EntrepreneurPhilippines201506 PDF

LESSONS
LES SON S FROM A

16
1 6 2-Y
2-YEEAR
AR OLD BRAN
BRANDD
3 0 S M A R T WAYS
T O S P EN D P 5 0,00
0,0000
BE YOUR OWN BOSS I ENTREPRENEUR.COM.PH
SUMMIT MEDIA TURNS 20
JUNE 2015 I PHILIPPINES
THE
MONEY
ISSUE
NENE
TAMAYO
OF NENE
PRIME FOODS
VOLUME 15
NUMBER 160
REALITY TV CELEBRITY NENE TAMAYO

WON AND LOST A MILLION PESOS.
NOW MICRO-LOANS ARE HELPING HER
COME BACK IN A BIG WAY.
CONTENTS
JUNE 2015
FEATURES
5 0 THE P50,000
QUESTION
30 smart ways for
entrepreneurs to
spend a windfall
5 8 S M A L L L OA N S ,
BIG DREAMS
Thanks to small,
accessible, nocollateral loans,
small business
owners are getting
a leg up to start and
grow their business
6 8 W H AT M A K E S
A G R E AT
BRAND?
Learn the secrets
of staying power
from a 162-year-old
company
IN EVERY ISSUE
STA F F BOX
E D I TO R S N OT E
FEEDBACK
CO M PA NY
D I R ECTO RY
8 7 FR A N CH I SE
O P P O RT UN I T I ES
8 8 E V E NTS
ON THE COVER
Nene Tamayo OF NENE PRIME FOODS
STYLING BY
Belle Camarsi
Tricia Miranda
HAIR AND MAKEUP BY
JUNE 2015 Entrepreneur Philippines
PHOTO BY DAIRY DARILAG
08
10
11
86
CONTENTS
JUNE 2015
1 5 I CY T R E AT M E N T
Cold wraps are a cool
way to heal
2 2 R A I N I N G CAT S
AND DOGS
Pet cafs nd a ready
market among animal lovers
1 6 D I G I TA L G I F T S
Social gifting app lets
users treat their friends
from a distance
3 5 S W E E T TA L K
Jerties Kitchen nds
its niche
19 SUPPORT THE
S E L F- E M P L OY E D
3 6 H A P PY T H R I F T
Horsepower.ph helps
freelancers and treps avail
of insurance, healthcare
MiCab turns to advertising

to keep taxi fees
Cebu-friendly
21 N U M B E R S
AND INSIGHTS
DOING
BUSINESS
Micronance is mighty
4 0 I N A WO R L D
OF CONVENIENCE
24 SPOTTED
Soon, entrepreneurship
and nancial literacy
programs in all levels
of education nationwide
Why buy when you

can lease?
How to beat the competition

in the big marts
3 8 C O M E B AC K S
A N D M A K E OV E R S
Make your old brand
good as new
2 8 CA S H I N G
IN THROUGH
LINKEDIN
How to use the
professional network
to nd investors
29 HOME SWEET
HOME
Make sure you get the best
terms when shopping for a
home loan
3 0 K N O W YO U R
CUSTOMER
Assess your customers
before letting them
buy on credit
G E T B U S I N E S S U P D AT E S O N L I N E
Start your business week rightjust go
to www.entrepreneur.com.ph and sign up for
our weekly newsletter.
Take the leap from stall to

full-scale restaurant
Philo Chua of Theo and Philo

on exploring a new niche in
chocolate-making
PawnHero now lets

Pinoys pawn online
25 BITING
THE BULLET
31 P L AY I N G I N
T H E B I G L E AG U E S
34 RAISING THE BAR
1 8 PAW N S TA R
MONEY
START IT UP
4 3 I N YO U R
C U S T O M E RS
SHOES
To serve them better,
get to know them rst
TECH
44 BLOG BOOSTERS
Beef up your business blog
with rich media content
4 6 D I G I TA L
A L L OWA N C E S
VMoney normalizes
paperless transactions for
employers and employees
47 WAT C H
AND LEARN
How to make online
seminars work for you
48 TECH BITS
The Philippines has
smartphone fever
JOIN THE DIALOGUE!

Check out E NTREPRENEUR Philippines on Facebook at www.facebook.com/
entrepreneurmagazine.ph for regular updates on business and entrepreneurship.
You may also follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/ENTREPRENEURph
PHOTOS BY HEIDI AQUENDE AND COURTESY OF KNITTING EXPEDITION
BRIEFING
CONTENTS
JUNE 2015
FRANCHISE
7 2 S E E YO U
AT T H E E X P O
Make the most
of your visit to a
franchise exposition
74 FA S H I O N
F O RWA R D
Bellyaching about baduy
maternity wear births
fashion brand
75 I N T E R N AT I O N A L
APPEAL
This regional favorite
just got global
7 6 B E YO N D
C O O K I E- C U T T E R
Mrs. Fields breaks from its
old-fashioned mold to tap
a younger market
77 LESSONS
LEARNED
Former hair salon
franchisee proves her
mettle as a franchisor
7 8 W I T H F LY I N G
COLORS
IT professional nds passion
and prot in educational
center franchise
REWARDS
7 9 WAL AN G H IYA!
Proudly dishing out
Filipino fare
81 P R I N C I P L E
OV E R P R O F I T
These books will help you
reexamine your life goals
82 COLOR OUTSIDE
THE LINES
8 4 S PAC E C R A F T
To put together the
perfect work space,
nd pieces that provide
functionality and
inspirationor both
INSPIRATION
92 PEOPLE
WILL PROFIT
Carmaela B. Alcantara
of Crystal Seas
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Go to any of the following: 01 Our website, www.entrepreneur.com.ph , and click on the magazine (print and digital editions) 02 The Summit Newsstand at
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PHOTO BY JONATHAN BALDONADO
Why wear black when you

can wear brights?
ABOUT OUR CONTRIBUTORS

EDITOR IN CHIEF
DAIRY DARILAG
PHOTOGRAPHER
Dairy left his marketing job to become

a photographer more than five years
ago. Hes done cover photography for
several magazines, including Mens
Health Philippines, Good Housekeeping
Philippines, Top Gear Philippines, and
now, ENTREPRENEUR Philippines. As seen
in this issues cover, Dairy believes that
a relaxed yet dynamic environmentand
great lighting!are critical to produce
photographs that resonate with readers.
IETH INOLINO
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Kristine Fonacier
Maricris C. Carlos ART DIRECTOR Frantz C. Salvador
MANAGING EDITOR
Johanna D. Poblete FEATURES EDITOR Victoria Vizcarra

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Toni Antiporda
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Juju Z. Baluyot, Rienzie Biolena, KC Calpo, Belle Camarsi, Cathie Carpio,
Dulce Castillo-Morales, Zar Castro, Philo Chua, Joe Esguerra, Mikael Angelo Francisco,
Michelle Goodman, Ieth Inolino, Gabriel A. Magno, Clifford Olanday, Henry C. Ong, Babe Paares,
Charlene Pe, Bernadette Reyes, Josephine Roque, Jennee Grace Rubrico, Claude Tayag,
Lolita Villa, Denise Lee Yohn
Heidi Aquende, Jonathan Baldonado,

Vincent Coscolluela, Dairy Darilag
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATORS
CONTRIBUTING STYLIST/MAKEUP ARTISTS
Jaykee Evangelista, Juan Carlo Maala

Belle Camarsi, Vida Non Jaucian, Tricia Miranda
SUMMIT PUBLISHING CO. INC.

PRESIDENT AND COO Lisa Gokongwei-Cheng
Edna T. Belleza DEPUTY GROUP PUBLISHER Ichi Apostol-Acosta
VP FOR OPERATIONS Hansel Dela Cruz EDITORIAL DIRECTORS Myrza Sison, Jo-ann Maglipon
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Dave P. Khodr IS AND ADMIN DIRECTOR Mags E. Castro
ADMIN SERVICES MANAGER Whilma M. Lopez EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Rosalie Arteta
ADMIN ASSISTANTS Marlyn Miguel, Michiel Lumabi
PUBLISHER
WEB MANAGING EDITOR
WEB
Jaime Humarang Jr. DIGITAL PUBLISHER Jamie Lyn Arcega
Angelica Dantes, Mary Jane Dinglasan
EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS
WRITER
PRODUCTION
Elizabeth Rellis ASSISTANT PRODUCTION MANAGER Jane M. Puno
Eric Cagoco ADVERTISING TRAFFIC SUPERVISOR Eliziel Del Rio
ADVERTISING TRAFFIC ASSISTANT Arthur Villaor GRAPHIC ARTIST Dindo Rollan
PRODUCTION MANAGER
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR
Ieth is not only a writer and stylist,

but also an entrepreneur developing
A Great Big World, a travel agency
which she established a year ago
with her cousin, Brendel Tatoy.
Writing about two franchise brands
for this issue reminded Ieth that
there is no shortcut to success.
EVENTS
Roberlin Rubina Jr.
Rica Gae Lozada, Dorothy Joy Bulan
SENIOR MARKETING ASSOCIATES JC Brion, Juan Paolo Maningat,
Katrina Alexie San Pascual, Mitz Jairus Baldoza,Valine Aquino, Elizabeth Acosta
JUNIOR MARKETING ASSOCIATES Katrina Camille Pea, Rachelle Anne Castillo,
Neil Emerson De Guzman, Charmie Abarquez, Roi Kevin Palma, Kaye Calleja
ASSISTANT MARKETING MANAGER
PROJECT OFFICERS
TRADE MARKETING
SR . TRADE MARKETING ASSOCIATE , OIC
Jamie Islo
TRADE MARKETING ASSISTANTS Hannah Roque, Lalaine Taguiam, Joylyn Guinto

TRADE MARKETING PROJECT COORDINATOR Wendl Magsino, Raven Dorado
CREATIVE SOLUTIONS
Dondi Limgenco ACTING MANAGING EDITOR Aiza Santos
Jaykee Evangelista ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR Juan Carlo Maala
EDITOR IN CHIEF
ART DIRECTOR
ADVERTISING
Florence Bienvenido
Regie Uy
ADVERTISING MANAGER Maiza G. Mueco KEY ACCOUNTS SPECIALISTS Joey G. Anciano,
Joyce T. Argana, Junn T. de las Alas, Alex S. Revelar, Annie S. Santos, Suzette G. Tolentino
SR. ACCOUNT MANAGERS Ginger Taduran, Bem Caharian, JJ Dinglasan
JR. ACCOUNT MANAGERS Ivan Ainza, Melinda Kitane-San Diego, MJ Pineda
SENIOR DIGITAL ACCOUNT MANAGER : Luke Reyes
ADVERTISING CATEGORY AD ASSISTANT : Lorena Santiago-Marl
ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Rita M. Barbacena KEY ACCOUNTS ASSISTANTS Chinggay M. Cabit,
Onnie Y. Del Mundo, Maricel S. Adaniel, Dianne S. Suegay
GROUP ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR - KEY ACCOUNTS GROUP
CIRCULATION
DEPUTY NATIONAL CIRCULATION MANAGER Glenda Gil
CIRCULATION MANAGER - GMA Noreen Sescon-Peligro
ASST. MANAGER FOR PRINT AND ONLINE DISTRIBUTION Ulyssis Javier
KEY ACCOUNTS GROUP HEAD Vivian Manahan, Charlotte Barlis
SUBSCRIPTION GROUP HEAD Carla Soriano
KEY ACCOUNTS SPECIALISTS Jennifer Tolentino,
Alfredo Toledo Jr., Harold William Rey, Rejie Paquibot, Marjorie Yu

NEWSSTAND SUPERVISOR Joel Valdez
DISTRIBUTOR SPECIALISTS Kim Sarmiento, Roberto Revilla,
Elaine Einosas, Eric Ferdinand Gasatan, Aeron Nolasco, Bee Datinguinoo
JUNIOR SALES REPRESENTATIVES John Lakhi Celso,
May Ann Ayuste, Brylle Gonzales,
Melrose Tamboong, Julie Dunn Bantan
SALES COORDINATOR Jennyfer Marcelo
DISTRIBUTOR ANALYST Christian Austria
ONLINE DISTRIBUTION ASSISTANT Mark Jocell Manio
SUBSCRIPTION COORDINATORS Nathaniel Embiado, Ariel Rivera,
Ma. Glenda Uchi, Annalyn Arambulo
SUBSCRIPTION TELEMARKETER Jon Maynard Ortiz
JUAN CARLO MAALA

ILLUSTRATOR
Carlo is an associate art director for

the Creative Solutions team of Summit
Medias mens titles. When hes not
using his ad agency background to
create advertorials, he illustrates
for Mens Health Philippines,
FHM Philippines, Yummy, and
ENTREPRENEUR Philippines. He also
enjoys drawing and designing things
that bring him back to his childhood
comic books, cartoons, and just about
anything from the nineties. Look
for his illustrations in our story on
leasing. I was able to play around
with at vectors and different color
combinations to make it more fun and
lively, he says.
CIRCULATION ADMIN SUPERVISOR
Marie Lenn Reyes

CIRCULATION ADMIN ASSISTANTS
CLIFFORD OLANDAY
WRITER
Clifford is the fashion features editor

of Esquire Philippines, and regularly
contributes to ENTREPRENEUR Philippines.
For this months Shiny Objects, Clifford
focused on fashioning the ideal
workspace. We spend a lot of time in
our ofce, maybe even more than our
home, so its important that objects that
surround us for nine or more hours are
pieces that help us in work, and more
importantly, life, he says.
Elnie Marie Delos Santos, Lizel Tumali

Visual Mix and Booksale (02) 815-2076; (02) 824-0959
LECSON (02) 525-1990 local 12
Subscribe online at www.summitmedia.com.ph/
subscribe/entrepreneur.php
FOR DEALERSHIP/DISTRIBUTORSHIP INQUIRY Circulation Department
at (632) 451-8888 or 637-2200. Look for Joel Valdez
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call (063) 451-8888 local 1097 to 1099. For international distribution,
call (632) 451-8888 local 1033
ENTREPRENEUR MEDIA INC. 2445 McCabe Way, Irvine, California, USA 92614
CHAIRMAN /CEO Peter Shea PRESIDENT Ryan Shea EDITOR IN CHIEF Amy Cosper
FOR BACK ISSUES CALL
Talk to us. If you have inquiries, comments, and concerns, email us at

customercare@summitmedia.com.ph. Your feedback will help us serve you better.
w w w. e n t r e p r e n e u r. c o m . p h/ t h e m a g a z i n e
F ROM T HE
S TA F F
EDITORS NOTE
#passionON
W
e hardly ever talk about ourselves, but

this time Id like to make an exception.
Our mother company, Summit Media,
turns 20 years old this month, and its a
landmark worth talking about.
When Summit launched in 1995, there
werent many other magazines available
on the racks, and in some ways it seemed
like a foolhardy business venture. Even
back then, as young writers entering the
workforce, we were already being told
that Filipinos just werent readers, and
that those who were readers werent going
to spend on something so frivolous as a
monthly magazine.
But Lisa Gokongwei and her team
nonetheless launched the company and
its rst (and only) title, Preview,
w changing
the publishing landscapeand our lives
with it. Of course it all boiled down to
a business decision, but from the very
beginning, there was passion involved in
the equation. And passion, by denition,
runs deep: Our passion was not only to
publish magazines; the passion was for
creating intelligent, edifying, potentially
life-changing content that would be worth
our readers money.
ENTREPRENEURR Philippines was
launched ve years later, in November
2000. It was much the same passion that
drove the bold decision to bring in what
was then only the third edition of the title
outside the U.S. Passion was always built

into our DNA.
It doesnt end with us. If anything,
our entire reason for being is to be
a partner in our readers passions.
ENTREPRENEUR Philippines and all its
sister publications have always aimed
to encourage and enable our readers
to pursue and enjoy whatever it is that
they lovein our case, its the passion,
not just for business, but for knowledge,
innovation, independence.
Twenty years later, Summit is still
very much around, as is Previewas we
are, toowhich is a brilliant answer to
the question of whether or not it was
a business worth pursuing in the rst
place. As with all journeys, our family
of publications has weathered many ups
and downs, and weve all had to adapt and
grow with the times, and embrace the new
platforms that have opened up for us to be
able to communicate better with all of you.
In the course of our work, weve met
our fair share of people whose businesses
started from their own passions, and while
passion isnt the only thing, it certainly
does count for a lot. Passion is what can
give you the courage to keep going when
everyone is saying you cant possibly make
it, and passion is what can keep you true
to your mission when the going gets tough.
Its what makes things possible.
KRRISTINE FONACIER
KRISTINE . FONACIER @ SUMMITMEDIA . COM . PH
HOW DOES
#passionON
DRIVE YOU?
MARICRIS CARLOS M A N AG ING EDITOR

Ive always felt that I make more sense if I write
things down rather than if I speak. Which is why
Im here, in this job. Its not the easiest thing facing
off with a blank screen. But needs must. And its
always a great feeling when I hit Apple+S knowing I
beat that screen senseless.
FRANTZ SALVADOR A RT DIREC TOR

Whether Im designing a magazine, doing
illustrations, or even just doodling, its my love for
art that pushes me to create.
J O H A N N A P O B L E T E A SS OCI ATE EDITOR

It must be love, or madness, maybe both, to work
through hunger and sleep deprivation, just to beat
another deadline.
VICTORIA VIZCARRA FE ATURE S EDITOR

Passion is what makes the long commutes and
even longer hours not just bearable, but enjoyable.
They say misery loves company, but its really the
other way around: My passion thrives when Im
around people I can share it with and, like me, are
doing what they love.
ENTREPRENEURMAGAZINE.PH
ENTREPRENEURPH
TONI ANTIPORDA EDITORI A L A SSI STA NT

Passion fuels me to keep on moving forward no
matter how tired, uninspired, or jaded I become. As
young as I am, energy, inspiration, and aspiration
can sometimes still be in short supplyits really
passion for the things I do that keeps me going.
10
FEEDBACK
SELLING, AND GAMING, ONLINE
IMPACT HUB
OPENS IN MANILA
Hi, I have an online shop selling band shirts and

CDs. [I] would like to ask: How can I make it different from
other shops selling the same thing? Should we make our
own products already? How do we borrow money if I am a
rst-time online shop owner? God bless.
A new incubator, innovation hub,

and community center, Impact Hub
Manila (impacthub.ph), opens its
doors this month. Its not just a coworking space, its not just where
people work, but also where they
get inspired and grow, says cofounder Liza Andrea Kuster of their
headquarters at Green Sun Building
along Don Chino Roces Ave. in
Makati City.
Treps interested in connecting
with over 11,000 members in 62
other cities worldwide are welcome
to join. Among the benets would
be use of the space, mentorship,
and event participation. Last
March, Impact Hub mounted the
three-day Collaborative Carnival,
gathering entrepreneurs and
marketing experts.
Lourdes Pulido
via Facebook
Hi sir! Any tips on operating an e-games [establishment]?

