an easy task.  It consumes a lot of your time planning, budgeting, and executing, plus, dealing with the requirements for permits.  The whole ordeal will really test your patience...and it will never end especially if you're a hands-on entrepreneur like me!

Here's a guide to all SINGLE/SOLO proprietors out there who are entering the business world for the first time.  I have to remind you that my field is on food and I'm not renting because I'm running a home-based cafe, so there might be slight differences on permits, etc.  You have to check it yourself just to be sure.

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1.  Get Barangay Clearance. 

Visit the barangay hall where your business will be or is situated.  From the articles I've read online, some barangays asks for a fee.  But from where I live, it's for free.  I guess it's one of the perks living in the suburbs.  The whole transaction will only take you five minutes minimum, not unless your barangay is really busy.


2.  Register Business Name at DTI.

Fill-up online form, follow instructions (they're pretty simple), and print.  Then go straight to DTI nearest you, if you still have time of your day after claiming your barangay clearance.

Business name is different to your 'brand' name, or name of your establishment.  Have you noticed the receipts you have?  The place you dined/purchased on has its brand name different to the business name printed on their official receipt.

You can name your business for DTI registration any way you want it, but you can check if it already exists on DTI's database.  There are rules and guidelines on coming up with a business name.

Requirements (again, this is for single proprietorship):
- must be Filipino citizen, at least 18 years old.
- present birth certificate, or PRC ID, voter's ID, passport.  Original and photocopy.

Processing fee is Php 150 + Documentary Stamp Php 15

Business scope vary.  In my case I chose City/Municipality which amounted to Php 500.  If you're a small business, like sari-sari store, you can choose Barangay, Php 200 (I should have chosen this instead).  The way I understood it, if you're a franchisee or if you want to expand your business into different locations, let's say regional, or nationwide, then tick between the two on your online form. National is Php 2,000, while Regional is Php 1,000.  But then again, always make a fact check.

Print out form and go straight to the nearest DTI with your requirements.  It will only take less than hour for you to process your BNR.


3.  Apply for Mayor's Permit.

You can now visit the municipal hall of the town where you will be running your business.  Look for the Business Registration Office, or equivalent to it, and tell the attendant that you are applying for a new business.  They will be handing you a form to fill up and will be asking questions like what kind of business are you putting up, where is it going to be located, how many staff will you be having (if applicable), etc.

In order to get a permit from the mayor, you have to submit the following as well:

- Sedula.

- Sanitary Permit to Operate
         - Go to the Sanitation Department of the municipal hall.  Hand over your application form,
           and they will be giving you another list of requirements.

         - You and your staff should undergo medical examination on your chosen clinic.
           In my case, my business is a cafe, so we were required to have Hepa B tested aside from
           the usual stool and urine sample, x-ray, blood, and physical examination.

         - Collate all results of you and your staff, then forward it to the Sanitation Department for
           verification.  To lessen the hassle, always make sure the results are good to go.

         - Once approved, the attendant will be handing you health cards for you and your staff to fill
           out, most specifically the signatures and thumb marks.  You could either process SD's
           requirements alone (you need to go back and forth) or with your staff (process goes faster).

         - If you have had the health cards accomplished have it photocopied, then go back to SD and
           hand over those cards for them to check and then they will be giving you the Sanitary Permit
           to Operate.

Go straight to your BRO and hand them your application form with the SPO.  You will then be directed to the Treasurer's Office to pay fees (here's a sample of what I paid on this process):
                               
                              Business Plate/Sticker                    Php 150
                              Environmental Protection Fee               500
                              Garbage Fee                                        1,000
                              Local Business Tax                                200
                              Mayor's Permit Fee                                450
                              Sanitary Permit                                      250
                              TOTAL                                               2,550

If you are not renting like me, head back to your BRO to show the receipt, and they will be asking you to go have your tax declaration of real property tax checked (amilyar).

Next step, head to the MPDC Office of your municipal hall for Zoning Certificate.  Show them the application form you have together with the receipts and they will be asking where is the exact location of your business.  You have to have a blueprint (original and photocopy) of the location since you're not renting.  Then they will be handing you additional documents with the head's signature/approval.  It may take a while, but you can pay for the Zoning Certificate (Php 500 in our town) while waiting.

Now you can head back to the BRO and submit all documents.  They will be processing it for days and will schedule you when to pick it up along with your business plate.  :)

It may seem tedious but it's quite an easy process.  It's just a matter of walking towards one department to another and have all required documents done.

Although, I still have one certificate to accomplish to this day -- the Fire Safety Certificate.  Our fire department is really pain in the a**.  They have done their initial check a couple of months back and they told us they'll be coming back the day after but they're MIA!  Ugh.  I tried calling them a couple of times and they told me they'll be coming back that afternoon, but never did. Will try again tomorrow.



4.  BIR Business Registration.

You can apply for BIR permit while your Mayor's permit is being processed.

Make sure you have your RDO transferred to the RDO that covers your location.  I used to work in Taguig, so I had mine transferred first before heading to RDO 54B (Bacoor) by filling-up 1905 form.

Here's a list of requirements to have your business registered:

         - DTI Certificate (single proprietor), original and photocopy
         - Tax Identification Number (if you still don't have it, this should be your step 1 before
            applying for Mayor's Permit, etc.).
         - Contract of Lease if you are renting, or land title/tax declaration if you own the place.
         - Mayor's Permit.
         - Accomplish 3 forms (copies) and have it assessed:
                   - BIR Form 1901 (application form)
                   - BIR Form 0605 (payment form)
                   - BIR Form 2000 (documentary stamp tax on lease, if, obviously, you're renting)
                   - Contract of Lease (if you're renting)

After they assessed your documents, you need to go to the nearest accredited banks for payment.  Ask the officer at the RDO you're at about it.  Remember to have 3 photocopies of each forms before going to the bank.

Then go back to the RDO after payment has been done and go straight to the officer that assessed your application (no need to get a queue number).  You need to purchase Books of Accounts either at the RDO or outside.  You better study this link to understand the difference between VAT and NON-VAT.

     Kind of Books for Non-VAT                              Kind of Books for VAT
     - Journal                                                                - Journal
     - Ledger                                                                - Ledger
     - Cash Receipt                                                       - Cash Receipt
     - Cash Disbursement                                             - Cash Disbursement
                                                                                   - Subsidiary Sales Journal
                                                                                   - Subsidiary Purchase Journal

You have to fill it up with your name and other details and have it registered/signed by the officer.  He/she will be scheduling the release date of your Certificate of Registration (COR).  Some RDOs may request you to attend a seminar about filing your taxes on the same day your CORs are going to be released.

And, don't forget to get a hold of your "Ask for Receipt" sign.  I still don't have mine to this day because they ran out of it a month ago.

By the way, you should also have your official receipts printed and approved by BIR!  I had mine printed c/o the officer who attended me that day.  I still don't have it, though.  She said it will be printed after two weeks, and it's been a month!  Sigh.

UPDATED:
For freelancers who are still confused when it comes to registering at BIR as self-employed or not, here's a link to answer your queries.  It's really helpful!  :)

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So that would be it for now.  I'm going to edit this when I get to process my SSS and other administrative requirements for the business.

I would absolutely appreciate it if you could check out my cafe's Facebook page by clicking on this link, or maybe drop by and try our homemade food and drinks (because I like to make everything from scratch).

You can also like my blog's page here.