When one keeps an open mind, the possibilities are limitless.
Take for example Aerol Dy, an evening class spinning instructor at Perigon, who is actually also a full-time business owner. At 24 years old, he is the President of Painted Ladies Cosmetics Corporation, the official distributor of some of the most well-loved indie beauty brands in the Philippines.
Painted Ladies started off with a simple buy and sell idea. Aerol, together with his sister Audrey, began the business as students by buying products from Sephora and then selling them on Facebook trade groups. Initially they envisioned Painted Ladies to be an Instagram shop—at most, a small boutique—but in time they were granted opportunities to officially represent and distribute international brands such as Kimchi Chic, Huxley, Good Molecules, Juno and Co, and Four Sigmatic in the Philippines. Currently, Painted Ladies targets the mid-level market segment and offers their products on BeautyMNL and LazMall.
As Painted Ladies grew, the Dys were mindful of the brands and products they represented. According to Aerol, the five brands currently affiliated with Painted Ladies “have a very strong brand identity and very strong values.” Most products distributed by Painted Ladies are vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free, and sulfate-free. In addition, many of them have recyclable or eco-friendly packaging. Today, Aerol wants to focus on growing the brand partnerships of Painted Ladies. In the future, he is looking into expanding sales channels, making the products available in physical store locations, such as Watsons.
Key to Aerol’s personality is his openness to new opportunities. In 2018, Aerol decided to audition to be a spinning instructor at Perigon. At first, it was simply to see if he would make it to the shortlist; a total of 80 people applied for the position. With a lot of passion and a little bit of luck, he became one of seven people chosen to instruct at Perigon.
“I really do believe that the positivity and all the good vibes that we put out in the world really pays back and really comes back to us in so many different forms,” says Aerol.
Although it can be hectic to balance multiple jobs, Aerol manages his time by focusing on the essentials. He does not work off a fixed routine; he is flexible with the events of the week. Despite long work days, Aerol stays positive: “It doesn’t really feel like I’m doing a job. It doesn’t really feel like I need to sit down on a desk and do something. I really feel like I’m doing something I was born to do.”
“It doesn’t really feel like I’m doing a job. It doesn’t really feel like I need to sit down on a desk and do something. I really feel like I’m doing something I was born to do.”
At Perigon, Aerol met like-minded people who were not only interested in fitness classes but also in beauty and wellness products.
“I met a lot of people who have been part of the growth of Painted Ladies and where it is right now through Perigon. At the same time, the people who also use the products that Painted Ladies brings in are also people who would also be riding in Perigon. [Beauty, fitness, and wellness] really do work like cousins that help each other,” shared Aerol.
In this vein, it should come as no surprise that it is through Perigon that the Dys met Paolo Salapantan, whom they welcomed as a third partner at Painted Ladies.
As Aerol has observed in his fitness classes, fitness and business are not so different from each other. In fitness, people usually start with basic goals and then adjust to more difficult goals as they build endurance, intensity, and strength. For Aerol, this is similar to his business mindset: “It’s that whole system of reaching for a goal and just trying to aim higher—that’s what continues to help us grow and continue to help us improve instead of settling, instead of just being satisfied—we’re always shooting higher.”
“It’s that whole system of reaching for a goal and just trying to aim higher—that’s what continues to help us grow and continue to help us improve instead of settling, instead of just being satisfied—we’re always shooting higher.”
At the end of the day, Aerol attributes his success to passion.
“I don’t know how to put on makeup. I do skincare but I don’t put on makeup the same way my sister does. But there’s a passion to be able to grow a business. There’s a passion that, ‘Hey, we found something that actually works. And we can continue to make it work.’ That was just one passion that really helped us grow this business into something so much more. And with indoor cycling, it was a passion for me for fitness and a passion for me to maintain a very active and healthy lifestyle.”
Championing his passion for fitness, Aerol will begin teaching Lagree, “a high-intensity, low-impact workout focused on developing and working on the small parts of your body,” at Ultra Lagree in January 2022.
Aside from business and fitness, Aerol is interested in fashion and deals. He not only likes to dress in style, but he also dresses his sister and his mom. A natural salesman, Aerol believes he can convince anyone to “buy that Glossier Cloud Paint or buy that Morphe Eyeshadow Palette or buy that workout outfit from LuluLemon.”
Perhaps, he jokes, he can be a “Budol King for online shopping.”
At 24, Aerol Dy is a thriving multi glow-getter. He’s learned to take things one step at a time, and we’re excited to see the next steps Aerol takes.