Slot machines or bingo? I want to start in our province.
will be best to rst invest your capital to do an

initial product to prove to any lender that your
product development process leads to market
acceptability, and therefore sales or revenues that
can be used to repay the debt.
>> Dominic, one must get a franchise from
the franchisor to keep your venture legal. As a
franchisee, there will be manuals and operating
procedures provided in exchange for franchise fees.
Dr. Alejandrino Andy Ferreria

is the CEO of ACE-ME and one
of the Gurus of the Master in
Entrepreneurship Program
at the Ateneo Graduate School
of Business.
WANT YOUR BUSINESS FEATURED IN ENTREPRENEUR?

Drop us a line at letters.entrepreneur@summitmedia.com.ph, and tell us about your business.
You may also send us your company profile. Well keep you in mind for future stories.
WELL MET!
Business advisor and ENTREPRENEUR

Philippines nancial columnist
Henry Ong had the opportunity to
meet Amy Cosper, editor-in-chief of
ENTREPRENEUR United States, at the
Global Entrepreneurship Congress
in Milan. She likes ENTREPRENEUR
Philippines, a beaming Ong
relates. Thanks, Amy!
ILLUSTRATION FROM GETTY IMAGES
>>Lourdes, your products have very little or no

differentiation from those of other sellers. As
such, in the online game, you can differentiate in
terms of product delivery. The fear of many online
buyers is: Will the product arrive as promised and
as shown or claimed in the pictures? You have
to nd a way to assure the buyer that as soon as
the payment is made to you, you are able to send
notice on the status of delivery.
Making your own product or design requires
a thorough knowledge of what the customer is
looking for in terms of product features, plus
what are the comparable competitive products or
designs available in the market. Your design must
give a distinction sought after by the customer
that no one is giving. It will be difcult to borrow
money to fund your product development. It
CORRECTION
Mida Foods was incorrectly spelled
as Mica Foods in our May tech
story Smart Squad. We would
also like to credit Jan Edrosolan
for the hairstyling of Reese
Fernandez-Ruiz, and Vida Non
Jaucian for the hair and makeup of
Natasha Bautista in our May issue.
www.entrepreneur.com.ph/themagazine JUNE 2015
PHOTO COURTESY OF HENRY ONG
Dominic
via Facebook
11
o
t
s
e
R
r
u
o
Y
r
o
f
t
h
Rig
When it comes
to Asian
recipes, avor
can dene
your business
success
Whether youre planning to open

up a new Chinese food joint or just
looking to introduce an oriental mix
into your tried and tested menu,
your customers will be looking
y
ffor avors that are authentic.
After all, Chinese cuisine is known

worldwide for its savory delights.
Use Knorr Chicken Powder to
achieve that iconic Chinese taste
that customers will keep coming
back for.
Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 45 minutes
Claypot Crab Ric

Rice
Total servings: 5
Ingredients
For the
2 pcs.
60ml
5g
3g
crab:
Crab, 300-400g per piece
Rice wine
Knorr Chicken Powder
Black pepper, crushed
For the rice:

100ml Soya oil
30g
Ginger, nely minced
30g
200g
250g
300g
20g
20g
Dried scallops, soaked in

hot water
Crab meat, white lumps
with dark meat
Sticky rice grains, soaked
in water
Dinorado rice
Knorr Chicken powder
Knorr Shrimp powder
5g
700ml
45ml
1 pc.
1 pc.
30g
White pepper
Water
sesame oil
Circular piece of
lotus leaves
Marinated crab
Leeks or scallions, sliced
thinly across the grain
Procedure
For the crab:
Break the crab into 7 serving
pieces (including the top shell)
Drizzle with rice wine
Season with Knorr Chicken Powder
and crushed black pepper. Set aside
in the chiller until ready to use.
For the rice:
In a sauce pot, heat oil
Lightly sweat the ginger
Add the dried scallops
and crab meat
Add the sticky rice, stir well,
making sure that the grains are

glazed with the oil
Add the dinorado rice grains, also
making sure that they are glazed
with the oil while stirring
Add the Knorr Chicken Powder
and Shrimp Powder
Season with white pepper powder
Add water and sesame oil. Let
the liquid come to a boil and turn it
down to simmer. Taste the broth and
add more seasoning if needed.
Line a large Chinese claypot with
the lotus leaves. Pour in the rice rice
into the pot. Fold the excess part

of the lotus leaves over the rice and
cover with pot with its lid or cling
lm. Steam in the oven for about 20
minutes or when rice is almost done
cooking.
When the rice is almost done, take
the pot out from the steamer and
arrange the marinated
crab over the rice. Drizzle with
sesame oil. Return the pot into the
steamer and cook for an additional
10 minutes.
When all is done, sprinkle sliced

leeks over the crab and cover once
again. Serve immediately.
ADVERTISINGFEATURE
Hainanese Chicken

Total yield/ servings: 8
Ingredients
Hainanese Chicken:
1000g Whole chicken
30ml
Chinese rice wine
(Shaoxing wine)
50g
Ginger (medium chunks)
5g
Shallots, chopped
5g
Garlic, chopped
20g
Poaching liquid:
3000ml Water
200g
5g
100g
30g
60g
Ginger
Turmeric
Leeks, sliced into segments
Rock sugar
Hainanese rice:
480g
Jasmine rice, long grain
800ml Chicken stock
(poaching liquid)
20g
Ginger, sliced
5g
2g
Leeks
Garlic
Ginger sauce:
150ml Vegetable oil
90g
Ginger, grated or chopped
very nely
10g
Spring onions
2ml
Sesame oil
100ml Bango Kecap Manis
100g
Chili garlic sauce, prepared
Procedure
Hainanese chicken:
Rub the inside of the chicken with
rice wine. Place ginger, shallots and
garlic inside the chicken and season
inside and outside parts with Knorr
Chicken powder. Secure the stuffing
using a stick by stitching its outer
opening skin.
Poaching liquid:
In a pot big and deep enough to
submerge the whole chicken, pour
water, ginger, turmeric, leeks, Knorr
Chicken Powder and rock sugar. Bring
to a boil. Let it boil for ve minutes.
Turn off the heat, then submerge the
whole chicken inside and cover. Leave
it inside for 30 minutes. Then remove
the chicken from the pot and drain well

of any traces of liquid and blood. Bring
back the stock to boil again then turn
it off. Place the chciken back inside the
pot and let it cook slowly for another
30 to 40 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the pot.
Drizzle it with sesame oil then let it
cool by submerging it in ice water
Strain the chicken stock and set aside
for the Hainanese rice.
Hainanese rice:
Wash the rice twice with water. Place
Seafood in Black Bean

Butter Sauce
it in a pot then pour in stock, ginger,

garlic and leeks. Cook for 20 to 30
minutes or until liquid is gone but still
slightly moist.
Ginger sauce:
Heat your oil in a small, shallow pan.

When hot enough, turn off the re
then place the ginger, Knorr Chicken
Powder, and spring onions in the same
pan. Drizle with a little sesame oil.
Serve this with Bango Kecap Manis
and chili garlic sauce. The sliced
chicken can be serve cold or hot.

Total yield/ servings: 5
Ingredients
Preparation:
760ml Soya oil
250g
Squid, sliced into panels
and scored
250ml Prawns, head on, shell on,
deveined; ash fried
60ml
Rice wine
5g
To Cook:
60ml
Soya or canola oil
30g
Ginger
30g
5 pcs.
60g
30g
45ml
500g
60ml
125ml
2 pcs.
Garlic
Whole dried chilies
Unsalted butter
Black beans, drained,
washed and mashed
Knorr Oyster Sauce
Manila clams
Rice wine
Water
Sea cucumber, blanched
in ginger water and
sliced horizontally
250g
300g
10g
15ml
10g
10g
Prepared squid
Prepared prawns
Corn starch diluted in
60ml water
Sesame oil
Spring onions,
chopped nely
Coriander, trimmed
from stem
Procedure
Preparation:
Heat oil in wok, until it reaches 350F.
Season the squid and prawns
separately with rice wine and Knorr
Chicken Powder.
Flash fry the seafood separately
in hot oil. Strain and set aside over
paper towels until ready to use.
To cook:
Sweat ginger, garlic and whole dried
chilies until fragrant
Add unsalted butter, black beans
and Knorr Oyster Sauce
Add the clams
Add the rice wine and water.
Simmer until the clams open up
Add the sea cucumber, squid and
prawns. Toss gently with the sauce.

Adjust seasoning to taste.
Add the corn starch if needed, to
thicken the sauce.
Add sesame oil to make the dish
more fragrant.
Add the spring onions
Transfer
nsfer to a serving plate and
sh with fresh coriander leaves.
garnish
Let authentic Chinese avors burst in your dishes with

h
every bite! Knorr Chicken Powder is the secret to
unlocking that iconic avor. Give your savory specialties
es
a classic oriental twist.
GET MORE RECIPES FOR YOUR RESTAURANT AT WWW.UFS.COM
06/2015
IDEAS!
#FOUND
IDEAS
ICY TREATMENT
Cold wraps are a cool way to heal
Unlike regular cold packs, Cryo+ doesnt

require refrigeration for its initial use. By
squeezing and shaking the pack, the water
inside mixes with the powdered formulation,
and turns into a cold, blue gel-like substance.
It also comes with a neoprene sleeve that
helps keep the pack in place around the
target areain this case, the users knee.
EUREK A!
e h in d
uys b
T h e g in it ia lly
Cr yo +
a ke a
ks
d to m
w a n te t c o o ls d r in y
a
th
ct
n tu a ll
u
e
d
v
o
e
r
t
p
tly, b u
re
in s ta n d fo r a m o n t
o p te
in s ta
le
b
ta
e
m a r k e c k to s o o th
a
c o ld p m u s c le s .
e
r
o
s
PHOTO BY VINCENT COSCOLLUEL A
hen it comes to muscle injuries,

pain relief in 10 seconds rather
than 10 minutes can make all
the difference. Thats why a group of
BS Management of Applied Chemistry
graduates from Ateneo de Manila
University created Cryo+ instant cold
wraps that soothe injured muscles.
Cryo+ packs are reusable up to ve

times after initial usealbeit as regular
refrigerate-as-needed gel packs.
For their thesis project, Mich Ilustre
and her team originally set out to
develop a tablet that could instantly
cool drinks. But after realizing that cold
packs are more viable in the market,
they came up with Cryo+ instead. We
may have failed to actualize our initial
concept, however, it paved the way for
us to come up with other applications
for it, she says.
They plan to make neoprene sleeves
to secure the gel pack on other parts of
the body. Packs with cute, eye-catching
prints are also in the works.
The Cryo+ Starter Kit, which comes
with one neoprene sleeve and one
instant cold pack, costs P850, while
the rell set, which has two instant
cold packs, retails for P650.
Juju Z. Baluyot
15
ID EA S
DIGITAL GIFTS
Social gifting app lets users treat their friends from a distance
there are now around 1.69 billion active social
accounts worldwide. Gregor Arn knew this
and its why hes combined the two in giftremittance and instant-messaging app Cheers.
Though instant messaging and money
transfers seem like an odd pairing, Arn
thought otherwise. With Cheers, users
can send their friends virtual gifts
In 2013, Gregor
that come with the items real-life
Arn was in a coffee
monetary amount. Sometimes,
shop when he asked
it takes a few bucks to make a
himself: What would social
statement or a gesture count, he
networks be like if you could
says. Its about giving someone a
actually pay for someone
treat, showing appreciation that is
elses drink halfway
tangible and not just a few hurried
across the world?
words texted while catching a taxi.
The feature that separates the
messaging app from the competition is its
e-wallet, called the Cheers Wallet. Users can
load money onto their e-wallet to be able to
send gifts. Upon sending an item, money is
taken from their e-wallet and transferred to
the recipients. And just like with real cash, the
receiver can withdraw the money anytime. Arn
refers to this as social gifting. A social gift is
like an instant gesturesomething that has
real value, he explains. Everyone can send a
message or a smiley, but sending a gift shows
that you really care.
There are various gifts that can be bought
with Cheers, including drinks and snacks.
Imagine your 10 good friends all send you a
beer on your birthday. [Thats] pretty neat!
says Arn.
He claims that the Cheers Wallet is likely
the most versatile of its kind because it
can be loaded by various country-specic
methods. In the Philippines, Cheers accepts
top-up options such as GCash, over-thecounter deposits, and bank transfers. He
reveals that users will also be able to pay
through credit cards soon.
Though technically a foreign productits
main ofce is in SingaporeCheers was rst
developed and launched in the Philippines.
Filipinos are tech-savvy and are great in
giving feedback, helping make the product
better, says Arn.
exting today has become bigger than
The app is available in almost all countries,
everand its showing no signs of
although the Cheers Wallet feature is only
diminishing. Messaging apps exploded
for Philippine-based users. But Arn assures
to twice their volume in 2013, even as lowthat the e-wallet will soon become available
cost payment and remittance services were
outside the country, as they want to become
just starting to disrupt traditional business
a social platform with a global reach
models. More people are also getting hooked
connecting users from various countries and
on social apps: According to We are Socials
cultures. Juju Z. Baluyot
Digital, Social, and Mobile in 2015 report,
16
ILLUSTRATION BY ARNOL AND
GIFTED
ID EA S
PAWN STAR
PawnHero now lets Pinoys pawn online
alk about the Internet of Things. Even

pawning has gone digital, thanks to
PawnHero, which claims to be the rst
online pawnshop in Southeast Asia. The
intention is the same: Allow people to
pawn their possessions in exchange for
some cold, hard cash. Co-founder and
chairman David Margendorff says PawnHero
targets Filipinos who dont have bank
accounts or access to credit.
To pawn something, customers must
rst upload a photo of their item on the
site, together with a description. After
PawnHeros appraisers estimate the items
value, its logistics partner 2GO picks up the
item for free.The customer receives the
loan through their PawnHero Card, a debit
card issued in partnership with Security
Bank; thr
through a bank deposit; or
through cash transfer via GCash
or S
Smart Money.After the
cu
ustomer repays the loan,
David Margendorff set up
PawnHero will ship back the
P
PawnHero after realizing
item for free. All shipments
that pawnshops were
are fully insured. The loan
in every corner of the
tterm can be as short as
country, but had not gone
one month or as long as a
o
digital yet.
ye
ear. While the pawned item
is w
with the company, its kept
in a wa
arehouse so secure that
Margendorff dubs it Fort Knox.
Margendo
We have the lowest interest rate in the
country, claims Margendorff. PawnHero
charges a at interest rate of 2.99 percent
against the 6 percent average interest rate of
traditional pawnshops.There is also an option
to sell the items directly on PawnHero.ph.
The e-pawnshop, which was launched in
February, is already gaining traction: In its
rst month of operations, it already had more
than 50,000 visits and P10 million worth of
loan requests, while one million worth of
items were successfully pawned. We pretty
much target everyone. Since its private and
discreet, it is for the A-B market as much as
it is for C to E markets, says Margendorff,
adding that PawnHero has been receiving
items such as high-end handbags and
gadgets. Cathie Carpio
18
ILLUSTRATION BY ARNOL AND
IN THE BANK
EASING THE PAIN
When the founders of

