Wemu Blog
Running a small business, the local way
Guides, comparisons, and compliance how-tos for small businesses in the Philippines, Australia, and the United States. Written by the team building Wemu.
13th Month Pay Computation 2026 (Philippines): Formula, Examples and Deadline
13th month pay is total basic salary earned in the calendar year divided by 12, and it must reach rank-and-file employees on or before December 24. Here's the formula, worked examples for full-year, new and resigned staff, and the tax rule every small employer should know.
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How to Start a Milk Tea Business in the Philippines (2026): Costs, Permits, Equipment and POS
A small independent milk tea kiosk can start from the low hundreds of thousands of pesos; a sit-down shop costs far more. You'll need a DTI or SEC registration, barangay clearance, Mayor's permit, BIR registration and a sanitary permit. Here's the full checklist, equipment list and the numbers to watch.
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Loyverse Alternative in the Philippines: When You've Outgrown a Free POS
Loyverse gives you a capable POS for free, and for many small shops that's enough. Owners start looking for an alternative when they need sales history past 31 days, staff and inventory add-ons on several stores, or bookings, rosters and AI in the same system. Here's how to tell if that's you.
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BIR rules for POS systems in the Philippines: the plain-English guide (2026)
To use a POS for sales in the Philippines, the software must be accredited by the BIR, and your business needs a Permit to Use for each machine before it issues invoices. Since the EOPT Act, invoices (not official receipts) are the primary proof of sale. Here's what that means in 2026, without the lawyer language.
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StoreHub alternatives in the Philippines: when the till isn't the whole business
StoreHub earned its place on Philippine counters — it's a competent, local-aware POS for cafés and retail. The question is what happens when your business is appointments-first, or when the counter is only half of what you run.
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How to file BIR Form 2550M: the monthly VAT guide for small businesses
Every VAT-registered business in the Philippines owes BIR Form 2550M by the 20th of the following month. Here's the plain-English version — deadlines, penalties, line-by-line, and where the numbers come from.
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The best Fresha alternative for Philippine salons and clinics
Fresha is a great product — built for London and LA. Run a salon in Manila, Cebu, or Davao and the gaps add up fast: no GCash at checkout, support timezones that don't overlap yours. Here's what to use instead.
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GCash for small business: the complete 2026 setup guide
GCash now handles over 77 million users in the Philippines — more than half the population. If you run a business here and don't accept it, you're leaving money on the table. Here's how to set up GCash properly in 2026.
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The best POS system for small businesses in the Philippines (2026)
Finding a POS that supports GCash, issues BIR-compliant receipts, and doesn't charge you US-level fees is harder than it looks. We ran six systems through the same Manila café test. Here's what actually works.
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How to open a coffee shop in Manila: the 2026 guide
Manila's third-wave coffee scene is still expanding, but the bar has gone up. Rent in Poblacion is 2× pre-pandemic, BIR enforcement is tighter, and you need a digital-first ops stack from day one. Here's what it actually takes.
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