Features July 21, 2023

Distributorship for the Win: Selling Over 3 Million Products Online, According to Acee and Carlo Paita of Juju Glow

With over three million products sold to date, Acee and Carlo Paita, the founders of Juju Glow, reveal how a good marketing and distributorship strategy will help a brand grow.

People believe that words hold power and the same holds true for Acee and Carlo Paita—the power couple behind the multi-million beauty brand Juju Glow. Taking inspiration from the meaning of the word “juju,” a positive, magnetic power—or simply, an energy or vibe that anyone can create or give off—this became the foundation of the brand Juju Glow.

“Cute siya pakinggan. Catchy. Let’s go with Juju Glow,” Carlo recalls when asked about how the name came to be.

“Then after that, lahat ng names ng mga products namin, siya yung nagiisip and parang feeling ko, lucky charm ko siya,” Acee adds. “Kapag inisip niya yung brand name, nagboboom talaga siya.“

[Translation: Then after that, Carlo would think of the names for all our products. I felt that he was my lucky charm. Whenever he thinks of the brand name, it sells really well.]

Whether “lucky charm” or because the beauty industry in itself was thriving in the Philippines, the result was still the same: a whopping 3 million plus products sold since its inception in 2021.

Established during the tail-end of the pandemic in 2021, Juju Glow was born from Acee’s longtime dream of owning her own business. This, paired with the couple’s goal of providing affordable but effective Korean-inspired beauty products to the everyday Filipino, resulted in Juju Glow—a game-changer in the beauty industry.

In this exclusive interview with The Business Manual, the two reveal how they were able to start their business, develop products that were instantly well-received, build a loyal customer base, and establish a strong distributor network—all in less than 3 years.

Business-minded entrepreneurs at heart, husband and wife duo Carlo and Acee Paita founded Juju Glow in order to provide affordable but effective Korean-inspired beauty products to the everyday Filipino.

Settling on a Niche Product

Although the two are known as the brains behind Juju Glow, Acee and Carlo’s respective origins did not immediately lead them down the path of beauty—as Acee was an events manager, while Carlo was a software developer.

“Actually, nagstart siya with the app,” begins Acee. “We’re planning to create an app related to [the] fashion industry and e-commerce, and unfortunately, hindi siya natuloy kasi during that time, medyo may mga misunderstanding pa kami. Hindi pa kami magkasundo sa business, so I think hindi siya time para magbusiness kaming dalawa noong oras na ‘yon.“

[Translation: It all started with the app. We were planning to create an app related to the fashion industry and e-commerce, and unfortunately, this didn’t push through because, during that time, we had some misunderstandings. We didn’t see eye-to-eye in the business, so I think it wasn’t the right time for us to both start a business together.]

This was during 2017—back when Acee envisioned an online booking app that served as an e-commerce platform for events, which catered to designers, photographers, and videographers. And even before that, the two planned on creating a point-of-sales app for restaurants and food establishments. But even though both apps didn’t pan out, their relationship did.

As both business-minded and driven entrepreneurs, the couple dabbled in many businesses before eventually settling on a skincare distributorship business.

But why skincare? “Actually, since 2018, dream ko na talaga magkaroon ng skincare business,” Acee explains. “It all started with my love for Korean skincare kasi ang laki ng naging effect ng K-Beauty trends on the Philippine beauty industry. And local products or local manufacturers…talagang iniincorporate nila ‘yung K-Beauty trends with their latest product innovations.”

[Translation: Actually, since 2018, it has been my dream to own a skincare business. It all started with my love for Korean skincare products because K-Beauty trends had a big effect on the Philippine beauty industry. Even local products and local manufacturers would incorporate those K-beauty trends with their latest product innovations.]

“I wanted to be part of it,” she declares. “We also wanted to prove that we local brands can create a globally competitive product. Hindi lang ‘yung mga imported. Gusto naming i-change yung mentality about Korean versus local brands. We wanted to create K-Beauty-inspired products at competitive or affordable prices.”

[Translation: I wanted to be part of it. We also wanted to prove that we local brands can create a globally competitive product—not just imported brands. We wanted to also change the mentality about Korean products versus local brands and we wanted to create K-Beauty-inspired products at competitive or affordable prices.]