Horsepower.ph realized
freelancers lack basic healthcare
and insurance, they decided to
do something about it by setting
up a one-stop shop for HR,
back ofce, healthcare,
procurement, and
logistics needs.
SUPPORT THE SELF-EMPLOYED
reedom, exibility, and the chance to be your

own bossthese are some of the things that
freelancers, entrepreneurs, and the selfemployed enjoy, as the Internet has provided
everyone with more options when it comes to
how they work and what they work on.
The freedom may be appealing, but
foregoing the nine-to-ve job also has its
drawbacks. More often than not, being selfemployed means that youll also have to give
up benets that a full-time employee has,
such as healthcare, retirement planning,
and insurance. This is what the founders of
Horsepower.ph want to address. We saw the
need to support entrepreneurs as they lack
basic healthcare, HR support, admin backend, and purchasing power because they
are mostly one-man teams, says
co-founder Jorge Jojy Azurin. We take
care of their back-end needs so they can
only focus on one thing: to generate sales.
Its a problem the founders observed
within their respective industries: Azurin
was a regional director for an online
outsourcing company; Hannah Carla D.
Crisostomo was the business development
director of a direct marketing company;
and Diego Jose A. Ramos has been a
relationship and channel executive for
over 15 years, and was also involved in
recruiting and talent acquisition, and

event strategy.
Horsepower.ph offers healthcare and life
insurance, and allows users to pay their SSS,
Pag-IBIG, and PhilHealth contributions, plus
their utility bills. For non-online members,
Horsepower.ph accepts payments through
bank deposits, Smart Money, G-Cash, and
ATMs, among others. Members can also avail
of free legal and tax advice, as well as free use
of accounting and bookkeeping services.
In terms of monetization, Horsepower.ph
earns from membership fees. We also have a
revenue sharing agreement with our partner
establishments, says Azurin.Zar Castro
19
PHOTO FROM GETTY IMAGES
Horsepower.ph helps freelancers and treps avail of insurance, healthcare
INFORMATION FOR THE

WORLDS BUSINESS LEADERS
ALSO AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD ON
HTTPS://WWW.SUMMITNEWSSTAND.COM.PH/FORBES-PHILIPPINES
MICROFIN
122
ANCE
NUMBERS AND INSIGHTS
#FOUN D
Source: The 2012 Micronance

Client Mapping Initiative, a project
of Dutch aid agency Cordaid
and the Micronance Council
of the Philippines
PROJECTED GROWTH OF
THE GLOBAL MICROFINANCE
MARKET THROUGH 2019
Source: Micronance Market
Outlook 2015: Growth Driven by
Vast Market Potential, released
November 2014 by assets
management rm ResponsAbility
ACTUAL REPAYMENT
RATE OF MICRO LOANS
IN THE PHILIPPINES
Source: PinoyME Foundation, an

independent non-stock, non-prot
organization in the micronance and
microenterprise development sector
The establishment of
the credit bureau can be
taken in the context of
responsible microfinance
to help the poor. We must
avoid over-indebtedness
and credit pollution because
these def y the reason for
which microfinance was
established, and that is to
improve lives.
DR. JAIME ARISTOTLE ARIS ALIP, FOUNDER OF THE CENTER
FOR AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT-MUTUALLY
REINFORCING INSTITUTIONS
This is not
charity.y This
is business:
Business with a
social objective,
j
which is to helpp
ppeople
p gget out
of poverty.
p y
MUHAMMAD
YUNUS, DUBBED
THE FATHER OF
MICROFINANCE,
FOUNDER OF
MICROFINANCE
INSTITUTION
GRAMEEN BANK
IN BANGLADESH
AND NOBEL
PEACE PRIZE
RECIPIENT
O U R [ M I C R O F I N A N C E ] P A R T N E R S H AV E D I S B U R S E D A
Q U A R T E R O F A M I L L I O N L O A N S , A N D T H E R E P AY M E N T R AT E I S
98 PERCENT; 94 PERCENT OF THE RECIPIENTS ARE WOMEN
W E K E E P R U N N I N G T H E S E N U M B E R S U P, A N D K E E P P R O V I N G A N D
R E P R O V I N G T H E M O D E L , T H AT S R E A L LY O U R B E S T A R G U M E N T
G O I N G F O R W A R D T O E N G A G E T H E S O C I A L C A P I TA L M A R K E T S .
MATT DAMON, ACTOR AND CO-FOUNDER OF WATER.ORG, TALKING ABOUT THE SUCCESS OF
THEIR WATERCREDIT PROGRAM TO MCKINSEY PUBLISHING IN 2014
21
ILLUSTR ATIONS BY SONNY R AMIREZ (DR. JAIME ARISTOTLE ARIS ALIP) AND JAMES ANDRES (MATT DAMON)
NUMBER OF REGISTERED
MICROFINANCE
INSTITUTIONS IN THE
PHILIPPINESMORE THAN
HALF OF WHICH ARE BASED
IN MINDANAOSERVING
MORE THAN 1.7 MILLION
CLIENTS NATIONWIDE
#FO UN D TRENDS
RAINING CATS AND DOGS

Pet cafs find a ready market among animal lovers
et owners didnt like it much when the

Quezon City government came out with
an ordinance in April that limited each
household to four pets. Within days, the city
government caved to public outcry against the
ruling and repealed the ordinance.
That just goes to show that theres a pet
economy in the Philippines. In fact, in March,
trends watcher Euromonitor International
says the Philippine pet care industry recorded
growth in 2013 as pet ownership rose. The
report didnt specify gures, but predicted that
interest will grow over the forecast period
with a continuing increase in the number of
pet-friendly areas and events.
In fact, pet cafs are starting to sprout in
the country following trends overseas. The
rst known pet caf, called Cat Flower Garden,
began in Taipei in 1998. The concept was
simple: Give people the chance to snuggle and
play with cats while sipping coffee or nibbling
on a sandwich. The idea has since spread to
Japan, South Korea, China, Singapore, Canada,
the United States, the United Kingdom, and
now the Philippines.
The rst local dog caf was an offshoot of
Chef Giannina Gonzalezs Whole Pet Kitchen
Pet Deli & Barkery in San Juan, which sold
nutritious pet snacks as early as 2011. Opened
22
by Gonzalez in March last year, the caf caters

to both the furbabies and their human handlers.
More pet cafs have since cropped up in
Quezon City: Barkin Blends, a dog caf along
Katipunan Avenue, launched in September;
Miao Cat Caf, located in Congressional
Avenue, in February; and Cat Caf Manila in
Maginhawa Street, Diliman in April.
Beyond banking on a novel concept,
the owners of these pet cafs are keen on
promoting good practices in pet ownership.
We try to educate our customers to clean
up after their pets, notes Gonzalez. Other
pet cafs promote animal adoption. Anna
Calvo, co-owner of Cat Caf Manila, says
theyve partnered with CARA (Compassion
and Responsibility for Animals) Welfare
Philippines to provide shelters for cats
rescued by CARA in the hopes that caf
patrons will adopt them.
Our advocacycatvocacyis to spread
love for animals; [promote] cat equality
[or the equal treatment of pedigreed and
mongrel cats]; and raise stray cat awareness.
We want people to realize and understand
that puspins (pusang Pinoy) are wonderful
and beautiful creatures, and there are a lot of
them in the streets that need loving homes,
says Calvos business partner Denis Ty.
Of course, visitors may simply hang out

with their furry friends for the price of a
meal and a drink. Barkin Blends charges
P180, inclusive of a drink and a two-hour
stay at their caf. Miao Cat Caf charges a
xed P300 that includes a full meal and stay
at the caf for two hours. Cat Caf Manila
charges P200, half of which goes to the cats
living expenses, while the other half goes to
consumables like food and drinks at the caf.
As pet cafs are a new concept, getting
permits proved a challenge. A lot of the
departments [in government ofces] still
dont understand what [youre applying for]
or why youre even trying to get a permit,
says Gonzalez.
Sanitation and safety of both resident pets
and human visitors are always prioritized.
Cat Caf Manila requires reservations and
enforces house rules: Shoes are removed
and hands washed clean before entry. No
pulling of tails or disturbing any catnaps
visitors even sign a waiver promising only the
best behavior.
Seeing the warm reception to these pet
cafs, Gonzalez predicts that more will pop
up soon, but the challenge remains on how
to strike the balance between running a caf
business and acting as an animal custodian.
In Singapore last year, a cat caf closed
down after seven cats died from disease and
alleged mishandling by customers. They [the
owners of pet cafs] just have to make sure
that their resident pets arent overworked or
abusedit can be very hard to control clients
who have a heavy hand in terms of touching
pets, cautions Gonzalez. Josephine Roque
PHOTOS BY HEIDI AQUENDE
CATS MEOW: Cat Caf Manila

offers good food and great
company in the form of rescued
feline friends. Business
partners Anna Calvo and Denis
Ty (right) house strays as their
catvocacy.
PARTNER PROMOTION
IT IS THE CONCEPT OF STEWARDSHIP, OF BEING

RESPONSIBLE FOR SOMETHING OTHER THAN
ONES SELF, WHICH BROUGHT JOSEPHINE G.
CERVERO INTO THE WORLD OF INVESTMENTS
tewardship truly is a noble cause to get

behind, and Josephine G. Cervero had that
purpose in mind when she rst entered the
world of investments. Ms. Cervero was a
product manager for a pharmaceutical company
before she switched industries and joined a
nancial institution. Her bosses wanted her to
apply product management concepts to promote
its trust funds, but she had reservations. She
says, At rst, I was hesitant because I thought
that I will be building treasures on earth rather
than treasures in heaven.
After taking a one-year course on trust,
however, Ms. Cerveros outlook on trust funds
changed. She says, It is actually, in essence,
stewardship. It is for this reason that I have been
in trust services for about 20 years now, and
still counting.
Today, Ms. Cervero is the First Vice President
of LANDBANKs Trust Banking Group. A mom
of four, she is the former director of the Trust
Ofcers Association of the Philippines and
the incumbent director of the Trust Institute
Foundation of the Philippines.
LANDBANKs Trust Banking Group promotes
WHICH
FUND IS
FOR YOU?
Know the different

kinds of UITFs and
gure out which works
best for you!
MONEY MARKET FUND

7DUJHWFirst-time
investors
3RUWIROLRPL[100%
special savings deposit
accounts
,QLWLDOLQYHVWPHQW
P10,000
0LQLPXPDGGLWLRQDO
SODFHPHQW
P5,000
0LQLPXPKROGLQJ
SHULRG
30 days
the value of saving and investing through

its different trust fund products, especially
among folks in the rural areas as well as startup
companies and cooperatives. These are market
segments often overlooked by private banks,
but which also have the need to set aside funds
to prepare for emergencies or to achieve
long-term goals.
Trust funds are not the exclusive domain of
the rich; the average Juan can invest in trust
funds too. Ms. Cervero says, If an investor
wants to avail of a trust product that is efcient
and cheaper to manage, he should try the
Unit Investment Trust Funds (UITFs) or
pooled funds.
UITFs are funds pooled from several investors,
and managed by a trustee or fund manager. With
as little as P5,000, one can invest in government
securities, corporate bonds, and listed stocks
through UITFs. Through economies of scale, the
UITFs income (or losses) are distributed among
participants accordingly.
Investing your money today to prepare your
family for the future is a contingent measure
in case of unforeseen circumstances. Ms.
GOVERNMENT SECURITIESFIXED INCOME FUND

7DUJHW
Prudent investors
3RUWIROLRPL[
100% xed income diversied
into tradable government
securities, corporate bonds,
and bank deposits
,QLWLDOLQYHVWPHQW
P10,000
0LQLPXPDGGLWLRQDO
SODFHPHQW
P5,000
0LQLPXPKROGLQJSHULRG
30 days
Cervero explains, It is important for people to

know, especially the younger generation, that
the economy has a cycle of bliss and a cycle of
meltdown... We have been blessed for the past
years, but we also need to prepare and
set aside funds for unfortunate eventualities
such as calamities, sickness, loss of jobs,
or economic turndown.
She adds, If we will exercise prudent spending
and not be wasteful, for sure we will be able to set
aside some funds for emergency. Nowadays, we
are bombarded by advertisements of expensive
food, clothing, and travel. There is nothing wrong
in enjoying and indulging once in a while, but one
must not forget priorities. Set aside cash for basic
needs and an emergency fund.
More than preparing their investors for the
future, LANDBANK also helps them grow
in terms of income or the return on their
investments over a period of time. Ms. Cervero
says, We also help them grow in knowledge and
experience because we provide daily market
updates and conduct investors briengs about
trust. Basic knowledge about investments is
the key to growth.
GROWTH FUND
GLOBAL DOLLAR FUND
7DUJHW
Aggressive investors
3RUWIROLRPL[
Minimum 40% in government
securities, tradable private
securities; maximum 60% in
listed stocks
,QLWLDOLQYHVWPHQW
P10,000
0LQLPXPDGGLWLRQDO
SODFHPHQW
P5,000
30 days
7DUJHW
Dollar investors
3RUWIROLRPL[
Minimum 100% US dollardenominated xed income
securities, diversied into
tradable government securities,
corporate bonds, and stock
deposits
0LQLPXPDGGLWLRQDOSODFHPHQW
$200
30 days
LAN D B AN K T R U ST B ANKING
A SACRED TRUST
#FO UN D SPOTTED
BOOST FOR
E-VEHICLES
ENTREPRENEURSHIP 101
E
ntrepreneurship and nancial literacy programs will

soon be taught in all levels of education nationwide.
The House of Representatives has approved on
second reading House Bill 5603, known as the Youth
Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy Program
Act, which includes entrepreneurship and nancial
management in the basic education curricula. An
Entrepreneurship Education Committee will be created
to study and standardize current programs on these
subjects, and provide assistance, training, and support
for schools and institutions. The Education Secretary
will head this committee, whose members will include
representatives from the Commission on Higher
Education, Technical Education and Skills Development
Authority, Department of Trade and Industry, National
Youth Commission, and the Micro, Small, and Medium
Enterprise Development Council.
RURAL SHIFT
More people in Southeast Asia will live in rural areas and small cities in the next decade,
according to a report from consumer insights firm Nielsen. In The Age of ASEAN Cities: From
Migrant Consumers to Megacities, Nielsen says that close to two-thirds, or 62.6 percent, of the
regions urban population will reside in small cities and urban centers by 2025. To tap into these
emerging markets, Nielsen regional director for client services Regan Leggett suggests introducing
smaller product sizes or single-use portions that appeal to both shoppers with limited purchasing
power and retailers with limited storage space.
24
Bangladesh, Cambodia,
Laos, Myanmar, and
Sri Lanka are
identied as Asias
next-generation
consumer markets
in the latest Markets
of the Future report
of market insights
rm Euromonitor
International. Laos is
considered the fastestgrowing of the ve
markets, with consumer
spending set to triple
between 2015 and
2030a growth rate
higher than established
emerging markets such
as Indonesia and the
Philippines. Operating
in these small, fastgrowing markets,
though challenging,
can prove to be a
protable strategy,
says Euromonitor
Internationals
economic and consumer
insights analyst Sarah
Boumphrey. Taken
as a whole, she adds,
these markets can be
sizeable. However,
companies should
recognize the tradeoff poor consumers
make between price
and quality, and opt to
produce quality goods
at a low price.
ILLUSTRATIONS FROM GETTY IMAGES AND RY YOUNG/FREEIMAGES.COM
ASIAS
MARKETS OF
THE FUTURE
COMPILED BY TONI ANTIPORDA
Believing that a
strong ecosystem
of charging
stations, payment
platforms, and
communication
services can
help speed up
the adoption of
electronic vehicles
locally, Global
Mobility Service
Inc. (GMS) recently
partnered with
Meralco Energy
Inc. (MServ), CIS
Bayad Center
Inc., and SMART
Enterprise.
Charging stations
will be built by
MServ, but will
be owned and
managed by the
tricycle operators
and drivers
associations of
participating
municipalities.
Payment for every
charge is made
easier through
SMART Money
and Bayad Center.
Meanwhile,
vehicles equipped
with the mobility
cloud connecting
system developed
by GMS can
be remotely
monitored
and controlled
by their respective
operators.
06/2015
MONEY
START IT UP
DOING BUSINESS
TECH
BITING
THE
BULLET
Why buy when you can lease?

