Eva L. Odi

Eva L. Odi, 41, makes slippers since 2003, runs the business with the help of her family, joined CARD Bank 7 years ago, has taken out 10 loans. Undisclosed earnings.

If the slipper doesn’t fit, it must not be from Eva Odi.

Eva Odi has been making slippers for most of her life, first as a factory worker and then out of her home as a newlywed. Tired of companies changing wages or shutting down, she told her husband they should move in with her parents and use their small savings to start their own business instead.

“Slowly, we bought materials for the slippers, but we could not afford to buy a sewing machine because it was too expensive,” she said. “We paid my sister-in-law 20 pesos per pair of slippers to do the sewing, and my husband studied his brother’s slipper business.”

For the first few years, business was on and off – “if we had capital, it was on, and if I had no capital, it was off,” she recalled.

With her first loan from CARD Bank in 2005, Odi finally had enough money to buy a sewing machine. But she remained frugal and didn’t buy a high-speed machine until 2010, which then helped them earn enough to buy a car and property for a house. They also continued to rely on income from a small family farm and help from relatives during difficult months.

“Sometimes we’d deliver a large quantity of orders, but would not be paid immediately,” she explained. “Sometimes there was nothing we could do, and it disrupted our operation.”

Her small business, which has taken out 10 loans since joining CARD, now purchases supplies and delivers slippers throughout the region. As they save more money, Odi wants to start raising pigs, which will give the family an additional source of income.

Along with her supportive family members, Odi said, the secrets to success are sacrifice and trust.

“You have to have lots of perseverance,” she concluded. “If you don’t persevere and you are always hotheaded, your luck will go away. You should be hands-on, and make your little capital grow. Do not buy things that are not important to the business.”

~ Eva L. Odi