Overcoming the Growing Pains of Starting a Business

With a goal in mind, the next step was to create a product—which was already set in motion as Acee and Carlo have been in talks with a research and development team, as well as a manufacturer, even before the pandemic hit. “Actually, before the pandemic, may kausap na akong R&D team. May kausap na kaming manufacturer,” Acee reveals.

And since the couple was very much hands-on with the business, this meant trying the products out for themselves. However, this wasn’t the case for Acee at that time, as she was pregnant back then. “Kasi pag naglaunch ka ng product, I need to try it kung effective siya or not. And that time, nabuntis ako, so hindi ko siya pwedeng i-try. So ang daming delays,” she laments.

“After [my] pregnancy, di pa din pwede kasi breastfeeding mommy. So after yung journey ko as a breastfeeding mom tsaka namin natuloy kasi doon ko lang siya matetest. Doon ko siya magagamit ng walang limits.”

[Translation: When a product is launched, I needed to try it to see if it was effective or not. And that time, I was pregnant, so I couldn’t try it. This caused a lot of delays. After my pregnancy, I still couldn’t because I was a breastfeeding mommy. It was only after my journey as a breastfeeding mom that I could test my products without limits.]

Next came figuring out where to sell their products. “Dahil pandemic namin siya nabuo, isa siya sa reason kung bakit siya naging distributorship business. [At kung] bakit naging ganun yung business model namin,” Acee explains.

“Hindi namin siya nilagay sa store. Hindi kami nagretail. Ginawa namin siyang distributorship kasi at that time, sobrang trendy ng mga online sellers and gusto naming magbigay ng additional na kabuhayan sa mga tao.”

[Translation: Because we started the business during the pandemic, this became the reason why it became a distributorship business. We didn’t place our products in stores. We didn’t do retail. We sold via distributorship because, at that time, it was trendy for online sellers—plus, we wanted to give people an additional source of livelihood.]

Meanwhile, Carlo weighs in on the development side—stating the importance of being hands-on, especially in the early stages of the business. “Actually, [sa] lahat naman ng nagsisimulang business… sobrang hands-on kaming dalawa parehas sa product development and even noong nagstart yung mga deliveries. Kami talaga yung humawak ng naghahandle ng logistics. Ako, nagbubuhat pa nga ako ng box noon.“

“Alam namin yung mga ginagawa, yung mga pasikotsikot sa business kasi lahat ‘yan dinaanan namin talaga,” he adds.

[Translation: Actually, in all the businesses that we’ve started, we’re both very much hands-on with product development. Even when we started with our deliveries! We would personally handle the people handling our logistics. I’d even carry boxes back then!

We know what was being done—even the ins and outs of the business—because we went through it all.]

In fact, this mindset helps the two delegate tasks to their employees as they grow their team. “Ganun talaga kami magstart ng business. We make sure that every part ng business, uumpisahan namin so kapag dumami na yung employees namin, alam namin magpasa sa kanila ng work.”

[Translation: This is really how we start a business. We make sure to start on every part of the business so that when we have more employees on board, we know what kind of work to pass on to them.]

Pivoting From Failure

Doing business in a very competitive industry came with its fair share of challenges, as Acee and Carlo did not just have to deal with international competition—even the local players were just as tough. “The skincare industry is one of the most competitive industries in the world,” Acee explains.

However, she didn’t see that as a bad thing because “it pushed the brand to be more innovative or to create more products.”

But why venture into skincare? “Gusto ko siya,” Acee says simply. “Yun talaga yung hilig ko. K-Beauty. And at that time kasi, masyadong madaming rejuvenating sets that used hydroquinone and tretinoin, so nagtry kaming magcome up ng isang product na hindi harmful yung ingredients niya. Parang alternative. VHA and AHA lang siya.”

[Translation: I like it. That’s really what I like—K-beauty. And at that time, there were a lot of rejuvenating sets that used hydroquinone and tretinoin. So we tried to come up with a product that didn’t have harmful ingredients in it. An alternative, of sorts, with VHA and AHA only.]

Sadly, their first set of products—a rejuvenation set that featured a toner, soap, night cream, and sunscreen—was short-lived due to the stiff competition in the market. “But dahil maraming ng big players sa market at that time, nahirapan kami i-penetrate yung market, which is yun yung hindi ko nakita noong nagdecide kami ng first product. So yung first product na yun, phinase out na namin kasi alam ko sa sarili ko na hindi na namin kaya siyang ilaban,” she continues.

