HOW DOES one survive in retail? Furthermore, how does one make it in the highly competitive fashion retail business? Let me tell you a story about a business called Chocolate, which isn’t into chocolates but into something else that makes us feel good – nice clothes.

Ana Amigo-Antonio, founder and managing director of Chocolate Clothing Company, has grown her fashion retail store from just a space in Rustan’s Department Store five years ago into the multi-store establishment it is today. The young fashion-conscious from the AB markets check out her stores regularly for cool clothes from Australian brands Grab and Sass, among others. Fashion magazines regularly feature Chocolate’s new stuff, and fashionistas in the know come in droves whenever Chocolate announces a warehouse sale which offers price cuts up to 75 percent off.

Ana attributes her success not to luck, but to hard work. “There’s really no secret. If you put a lot of hard work, inevitably, something will come out,” says Ana. “It’s like caring for a plant. With sunshine, water and lots of love, the plant will grow. This is also how I try to run the business, caring for it 24/7.”

Ana and business partner Mike Advani are both hands on entrepreneurs. They complement each other, with Ana focusing on operations, and Mike (“my check and balance,” says Ana) being more involved in the numbers part.

Everything about Chocolate says something about their being hands on. Ana recounts that she met a girl from Australia who had really cute clothes. This led her to inquire about bringing Australian brands such as Grab, Sass, Fate, Oliver & Isabelle, Urbanology, Heaven, and others to the Philippines. She was appointed distributor and was able to bring the brands to the Philippines.

The first hurdle then was how to introduce the brands to the local market which was more familiar with American and European brands. “Being in Rustan’s helped. And I was there on a daily basis to explain to customers what the clothes are about. People became happy with it and told their friends,” says Ana. From then on, Chocolate was invited to join fashion shows, and fashion magazines featured their stuff regularly. Even without advertising budget (it was only two years ago that they had advertising budget), Chocolate got adequate exposure.

Being hands on also led Ana to spot areas where they can improve. Since Australian clothes sizes are different from that of the US (size 8 in Australia is really an extra small), Ana made sure they posted a size chart showing the equivalent of Australian sizes to help customers get the right fit without hyperventilating at the thought that they are now several sizes larger.

Today, Chocolate has stand-alone stores in most major malls in Manila, as well as in Cebu and Davao. Their Cebu outlet is doing extremely well since the franchisee is also very hands on. The Davao store has been picking up lately.

“It’s important to have good front people who are accommodating and patient. They must know how to deal with customers. Some customers want to be treated like a queen, while others don’t want you to talk to them until they’re ready to try on an item. We welcome all kinds of customers. The demanding ones help us sharpen our skills and patience,” says Ana, who is not a first-time entrepreneur, coming from an entrepreneurial family, and had businesses of her own for years.

With the economy being the way it is now, the partners are adopting a different strategy. “We will cut down the stores from 17 to a manageable 12 so we can still be hands on, keeping the strong stores and redirecting traffic. We’ll also continue trading in the Middle East, which we’ve been doing for the past one and a half years, marketing Grab, Sass and Fate. We hope to bring Filipino brands there soon,” says Ana.