Never, ever be scared of telling the world how you started
Scared that your brand won’t be seen as prestigious or “cool” enough when you add your origin story in your pitch? In this day and age?
Don’t be. If you think about it, every single giant conglomerate started as a startup. Amazon started in a garage. In a time where less and less people are trusting giants, you have a unique advantage: why you started.
I’ll go into how your origin story can boost trust, build brand affinity, and inspire others. I have examples, too.
But first…from a PR perspective, why does your startup’s origin story matter in the first place?
There Are Not Enough Local Products
In an economic nutshell, Filipinos are more of consumers than producers–something lawmakers are eager to change. With the recent passing of the Tatak Pinoy (Proudly Filipino) Act last February 2024, there’s tangible proof that Filipinos want to compete globally and focus on local products instead.
DTI even forged new partnerships with Japanese fashion retailers last March, with the intent of using and promoting local, indigenous materials (capiz shells, abaca, etc.)
At this moment, your local, Filipino startup can be more news-worthy than any international luxury brand coming into the Philippines.
Especially when your startup adds to my next point.
Your Authentic Origin Solves A Relatable Problem Nobody Spotted
Startups succeed not by existing alone, but in answering a how to a why.
- Why did you decide to make a startup in the first place?
- What problem did you want to solve?
- How are you solving this problem?
And believe it or not, people love hearing about it.
Do I Really Have To Start With A Problem For My Startup To Stand Out?
Generally, yes. But does that problem have to cure cancer? No. Shawarma Shack started from a couple selling shawarma wraps at night.
Sometimes, the problem is putting food on the table. Most people have that problem, one way or another. Your success as a growing yet humble business is relatable enough to be endearing, earn trust, and inspire others.
Some Examples Of Startups That Tried To Solve Other Problems:
DermoRepubliq
A brand with popular campaigns last year, DermoRepubliq came about in 2020 when Keith Sta. Barbara wanted skincare catered to Filipino skin–something that shocked me when I looked into it this year.
Up until this year, I didn’t know that there was a lack of skincare products for Filipino skin, in the very country Filipinos call home.
Tagani
So many Filipino female farmers don’t know simple accounting skills–hence why so many had a hard time selling their own produce. A group of college students found out, and made Tagani: a startup dedicated to solving this problem.
Unfortunately, Tagani had to close in 2021. But it wasn’t due to failure: their founder and CEO was hired at the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). In short, the government now knows about the problem.
There Are Many Investors Who Love Startup Culture
Google explodes when you type “startups popular in 2025 Philippines”. There are hundreds and hundreds of articles about startups to watch out for.
Trust me: you will not run out of people interested in startups. Generally, many forward-thinking investors hate pretentious conglomerates and are more trusting of humble yet innovative startups.
Some Examples:
Brian Cu, one of the co-founders of Grab Philippines, was also involved in building Zalora Philippines early on. He also held a key position in Gojek when it tried to get a foothold in the Philippines.
From his track record of holding key positions in companies in their infancy, it’s no secret that he loves startups. So much so that The Philippine Star Joanne Ramirez called him Mr. Startup in 2022.
In 2021, he even founded a new startup: SariSuki Food Solutions.
When Joanna Ramirez asked why he loves cultivating startups so much, Brian said he loves the independence, and the grit that comes with building a company from scratch.
He isn’t alone. In his no-nonsense criticism of corporate’s obsession with “startup culture”, Class35’s Founding Partner Nick Parminter wondered why corporations love startups so much. He even spotted it when UK’s Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Pat McFadden vowed to make his reforms “more like a start up” back in December of last year.
Case in point: you will not run out of people who would love to hear all about your new brand.
The challenge isn’t in finding someone to listen to you. It’s in standing out in a sea of other startups. Which brings me to my next point.
You Need To Stand Out Through Your Beginnings
While it’s a misleading, over-generalized statistic, Forbes, Failory.com, Harvard Business Review, and Exploding Topics all say that 90% of startups fail.
(And that was only the first four websites on the first page of Google’s “90% of startups fail”.)
You get the idea. If you put yourself in the sea of the other startups you’re competing with, how does yours stand out?
How Your Origin Story Can Create Impact
- Inspire Others
Much like PR, inspiration is merely a matter of perspective.
The fact that an ordinary Filipino was able to start a business, whether or not they succeed, is inspiring enough. You’re essentially telling the world, “If I can do it, so can you!”
Better yet “I did this, so you don’t have to!”
That’s only the beginning of your startup’s potential.
- Boost Trust
Startups sound fancy, but your business is actually more relatable to the everyday Filipino than a giant conglomerate.
Because of how easily you can inspire others to succeed, more people are likely to trust you–and this is one of the many reasons so many PR and media agencies love working with startups!
- Build Brand Affinity
What’s great about startups is the ability to build and collaborate from innovation. From that innovation (and energy!) comes a community of people who would love your brand for a long, long time.
Remember: at some point, everybody looks for something new. While there are loyalists to a company for years, there are even bigger markets for people looking for something new.
And that something new could be you. You and what your startup can offer.
After Everything, The Why Will Always Matter
Now is the perfect time to broadcast your startup everywhere–and you should broadcast everywhere. Cohesively and connectively.
But what matters more is your why.
And in these initial stages of your business, your why is literally why you started. It should be easy to tell.
If it isn’t, why? Your why is the most important thing in your startup’s brand story. And in dissecting any brand’s story, the core message any brand should have should be loud and clear–because it matters that much.
Having a hard time digging into your why? If it’s hard to tell what’s important where it matters (radio, social media, etc.), you can contact NGP IMC (here, or here) to help you get started. Their NGP way of telling, sharing, and connecting stories is perfect for startups wanting to resonate more with people.
Kriztin Cruz is a recruitment and digital marketing professional, freelance writer, hobbyist painter, and frustrated sociologist–with too many things to want and too little time to spare. She graduated with a Psychology degree in 2019 at De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde Antipolo. When she’s not drafting a corporate letter or working on anything digital marketing, you can find her doing the following, but not in this order: reading a good book, scavenging for a good book, sketching, painting, journaling, junk journaling, obsessing over an obscure Czechoslovakian surrealist film (or anything by Miyazaki or Del Toro), cooking, finding a cafe to relax in, and creating new things while a nice documentary plays in the background.