Tousong Kalsong has been selling locally made handicrafts in Vanuatu for nine years now, but Aelan Creations only really got underway when a local resort – Eratap Beach Resort – started offering weekly village tours to guests. This opened the tourist market to Tousong and her fledgling business based in Eratap, just five minutes from the resort and a 20-minute drive from Port Vila. “I have a wide range of customers including cruise ship and hotel tourists, locals, expats, and overseas customers. I also supply my products to three other retail shops.”
She now has three booths – one at the market, one at K2, and the third in Eratap. This expansion has largely happened organically, with word spreading around the tourism industry, leading to Tousong extending her supplier base. All products sold are sourced fro
m rural areas on the island of Efate and other outer islands, with Tousong travelling to purchase manufactured goods for resale in her booths.
The supplier base is broad, with women weaving baskets, youths making brooms, and men supplying carved products. Tousong’s best-selling product is one she makes herself – unique decorative mirrors with frames made of woven pandanus leaves. She also weaves local-style baskets, fruit bowls, trays and jewellery.
Tousong found out about Business Link Pacific when a friend and loyal customer in New Zealand suggested she look into it since she was thinking of expanding. She didn’t, but soon after this Tousong attended ‘Vanuatu Made’ week, an annual event designed to showcase local products. During the week a representative of the Chamber of Commerce suggested she look into the BLP Business Support Grant to help expand her business. Having already heard about BLP from her friend in New Zealand, Tousong did some research and agreed it could be a good fit with her business.
Tousong was able to complete most of the application herself, with just a little help from the Chamber of Commerce and from a representative of BLP.
“I had run out of room in my house to store all the products we sell, so the funding from BLP was to set up a third booth just five minutes from the town. This expansion means Aelan Creations now has access to a bigger market and we can restock the booths quickly. Having more goods on hand means the booths look full and beautiful which also increases sales.”
The business project covered in Tousong’s funding application falls within BLP’s ‘Inclusion’ and ‘Growth’ categories set out in the application guidelines – https://about.businesslinkpacific.com/what-are-blps-finance-services-support/. ‘Inclusion’ because many of Aelan Creation suppliers are women and youth; and ‘Growth’ because the financial support would enable the business to expand its market share.
BLP facilitates access to business advisory services and financial support. To start your journey with BLP, you can self-assess your needs by using the free online tools available to help small- and medium-sized businesses diagnose areas in their businesses that an advisor could improve.
The first step can be the online Business Health Check. You can also check your business’s resilience to respond to crises or climate change challenges on the Business Continuity Planner and the Climate Action Sensor. If you prefer to meet a local BLP representative in person to discuss your business, get in touch with our local partners to arrange a face-to-face Diagnostic.