Sam Tangco and Tamika Santos show how far loving what you do and who you do it with gets you.

Tamika Santos, a management engineering junior, arrives just moments before her business partner. But as soon as Sam Tangco, an information technology entrepreneurship junior, enters the cafe, she makes a beeline for the former to greet her hello. It is eight in the evening and having come from their internships, both are in business attire.

Tangco and Santos live carefully planned days. It is the only possible way to cope with their full schedules brought about by their business, internships, organization work, and university requirements. The interview is slotted in between a full day of internship and an online meeting with transnational goods company Unilever.

When asked about the exhaustion they must feel, Santos shrugs. “I work for Uber so it’s been tense these past few days, but I’m fine. I think I’m just used to it now.” Tangco joins our table shortly and she, too, shows no obvious signs of fatigue despite coming from her own internship at Jollibee Foods Corporation.

In fact, both girls sit in the state of relaxed confidence only those who are self-assured in their abilities can manage. Through determination and tenacity, Tangco and Santos have struck the balance between their college lives and a thriving business.

Hit the ground running

A combination of time and experience has taught Tangco and Santos to perfect their tandem relationship to the point that they naturally finish each other’s sentences and answer some questions in unison.

The beginnings of Sam and Tam Events can be traced all the way back to Tangco and Santos’ time as high schoolers at Immaculate Conception Academy (ICA). At the time, Tangco was the Batch Representative while Santos was Programs Head of the Prom Committee. Their positions allowed for their interest in project management to foster as they found themselves enjoying the process of planning school projects.

“[Once,] we partnered with Kythe Foundation and funded the medical expenses of twenty-seven kids with cancer,” Tangco shares, describing an event they had planned during their time in ICA. “We raised [around] Php 270,000.”

Both insist that it was the sheer enjoyment of the craft that pushed them to approach each project with gusto. Still, it perhaps did not hurt for their efforts to result in such impressive amounts of success.

“I guess we were lucky because we were really given a lot of opportunities to develop,” Santos continues. “It just so happened that we developed those skills together. So I guess working together just came naturally for us.”

The foundation of their business is sincere passion for their work and fixed determination to see the job done well–all held together by the friendship between Tangco and Santos. This is what led them to handling school functions, debuts, and parties such as the University of Santo Tomas’ 2017 College of Nursing Graduation Ball that paid by the thousands.

Juggling act

Budget-busting business aside, Tangco and Santos still have to deal with balancing the everyday responsibilities of an average college student–even if their daily schedules are far from average.

Oftentimes, complications arise because their time wasn’t their own. “[The] thing about event coordination is that it’s very client-time based,” Santos remarks. “You don’t decide how long you’re going to work or when you’re going to start working. It’s [going to be based on] when your client [or supplier] wants to meet you or where the event is going to be.”

Their effective time management now relies on prioritizing and making sacrifices along the way, especially with classes, org work, a stall at the John Gokongwei School of Management’s Student Enterprise Center (JSEC) called Buddha Bites, and internships to squeeze into their packed schedules.

“I remember there was this one day where we went from one meeting to another, and sometimes we’d have lunch [during] our ten-minute car rides,” Santos recalls. Their schedules often leave them with barely enough personal time. “I think the last movie I saw was Moana (2016),” Tangco shares. “And we watched it together pa!”

Running a business together has developed a give-and-take partnership between the two that is fundamental to their balancing act. “We used to handle [all of our] events together [before]. Now, we alternate. Tam handles one event, and when another client comes, I handle [the newer one],” Tangco explains.

“And of course, it’s a case to case basis,” Santos adds. “For example, [if] she’s busy this week, then I’ll take most of the work. And if I’m busier [the next] week, she’ll take most of the workload.”

All of this is built upon what Santos calls a “trust-checking balance.” They need to be able to rely on each other, especially when they alternate in representing their brand. Transparency is critical to their working relationship. “Everything [we do], we share to each other,” Tangco says.

Rising to the occasion

Tangco and Santos are just one of many successful student entrepreneur stories in the Ateneo. With entrepreneurship opportunities through programs under the Leadership and Strategy Department and JSEC, the Ateneo is no stranger to supporting aspiring business owners.

The task, of course, is never easy. Brigette Ong, one of the owners of the JSEC stall Causeway Bae, says, “[The] beginning is always the hardest, and I think that was the biggest challenge, starting from not knowing anything.” Starting a business is expensive, and raising the initial capital is extra tricky for students who do not earn income. Experience is also a key factor in a successful enterprise.

“During the preparations stage, our group [had to start] from zero [because] we didn’t have any background in the food business,” Ong shares. “Everyone also didn’t know what particular tasks were supposed to be done and which aspects to focus on, but along the way and after hours spent on meetings, we had a pretty solid plan and idea in mind for the upcoming food stall.”

Now, even with the stall up and running, Ong says that the innovation still continues. “In order for the JSEC stall to thrive and be more successful in satisfying customers, improvements are endless,” she explains. “So it’s not really safe to say that you can relax once you have a currently operating stall. You should still continually search for innovations to be more successful.”

Despite the continuous challenges that face them, the future bodes well for budding entrepreneurs. “That the process [of rising above challenges] is the goal: to try to inspire young people to say, ‘Kaya pala (I can do it after all),’” says Raymond Rufino, Asia regional head for Entrepreneurs’ Organization, in an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Despite the obstacles, Ong remains optimistic. “Your mindset [must be] solution-based and more positive. Don’t forget to enjoy every minute of it.”

Young entrepreneurs like Ong, Tangco, and Santos are admittedly busier than the average university student because of their businesses. “Our calendars are really busy. We’ll admit to that,” Santos says. “A lot of it is really just because we enjoy what we do.” Tangco seconds, “The work itself is fun.”

Santos, for the umpteenth time that night, agrees with her business partner. “This is just fun for us,” she says. “That’s what gets us through.”