[Translation: But because there were many big players in the market at that time, we had a hard time penetrating the market—which is something I didn’t anticipate when we created our first product. We eventually had to phase out that product because I know in my heart that we can’t fight for it.]

*Despite facing many challenges while starting out, Acee and Carlo Paita never gave up. Instead, they saw every failure as a stepping stone for something much greater.*

Creating a Product That Sells

Not one to be deterred by failure, Acee and Carlo tried again. “Hindi kami nagstop. Tsaka nagkaroon si Juicy Tushie, which is the intimate care line, and doon kami nagstart magboom.”

[Translation: But even so, we didn’t stop. Eventually, we created Juicy Tushie, which is part of our intimate care line, and that’s where we kicked off.]

As the first successful product under the Juju Glow brand, Juicy Tushie was launched in December 2021 and has seen a 1,600% increase in sales in March 2022. To date, over 2 million products have been sold—making it the brand’s flagship product line. Next came Freshies—a powdered collagen milk drink that was launched on October 2022 and has sold over a million pouches since then.

Juicy Tushie: Juju Glow’s Intimate Care Line

Learning from their past experience, the couple took a more strategic approach when they first launched this intimate care line: Juicy Tushie. “Bago kami maglabas ng Juicy Tushie, of course, [we had] to consider kung may space ba yung product sa market [and] kung may market potential ba siya,” Acee explains.

“Alam natin na one of the concerns ng mga girls is yung mga intimate [areas like their] inner thighs and butt. At wala pang gaanong product na lumalabas. That’s why nagstart kami with the butt scrub and nasundan siya ng serum for inner thighs naman.”

[Translation: Before we launched Juicy Tushie, of course, we had to consider if there was space for the product in the market and if it had market potential. We knew that girls are concerned with their intimate areas. This is why we started with a butt scrub and followed it up with a serum for the inner thighs.]

Meanwhile, the name was an ingenious concept from Carlo himself. “Ako kasi mahilig ako magwordplay [kaya] nagsearch ako ng slang terms for butt and nakita ko [yung] ‘tushie.’ Noon ko lang nalaman na may ganun palang term,” he recalls. “‘Tas lagi ako nag-iisip ng catchy so nagisip ako ng ka-rhyme ng tushie and how [to] define an attractive butt. So…juicy. Juicy Tushie.”

[Translation: I like incorporating wordplay, so I searched for slang terms for butt and saw the word “tushie.” I only found out that such a term exists! And since I liked thinking of catchy words, I thought of something that rhymes with tushie and defines an attractive butt. So juicy—Juicy Tushie.]

“Actually, nagulat kami kasi nagscale agad,” Acee chimes in. “Na-launch siya [sa] December 2021 and [noong] January…as in nagtrend talaga siya sa TikTok. Tuloy-tuloy na siya until now. So after that, ang daming scrubs na lumabas. But si Juicy Tushie kasi, nakapwesto na siya sa market so hindi pa rin siya nawawala. Even yung mga sellers namin, continuous pa rin yung mga sales nila. Malakas pa din talaga.”

[Translation: Actually, we were surprised because it scaled so quickly! We launched it on December 2021 and during January…it trended on TikTok! It still continues to do so until now. So after that, many different scrubs came out. But Juicy Tushie has placed itself in the market, so it’ll never go away. Even our sellers are experiencing continuous sales. It’s still going strong.]

Coming up with a catchy brand name helps inspire better brand recall and this came naturally for Carlo Paita—who coined the name Juicy Tushie to encapsulate Juju Glow’s line of intimate care products.

Freshies

During the planning stages of Juicy Tushie, Acee reveals that Freshies was already lined up next. However, the couple chose not to launch both product lines at the same time, since “each product may kanya-kanyang marketing strategy dapat, may kanya-kanyang limelight, may kanya-kanyang highlight. Parang ganun. Ganun yung naging strategy namin.“

“Sinundan lang namin siya kasi the Juicy Tushie scrub is pang-butt,” she adds. “Sinundan namin siya ng serum for inner thighs, which is partner niya. Then, after that, body bleaching serum kasi exfoliating si scrub, and too much exfoliation, nakaka-dry siya. So kailangan din ng body bleaching serum. But before we launched Juicy Tushie, naka-line up na talaga sila. Alam na namin ang gagawin.“

[Translation: Each product should have its own marketing strategy, limelight, and highlight. That was our strategy.

