#DTIMalasakit Story from DTI-Region 4A (Cavite)

Dhelightful Creations Jewelry Collection, owned by Ms. Dhel Gambol, started as a mere hobby on bead jewelry-making. It was her way of showing her talent in terms of artistic expression. It unsurprisingly turned into passion which ignited the fire within herself on entering the Jewelry-making industry.

To develop her skill, Dhel enrolled on a Bead-Jewelry Making course in 2017 where she was awarded ‘Best in Beadworks’. This achievement motivated her to make her hobby not just for fun, but also to generate income. She started with a minimum capital of P2,500 and began to introduce her products to her friends and church mates. She was overwhelmed when her first customers were amused by the product.

Dhel approached the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Cavite and availed the services of the agency to develop and improve her small business. She introduced her product to DTI’s One Town One Product Program (OTOP), which aims to develop and improve products through packaging, labeling, and presentation. Aside from OTOP, she also attended various business seminars provided by DTI – Cavite through SME Roving Academy.

The knowledge she has acquired during the period helped her to develop her product and improve her target market. With the help of OTOP, she came up with the promotion on green economic development. Thus, this will open a new market for those who are looking for distinctly unique jewellery pieces that are made of environmental-friendly materials which can capture the market segment for those environmentally-conscious and green advocates.

Last 2018, she decided to join DTI’s Kapatid Mentor Me (KMME) program. The program is composed of weekly business seminars in preparation for the presentation of a business plan as a final output. She was awarded as the Best Presenter of Business Plan of their batch.

She is confident that Dhelight Creations is on the verge of hitting wider market compared last year. Apart from actively participating in trade fairs to further promote her products, she also increased her products’ presence online through social media channels.

Dhel also started sharing her knowledge in jewelry making in her community through mentoring in various training sessions in Cavite. Recently, she was invited in a television program to promote her products.

Ms. Gambol envisions her Dhelightful Creations to be globally competitive. She dreams of a strong and leading enterprise which will not only empower people in community, but also produce highly- trained and highly-skilled workers. Further, she is hopeful to showcase the artistry and craftsmanship of the Filipinos in the jewelry-making industry and showcase it to the international market.♦

By Renmarc Juangco

Published in Pilipino Mirror on 25 September 2019.