Gumer Entero Jr. is optimistic that his music store business, Music Lab, will prosper because it is an all in one shop—it sells instruments, offers music lessons, and repairs musical instruments. CDN PHOTO/NIKKI VILLAGORDA
They say follow your heart, pursue what you love.
That is what Gumer Entero Jr., a 38-year old musician did, he pursued his love for music through opening his own store—Music Lab— where good quality musical instruments as well as music lessons are offered.
Located along Escario St. Cebu City, Music Lab opens from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. everyday and has been a hit for millennials since it opened last 2016.
Truly, music can change one’s perspective of life. Just like any other people, Entero followed what he love the most—music and decided to stick with it as well as make a living out of it.
Music Lab started out through Entero’s love for music since he is a member of popular local bands like Missing Filemon. Although he graduated engineering at University of San Carlos, he still chose his love for music and started a business.
“Ganahan ko mo trabaho basta music related. Katong engineering ako ra jud tong gi tiwas para mahuman (I enjoy working anything that’s related to music. I just finished my engineering course to get over it),” he said.
Before he decided to open a business, Gumer once taught guitar lessons to some schools until he worked in Guitar World and managed it for four years.
When Guitar World closed, that’s when he decided to open his own business related to music. With an initial capital of P160,000 and with the help of his fiancé, brother and niece as his partners, Gumer was able to open Music Lab on January 18, 2016.
Days after the business operated, Entero and his brother loaned money to buy another set of instruments to be added to the store.
Hands on
Although he has 10 employees, it is still Entero who manages the business and entertains the customers.
His 10 employees are working for him as part-time teachers. He also has on-call workers everytime he can’t go to the store or he is out of town.
All teachers are musicians and have experience when it comes to playing instruments so they can guarantee that everyone who takes lessons from them will definitely learn at the end of the session.
He also chooses the instruments to be sold in the Music Lab and assures the quality of the instruments especially since he too is a musician.
Challenges
Entero admitted that he had faced a lot of challenges in his business when it started, but he persevered because this was what he wanted and he could not give up on the Music Lab.
“Daghan og challenges pero murag makaingun ko ba nga ‘Ah mao ni imong gusto, mao ni imong gipili, so barogi ni (There are a lot of challenges but I tell myself that this is what I want and this is my choice so I have to stand by it),” he said.
Entero said he would meet and overcome challenges because he loved music.
Competition
Despite the growing music related businesses circulating in Cebu City, it never bothered Gumer since they are unique among the other music businesses as Music Lab was offering instruments, music lessons and their edge: they repair instruments as well.
“Wala raman ko na bother. Naay uban nga music store, ang uban pud music lessons ra then naa pud uban nga music store and music lessons pero walay repair. Kami dinhi kay naa man pud miy repair. Kompleto mi ba. All in one,” he said.
(I am not bothered with the competition. Others are just music stores while still other music stores provide music lessons. But our edge is we repair (musical instruments). We are complete in that sense, just like being an all in one music store.)
Also we sell different instruments with good quality and affordable price starting at P2,490.
Music Lab also offers lesson for guitar, bass, keyboard, drums, ukulele and violin. They also offer voice lessons.
He said majority of their clients, who take lessons were from grade school with a few adults.
Expansion plans
When the business would be stable enough, Entero planned to expand his business and to open a store at Mandaue City and Pardo.
He will soon have to talk to his partners. Hopefully, it would be as soon as possible. / Nikki Villagorda, CNU Intern