We just followed it because the Juicy Tushie scrub is for the butt, which we followed up with a serum for inner thighs—its partner. Then after that, a body bleaching serum because the scrub is exfoliating and too much exfoliation is drying. So we needed a body-bleaching serum. But before we launched Juicy Tushie, we had all this lined up. We knew what we were doing.]

Next came Freshies, a powdered avocado milk drink that had collagen and uses Stevia, a sweetener for people who don’t want to gain weight. “Collagen drink siya pero if ayaw mong tumaba, okay siya [kasi] pure Stevia [ang gamit namin],” Acee explains.

This meant facing another hurdle—introducing a challenging flavor to the market, given that the pilot flavor was avocado. “Avocado is very unpopular kung iisipin mo sa drinks,” Carlo laughs.

And this actually came with a good reason. “Napagusapan namin na i-challenge yung mga sarili namin,” Acee says. “Create tayo ng collagen drink pero magstart tayo sa mahirap na flavor. Doon natin malalaman. Pag na-market natin yan, pag nagboom yan, ibig sabihin kaya nating ilabas yung mga flavor na may malalaking market na talaga.”

[Translation: We talked about challenging ourselves by creating a collagen drink and starting with a challenging flavor. This was how we would know if the market likes the product or not. If we could market the product, this just means that we can release new flavors that the market would like.]

“Ang dami ng mga collagen drinks sa market. And we want something na nakakaenjoy talaga siyang inumin,” she explains, adding that taste is, of course, a big factor in any consumable product. “Hindi siya lasang gamot. Walang aftertaste. So medyo matagal yung naging development bago namin ma-perfect yung talagang lasa niya.“

[Translation: There are a lot of collagen drinks in the market, and we want something that is enjoyable to drink. Something that didn’t taste like medicine, nor have an aftertaste. So the development (for Freshies) took a while before we could perfect its taste.]

And given its immense success, customers can expect new flavors under the Freshies brand—soon.

Introducing a new product to the market means starting with tried-and-tested flavors. But as someone who wanted to challenge herself, Acee Paita set the tone for Freshies by introducing an uncommon flavor as its pilot. And it was a well-received success!

Remaining Competitive Amid Stiff Competition

Now that Acee and Carlo have found their product niche, the next step was to market these products. While the couple relied heavily on online selling to get the word (and the products) across, Juju Glow grew because of TikTok’s live selling program, as well as having a wide base of resellers and distributors.

“Aside from great products, we are also backed up by great teams—especially in marketing,” she says proudly. “We understand the customers. We educate the potential customers. [We don’t just sell the] features of the product. We also highlight the benefits of the product.”

“Just like sa scrub. Kapag tinry mo siya, hindi lang yung features ng product but also the experience of using it kasi relaxing talaga siya eh. Mayroon siyang menthol effect. Parang ganun.”

[Translation: Just like the scrub. When you try it, you don’t just see the features of the product. Even the experience of using it is felt because it’s relaxing. It has a menthol effect—something like that.]

More than that, having a strong online presence benefited them immensely. “Lagi kaming present sa social media. Hindi kami nawawala,” Acee says proudly. “We make sure na lagi kaming active sa social media, especially sa TikTok kasi siya yung main platform ngayon eh kasi ang product namin, yung target market is yung masa. So the target market is nasa TikTok and nasa social media. Through influencer marketing din [kaya kami lumaki].”

[Translation: We’re always present on social media. We make sure that we’re always active on social media, especially on TikTok because it’s our main platform now. Our product’s target market is the mass market and they’re on TikTok and social media. It’s also because of influencer marketing that we grew big.]

Sharing Wise Words of Advice

After much trial and error and business plans that did not push through, Acee and Carlo have found their calling in the beauty industry. With Juju Glow as a testament to their hard work, perseverance, and sharp eye for opportunities, the couple shares what they have learned as entrepreneurs and partners—both at home and at work.