WRITTEN BY
CHARLENE PE
ou know that, to improve your sales

staffs productivity, you need to arm
every single member with a laptop.
The problem is you dont have the budget
to buy the laptops. Fortunately, buying isnt
the only option when it comes to acquiring
big-ticket items for your business. You
can opt to lease the laptops, too, or for
that matter, any equipment or machine
essential for your business. Sure, its extra
expense, but you dont really have a choice
if you want your business to grow.
The good news is, experts say, small
businesses with limited capital have
the option to lease ofce equipment or
machines they need for their operations.
The reason why leasing can be more
attractive is because it allows you to avoid
[forking] out a big amount of money
up front, which you may need for other
business expenditures, says Henry Ong,

a certied management consultant and
president of the Young Entrepreneurs
Society Philippines.
For as long as the asset can generate
enough revenues to cover the leasing cost
monthly, you dont need to shell out so much
cash to acquire the asset, he says. This is
especially true for companies without ready
cash for expansion that nd it hard to raise
capital. By matching revenues and expenses,
entrepreneurs can better manage their cash
ow and ensure that there is enough money
in their coffers at any given time. Businesses
can even allocate the budget freed up from
acquiring an expensive equipment to other
essential expenses.
But how can you know for sure that
leasing is the right option for your
business? Here are some guidelines.
25
ILLUSTRATIONS BY JUAN CARLO MAALA
MONEY
MON EY
A MATTER OF EXPERTISE
COST MANAGEMENT
Neil Sison, managing director of

accounting and consulting rm Sison
Corillo Parone & Co., says companies
should lease when they have limited
cash and when they themselves lack the
expertise in maintaining and running
the equipment. When businesses have
no in-house technical support, leasing
can be more economical, he says, citing
possible savings of 20 to 30 percent due
to better productivity and efciency. This
is because the maintenance becomes the
responsibility of the leasing company.
He warns, though, that the timeliness
of the service is often a problem. And of
course, the companys operations as well
as its public image will be gravely affected
should a third party fail to deliver its
commitments up to standard.
Ready-mix concrete supplier Concrete
Royal Mix Corp. rents its pumps from
a business partner skilled in handling
projects that require such equipment.
Doing so allows the company to leverage
on the lessors know-how, transfer liability
for some of its projects, and ensure
equipment safety.
In the long run, though, leasing is more

expensive than buying the equipment as
there are, of course, extra fees involved.
For instance, businesses may still need
to pay miscellaneous operating fees on
holidays that fall within the contract
period. The total cost of all the lease
payments will denitely be higher than
the cost of the asset, says Ong.
When it rains hard and operations are
cancelled due to safety or site concerns, I
certainly wouldnt want to still be paying
for something I am not beneting from,
and with so many holidays and erratic
weather patterns that affect logistics and
power, it is really better to own, says Cua.
Buying is cheaper, particularly when
the business concerned has an in-house
technical support team, which can take
care of maintaining the equipment and
troubleshooting when its down. Also,
says Sison, by buying ofce equipment,
the business can save on interest expense,
insurance, and value-added tax charged
by nancing companies.
Today, leasing companies also offer
lease-to-own arrangements that give
entrepreneurs the option to purchase
assets after leasing them for a certain
period. This is the case for typical
operating lease arrangements, where
lessees make rental payments over a xed
term to use an asset. Ong says one can opt
to renew the lease, purchase the asset at its
fair market value or return it to the lessor
at the end of the period.
Sison says that, for the lease-to-own
option, lessees usually need to initially
shell out 20 percent of the total cost,
pay off xed rental fees for two to
three years (or even ve to 10 years
depending on the equipment), and settle
EXPECTED UTILIZATION
VERSUS ACTUAL UTILIZATION
Reiner Cua, vice president at Concrete
Royal Mix Corp., says companies should
rent when they are condent they can
maximize use of the equipment. If a
pump that would cost P6 million has an
expected utilization of 10,000 hours, then
it would not make sense for a contractor
to purchase one when he is only making
one building where the hours of operating
the pump would only be around 100
hours, he says. The art of estimating and
forecasting now comes into play.
the 10 percent balance at the end of

the period.
Aside from the operating lease,
companies can also enter into a nancial
lease agreement, where lessors acquire
a companys required assets, which are
then leased back to that company. The
adjustable terms and payback period
in most leasing agreements today allow
businesses to better manage the schedule
and timing of their cash-outs such that
they are not a strain on the budget. Ong
adds, Consider the best type of transaction
based on the package that they will offer
you. Sometimes the leasing offer can prove
to be more cost-effective than the purchase
one or the other way around.
DESIRED LEVEL OF FLEXIBILITY

Another advantage of owning an asset
is that it gives businesses more freedom
when it comes to operating the equipment
in line with customer demands. Cua says
that owners of the equipment can easily
standardize and upgrade machine parts
like bearings when they discover that
another brand is more cost-effective.
Owning assets can also improve
the companys balance sheet, which
can go a long way in convincing banks
and investors to provide capital. The
advantage of buying an asset is the
exibility of using it. You can improve it
and extend the economic benet of the
asset. You can also leverage this in the
future as a collateral if you plan to borrow
money, Ong says.
On the other hand, lessees have to put
up with limitations on the use of the asset
since they do not own it, says Ong. For
instance, businesses that lease equipment
will need to ask the lessors permission to
relocate machines and even have to wait
Since leasing entails cost, its best that you negotiate the rate and the
term of the leasing agreement, says Henry Ong, a certified management
consultant and the president of the Young Entrepreneurs Society
Philippines. Both a lower rate and a longer term translate to lower
amortization. Have [the lowest possible] amortization so your cash out is
lowest to maximize your cash inflow, he says.
Companies should also compare terms from different financing companies
to help them assess the best option, says Neil Sison of Sison, Corillo, Parone
& Co. This includes checking the availability of expert support, their
response time, and their cancellation or termination options.
In the end, it all boils down to evaluating if the business can handle the
leasing terms, says Ong.
26
PHOTO FROM FREEIMAGES.COM
COST FACTOR
HOW TO CHOOSE A LESSOR

Before you seal the deal,
ask a few questions to
determine whether the
leasing company is right
for you.
What is your level of
expertise in handling
the machine or
equipment? Businesses
should approach leasing
companies that are well
acquainted with the
machine or equipment they
need. After all, the leasing
company will be in charge of
maintaining it.
What kind of support
do you offer? Neil Sison
of accounting rm Sison
Corillo Parone & Co. also
that businesses need to
check if technical support is
available and if the leasing
company will be able to
respond in a timely manner
when assistance is needed.
Ideally, the leasing company
should be able to act as
a consultant that helps
businesses decide the best
equipment for them.
The reason why leasing can be more

attractive is because it allows you to avoid
[forking] out a big amount of money up front,
which you may need for other business
expenditures.
for the lessors support whenever they face
downtime, says Cua. This can make things
inconvenient for the business, he says.
INTUITION AND COMMON SENSE

Cua says companies should take into
account factors like their budget, the
project duration, the availability of human
resources, and the usefulness of the machine
in future projects, when deciding whether to
buy or lease equipment. One should also try
to predict machine downtime and how the
company expects its economic conditions to
change in the future.
When purchasing second-hand machines,
companies should assess if their in-house
team of mechanics is capable of handling
them and consult with a mechanical
engineer in case they are not allowed

to inspect the units prior to purchase.
Businesses should consider things like the
warranty coverage and free training for at
least two operators when purchasing a new
equipment, he says. Businesses that choose
to purchase machinesregardless whether
they are new or secondhandshould also
be prepared to face issues like selling the
asset in the future. Cua says that a business
should take into account the economic
situation. If it is in a position to get a loan,
the owner can ask different banks to submit
proposals, and use his negotiating skills to
get the best deal out of them. Continue to
always assess the situation, if it calls for you
to buy and stop renting, then optimize the
future and control the risk, says Cua. E
Do you offer leaseto-own options?

Entrepreneurs who expect
to use the equipment for
a long time should ask
about buyout options, which
allow them to purchase the
equipment from the lessor at
a fair market value at the end
of the leasing period.
Can we still negotiate
the terms? You can try
negotiating for lower rates
and a longer leasing period.
If the leasing company is
not willing to adjust their
terms, consider hiring other
companies. Get at least
three nancing [companies].
Get their terms and [choose]
the best one, says Sison.
27
MON EY
CASHING IN
THROUGH LINKEDIN
How to use the professional network to find investors
says Milwaukee entrepreneur Seth Knapp,
whos looking for investors for his social
marketing app, Chitter. Reaching out to
an investor without doing any homework
tells him everything he needs to know
about younone of it good.
>VET AND BE VETTED
>BE PATIENT
Partnerships arent built overnight. Your
deck and any other information you send
over will fall on far less deaf ears if you
patiently develop a relationship with the
investor, Knapp says.
Of course, most angels wont end up
investing, no matter how much they love your
pitch, warns Brandon Bruce of Cirrus Insight,
which sells a software add-on to Salesforce.
But a carefully cultivated relationship can
lead to market intel, strategic advice and,
most important, referrals to other potential
investors.Michelle Goodman
ILLUSTR ATION BY ARNOL AND
Resist the urge to ping investors who sound

like a t right away. Instead, ask mutual
contacts for insights about them, Gowel
advises. You dont want to partner with an
investor whos known for being difcult or
one who doesnt meet the SECs denition
of an accredited investor.
If you do decide to move forward, dont
contact an investor cold; an introduction
through a mutual contact can catapult you

to the top of the correspondence slush pile.
>EMBRACE THE ADVANCED SEARCH

If youre not clicking the Advanced link
next to the sites search bar and hunting by
industry, company, location, alma mater,
groups you belong to, or specic keywords
of your choosing, youre wasting your time,
says Gowel, who, in addition to running
RockTech, is the author of The Power in a
Link: Open Doors, Close Deals, and Change
the Way You Do Business Using LinkedIn.
There are 300-million-plus people on
LinkedIn, he says. Advanced searches
help you cut through the clutter and zero in
on the right people to meet.
Next, follow a potential investors
company page. Join any relevant Linkedln
groups to which your target belongs. Scour
his or her prole and posts to familiarize
yourself with the persons portfolio,
investment approach, likes, and dislikes,
28
TOO NEW FOR PINOYS

In the Philippines, startups havent quite graduated to using LinkedIn as a means to
find investors, as the startup scene is not yet as developed as that in the United States.
We use LinkedIn as a way to know more about the investors were already in contact
with and not as a primary source, says Angelique Uy, one of the founders of loyalty
and rewards app Zap. For now, she says, referrals are still the best way to lock in
investors, specifically referrals from existing investors. It has to do with the newness
of the Philippine startup scene. Most foreign investors are looking for local entities to
lead the round of funding before theyll consider investing.
REPRINTED WITH PERMIS SION FROM ENTREPRENEUR-UNITED STATES
ave Gowel has raised $3 million in the

three years since he started his U.S.based enterprise-training platform
for cloud technologies. Of the 29 angel
investors hes brought on board, all have
one thing in common: Every investor
relationship I have was inuenced by
LinkedIn, says Gowel, RockTechs CEO.
A compelling example of this came when
one of my investors listed his afliation with
RockTech on LinkedIn, and then another
angel who saw that update contacted me,
Gowel continues. The latter angel had a
very strong respect for my investor who
had updated his prole, and [he] became
an investor within six monthshe even
brought in another angel to invest with him.
Thanks to the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC) lifting the
ban on general solicitation for investors,
Linkedln has become a potential mother
lode for identifying and pitching investors.
But its a nuanced and regulated game.
I dont think a general solicitation as a rst
contact is the way to go, Gowel says. Instead,
he and others recommend using Linkedln as a
recon tool to improve real-world interactions
with potential investors. Heres how.
RIENZIE BIOLENA is one of the pioneering members

of the Registered Financial Planners Philippines. He is
also an accredited investment duciary of the U.S.-based
duciary education and training provider 360, and
a chartered wealth manager of the American Association
of Financial Management. You may reach him at
rienzie.biolena@gmail.com, or follow @rbiolena on Twitter.
HOME SWEET HOME
Make sure you get the best terms when

shopping for a home loan
or entrepreneurs, owning
a home must be a dream
come true. It speaks of
their success and can be
considered a legacy to their
family. But owning a home
requires a lot of cash and is a
huge drain on anyones bank
account. That is why one of
the best ways to own a home is
to take out a bank loan. Your
cash ow wont take a huge hit
this way.
BANK
Luckily, we are now

living in a low interest rate
environment. With rates at
historical lows, the best time
to borrow really is now.
Bank lending rates were at a
high of around 14 percent in
2001, but rates are now below
6 percent. This does not
mean that it will stay low
forever. The Bangko Sentral
ng Pilipinas has already
raised rates twice in the past
year, and may do so again in

the future. Those who are
planning to take out a loan
should take advantage of
current rates.
You may secure home
loans from banks and from
government institutions like
Pag-IBIG Fund. Interest rates
do vary, but with the very
competitive environment
today, they are not too far
from each other.
As a general rule, the longer
the loans xed term, the
higher the interest rate.
For instance, a ve-year xed
rate loan may have an interest
rate of 6 percent, while a
25-year xed rate loan can
have 9.75 percent interest
rate. Below is a sample loan
rate table for various banks
for a P1-million loan, interest
rate xed for ve years
with a term of 10 years,
comparable with Pag-IBIG
Funds 9.75 percent rate.
INTEREST RATE (% per year) MONTHLY REPAYMENT MIN LOAN AMOUNT MARGIN OF FINANCE
BPI
6.50%
P 11,355
P 400,000
80%
EASTWEST BANK
6.75%
P 11,482
P 500,000
80%
SECURITY BANK
7.00%
P 11,611
P 1,000,000
80%
PSBANK
7.50%
P 11,870
P 500,000
80%
CHINATRUST
7.50%
P 11,870
P 500,000
80%
METROBANK
7.50%
P 11,870
P 500,000
80%
HSBC
7.75%
P 12,001
P 700,000
80%
MAYBANK
7.88%
P 12,069
P 800,000
80%
BDO
8.00%
P 12,133
P 500,000
80%
CHINABANK
8.75%
P 12,533
P 500,000
80%
RCBC
10.00%
P 13,215
P 300,000
70%
UNIONBANK
10.75%
P 13,634
P 500,000
70%
S O U R C E : W W W. I M O N E Y. P H
Researching rates is fairly

easy, as bank websites and
other third-party sites offer
ready information. When
getting a loan, a borrower can
opt for a xed rate of interest
for a number of years
practically locking in the rate
and paymentwhich can run
for one, three, ve, 10, 15, or 20
years. A locked-in rate gives
the borrower the advantage
of making the cash ow stable
and reasonably predictable.
The rate and the xed number
of years then gives the
borrower the opportunity to
re-price for better terms.
But let me tell you a trade
secret: published rates are not
a given. Clients with a good
relationship with their bank
can actually get a lower rate.
Moreover, you can haggle for a
lower rate and, given the tough
competition today, banks risk
losing a potential client if they
dont offer better rates.
Banks usually give a
maximum of 20 to 25 years
term for a home loan, while
Pag-IBIG offers as long as
30 years. The minimum amount
can be as low as P400,000, and
the maximum equivalent up to
80 percent of the appraised
value of the property.
Then there are the loan
fees and charges. Most
nancing institutions charge
a non-refundable ling and
appraisal fee that ranges from
P1,000 to P3,500 to cover
the cost of ocular inspection,
as well as the processing of
documents. Some even bundle
the loans with re insurance
and mortgage redemption
insurance, which provides
nancial protection for the
borrowers and their families
in the event of death or
disablement of the borrower
by covering a part of or the
entire unpaid portion of the
home loan.
At the end of the day,
always aim for the best deal
and the lowest rate for your
dream home.
29
ILLUSTR ATION BY SONNY R AMIREZ
PERSONAL FINANCE
KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER

Assess your customers before
letting them buy on credit
Q:
I supply meat products

to restaurants in
Bulacan. Im having cash-ow
problems because Im having a
hard time collecting from our
customers. Can you give me
tips on how I can collect more
promptly from our customers?
A:
No matter how good

you are in selling, if
you are not able to collect from
your customers, it is as if you
did not make the sale at all.
If you think that selling and
growing your list of customers
is important in your business,
letting customers buy on credit
and collecting their payment on
time is even more important.
When you extend credit to
your customers, your sales
will increase, but you also
increase your risks.
The fact that you are
having cash-ow problems
because you are having a
hard time collecting from
your customers shows that
your working capital is highly
dependent on your accounts
receivables. The longer your
customers delay in paying
you, the more problems you
will have with your cash ow,
increasing the risk of the loan
turning into bad debt.
Even if only one of your
big customers fails to pay you,
that could already paralyze
your business. Losing that
account will not only mean
loss of prots, but also loss
of capital.
30
The capital losses, especially

when your working capital is
tight, can eventually lead to
serious cash-ow problems.
When your capital is not
sufcient to support your
operations, you will always
be short of cash to pay your
monthly expenses or payables.
When this happens, you will be
forced to get short-term loans to
bridge nance your expenses.
The more you borrow,
the higher interest expense
you pay, the lower your
protability. Your business
will also be pressured to
generate more sales in order
to recover the lost capital.
The irony is, you can only
increase your sales if you let
your customers buy on credit,
hence the vicious cycle.
You can avoid getting
saddled with bad debts, or
at least minimize your risks,
SCENARIO 1
Once credit is granted, assign

the right people to monitor the
receivables. Regularly remind
customers about their dues
without irritating them. When
faced with a past-due account,
assign a staff to deal with the
customer. There are customers
that face temporary cashow issues. Try to get them to
commit on when they can settle
the account, or maybe develop
a payment plan that allows the
customer to pay by installment
if the situation is serious.
If your margins can afford it,
give your customers discounts
as a form of incentive if they pay
on time. For example, customers
can get a 5 percent discount
if they pay 30 days earlier
than their 60-day term. Or if
customers pay in cash, they get a
10 percent discount.
Obviously, the more
customers pay in cash,
the better. Some customers
will surely avail of this offer
and, in turn, reduce the
number of customers who
will buy on credit, thereby
lowering your exposure.
Do your homework. Assess
your customers rst before
granting them credit. It is
the rst step to effective
collection of accounts
receivables. Also, make sure
your collection team has the
right attitude and follows
procedures to help ensure
efcient collection.
SCENARIO 2
T O TA L S A L E
1,000,000
1,000,000
CREDIT
1,000,000
500,000
CASH
500,000
% UNC OL L E C T IBL E
5%
5%
BAD DEBT EXPENSE
50,000
25,000
% OF B A D DEB T T O S A L E S
5%
2 . 5 .%
ILLUSTR ATION BY SONNY R AMIREZ
HENRY ONG, CMC, CMA is president and COO of

