Founder Spotlight: Walt Steven Young of Adobomall

Founder Spotlight: Walt Steven Young of Adobomall

Shopping with My Bayong

By Emmanuel Galang

They say profit is merely a confirmation – not an end goal – that you had a job well done in making a positive impact to society. Adobomall’s creator and CEO, Walt Steven Young, believes that it’s a little surprising how his work went beyond his software development company, Innerworks -- and launched the Philippines’ first ever online shopping mall with the Filipino identity embezzled giving Filipinos a reason to be proud.

 

Adobo Experience on a silver platter

             

The traditional shopping bag Filipinos call bayong – dried leaves woven together – so is the culture of shopping woven into their identity as a people. They are known to be avid mallgoers as seen on how crowds flock to the archipelago’s malls – Young being one of these shoppers. Having had this experience, Innerworks and Young started Adobomall, the Philippine’s first online mall; offering a premium variety shopping experience designed to integrate the Filipino identity. “The Philippines is a shopping-crazy nation with no reliable online platform that cater to the real needs of Filipino people,” Young describes. He aims to give Filipinos the shopping experience they deserve and bring the identity along as Adobomall goes global. This platform esteems itself to be a cure-all to avoid resellers and fake accounts. At the same time, it is the ultimate online mall that sells authentic brands at honest-to-goodness prices; expedites the selling and delivery process with its seamless integration with partnered merchants and carriers, and provides users analytics no other mall or online shop offers.

 

With the logo being a “modern take” on the Filipino bayong and taking its name after the famous Filipino dish adobo, every corner of the online mall is dedicated to the celebration and veneration of the Filipino identity and ingenuity. The interface was carefully engineered to stimulate real-life shopping experience walking the halls of the malls. Built in such a way that each store or brand has its own virtual store fronts, it’s a novel concept that highlights and packages the mall experience bringing shopping at the palm of our hands. With its nationwide delivery, even provincials inhibited by lack of nearby malls can shop whenever and wherever they want as long as they have internet connectivity. This, among all the other reasons, inspired Young to start up Adobomall. “Filipinos are not new to online shopping. In fact, we have been very receptive to the convenience it brings that 9 out of 10 Filipinos already choose to do their shopping online,” says Young.

 

Consumers can be confident that Adobomall will provide them what they need. With its wide array of categories: from fashion and retail, beauty products, active lifestyle brands, tech and gadgets, home and living, toys and collectibles, and even food and beverage!

 

Adobomall partners with authorized resellers and official distributors of brands such as Brooks, Mizuno, Wilson, Lotto, TYR, Digital Walker, Aqua Minerals, Botanifique, and even more so are going under the Adobomall label. Working only with established brands guarantees every Adobomall shopper a “secure and hassle-free experience”. Nothing less than what the avid Filipino shoppers deserve. Soon, Adobomall plans to tap into new markets overseas.

 

Modest Beginnings

 

Walt Young, unlike his third-generation Filipino-Chinese peers, did not simply inherit the business from his family. He started his own business in college and was even once asked to pay for his own schooling. He went on to work at Accenture for three years where he lived a frugal life until he raised enough money to start his tech company Innerworks back in 2002. From there, it was an uphill battle. He realized resources and a good idea is never enough to get a business going – the conviction of going the extra mile and the vision of creating a positive impact are requirements to achieve it.

 

He says entrepreneurship is not as easy as it seems and execution is paramount to the success of any business. He says: “You have to find a passion you believe in and don’t hold back. Find people you can work with and believe in that vision.” Effectively organizing your resources, both human and otherwise, is the key to doing well in business. “Learn to find the best solutions and simplify matters,” he adds.

 

Entrepreneurs are talented individuals with the skill of organizing their resources to achieve what they envision. Plurality of us, much like Walt, were not born with silver spoons in our mouth. And entrepreneurship, really, is not only for the one-percenters. Entrepreneurship takes vision and conviction. Believe in your vision and fight for its realization. Exhaust all possibilities and conquer the risks. People like Walt Young validate the passion-into-profit teaching we were once told: Truly, profit is only a testimony you’ve done something good for society -- it’s never the end goal. Find your passion and create something amazing for all of the world to see.

 

 

If you are interested in Adobomall, you can see the website here. 

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