Big word.

As a marketing professional of close to 15 years, my training has always been to COMPETE. Everyone needs to have a share of the pie. You have to fight your way to get a chunk of it.

The idea of collaboration is not foreign to me. It happens all the time in the corporate world but it is almost always never with a brand that offers the same services as you do.

I first encountered about this seemingly weird idea, listening to Jeff Brown who runs the Read to Lead podcast in Spotify. His podcast features authors and a short interview on their books.

Jeff also invited other podcasters to his show and while traditional marketing would find that ridiculous, his theory is actually something that I now believe in.

When like-minded people come together to promote a common cause, collaborate and make waves, they do not only get a chunk of the pie, they make pizzas, and cakes and a dessert buffet!

What does this mean?

He only meant that we do not need to compete for that “pie” in our midst. Especially when the market is young and small, everyone will benefit in collaborating and spreading the word about it so that everyone gets their own pie.

This makes a lot of sense.

Even with competing brands, you will always have different consumers. Some clients will like you, others don’t. Followers of an Apple will seldom be followers of Samsung, and if there will be switchers, they are outliers. People choose the brands they choose because they feel a sense of belongingness and this is something that cannot be copied: the personality and the voice of the brand that can only cater to a specific target market.

When I started with the aromatherapy world, I had a chance to meet Russell Lorenzo, the owner of Casa de Lorenzo. I set up an interview with him to understand the essential oil business in the Philippines for my case study. He was most gracious to accommodate me and he answered all my questions. He even invited me to collaborate for a workshop and that surprised me!

On another instance, I approached the founder of Essential Oils Phils. , Gil Thomas, asking permission if I could post a survey in her group so that I can finish my case study. She gladly accommodated me without hesitation. Gil’s advocacy is something that I share so strongly and I am so happy to be part of her tribe.

Another person I look up to who is the it girl of aromatherapy, Jirbie of Couch Wasabi, has also been so amazingly wonderful and generous in sharing her knowledge and experience. She radiates with light and soo much positivity.

As we celebrate today’s Araw ng Kagitingan, I would like to give kudos to the people I mentioned above.

Valor. Bravery. Courage.

It takes a strong heart to leave the comfort and security of a corporate job to venture into the world of the unknown, promoting a natural lifestyle through soaps and eventually, becoming the most credible resource person for the topic.

It takes courage to go against the norm and talk about safety when everyone else is promoting how to use the oils the fastest way via neat application and casual ingestion.

It takes guts to build a business with social responsibility at its core and putting passion before profits.

These new people I found in the aromatherapy world are full of light and love. They are generous with their time, their knowledge, and their experience and I am lucky to have come across them.

When I look back on this path I have taken, my heart swells with pride and there is not an inkling of regret. I see a very bright, oily future ahead. ❤