On Working Together as a Couple

Working together as a couple is a dynamic that does not work for everyone, but Acee and Carlo successfully made it happen. “Kami kasi at work, we keep our professional relationship, so we have clear and defined roles [and] working hours,” Acee reveals. “I am in charge of marketing and sales and he manages the operations and logistics. Hindi kami nagpapakialaman para hindi kami nagcaclash. [We don’t butt in on each other’s work, so we don’t clash.]”

“Ngayon if may decision akong kailangan kong gawin, lagi kong kinoconsult sa kanya sa part ko or sa role ko. Same with him,” she adds.

[Translation: But if there’s a decision that needs to be made, I’d always consult with him, even if it’s my role. The same goes for him.]

“And actually, it’s a matter of knowing the strengths and weaknesses of each other para alam mo kung ano yung clear na role niya, clear na role ko [so you’ll know what your roles both are and] how you will complement each other,” Carlo chimes in, adding that while it can be hard to separate business and personal affairs, it helped that both he and Acee were business-minded and enjoyed those kinds of conversations.

But spending time with each other outside work—through date nights and vacations—is an absolute must. “Isang masasabi ko [is] kailangan niyo rin talagang magset ng conscious effort for each other. Magset kayo ng vacation, date nights…ganoon,” he opines.

On Scaling the Business

Starting a business is one thing, but maintaining and growing it is another thing altogether. According to Acee, this means staying updated with the latest news and trends. “Know the market trends,” she advises. “Dapat lagi kang updated sa pagbabago kasi hindi mo alam na working ‘tong ginagawa mo as of now. Next month, hindi na. So parang kailangan every day, mayroon kang time for growth. Magobserve ka sa social media.”

“Sa akin, personally, hindi siya nawawala. Magtatrabaho ka from morning to evening. Bago ako matulog, kailangan nagoobserve ako. Nagbabasa. Nag-aaral.”

[Translation: You should always keep updated with what’s new because you never know if what you’re doing now is still working. Next month, maybe it won’t work. So every day, you need to allot time for growth. Observe social media.

Personally, this doesn’t go away for me. (As a business owner), you’ll be working from morning to evening. Before I sleep, I need to constantly observe, read, and study.]

“Aside from the market trends, kailangan alam yung target market mo,” Carlo says. “Alam mo kung sino ba yung naiisip mong gagamit ng product mo, kung para saan. Bakit kailangan nila yun? Alam mo yung pain point nila.“

[Translation: Aside from the market trends, you need to also know your target market. Know who will be using your product and for what. Why do they need it? Understand their pain point.]

On Being a Good Business Owner

Given the ever-changing trends in every industry—not just in beauty—it is important for businesses to remain relevant in order to ensure their longevity, or that they last long.

As Acee puts it, “Know your market trends [because] skincare is a rapidly evolving industry. So pabago-bago talaga yung trends niya. Business should be strategic and systematic. Hindi porket nakita mo na working sa iba, i-aapply mo sayo. [Just because it works for someone else doesn’t mean you should always do it for your business.]”

“Running a business is not a ‘get rich quick’ scheme,” she elaborates. “It requires hard work, dedication, discipline—number one—and time management. But [it’s] rewarding [when you’re] motivated and determined.”

And while having competitors is part and parcel of every business, Carlo doesn’t view them as a threat or a big concern. “One [piece of] advice na masasabi ko is don’t always look at your competitors. As long as you do things with integrity, wala kang nilolokong tao, wala kang sinasagasaang tao, very honest ka sa intentions mo, chances are, you’ll stay ahead of the game.”

[Translation: One piece of advice I can give is not to always look at your competitors. As long as you do things with integrity, you don’t betray people, you don’t hurt people, and you’re very honest with your intentions, chances are, you’ll stay ahead of the game.]

“Totoo yun. Yung values ng brand mo, yung values ng company mo, magrereflect siya [sa iyo]. Magiging blessing siya sayo. Kung maganda yung intention mo with the brand and the company, mafifeel mo yan. Blessed yung business mo,” Acee ends.

[Translation: That’s true. The values of your brand and your company will reflect on you. It’ll be a blessing for you. If your intentions with the brand and company are good, you’ll feel it. Your business will be blessed.]