The first time you meet the Calupitan sisters, it’s like seeing double. Then you imagine talking to the Philippine version of the Kardashians, less one sister. Even in simple white, to say that Michelle and Yan are gorgeous ladies is not an exaggeration. They actually look more like models than businesswomen.
Michelle is a graduate of B.S. in Tourism Management of Global City Innovative College in BGC, and Yan is currently taking up her Master’s in Psychology at the De La Salle University, having the finished same undergraduate course at the Centro Escolar University. And theirs is a tale of two sisters and a spa.
Super fans of quality massages, Yan and Michelle always made sure to try all the spas in the metro, including the hotel spas. When they started traveling abroad, they never failed to experience spa treatments everywhere their passports took them. Bangkok, in particular, was the clincher.
Since this was the sisters’ first venture together, they really wanted to start small doing what they were so passionate about. So with an initial capital from their savings and seven trained therapists, Beyond Massage was created.
But what started in June 2019 went on pause mode during the pandemic, so the sisters went into the sweets business for a bit. When lockdown eased in late 2020, Beyond Massage transformed from treatment hub to home service. It’s this kind of agility that’s quite impressive for such young women entrepreneurs in a huge market with stiff competition.
Call it a sisterhood kind of business dynamic—and it works. “Growing up we were super close because there’s just four years between our ages. Ours is the kind of close where I I’m always borrowing stuff from her. I know everything about her. We talk about everything. I mean, no filter,” says Yan.
Michelle echoes with: “We always make plans together. Pag-laki natin, after graduation we’ll do this and that. We’re always making plans together. With very close family ties, we’re not used to being with friends, it’s always just the two of us. So when we get home, it would be kuwentuhan kaagad that lasts until early morning. Even just talking about the same thing.”
The love and respect they have for each other is very real, and it exudes sincerity. There’s a maturity when they talk about their business. There’s a respect for each other’s character when they talk about each other. Yet, there’s a sweet bonding between giggling sisters that’s just so indescribably heartfelt.
“What really matters here is that, of course, we’re sisters. We know each other well. Our strengths and weakness. And, we have a goal. We can clash. We have disagreements—but we always come up a solution and a compromise,” says Michelle.
Where Yan handles operations, Michelle does business development and marketing. Where Michelle is responsible for the growth of the business, Yan focuses on details. Yan, the operations expert, has finely-tuned people skills; of course, her master’s in psychology comes in handy. Yan’s very forgiving when she deals with employees, allowing a lot of behavioral latitude, while Michelle is the super-strict boss. It’s a great tandem. What the other lacks, the other covers for it. It’s good teamwork that allows business to actually prosper. Michelle and Yan simply complement each other. Doing things “two-gether” might just be the secret sauce to their dish.
Beyond Massage has grown its startup team of seven to 50 therapists in spite of the government-imposed lockdowns. Covid-19 has been bad for business in the Philippines in general—but the Calupitan sisters have thrived throughout the challenging months of the pandemic . “We worked hard for it! Most of the time, showbiz celebrities were the ones coming and reaching out to us to try our massage service. But I think it was when Marian Rivera tried our massage and posted it on her Instagram that it all started to boom,” says Yan.
“Of course, we were afraid (of the effects of the pandemic),” says Michelle. “Everything was hard due to the restrictions. But we conquered our fears, we adapted to and embraced the new normal, and we moved forward. We did it because our employees need us, especially those who are single moms like me.”