OFW in Dubai grows small start-up into full-scale business

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – An overseas Filipino worker who took his chances on a small-scale, in-house shirt printing operation during the COVID-19 pandemic now runs a full-scale business.

The business provides work to fellow Filipinos and opportunities for like-minded entrepreneurs to grow their businesses through collaborations.

Thirty-nine-year-old Benjamin Martin, who arrived in Dubai on a visit visa 14 years ago, used to stare at the ceiling, lying in his partitioned room bunk bed at night, dreaming about having his share of the good life in Dubai.  

“Sinabi ko sa sarili habang nasa bed space ako nakahiga: ‘Balang araw, magkakaroon din ako ng sarili kong condo dito sa Dubai, may sariling bed, may sariling living room, may sariling kitchen at syempre, may sariling sasakyan,’" Martin, who hails from Urdaneta City, Pangasinan and youngest among three children, told GMA News Online.

(I told myself while in bed: One day, I will have my own condo unit in Dubai with my own bed, living room, kitchen and, of course, a car.)

And he chased that dream.

Martin, who, like most Filipinos in the city, has had his share of the challenges of looking for a job, going from door to door with his backpack full of CVs, finally got one as a sales associate, which paid AED2,000 a month.

'Mahirap'

Realizations dawned on him, too.

“Mahirap pala talaga ‘pag wala ka sa sarili mong bansa. Kailangan mong magtiyaga at makibagay sa mga tao sa paligid mo," Martin said.

(It’s indeed hard not being in your own country. You need to persevere and get along with the people around you.)

"Ganu'n din pala. Walang matitira sa sweldo mo. AED500 sa bahay, AED700 sa family sa ‘Pinas, AED500 sa pagkain at AED300 sa transportation. 'Yung AED2000, na akala mo mataas na sa ‘Pinas, ay sobrang baba pa rin pala dito dahil sa taas ng cost of living,” he said.

(Also, it’s the same thing with the salary, nothing is left. AED500 goes to rent, AED700 to be sent to the family back home, AED500 for food, and AED300 for transportation. The AED2,000 that you’d think is big enough is actually too small due to the high cost of living.)

The only thing going for him, Martin said, was his brother, who has been working in Dubai since 2005 as a draftsman, and who brought him in on his request. But not wanting to be a burden, Martin set out on his own.

Pandemic

Came 2020 and the pandemic, Martin, a nursing grad who turned to sales and retail instead, decided to call it quits and return to the Philippines.

“I got a salary cut to the point that I could not anymore pay my bills. I filed my resignation because I could not sustain my life here in Dubai anymore. I didn’t have money to buy food. My rent is overdue,” he said.

Light-bulb moment it was for Martin after his boss, who wouldn’t let him go, instead gave him money for his bills.

“I bought a small printer and a small heat press to open an in-house printing operation. I had no idea if it would click. Those were pandemic days when people were required to stay home, so I had all the time to learn everything about (shirt) printing. YouTube was my teacher at the time,” Martin said, in a mix of English and the vernacular.

The small start-up grew by word of mouth.

Gone are the nights Benjamin Martin would stare at the ceiling blankly dreaming of the finer things in life. Photo courtesy of Benjamin Martin

Another thing that kept Martin going, meanwhile, was his resolve not to be an employee all his life.

“Ayaw kong maging salary-dependent. Kasi hindi mo alam kung hanggang kailan ka kailangan ng employer mo. Anytime they can tell you ‘We dont need you, pack your things and go.’ That's the reality. That’s what pushed me to be an entrepreneur,” he said.

(I don’t want to be salary-dependent. You’ll never know until when your employer will need you.)

Shop opened

Two years later in 2022, Martin finally opened his shop, naming it Merch Hub Dubai, the first-ever licensed Filipino local brand store in UAE, which also provides opportunities for other entrepreneurs to showcase their products by having it on display at the store.

“As of now, we have Filipino local brand partners from Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia showcasing their own brands in our store,” Martin said. He also imports well-known brands from the Philippines.

The business operates such that an entrepreneur, who has a brand name and design for a T-shirt, cap or bag and other accessories in mind, can go to Martin for the logistical requirements.

Complementing this is a printing and tailoring business that Martin also set up.

“We can do all of those because I have also been able to invest in the different machines needed like those for embroidery, or large format printers, among others,” said Martin, who he added, is currently handling and printing 97 Filipino local brands here in UAE, and has five Filipino employees in his company.

“What used to be an in-house business has now become a physical shop,” he said.

These days, Martin does not anymore stare blankly at the ceiling, bone-tired at night dreaming of the finer things.

“I (now) have my own three-bedroom flat here in Dubai. I am living with my wife and two kids. I’m driving my own car,” he said.

Martin has remained with his employer through an agreement, while doing his business.

“I didn’t leave them. They supported me,” he said. —KG, GMA Integrated News