An artist entrepreneur, Ms. Emee Liza Rullan of Itogon, Benguet is the reason behind the success of Clayzy Handicrafts Store. Together with her husband Tyrone, they were able to turn clayzy ideas into clayzy little things handmade with love. Clayzy Handicrafts is located at Virac, Itogon, Benguet with different products like ref magnets, keychains and standee, cake topper, mini frames and accessories.
While studying Psychology in 2013, Emee started to craft products made of clay. It was a hobby that turned into passion. Since she is fond of pigs, she tried to look for a material that can be used in making pig earrings. Finally settling into polymer clay. She then started to attend seminars and trainings, like the Development of Geometric Designs for Crafts and on How to Produce Air Clay products. Eventually she turned her hobby into a small business to sustain her school expenses and for additional allowance. She stopped making clay products because of the demanding academic requirements in her senior year in college.
After graduation, she met the love of her life, got married and gave birth to a baby boy. Since she wanted to be a full-time mom but still help her husband with their daily expenses, she decided to continue her clay craft business.
In 2017, she joined the Kapatid Mentor Me Program of the Department of Trade and Industry and graduated with an award for Best in Presentation. Through the KMME Program, she was encouraged to level up her business by registering and accomplishing all the needed permits. She was grateful that KMME helped her to learn new business strategies.
Her KMME experience was the turning point of the Clayzy Handicrafts journey. With determination and passion, opportunities started to knock on their door. Through their online marketing strategy, they were able to cater to customers nationwide and export their products to other countries. She also started to conduct workshops and seminars for enthusiasts. In 2020, she conducted the training on Clay handicrafts thru the Negosyo center Itogon. The participants were able to produce ref magnets and thankful to Ms. Rullan for the knowledge she imparted. In the same year, DTI honored top performers in the Youth Entrepreneurship Program (YEP) including Clayzy Handicrafts. Also, their trademark was registered in the Philippines Intellectual Property Office.
Currently, she is a mentor of a clay group community named “Charms Aid Dry Clay PH” and also conducts virtual workshops and seminar amidst this pandemic. She believes that by sharing her talent, she can give back for the blessings she received. So, her advice to her co-MSMEs and aspiring entrepreneurs is to never give up on their dreams, go and grab opportunities, and of course love what you do. Everything else will follow. ♦
Date of Release: 3 November 2022