Business Sense, a business advisory rm that provides
solutions to small- and medium-sized companies.
You may reach him at hong@businesssense.com.ph
or follow @henryong888 on Twitter.
by carefully choosing which

customers you extend credit
to. You can do this by doing
a background check on new
customers. What is the
nature of your customers
business? Is the customers
business cash-based? Is it a
large company or a startup?
What is the customers
credit experience with other
suppliers? You can decide
how much credit to give and
for how long based on your
risk assessment.
When you have limited
capital available for credit,
you need to manage it like
an investment portfolio.
Diversify your risk by
extending credit to a number
of creditors instead of one or
just a few. Set credit limits
to make sure that no single
customer can get a major
share of the capital, so that
if one doesnt pay, it will
not affect your business
operations so much.
To limit your risk, you may
require new customers or
those you perceive to be highrisk to pay a certain percentage
of the selling price as down
payment. The down payment
can be 20 to 40 percent of the
selling price, which should
roughly cover the cost of the
product sold. This way, you
can limit your risk of capital
loss just in case the balance
becomes uncollectible.
PLAYING IN
THE BIG LEAGUES
Take the leap from stall to full-scale restaurant

CATHIE CARPIO,
WITH INPUT FROM
VICTORIA VIZCARRA
PHOTOS BY VINCENT COSCOLLUEL A
WRITTEN BY
he dream, for many food entrepreneurs,

is to own a sit-down restaurant. Though
they may start small at weekend
markets, they dont plan to stay that way.
After doing the markets for a couple
of years, you eventually want a bigger
challenge, admits Aasish Mirpuri, who
parlayed his mothers chicken kebab recipe
to Maharajas Kababs, a food stall he opened
in Legazpi Sunday Market in November
2011, and later in Salcedo Saturday Market.
Business was going so well that
Maharajas Kababs transitioned to a
restaurant in Makati in November 2013,
before Mirpuri and his wife Joy decided to
relocate the restaurant to Aurora last year.
And its not the only food startup thats
made the leap. >>
31
TESTING THE WATERS

A weekend market is the closest thing to a
business incubator a budding restaurateur
can nd. For Pia Renato, opening a
restaurant was always the end game.
She, along with her husband Jonathan,
had spent eight months perfecting their
Portuguese-style chicken recipe for
Frangos at home. But before they could
move forward with their plans, they
decided to gauge their products reception
in the market rst.
[Food carts are] great for a singleconcept food business, says Jill GerodiasBorja, president and CEO of Giabella
Foods Corporation, which owns Manangs
Chicken, a fried chicken franchise that
traces its origins to food bazaars. It allows
them the wiggle room to adjust according
to customer feedback before venturing into
the big leagues.
A food stall is a way for entrepreneurs
to litmus-test their idea with minimal
investment. Maharajas Kababs was able to
recover its P10,000 investment on its third
week. Similarly, the Frangos team earned
back their initial investment of P175,000
after only four months at Legazpi Sunday
Frangos founders
Pia Renato (center), her
husband, Jonathan,
(left) and brother,
Aldrin Mababangloob,
were able to build on
their food stalls star
product, Portuguesestyle chicken, through
an expanded menu at
their restaurant.
32
Market, though Renato says, At the

restaurant, we still have a long way to go.
A SPRINGBOARD FOR GROWTH

Unlike Renato, Gerodias-Borja had
only intended for Manangs Chicken
to be a side businessuntil it became a
major hit among the crowd in Mercato
Centrale. They cut the ribbon on their rst
restaurant six months after their debut.
A fast turnaround, but Gerodias-Borja
wanted to capitalize on the momentum
they earned as a food cart, and now the
franchise is 15 branches strong.
Once treps have validated their
food concept, a brick-and-mortar
establishment can provide the needed
space and stability for them to further
grow their product line-up. A restaurant
is more expensive to operate, but we can
serve all of our specialties and drinks
there. We cannot rely just on our chicken
products; we always develop new food
to offer, says Renato, who had brought
a consultant onboard, Chef Jerome
Valencia, to expand their menu.
Theyve had to price their items slightly
higher at Frangos restaurant than at
their food stall, but they compensate with

bigger servings. There, they were also able
to introduce new items, like sauces and
dishes that complemented their chicken.
BUILDING A FOLLOWING
Back when they were vying for a spot
at Legazpi Sunday Market, Renato
recalls, [the organizers] preferred that
stall owners be present during market
operations. Face-to-face interaction
with the buying public is an advantage of
weekend markets; entrepreneurs should
leverage on this and cultivate a stable
customer base.
Having a loyal following strongly
indicates that a food concept is sustainable.
If your product is sold out at the end of
the day, not just [once], but a lot of times,
thats an indicator that the customers like
it, Renato says. Its a very good signal that
the product is ready for the next level.
Its not enough to attract new clientele,
but also to retain the returnees. A
restaurants success, says Mirpuri,
depends heavily on repeat customers.
Renato and her co-founders, for example,
felt condent about scaling up after
steadily gaining more regulars at their

Sunday stall, with others asking where
else they could buy Frangos chicken.
TRIALS BY FIRE
A food stall and a restaurant each come
with their own set of challenges: Since
the restaurant will incur higher overhead
expenses, and labor costs, it calls for
more capital. There are longer leases for
restaurant space, which offers businesses
the permanence they need to establish
themselves, but that also means treps
cant easily cut their losses and pull the
plug when sales lag. You need to sell
much more just to break even, warns
Gerodias-Borja.
On the other hand, because a
food stall is transient and mobile in
naturesome markets are open for half
a day, and only during certain days of a
weekits undoubtedly a labor-intensive
undertaking. Mirpuri found the weekend
market circuit to be more of a challenge
because he and his wife practically had to
transplant their kitchen to a small stall
every week. Lack of access to a nearby
washing area was also an issue. Running
a food cart is a logistical headache since
youre always moving. Packing and
unpacking was my least favorite thing to
do, Gerodias-Borja admits.
But for businesses like The Breadery,
the food cart experience also provided
valuable hands-on training for its staff,
who would later man the The Breaderys
rst permanent bakeshop, complete with
dining space, when it launched last year
in Ortigas, followed by another branch
in UP Town Center. We felt it was good
training for our people before we opened
our store, says Inna David Go, president
of The Breadery.
IN YOUR PLACE
Eateries are everywhere, from the

side of a street to the top floor of a
building. But the size and scale of
the food business can help treps
determine where to set up shop:
Not all concepts will successfully translate

well as a restaurant, and entrepreneurs need to
offer more than what was in the food cart.
Renato agrees that the demands and fast
pace of food stall life is a kind of trial by re
that will prep business owners and their
employees for the hustle and bustle that
goes on behind the scenes of a restaurant:
Whereas call time at the Frangos restaurant
is at 10 a.m., Renato and her family need to
set up their food stall as early as 6:45 a.m.
every Sunday. Handwork is difcult, she
says. You have to get used to it, then it isnt
so hard anymore.
Despite their differences, running a
food stall can unlock valuable lessons
that can be applied to a brick-and-mortar
establishment later on. For instance, the
Frangos team learned to be particular about
cleanliness in their operations and to cook
with precisionhabits they have carried
over to the restaurant. And like their food
stall, the restaurant also has an open kitchen
setup that lets customers watch as their
orders are cooked on the spot.
How do you know if your food startup is

ready to take the leap? Check the books: If
your food stalls net income is increasing
every month, and youre meeting a
modest monthly target for your return on
investment, the business is on the right

track, says Renato.
Especially if, like Manangs Chicken,
entrepreneurs plan on striking while the
iron is hot, their prots need to be on an
upward trajectory. [They] should not
open a restaurant when their food cart has
plateaued, says Gerodias-Borja.
There are other options if one prefers
to scale up slowly: Maharajas Kababs,
for example, transitioned to a kiosk
before opening a full-scale restaurant.
Gerodias-Borja advises treps to look
ahead and decide early on if their business
model is for a food stall, or if they intend
to use the food stall as a jump-off point
for a restaurant. Whatever the case, they
should be prepared to make adjustments
to their business plan depending on what
their customers are looking for.
Its imperative that founders study and
know their own market before making a
decision. Crunch numbers on the total
investment [needed], and the break-even
[point] in sales, [to determine] if upgrading
is worth it, Gerodias-Borja says. Not all
concepts will successfully translate well as a
restaurant, and entrepreneurs need to offer
more than what was in the food cart. E
F O R A F O O D S TA L L ,
L O O K AT T H E C O M M U N I T Y
Consider the people who operate and
manage these weekend markets, advises
Aasish Mirpuri of Maharajas Kababs.
He advises treps to apply to reputable
ones, where vendors have a sense of
camaraderie and the organizers can
provide you support. After consulting
with organizers, Frangos, for instance,
innovated a special exhaust pipe for
their stall so smoke from the rotisserie
wouldnt disturb their neighbors.
F O R A R E S TAU R A N T,
L O O K AT T H E A R E A
Restaurateurs want to settle in a
place with many sources of foot
traffic: Being near offices, commercial
establishments, parking lots, and
residential areas is a top consideration
when scouting a location for a
restaurant. Frangos decided to lease a
space in Kamagong St., Makati, for its
restaurant and headquarters, because it
was only a few minutes away from where
their food stall is on Sundays.
GETTING THE GREEN LIGHT
33
RAISING
THE BAR
Philo Chua of Theo & Philo

on finding his own way
in business
34
hen I rst thought of making

chocolates as a business, I had
absolutely no idea how to go about
it. I became intrigued by the concept
of single-origin chocolateswhich
means their cacao comes from only one
region, similar to the terroir concept
when talking about wineswhile I
was working as an IT programmer
in the U.S.
I came back to the Philippines in
September 2007 with the dream of
starting a chocolate business. At the
time I saw that no one was making
quality single-origin chocolates from
Philippine cacao, and felt that it was a
niche I could get into.
The harsh reality quickly set in,
however: Sourcing cacao beans was not
as easy as I thought. Back then, the cacao
industry was in a slump. There were few
cacao bean farmers, their harvest was
already contracted to big buyers. The
few that I was able to talk to didnt have
the kind of cacao beans that I liked.
Discouraged and panicking, I thought
of revising my plans and getting cacao
beans elsewhere. Fortunately, I was able
to talk to a cacao farmer who let me buy
two sacks worth of cacao beans.
Then came another problem: I found
it next to impossible to nd machines
for small-scale production. We ended up
using repurposed machines and having
some fabricated. But this brought on
its own set of problems. I was forced to
learn more about machines than I ever
had to. I was literally getting down and
dirty trying to x machines I didnt
know anything about.
During that time, I was spending
on everything, without having even
made a single bar of chocolate yet.
Fortunately, I was working remotely
from here as a programmer; I was lucky
to have had a job that allowed me to
work any time, freeing me to focus on
my chocolate business.
The two and a half years in between
returning to the country and selling my
rst chocolate bar was a learning period
for me. I didnt have any background in
chocolate-making, so I was trying to
absorb whatever I could nd from books,
the Internet, TV, and newspapers.
Nobody in Manila was doing what I
was trying to accomplish, so it was
really a lot of trial and error. I was doing
everything from sourcing, formulating,
designing the packaging, and xing the

machines. Half of the time, I was unsure
of what I was doing.
When we rst debuted our product
at the International Food Exhibition
in 2010, we only had two variants:
a 70 percent dark chocolate bar and
a milk chocolate bar. Our plan was
to sell plain chocolate bars to consumers
and later on as bulk chocolates for
institutional clients like bakeries
and hotels.
When we came out with the avored
chocolates for the holiday season, I had
no idea that we would create so much
noise. Almost immediately, people were
talking about us on social media. Even
though we had intended to make only
plain chocolates, we couldnt ignore
that the avored variants were selling
well even after the holiday season, so we
continued making them. We nally found
a potentially protable business model.
I know we have already achieved a
level of success, but I feel we are still in
the early stages of our company. We have
just moved to a bigger place and invested
heavily in new and better production
equipment. Every day is still a learning
period for me, and I am excited, anxious,
and hopeful for the challenge of creating
a business that can last.
The challenges I faced with Theo &
Philo have taught me to be patient and
to be persistent. Things take time to
take shape and it can be a measure of
how much you believe in the business
youre building. It has also taught me that
business is about constantly learning
new thingsfrom learning about new
products and processes, to learning
about customer behaviors and trends. All
that we learn can be applied to building a
better product and a better business.
I think that all good business ideas
stem from understanding how the world
works in the context of where and what
youre working with. My advice to people
who want to start their own business is to
observe, go out, and be curious. It helps
to meet new people and see new things
to understand what it is people want
or need. Reading also helps. You get to
know other peoples perspective and see
whats outside your own little bubble.
Philo Chua is the founder and owner of

Theo & Philo Artisan Chocolates.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THEO & PHILO
START IT UP DIARIES
START IT UP
SWEET TALK
Jerties Kitchen finds its niche
eventually adopting it themselves,
that they realized there was so much
more to healthy eating than sweetener.
It wasnt long before the Abergas sisters
began to incorporate what they learned
into the business. In 2013, Jerties Kitchen
rebranded specically into a gluten-free
and vegan food company. We realized
we cant just market to anyone and
everyone, says Jaclyn. Consumers now
are more discerning. Targeting specic
markets makes it easier to create more
effective campaigns.
This time, they paid closer attention to
what went into their ingredients list: their
products are now made without any eggs,
butter, milk, or rened sugarinstead,
these have been replaced with healthier
alternatives like bananas, coconut oil,
coconut milk, coconut sugar, and
cane sugar.
They also began seeking out niche

fairs, where they can meet many potential
customers and expand their network.
[Some of] the clients have now become
regulars, and until now, the businesses
and entrepreneurs [weve met] continue to
be our partners, she says of these events.
Demand for Jerties Kitchen pastries,
initially averaging two or three orders
in a month, has now risen to around
60 to 100 products a month. Jaclyn and
Jertie have also begun holding cooking
workshops to get to know their customers.
One class usually has 15 to 20 people in
attendance. We now sell our relatability,
says Jaclyn. Its important for us to
share our stories, because we want our
customers to know that we do understand
what theyre going through, because were
going through the same experiences.
Victoria Vizcarra
Sharing the vegan and gluten-free lifestyle put Jertie

and Jaclyn Abergas in their customers shoes, which
prompted them to pivot the business. It was hard to sell
products we no longer [believed] in, says Jaclyn.
PHOTO BY HEIDI AQUENDE
ertie and Jaclyn Abergas used to

run a caf, so they thought that that
experience taught them what they
needed to know about business. Little did
they know that Jerties Kitchen, their new
line of specialty vegan and gluten-free
food, was a completely different animal.
Early on, the Abergas sisters
mistakenly believed that switching
from white to brown sugar automatically
made their products healthier. Jerties
Kitchen initially eyed an older audience
who may have health problems, then
turned around and attempted a broader
appeal. We cast our nets wider just to
see who we could catch, says Jaclyn.
But without a unique selling point or a
clear-cut demographic, customers still
werent biting.
It wasnt until they did more research
about a gluten-free and vegan diet,
35
START IT UP
HAPPY THRIFT
W
hen it launched in Cebu in

2013, MiCab became known
for being one of the rst taxihailing apps to operate outside
of Metro Manila. That, and its
affordable P10 booking fee. Cebu
is a very interesting market,
explains co-founder Eddie Ybaez.
Cebuanos are price-conscious.
[They] have a knack for [being]
thrifty. Its why MiCab is priced to
be acceptable to Cebuano users.
The startup was able to cover its
operational costs, thanks in part
to funding raised and strategic
partnerships. But after spending
the last two years beta testing
36
with a 200-unit eet, MiCabs

founders knew they needed to
amp up their driver rewards and
customer acquisition if they were
to stay competitive. It became an
uphill battle, Ybaez recalls. The
P10 was just enough to sustain
operations, but not enough to keep
everyone in the ecosystem happy.
The solution seemed obvious:
raise the booking fee, which
would increase the topline. They
were also facing pressure from
the competition, who charged
booking fees of P35 to P80. It
was very tempting to do the same,
Ybaez admits. But he and his co-
founders knew that doing so would

cost them MiCabs distinguishing
feature. It also ew in the face of the
companys promise of convenient
and cheap cab hailing. We had to
protect the passengers pockets,
he says. After all, they themselves
were familiar with the frustration of
hailing down cabs to the airport for
their red-eye ights.
MiCab retreated temporarily
from the market last October
while the founding team
recalibrated their strategy. When
it reemerged from its hiatus in
June, rather than focus on earning
revenue from passenger fees
these would never be enough
to sustain operations anyway,
Ybaez saysMiCab decided
to pivot to digital advertising
platforms as its primary income
stream. The company now offers
indoor advertisingclients can
rent out ad space in the seven-inch
tablets deployed to MiCab taxi
driversand outdoor advertising
via the LED panels atop their cabs.
These run on a platform MiCab
developed to support mobile
geolocation advertising.
It also expanded its partner
taxis to a 500-unit fleet, and is
looking to add 200 more within
the year.
Looking back, Ybaez is
confident they made the right
decision. It would have been a
mistake to depend heavily on
something so volatile as booking
prices for profitin fact, some
competitors have now begun
throwing no booking fee promos.
A higher taxi fee would have
definitely helped cover costs,
but it would not be the reason
behind MiCabs success, he says.
A premium cost for hailing cabs
is still not accepted in the market
we are operating in. You have to
focus on the solution, not on the
problem.Victoria Vizcarra
ILLUSTRATION BY ARNOLAND
MiCab turns to advertising to keep taxi fees Cebu-friendly
DOING BUSINESS
MANANG ADELA
ADELA, above,
b
att work
k on K
Knitting
itti
Expeditions wool warmers and cuddle toys, left
COMEBACKS
AND MAKEOVERS
Make your old brand good as new
WRITTEN BY
GABRIEL A. MAGNO
veryone loves a good comeback story.

