By: Anthony Sayama
My name is Anthony Sayama. As a child, I grew up behind the
counter of my father’s feed store where I learned several aspects of running a
business and the factors behind success. Although, after graduating from George
Washington High School, I decided to serve my country in the United States
Army. Later I was medically discharged from the military and decided to go back
to school at Guam Community College to better support my wife and children. In
2016, my family and I moved from Guam to Washington State. Being that we were
all born and raised on Guam, we loved being able to share our background and
culture with others while away from home. After a few years living in
Washington, we decided to move back home to Guam to keep our children connected
with their culture and raised with their island community. I wanted to find
gifts for my nieces and nephews back in Washington to be able to share Chamoru
culture and the history of Guam with them. After tirelessly searching for the
right products with no luck, I decided that I needed to create my own gifts
that would allow me to share the stories of Guam, its history and culture.
On January 4, 2018, my small business, Guam Peeps, was founded.
Its priority remained in strengthening Chamoru identity and devoting its’
efforts to seeking new resources implementing a culturally rich foundation. For
us to protect, perpetuate and generate cultural knowledge and practices, begins
within families and most importantly, its children. Having a better
understanding of our culture implies a shared bond amongst our children and a
belonging to a community. It represents our bond to Guam's past, present and
future, allowing our children to have a stronger sense of their identity so
that they may be proud and contribute to its development.
My team and I created figures made of wood, which was later
changed to resin. We took the same concept from our figures to create a more
kid-friendly product, our plush dolls. Each figure and plush doll represents
icons and stories of Guam’s history and culture.
The start-up process was the most difficult, but also informative
and a great learning experience. At first, the business was funded through our
own personal finances. We were not able to afford bulk purchases due to our
limited funding. Our biggest challenge was being able to afford our inventory
in order to supply the demand. Thankfully we connected with Jane at the Small
Business Development Center. The SBDC helped us to develop a business and
financial plan leading us to obtain our first business loan. They also helped
us to be more knowledgeable in exporting and importing, packaging,
manufacturing assistance, taxes, accounting and market research.
Although, even without making sales, our everyday motive was to be
present at as many events possible so that we would be able to make connections
with others and share our story. Our goal was to build and nurture customer
relationships, to maintain the love for our culture and history. We hope to
build a lasting-legacy for our family, that in the future, our children will
continue to preserve and promote our CHamoru culture in better ways than that
we are doing today.
I believe the biggest advice I can give others that want to start
their business is to absorb everything. I know that I wouldn’t have brought my
small business this far if it weren’t for the help from others. Be a sponge and
listen to what others have to say- whether its words of advice or words of
discouragement. Encourage others to be honest with you. We have had our fair
share of negative feedback, but its always a good idea to address it in the
right way. You can use it as an opportunity to look at the big picture or make
effective changes. With continuous networking, you will allow yourself to build
the right support system for you.