Its rare, but an entrepreneur could
decide to revitalize a dormant brand
to appeal to a nostalgic target audience,
reintroduce it to a new generation, and
even emerge in a better business position
than before.
Periodic touch-ups are also needed for
thriving businesses: Maybe your audience
is changing (or has changed), or newer
competition is transforming the playing
eld. Youll need to evolve to keep up.
The most obvious change would be the
packagingit could involve the colors, the
logos, or the product treatment, says Cyrus
38
Cruz, managing partner at marketing agency

Powercom, which offers rebranding services.
Greenwich, for one, has revamped its
look to match its predominantly young
market and communicate that its a
pizzeriaits not a run-of-the-mill fastfood place, says Thor Balanon, COO of
Space Encounters, which, together with W.
Lopez Designs, is tasked with the redesign.
Now, theres an industrial feel to
Greenwich, using a clever mix of wood,
brick, and metal. Brand colors of red and
green are made more vibrant when paired
with black. A barkada zone showcases
graphics and typographycheesy lines
such as Pizza ka ba? Kasii crust kita,

Lahat gagawin, pastaa ikawcater to
the youths penchant for seles. And to
underscore its claim of Freshly Made
Everydayemblazoned in a pizza seal
on the wallthe kitchen is partly exposed
so customers can see pizza dough getting
tossed and garnished.
Of course, rebranding comes at a cost,
what Cruz calls the pain of change. Its
painful because there are a lot of expenses
involved, and different emotions come in
play, he cautions.
If youre contemplating a similar
change, heed the following tips.
>ASSESS YOUR BRAND MERCILESSLY

Gauge if a rebranding is indeed needed.
If the brand has more bad pointslike
lack of recall and brand identitythen
its probably time to seriously think of
going into a massive rebranding where
the good points of the brand may be
carried over, while starting anew, says
Ameera Capay, owner of Spanish-themed
casual dining restaurant Q Bistro, which
is being refreshed, with the help of
Cruzs Powercom, into two new brands:
catering service Q Provisions, and tasting
restaurant The Round Table. The latter
allows diners to partake of tasting portions
of the Q Provisions menu. Both brands,
soft-launched last April, now serve Asian
and continental comfort food.
Capay says they embarked on a
comprehensive market and feasibility
study to ensure that the new branding
would be more effective than Q Bistro.
We did the difcult task of dissecting the
Q Bistro brand and really went into whats
good and what was not-so-good in order
to come up with a thorough assessment on
how to go about the rebranding, she says.
If the brand has more bad pointslike lack of

recall and brand identitythen its probably
time to seriously think of going into a massive
rebranding where the good points of the brand
may be carried over, while starting anew.
>LISTEN TO POPULAR DEMAND
>KNOW WHAT
A TO KEEP, AND WHAT
A TO LET GO
Sometimes, all you must do is listen to

your customers, as in the case of Tom
Sawyers Old Fashioned Krispy Chicken,
which once boasted of a 20-store network
during its peak in the 90s, closed shop in
2003, and rebounded last year with a new
branch in Tiendesitas in Pasig City.
Louie Aurelio, Tom Sawyers owner,
says the inspiration to bring back the
brand came from a group of diehard Tom
Sawyers fans he calls the Tom Sawyer
Babies, who would order the brands
agship fried chicken through Aurelios
Catering, even after Tom Sawyers had
closed shop.
The brand never really diedTom
Sawyers Fried Chicken was still being
served through food catering, by special
request, Aurelio says. Reopening the
restaurant, he says, meant catering to this
nostalgic market, while appealing to a
new audience. Tom Sawyers now reects
the evolution of market tastes during the
brands 11-year hiatus: It streamlined
an old menu that, at one point, included
burgers, steaks, and a salad bar, and
focuses instead on the restaurants famous
fried chicken and hickory ribs items.
Some things dont have to change at all.

We still tap our contacts and suppliers, as
we have already established a relationship
with themquality of delivery, as well as
the terms, are maintained. It helps the
new brand to keep aoat and not have to
start from scratch, Capay notes.
After knitwear brand Riceeld
Collective, which had addresses in both
New York and Ifugao, folded up last
September, businesswoman Candy
Reyes-Alipio seized the opportunity to
tap the companys now-jobless workforce,
consisting mostly of women Ifugao
knitters, and employ them in a wholly
local enterprise, Knitting Expedition
to keep the happy knitting circle going,
as she puts it. Riceeld Collective has
given us the opportunity to connect with
designers and knitters in other countries
whom we can eventually tap for our own
line of products. Some international
clients have also found us through our
former associations, she explains.
Meanwhile, Knitting Expeditions
shift to an exclusively local market has
permitted the new enterprise to create
new products that are more marketable
Tom Sa
awyers evolved from an old-fashioned restaurant,
left, to
o a more modern dining establishment, above, with a
stream
mlined menubut their famous and well-loved fried
chicke
en remains the same.
on local shoreshand-knit toys. I think

Knitting Expedition is now denitely
more marketable locally because
Riceeld Collective used to sell winter
items such as pure wool scarves and hats
that we really cant use here, Alipio says,
adding that, with knitted handmade toys,
we dont need to be concerned with sizes
or fashion forecasts.
However, it was leveraging on Riceeld
Collectives reputation that proved to be a
strategic, if not crucial, move for Knitting
Expedition. It gave our very young
company credibility right from the start,
both to clients and to customers, and has
saved us a lot of time and money that we
would have otherwise spent on travel and
training, and starting from scratch, she adds.
>BE PPAATIENT
Theres considerable effortand
expenseinvolved. Some changes
are slow to take effect. But ultimately,
a well-executed rebranding campaign
can do wonders for a business looking
to bring something fresh to the table.
Q Provisions and The Round Table,
for instance, are competing much
better than the former Q Bistro. Its an
uncontested market space...Q Provisions
can offer same-day catering, thanks to
The Round Table concept, Cruz says.
The Greenwich makeover of 25 stores
to date has increased walk-ins ranging
from 13 to 20 percent, and improved
sales performance at an average of
5 percent per store, says Greenwich
retail and channel marketing ofcer
Mavel Villanueva. It has also become
the model for refreshing other brands
under Jollibee Foods Corp., starting
with Chowking, adds Balanon.
In general, Cruz adds, If you do things
intelligently and properly, it will denitely
be worth it. Youre giving a second life to the
brand. And when you create a second life, a
lot of beautiful things can happenyou will
be successful, you can provide more jobs,
more consumers will patronize you. E
39
PHOTOS BY HEIDI AQUENDE AND COURTESY OF TOM SAW YERS AND KNIT TING E XPEDITION (OPPOSITE PAGE)
The focus is now on catering, and The

Round Table restaurant is a marketing
platform for the catering side. Walang
impact yung catering business alone, and
the catering industry is already saturated
to begin with. So we created a kick-ass
concept to complement the catering
business. It was a distinct opportunity for
Q Bistro, Cruz explains.
DOING BUSINESS
How to beat the competition in the big marts
onvenience stores are the fastest-growing

retail channel in the countryand its
probably where you should be.
A study released by consumer insights
rm Kantar Worldpanel in April shows
that 18.5 percent of Filipino households
now buy in convenience stores, up from
16.1 percent last year. This translates
to 566,991 more families buying from
convenience stores, most of which are
operational round the clock.
We anticipate this trend in the
convenience store segment to persist
40
in the advent of fast-paced and more

demanding lifestyles of consumers,
says Kantar Worldpanel new business
development head Lourdes Deocareza.
In fact, market-research company
Nielsen says that the Philippines has
the biggest opportunity for growth for
convenience stores among the markets in
Southeast Asia. Their latest gures show
that in terms of convenience stores per
capita, the country has one for roughly
every 41,000 people, compared to South
Koreas one store for every 2,000 people.
>WIN THE POPULARITY CONTEST

Have you got what they want? The Kantar
survey, conducted in January, shows that
food, ice cream in particular, comprise the
bulk of convenience stores fast-moving
consumer goods (FMCG) top sales. Based
on value sales, other products that made it
to the top 10 bestsellers are milk, snacks,
alcoholic beverages, diapers, biscuits, soft
drink, water, fabric cleaner, and juice.
FamilyMarts customers gravitate to its
green tea matcha soft-serve ice creamall
you can swirl into a single wafe cone
ILLUSTR ATION BY ARNOL AND
IN A WORLD
OF CONVENIENCE
Theres no better time to get into

convenience stores: Sales are soaring,
with Kantar recording a 45 percent
increase in convenience store purchases
just last year.
Supplying is actually easythe hard
part is how to move your product in an
environment where equally competitive
products are also being sold. You could
excel at this game if you heed these tips.
for the price of P25which it introduced

upon launching here two years ago.
Full meals and pastries are also in
demand. Chef J Gamboa, who has
consulted for FamilyMart, speaks of
a trend where the convenience store is
no longer just a place to sell cigarettes,
newspaper, or candy, but also serves as
a 24/7 quick service restaurant.
You have to be hyper vigilant on
producing products that will move
and that are trendy, says Bruce Lim,
executive chef of Mise en Plus Foods Inc.,
which supplies ready-to-eat products
to Ministop Philippines. Among their
products, for example, is the kariman,
which is popular among students and
yuppies. You have to ensure that your
products offer consumers value for
money, adds Lim.
>WATCH YOUR QUALITY

For Juju Eats, fresh deliveries are made on
a daily basis to natural food and product
store Healthy Options through an outright
purchase arrangement. We provide them
20 kinds of soup, salad, and sandwiches
each. They call us every day to make the
delivery, says Kat Azanza, co-founder and
vice president for sales and marketing of
Feelgood Inc., which owns both Juju Eats
and Juju Cleanse.
Its difcult enough to make people eat
vegetables. It becomes more difcult if our
products are not freshWe would rather
they run out of stock rather than overstock.
It was a conscious decision to maintain the
freshness of our products, explains Azanza.
The partnership with Healthy Options,
which began in 2014, is founded on a
common philosophy of being able to provide
fresh and natural grab-and-go food.
It was synergistic and coincidental. They
chose from our range the products that they
We put great value in adjusting and servicing

the needs of every community, so there are
some areas where we put a greater emphasis
on certain products that could be in demand
by our consumers there.
believe they can effectively push in their
store, Azanza says.
Food safety is crucial, not just to make your
products easier to sell but to avoid lawsuits
too, says Kerwin Tansekiao, managing
director of Jimini Foods Group. His Pizza
Pedricos pizza bar partnered with Ministop
almost at the same time that the convenience
store opened in the country in 2000, also
with an outright purchase agreement. We
had to do concept testing with some of their
stores before rolling it out to all stores,
Tansekiao recalls.
The number one thing on my mind
besides creativity and avor is food safety,
because people might get sick eating your
products. That will cause a headache, not
just for you, but for your convenience store
partner, too, adds Lim.
>CATER TO THE LOCAL

Study the locals. Camille Villar, executive
vice president of All Value Holdings Corp.,
which operates All Day convenience
stores, says they maintain a merchandise
mix consisting of regular items you nd
in all the stores, but with optional items
specic to the locale.
We like to be consistent in our
product offerings. However, we also put
great value in adjusting and servicing
the needs of every community, so there
are some areas where we put a greater
emphasis on certain products that could
AT A GLANCE
% OF VALUE SHARE OF SECTORS
TO TOTAL CONVENIENCE STORES
JANUARY
2014
JANUARY
2015
58.8
FOOD
59.3
25.6
BEVERAGE
23.8
11.3
PERSONAL CARE
13.4
4.3
HOUSEHOLD CARE
3.5
be in demand by our consumers there,

she says.
In fact, Villar says they introduce new
products every month. All Day closely
monitors the ever-changing needs of our
customers and we make sure that we are
able to address that as quickly as possible.
It is part of our culture to be innovative and
bring what is new, fresh, and novel to our
consumers wherever they may be, she says.
In an earlier interview with marketing
expert Josiah Go, 7-Eleven president
Victor Paterno also said that convenience
stores are meeting the boom in the
business process outsourcing sector with
more ready-to-eat products. But in the
provinces, Paterno observes, it will be a
case of more Slurpees, less rice meals as
consumers outside Metro Manila have
plenty of access to cheap food.
>GIVE EXTRAS
Youll nd that you can negotiate some
concessions if youre willing to provide
extra services. Philip Morris Fortune
Tobacco Corp. Inc. (PMFTCI) says
theyve been able to get favorable product
placement this way.
We design and install the shelf for free,
with the understanding that our products
are displayed more prominently, that
we get principal display, says PMFTCI
communications manager Dave Gomez.
This means the top two shelves of their
standee would house their products,
whereas their competitors would occupy
the lower shelves.
It also helps to give incentives to your
customers so that your products move
faster. Most convenience stores impose a
sales quota for products that they carry,
so underperforming products undergo
evaluation, and could be removed from
shelves. As part of PMFTCIs brand
promotions last year, customers got a
freebie lighter if they bought an extra pack
of cigarettesand the lighter came stamped
with the brand name, too. You could say that
its a win-win for everybody. Babe Paares
S O U R C E : K A N TA R W O R L D PA N EL
41
INSPIRING
ENGAGING
IGNITING
W W W. S U M M I T M E D I A .CO M . P H
A S K A PR O
obtain quality dataOf course, when the

investment is signicant and the stakes
are highlike needing to make major
decisions about funneling resources into a
new category altogether, or discontinuing a
product or service thats been running for a
whilehaving formal research ndings as
basis for moving forward is valuable.
WHAT DO I LOOK FOR IN A RESEARCH AGENCY?

Look at both the track record of the
companythe outcomes of their
researchand willingness to customize
the research to your specic concerns.
Meet with the research team if possible. So
much of research, particularly qualitative
research (interviews, observation, focus
groups), is highly dependent on the skills
of the individual researchers. And rather
than taking a research brief off the bat and
running with it, a good research agency
should also be willing to engage clients in a
discussion about the best questions to ask,
given the stage of the business or service.
WHAT WOULD HELP ME UNDERSTAND

MY CONSUMER BEST?
To serve them better, get to know them first
he starting point of good design is

getting to know whom it is for. Ordinary
people who use products, systems, and
services should also be treated as experts
in how things ought to be designed, rather
than leaving the process entirely up to
professionally trained designers, whose
lives may be miles apart from those they
design for, says Pamela Cajilig, co-founder
of Curiosity Design Research.
Curiosity helps entrepreneurs and
development workers understand how
people use products and services, and
then rethink design. Cajilig, a designer
and business anthropologist, draws from
previous experience in strategic planning
at digital communications agency Movent,
and the Ogilvy Group. Disregarding
consumer insighting, she says, will result
in a product that causes frustration in
the user. Heres how to avoid making that
mistake.Bernadette Reyes
HOW DO I CONDUCT CONSUMER INSIGHTING?

Get to know customers rst, be open to
constructive feedback, because so many
questions can be answered by just talking
and observing customers on your own. You
can even check your social media accounts,
blogs, forums, or Google to see if feedback
about your business already exists. Another
low-risk method: Make a mockup of your
business idea and get family and friends to
experience it and give their comments before
making any major moves.
WHEN SHOULD I HIRE OUT THE TASK?

[Only] when, as a business owner, youve
done enough poking about on your own
and encountered questions you can no
longer answer by yourself, [or] when
youre experiencing tunnel vision and
need a neutral party to see things in a
different light. Commissioning research
takes a certain amount of investment to
SHOULD I BE WORRIED WHEN FINDINGS

DO NOT MATCH MY EXPECTATIONS?
Research partners should be willing to
constructively ag pieces of information
valuable to the direction of the business,
positive or negative, which might be
different from the original assumptions of
their client. Clients also make the most out
of their investment when they view
the data that surface with an open mind.
Good research leads to discovery. If all
research activity does is validate your
current assumptions, then theres a
problem somewhere.
43
ILLUSTRATION FROM GETTY IMAGES
IN YOUR
CUSTOMERS SHOES
It really depends on what you want to nd

out. If youre curious about a very broad
area (for example: What exactly makes
people stay longer in some coffee shops
but not in others? Whats a typical teenage
experience of a phablet?), and just looking
for data to spur new ideas for products and
services, or ideas on how to improve them,
its best to start with a few people using
interviews, simulations, observation trips,
or co-creation workshops. Meanwhile, if
you want to know specic thingslike how
many people out of a demographic segment
will buy my product, for what price, for how
often, and in what quantitiesthen you are
better off conducting a quantitative survey
with a lot more people.
BLOG BOOSTERS
Beef up your business blog with rich media content
WRITTEN BY
logs have become the medium of

choice for entrepreneurs looking to
reach out to a wider audience at lower
cost. But now that most people know their
way around the Web, how can you make
yours stand out?
Since there are more blogs now than
ever before, you need to create content
that is unique, useful, and attention-
44
BERNADETTE REYES
grabbing, says Alessa Lanot, a

graphic designer whose blog, Life After
Breakfast, is full of graphic art. Initially,
the blog was just an outlet where Lanot
would post her work, but has since
become a marketing tool, too. Now
that it has gained a steady following, I
promote my workshops and events on
the blog, she says.
Startups and small businesses can

get more attention by throwing in
multimedia content. Producing short
videos, infographics, and supporting
images to support your blog makes it
more shareable, says All Famous Digital
CEO and co-founder Robin Leonard.
There is an overwhelming amount of
text content available to read. Sometimes,
TECH
>EXPLORE NEW MEDIA

But unlike a text post, which is relatively
straightforward, producing multimedia
content requires skills in video and
sound recording, editing, graphics,
and animation, which may be difcult
for small business owners to make
themselves. Unless you have experience
[in these areas], everything is harder
than writing a blog, says Leonard.
Lanots advice is, Figure out what is
the most useful thing that your readers
can get from you, and bank on that.
Find something unconventional that
you can share in the blog. Even if youre
lacking in the skills department, you
can nd a graphic artist that you can
collaborate with.
Podcasts may be easier to create,
so long as you have something
interesting to talk about. You can even
do it at home with the use of a laptop or
a smartphone. Video production, on the
other hand, may be more expensive
and tedious to produce, but may give a
blog more mileage.
>OPTIMIZE CONTENT
When creating video or any image
content within the blog, embed the
video on your website with a thorough
text description or transcript so that
Google recognizes it in searches. If
you have a YouTube video optimized
correctly with keywords, that video
is more likely to rank on the rst page
immediately than a web page with
the same text, Leonard explains. As
the holder of the video, the blog is
promoted along with it.
>SET A SCHEDULE
Unconventional blog content requires
more time and effort. Lanot writes on
her blog at least once or twice a week,
but her graphics posts only come around
once or twice a month. She also posts
regularly on her social media accounts.
SCREEN SAVERS
Making a personal appearance on your latest podcast or video? Here
are some tips on speaking and appearing on air:
Apart from voice warm-ups and other

vocalization techniques, make sure
to write a script prior to broadcast.
Prepare key talking points and map
out the timing of topics you will cover.
For a low-budget production,
invest in a GoPro camera, tripod, and
microphone, then find a quiet place
to shoot. Preferably, the background
should be a plain wall or a tidy desk.
Learn some basic video-editing
skills. Give editing a crack,
so that you learn it and can qualitymanage others later on, says
All Famous Digital CEO and
co-founder Robin Leonard.
Leonard suggests creating as much

content as possible. If you could release a
new video blog multiple times per day, that
would be great, but most brands are limited
by internal resources. For a brand [thats
still] starting out, Id suggest getting into a
routine of releasing something weekly, or at
least monthly.
Scheduling posts per topic also makes it
easier for you to ll your blog with content
on a regular basis. Create a skeleton of
types of posts. For example, Mondays
can be for freebies, Tuesdays can be for
interviews with industry professionals
and leaders, Wednesdays can be for new
product features, and so on, suggests
Figure out what

is the most useful
thing that your
readers can get from
you, and bank on
that. Find something
unconventional that
you can share
in the blog.
Lanot. This way, readers will know what

to expect, what to watch out for, and when.
>REACH NEW AUDIENCES

To gain new markets, provide downloads,
information, tips, and other content
that people outside your existing market
will nd useful. The free printable
calendar downloads on Lanots blog
have the highest search and hit rate
among her posts.
The costs involved in producing rich
media content are minimal if you can go
the do-it-yourself route. However, expect
to shell out for advertising if you want these
posts to become viral and get more reach.
Says Leonard, If you spend resources on
creating high-quality content like video,
podcasts, infographics, or white papers, you
should absolutely invest a serious budget to
advertise them so your effort in the creation
process isnt wasted waiting for organic
virality, which is very difcult to achieve.
The text blog is here to stay, but
Leonard says todays entrepreneurs dont
have much of a choice but to join
the bandwagon and start creating
different kinds of content. Sooner
or later, entrepreneurs will need to
get their heads around this, as it will
become a norm soon and every company
will be forced to create rich media
content, he says. E
45
ILLUSTRATIONS FROM GETTY IMAGES
people prefer to watch a video or read

an infographic instead. It just makes it
easier, he says.
Leonard, for example, created a
YouTube video when he was recruiting
for the company. Instead of writing
an article about it, the video got a
huge amount of organic traction while
showcasing our companys personality,
he says.
TECH
DIGITAL ALLOWANCES
VMoney normalizes paperless transactions for employers and employees
The VMoney suite can be applied

to companies of any sizeespecially
since many of their services are tailored
for unbanked or on-the-go users. In a
month, VMoney can rack up to 1,000
transactions from its clients, the bulk
of which come from its TAPnPASS and
various funds disbursement solutions.
TAPnPASS, though recently utilized by
bus companies like Philtranco and Jam
Liner for their accounting processes, is
ideal for micro-transactions common to
smaller-scale projects and businesses,
says Santos. Because TAPnPASS doesnt
require PIN verication, TAPnPASSenabled devices are protected by a
proprietary security and authentication
application that encodes stored value data
to prevent fraud.
PNI-KMPG Inc., an outsourcing
solutions rm, began using VMoneys
services last year, after going through
several other payroll solutions in the past.
When youre distributing payroll to
almost 2,000 [employees] across multiple
sites, issues invariably occur, says cofounder Nathan Kinsella. Simple issues
incorrect pay, for examplesometimes

would take several days to resolve. Now,
with VMoney, [our] accounting [team] can
add pay to an agents account 24/7.
Many of PNI-KMPGs employees did
not have credit cards, which made travel
expenses and reimbursements a hassle.
But with the VMoney MasterCard, the
companys accounting team is now able to
reimburse or even fund travel expenses
in real time. Supplying rewards and
incentives can also now be done at any
time, whereas previously, employees
would only receive these during the
next payroll cutoff. Its agents now use
VMoney for round-the-clock banking
access via the VMoney app, online, or
even through SMS. Our agents are now
buying load and paying bills through
VMoney, saving them both time and
money, claims Kinsella.
Santos reveals that VMoney will soon
also enable their business clients to
accept payments by verifying a customers
identity using the latters mobile phone.
VMoney is also planning to establish its
own ATM network.Victoria Vizcarra
ILLUSTRATION BY ARNOLAND
s Filipinos become a more mobile and

tech-savvy workforce, employers
need to evolve with the digital times.
Cashless solutions, which last year
saw widespread use locally, can help
businesses boost efciency, convenience,
and transparency with real-time
transactions.
The world is undeniably making the
shift from paper money and metal coins to
digital, says Ralph Santos, chief executive
ofcer of paperless payment solutions
provider VMoney. The VMoney platform
was initially built to address the growing
gap between the bank and the consumer
[by presenting] a more cost-effective and
quicker way for people to send money.
Its contactless payment products and
serviceswhich are secured by near-eld
communication technologyallow for
bills payment, prepaid load purchase, and
Prepaid MasterCard issuance. VMoney
also has tie-ups with partners like Bancnet,
LoadCentral, and Dragonpay, which,
respectively, support its bills payment
services, prepaid load services, and
interbank fund transfer capabilities.
46
WATCH AND LEARN

How giving online seminars can work for you
need, and is looking to explore content
marketing, should consider hosting or
taking part in webinars. Secuya says
coaches, consultants, and educators
looking to move past traditional models
can also be tapped as webinar speakers.
Pick topics that youre passionate
about. People will buy into you, and not
exactly whatever it is that youre selling,
Secuya says.
Since you can shoot a webinar
anywhere, the costs of producing one are
close to insignicant, says Francia. If
youre going to take the do-it-yourself
route, all you need are a monthly Internet
connection; regular fees for webinar
platforms like GoToWebinar, WebEx,
and WebinarJam; and a laptop that has
a built-in microphone and webcam. You
can also buy external microphones and
cameras for better video and audio.
Another option would be to work with
a rm that offers webinars as a service.
If all you want to do is show up and
talk, you can do just that: Companies
like Carve can handle everything from
pre-event prep work like promotion and
registration, to recording the webinar
itself, down to post-webinar reports.
KC Calpo
POINT AND SHOOT

Heres how to make your
webinar watchable:
BE PREPARED As the speaker,

make sure you know your stuff
to be able to eld offbeat questions
from participants.
DONT HOG THE CAMERA
Alternate between your camera,
your slides, and other visual tools
to keep the audience engaged.
MAKE SURE EVERYONES ON
THE SAME PAGE Outline the
webinars objectives before the
webinar starts, and summarize
your content at the end.
GO LIVE Live webinars keep the
audience engaged as opposed to
recorded webinars, which may
come out as articial.
PHOTO FROM GETTY IMAGES
f youre looking to widen your Internet

reach beyond social media posts
and blogs, why dont you try coming
out with webinars? Webinars are,
essentially, seminars conducted on the
Web, says Internet marketing consultant
Ben Francia.
Webinars allow you to reach out to a
wider audience, build your mailing lists,
and generate leads for your business.
Tom Secuya, chief imagination ofcer
of Carve, a Davao-based consulting and
outsourcing company, says webinars
allow you to open your business and
yourself up to [thousands of] people, all at
the same time.
As an entrepreneur, speaking at
webinars can help establish you in your
industry. The more webinars you do, and
the more people learn from you, the more
people may recognize you. These also
help establish trust and good working
relationships with your market.
Even if attendance is unpredictable
Francia says the average show-up rate for
free webinars is around 50 percentthe
content and delivery quality should
remain the same.
Francia says anyone with skills or
knowledge that address a consumers
KEEP IT SHORT AND SWEET

Keep webinars as short as 30
minutes to as long as an hour.
47
TECH BITS
CREATIVES AT WORK
This month, graphic design
startup Canva launches Canva
for Work (canva.com/work),
specically targeted to aid
companies in creating social
media graphics, presentations,
and other marketing materials.
Prior to the launch, over
200,000 companies and
organizations were already
regular users of Canva.
Canva for Work will make
it even easier for individuals
and teams to produce their
own branded graphics, says
Melanie Perkins, Canva CEO.
SMARTPHONE FEVER
TELCO, STATE UNIVERSITY

COLLABORATE
A new generation of young engineers will be able to augment
their textbook-reading with hands-on training at the UP-Nokia
Telecommunications Engineering Laboratorya result of a
partnership between the University of the Philippines (UP) and
the Nokia-Manila Technology Center.
The newly inaugurated learning facility, which opened
in April, is located inside the Electrical and Electronics
Engineering Institute at UPs Diliman Campus. Here, students
will learn more about telecom-specific topics, including
radio resource management, radio resource control, mobility
management, air interface architectures, and cellular systems.
The lab is also stocked with state-of-the-art equipment from
Nokia Networks, such as a radio access network thats able to
connect user devices to one of its core networks in Asia.
48
STILL CLOUDY
To encourage cloud
usage, software and
hardware should not
only meet the growing
demand for cloud agility
and operational scale, but
also mitigate the security
and governance concerns
of enterprises, says
Elie Hanna, president of
Ericsson Philippines and
Pacic Islands.
Enterprises have yet
to fully embrace the
cloud74 percent of
the largest enterprises
worldwide cite security
and governance as major
concerns, based on
data from Ericsson. Of
this number, 17 percent
operate on a hybrid
cloud system; 16 percent
have enterprise resource
planning workloads
on the cloud; and 27
percent opt to just use
digital commercial apps
on the cloud.
ILLUSTR ATIONS BY ARNOL AND
Since 2013, the total amount of smartphones

priced below US$100 has quadrupled. Models
with screen sizes between 4.5 inches and
5.5 inches have doubled to adapt to Filipinos
social networking and content consumption
habits. Filipinos have appreciated being able to
browse content from even bigger screens, claims
IDCa trend that also explains the phablets
(devices with screens between 5.6 to 6.9 inches)
61 percent year-on-year growth.
PHOTO FROM GETT Y IMAGES
lmost 15 million smart devices were shipped

to the Philippineswith smartphones
accounting for a majority share of 81 percent,
and tablets at 19 percentin 2014, leading
the International Data Corporation (IDC)
to remark on the shift in market dynamics,
whereby foreign vendors ooded the country
with affordable smart devices, while local players
improved their smart device models
to stay competitive.
5 0 THE P50,000
QUESTION
30 smart ways for
entrepreneurs to spend
a windfall
5 8 S M A L L L OA N S ,
BIG DREAMS
PHOTO BY DA IRY DA R IL AG
Thanks to small, accessible,

no-collateral loans, small
business owners are getting
a leg up to start and grow
their business
6 8 W H AT M A K E S
A G R E AT B R A N D ?
Learn the secrets
of staying power from a
162-year-old company
49
50
FEATURE
THE
P50,000
QUESTION
3 0 S M A R T WAY S F O R
ENTREPRENEURS TO SPEND
A W I N D FA L L
W R I T T E N BY
JENNEE GRACE RUBRICO, DULCE CASTILLO-MORALES, A N D JOE ESGUERRA

I L LU ST R AT I O N S BY JAYKEE EVANGELISTA
f P50,000 landed on your lap, how would

you spend it?
There are innite ways you can spend
that kind of money. Of course, you can put
it in a savings account. But why would you?
Armand Bengco, a nancial advisor and
executive director at the Colayco Foundation
for Education Inc., says parking your money
in a savings account is not enough. Saving is
just part of nancial wellness, but you have to
invest your money, too.
In an article for Entrepreneur.com in January,
Garrett Gunderson, CEO of Wealth Factory, a
group that helps business owners manage their
nances better, says there are four different

kinds of expenses: productive, protective,
lifestyle, and destructive. He says productive
expenses ensure you make more money;
protective expenses are about safeguarding your
money; lifestyle expenses are things that help
you and your family enjoy life; and destructive
expenses are wasteful expenses that dont add to
your life. For the sake of this story, well focus on
productive, protective, and lifestyle expenses.
Its easy to go through P50,000. Thats why
we identied 30 ways you can spend that kind
of money wisely. Heres hoping that after the
purchase, buyers remorse wont set in. >>
51
PRODUCTIVE SPENDING
01 EN R O LL I N A
M ANAGE ME N T C O UR S E
What can be more productive than
learning new stuff? Management courses
can give you a solid framework for
running a business. Anything that will
lead to your self-improvement, especially
improvements that will further help you
run your business more effectively, is a
worthy investment, says Arturo Ilano,
professor at the Cesar E.A. Virata School
of Business at the University of the
Philippines-Diliman.
The Asian Institute of Management
offers a range of certicate courses that
run for a week for less than $1,000. Other
organizations and schools also offer an
array of training courses that run for a
week or longer.
Depending on where you look, online
courses could cost you nothing. Coursera,
an online education platform, partners
with universities worldwide to offer a
wide array of courses for free.
52
02 TAKE SPEECH LESSONS

Speech courses at John Robert Powers
could cost as low as P5,000 for one-day
classes. Another school, SpeechPower,
offers a full program on Persuasive
Presentation for P6,500, inclusive of 12
meetings running for two hours each.
Henry Ong, a certied management
consultant, however, thinks that it would
be better to hire someone with good
communication skills rather than spend
money and time training. Why not hire
someone who can speak well rather than
train? Maybe its cheaper, he says.
03 BUY PRODUCTIVITY
OR BUSINESS BOOKS
Buy into additional learning and it will
never be a bad investment, Ilano advises.
Start with books deemed by book review
sharing site Goodreads.com to be among
the best business books of 2014: Think Like
a Freak by Stephen Dubner and Steven
Levitt, Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull and
Amy Wallace, How Google Works by Eric
Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg, Leaders
Eat Last by Simon Sinek, and Thrive by
Arianna Hufngton, among others.
04 LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE

Sure, you can always hire an interpreter,
but youd be able to build relationships
better if you show your potential business
partners that you made an effort to learn
their language.
Rosetta Stone, a provider of language
learning software solutions, offers courses
in more than 30 languages. Beginner
modules start from $229, available as a
CD-ROM or via instant download.
05 HIRE A DESIGN
COMPANY TO IMPROVE
YOUR LOGO, COLLATERALS,
AND PACKAGING
A new logo could cost as little as P800, and
with a lot of leeway to trade up, you could
have your pick of the best design companies
in the country.
Packaging design costs more, but there
are options within the P50,000 budget.
On its web site, advertising agency
Webrandd offers a package for brand
architecture, inclusive of three to ve
studies, three to ve revisions, and nal
artwork using Adobe Illustrator CS5 PC
format, for $1,000.
FEATURE
06 SHORE UP YOUR
WORKING CAPITAL
This is particularly important if the
business is growing. If you have a small
store, then use the windfall to purchase
more inventory. And if youre offering a
service, then buy technology or assets
that can further improve or speed up
customer service, such as investing in
customer relations management software
or services, Ilano says.
07 SPRUCE UP YOUR OFFICE
It wont be much, but it could help. If you
are in fact receiving clients and you need
to make a good impression, then sprucing
up your ofce becomes a worthwhile
investment because rst impressions last,
Ilano concedes.
08 ADD IT TO YOUR RESEARCH
AND DEVELOPMENT FUND
Be warned, thoughP50,000 might feel
like a drop in the bucket. Ilano says you
probably wont even feel it, not when
venture capitalists are funding you in
the millions if youre working on a really
good idea.
SET MONEY GOALS
While a good thing, a windfall is more

of a one-shot deal than a regular
occurrence. Financial advisers stress
the importance of having money
goals for meeting your business
financial goals.
There will be rough patches as the
business moves forward. With clear
money goals, it acts as a lighthouse
that steadies your entrepreneurial
hand when difficulties come, says
financial advisor Joe Ferreria. Creating
a business should have a financial
objective that is set beyond the horizon.
It must be exciting, challenging, and
rewarding. It must be a little bit beyond
your reach that it requires you to stretch
out to get it.
Arturo Ilano, professor at the Cesar.
E.A. Virata School of Business at the
University of the Philippines-Diliman,
says that financial targets ensure that
the business continues to be a going
concern. If financial targets are not
met, then chances are your business
will grind to a halt as soon as you run
out of cash. This is a scenario that
happens quite often to micro and small
enterprises, he says.
09 EAT HEALTHY
You cant be at the top of your game if
youre not eating properly. A growing
number of companies can deliver healthy
meals to anywhere in Metro Manila.
Healthy food delivery service Sexy Chef,
for one, delivers two full mealslunch
and dinnerve or seven days a week,
with packages that start at P1,500,
depending on your dietary needs.
10 GET A GYM MEMBERSHIP
OR UNDERGO AN EXECUTIVE
MEDICAL CHECKUP
A gym or tness club membership offers
you access to expensive facilities and the
chance to meet like-minded people who
will encourage you to follow through
with your health goals. Membership at
Anytime Fitness, a 24-hour tness club,
ranges from P2,300 to P2,500 a month
depending on the package.
Meanwhile, an executive check-up
helps you spot illnesses you didnt know
you had, and allows you to make lifestyle
changes to improve your health. Screening
packages at St. Lukes Medical Center in
Quezon City start at P10,712.
53
PROTECTIVE EXPENSES
11 BUY INSURANCE
Whether youre a business owner or not,
buying insurance should be a priority.
Efren Ll. Cruz, chairman and CEO of
Personal Finance Advisers Philippines
Corp., urges business owners to buy
insurance for their most important
assettheir life. This should be followed
by buying insurance on their business
assets, he says.
Insurer American International Group
Inc., for instance, offers businesses
accident and health insurance for
their employees. It also offers casualty
insurance to provide protection against
legal liability for bodily injury and
property damage claims suffered by a
third party arising out of an insureds
business activities and products sold.
Theres also an insurance product
that protects companies from the
consequence of property damage,
which includes potential loss from
business interruption, resulting in
reduced productivity.
54
12 PAY OFF DEBT

It is always a good idea to pay down any
kind of debt. Not only will it do wonders
for your peace of mind, it will also save
you from taxes or interest on those
debts. Pay off as much outstanding debt
as you can because, chances are, what
youre paying in interest will be far more
than what youll be making from that
P50,000, Ilano says. But if you are relying
on interest-free loans from friends and
family, then this is not an issue, he adds.
13 INVEST IN MUTUAL FUNDS,
UITFS , ETC.
You wont go wrong if you invest in
mutual funds, unit investment trust funds,
exchange-traded funds, and variable
universal life insurance, among others.
Anna Lissa Chan-Macabanti, Sun Life
nancial advisor, says investing in mutual
funds yields higher returns than savings in
banks. Because the money is invested in a
diverse portfolio of securities, it allows clients
to own a wide range of securities from various
companies. [Investing in mutual funds]
lessens exposure to risks compared to
owning one or a few securities, she says.
PEACE OF MIND
Investment adviser Efren Ll. Cruz
defines protective expenses as
expenses thatin the case of partial
or total losscan restore an item to
its prior state, or restore for a limited
amount of time the productive capacity
of a person or item. Thus, a windfall of
P50,000 can restore your peace of mind
and actually give you a second wind,
so to speak. The primary consideration
when choosing, he says, is your
financial goal in life and risk preference
or tolerance.
14 INVEST IN STOCKS
If you want more control over your
nances, investing in stocks may be
a better option for you as opposed to
investing in pooled funds. Since youre
basically on your ownthat is, you dont
have a portfolio manager helping you
track which companies will do well or
notyou have to be always on your toes.
As legendary investor Warren Buffett has
advised when it comes to investing: Be
fearful when others are greedy, and be
greedy when others are fearful.
FEATURE
15-16 OPEN A SAVINGS ACCOUNT

OR START A COLLEGE FUND
FOR YOUR KIDS
This may be a good time to kickstart that
college fund that you have been meaning to
start for your children. Opening individual
savings accounts for all your children is a
smart idea, too. It will get them, especially
the grade-schoolers, into the money-saving
habit. Maybe you can convince your little
ones to add those coins and loose bills they
have saved in their piggy banks or alkansya
into their savings account.
17 ADD TO YOUR
EMERGENCY FUND
Financial adviser Rienzie Biolena says an
emergency fund, ideally worth six months
of paid expenses, is critical not just for
every family, but also for every individual.
For a two-income family, three months
worth of emergency fund would sufce;
for a one-income family, six months
worth would be more suitable. Still,
two-income families or even individuals
can also strive for six months worth,
depending on the level of comfort they
have for this buffer fund, he says.
18 ADD TO YOUR
RETIREMENT FUND
Socking away P50,000 into your
retirement fund would be a big boost,
especially if the money were invested on
the right instrument early on, Biolena
says. A one-time P50,000 investment
would already be worth P1.5 million in
30 years, if invested in a stock fund
earning 12 percent per year, he says.
Now, that is P1.5 million more for you
during retirement, an amount which can
already mean additional funds should
you or any of your family members need
hospitalization, medicine, a caregiver, or
even a vacation, he says. Contrast that if
the same amount would just be allocated
for a gadget or any asset that really goes
down in value over time.
19 MAKE A WILL
Hire an estate planner. Planning for ones
estate is one arduous and complicated
task. But the benetsharmonious
relations among surviving family
members, a secure future for them,
or continued charitable support to an
institutionis all worth it, says Biolena.
20 HIRE A FINANCIAL
PLANNER
You might as well go the distance and
hire a professional to help you take care
of your nances. The beauty of having
a nancial planner is that you have an
adviser not beholden to any nancial
institution, and thus wont be pushing
you to buy certain investment products.
Instead, hell make sure to recommend a
product or service that suits you best,
says Biolena.
Independent nancial planners
should have your best interests as a
goal, agrees Cruz. A nancial planner
worth his salt will not sell any product
rst, he will come up with a plan for his
client based on the latters assumptions
about the futurenot based on standard
assumptions of providers of nancial
products. The end result will be strategy
recommendations on how to achieve such
a future. Only when the client is ready
to execute will the nancial planner
recommend third-party products, or sell
products under his wing, if he is licensed
to do so, he adds.
55
LIFESTYLE EXPENSES
21 PLAN A FAMILY HOLIDAY

Whether you go out of town or opt for
a staycation, a short break not only
refreshes your mind and body, youll
also have the opportunity to bond
with your family. Only this time, do
yourselves a favor and leave the gadgets
at home. If youll just bring your gadgets
with you, then you might as well stay
at home, says personal nance coach
Aya Laraya. You can nd value for money
vacation packages and hotel deals at sites
agoda.com and asiatravel.com.
22 GET A GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP
Nothing beats a good nights sleep after
a tiring dayit keeps you healthy and
gives you the energy you need to face the
next days challenges. But there are times
when sleep becomes elusive. Having a
good bed and blanket can help set you off
to dreamland. At SM Our Home, your
P50,000 will buy you a complete seta
bed frame (P27,000 and up), foam and
mattress (P13,000 and up), giving you
plenty to spare for bedsheets and pillows
(P500 and up).
56
WHY ITS IMPORTANT TO

DO COMPARISON SHOPPING
Comparison shopping allows you to

compare products offered by different
merchants. In essence, when you
comparison shop, youre trying to find
the item that will most likely give you
the highest possible satisfaction given
your budget constraint. It may seem
troublesome at firstafter all, checking
out stores in different sections of a mall
(or in some cases, even those located
in other malls) is exhausting and time
consuming. But the biggest benefit of
comparison shopping is that it minimizes
the possibility of buyers remorse.
The International Finance
Corporation, the private sector arm of
the World Bank Group, explains that the
human mind has a tendency to become
irrational when it comes to purchasing
decisions. This, coupled with the sense
of urgency coming from the salesmen,
sometimes pushes you to skip the due
diligence required of big spending
decisions. So before you hand over your
cash or swipe that credit card, it usually
wouldnt hurt to check if there are
better deals elsewhere.
23 BUY AN ENTERTAINMENT
CENTER
You dont have to be a movie or music
buff to appreciate a good entertainment
center. Sports fans will love the highdenition images of weekend match-ups,
while gamers will appreciate the stunning
visuals and the crisp, booming surround
sound of their favorite console games. A
good option is the LG BH9540 TW
Blu-ray Home Theater System, which
costs P45,000 on Lazada.com.
24 BU Y JEWELRY
Laraya says that the one advantage of
jewelry over cars and gadgets is that they
dont depreciatetheir value either stays
the same or appreciates, he says. On the
other hand, Biolena believes that buying
jewelry isnt worth it unless youre buying
a high-end brand, or a type of jewelry that
is likely beyond your P50,000 budget.
If youve decided to plunk your cash
into precious stones and metals, research
rst. To give you an idea of how much
these things cost, an 18-karat diamond
ring at Ocampos, for instance, costs
P30,000 to P50,000.
FEATURE
25 BUY LOCAL ART

Experts advise would-be buyers to tread
carefully. We dont really have a thriving
art scene here and its a very cliquish
community. Unless youre really part of
that community, how can you get a good
deal? says Laraya.
If youve done your homework and
feel condent about your ability to spot
good artwork, check out the exhibits and
catalogues at the many different galleries
around the city, such as Silverlens, Finale
Art File, or even the ones who display at
the Art Walk in SM Megamall. Or better
yet, head straight to Paete in Laguna or
Angono, Rizal to check out the works of
budding artists.
26 UPGRADE YOUR KITCHEN
AND LIVING ROOM
Upgrading the look and feel of the kitchen
and living room, where you get to interact
with family members and friends the
most, is a way of telling your loved ones
how much you value the time you spend
with them. For P50,000, you should be
able to purchase new xtures for your
living and dining rooms at SM Our Home.
27 UPGRADE YOUR
MOBILE DIGITAL DEVICES
Since you also use your device for work
you cant deny that, thanks to the Internet,
cloud, and mobile, you can now bring your
work with you even if you step out of the
ofceyou can always rationalize the
purchase. So, consider using the P50,000
windfall to arm you or your staff with the
latest digital devices.
28 TAKE UP A HOBBY
Whether its painting, collecting wines,
or scuba diving, getting a hobby is good
for the soul. If youre taking the plunge,
Divers.ph says an introductory PADI
(Professional Association of Diving
Instructors) dive course costs P4,000,
inclusive of gear rental, tank use, resort
use, plus lunch. An open water dive
certication costs between P12,000 to
P25,000. While all gear can be rented,
expect to shell out another P30,000
for the basic getup. In comparison,
an introductory freediving course is
about P6,500, and a three-day beginner
certication costs P13,000 with
Freediving Philippinesbut you wont
need much gear except for your dive suit.
29 GET COOKING LESSONS

For some people, cooking is a way to
relax and get away from the daily grind,
even for just a few minutes. At the same
time, it can also be a means of building
deeper connections with your loved ones.
Cooking lessons allow you to introduce
new dishes, new culinary techniques, and
new ingredients to family meals, helping
enhance the overall living experience
in your home. And theyre not that
expensive, too: you can take part in a class
at The Maya Kitchen for as low as P1,500.
30 BU Y IN V ESTMENT
PIECES FOR YOUR WARDROBE
If youve put off buying investment pieces
for your wardrobe for the longest time,
perhaps getting a P50,000 windfall will
spring you to action. Buy pieces that
never go out of style. For instance, a
bespoke suit by Tino Suits in Makati will
set you back at least P25,000. E
57
SMALL LOANS,
THANKS
TO SMALL,
ACCESSIBLE,
N O - C O L L AT E R A L
LOANS, SMALL
BUSINESS
OWNERS ARE
GETTING A
L E G U P T O S TA R T
AND GROW THEIR
BUSINESS
WRITTEN BY
MARICRIS CARLOS
JOHANNA POBLETE
AND
PHOTOGRAPHY BY
DAIRY DARILAG
STYLING BY
BELLE CAMARSI
MAKEUP BY
TRICIA MIRANDA
58
FEATURE
DREAMS
ouldnt it be
a lot easier if
money grew on
trees? Raising
capital is still
one of the biggest
hurdles for
businesses, says
a report, released last year, on
entrepreneurship in the Philippines.
In fact, the Global Entrepreneurship
Monitor says a third of Filipino
entrepreneurs blame lack of
nancing and poor protability for
business closures.
Heres where small loans, or
micronancing, can come in.
According to the Bangko Sentral ng
Pilipinas, microentrepreneurs have
outstanding loans amounting to
P9.3 billion as of June last year. That
gure is likely to grow as more small
businesses turn to micronance to
raise capital.
Rita Duenas, BanKOs chief
marketing ofcer, says the aim of
micronance is to provide nancial
services to small businesses (and
even to low-income individuals) that
otherwise have no means of accessing
these services, and typically do
not qualify for loans from banks.
Dr. Jaime Aristotle Alip, founder
of micronance leader Center for
Agriculture and Rural Development
Mutually Reinforcing Institutions
(CARD MRI), says micronance
programs are designed to provide
loans to people shut out of the formal
banking system because their
incomes are too low or are uncertain,
or they have no collateral.
If you need capital of not more
than P300,000, micronance may
be the answer for you. Its a good
option for the untried business
owner who doesnt have credit
history or collateral to speak
of, as micronance is considered
consumer-friendly since it aims
to provide credit to people who
otherwise wont have access
to credit.
Youll be in good company, too. Here
are four business owners who were
able to start and grow their businesses,
thanks to micronance. >>
59
REALITY BITES
NENE TAMAYO , NENE PRIME FOODS
hen Nene Tamayo took home the

P1-million prize for winning reality
TV show Pinoy Big Brother in 2005,
she thought she was golden. She nally
had the money to put up the businesses
shed been dreaming about. Her winnings
also included an instant franchise
business with Ink for Less.
While she successfully ran the
Ink for Less franchise until the term
ended in 2007, she and her husband,
Anthony Plamio, were forced to close
the businesses they put up from her
winnings from the reality show between
2008 and 2009: a comedy bar in Angono,
Rizal, a dance studio in Quezon City, a
convenience store, and a printing and
corporate giveaways business. But with so
many things taking up the couples time,
they were unable to focus on any of the
businesses, forcing them to give up on the
ventures one by one.
Losing nearly everything was an
eye-opener. Sagad na sagad talaga
kami noon, Tamayo recalls. Dahil
nagkaroon ako ng puhunan, parang lahat
ng business gusto kong gawin. Na-excite
talaga ako masyado, she says. On the
bright side, though, she recognized it as
a learning experience: Doon naman ako
natuto. And so, when she tried again with a
home-based business venture, Nene Prime
Foods, she knew she had to be hands-on.
Tamayo set up the business as a single
proprietorship in 2011 to make and sell
Spanish-style bangus. But, with a young
son she needed to take care of, she only
went into seasonal production for bazaars
and for the Christmas season. Beginning
last year, however, Tamayo decided to
focus on the business full time. To grow the
business, she realized she needed capital.
She initially balked at taking on new
loans, though she needed to consider it to
fund the business. Initially, I really didnt
want a loan. Ayoko ng obligation dahil
katatapos ko lang bayaran yung loan namin
for our car. In fact, Tamayo hemmed
and hawed about her loan application
to BanKO, the micronance-focused
savings and thrift bank of Bank of the
Philippine Islands and Globe Telecom.
60
She started lling up the loan application

in September last year, but only completed
it in October.
BanKO approved the loan in November
and agreed to lend her P300,000 after
doing a credit investigation on the
business. The loan payments, she says, are
manageable at P17,750 a month for the
next three years. The bank didnt ask for
collateral, but made sure the business had
the capacity to pay back the loan. Tamayo
says she had to prove to BanKO that Nene
Prime Foods was an ongoing enterprise
and that it was registered with the Bureau
of Internal Revenue, the Department of
Trade and Industry, and other relevant
government agencies. She also showed
loan ofcers their sales reports and their
daily and monthly production schedules.
Now, Tamayos grateful she got the
loan. With the additional working capital,
last December, she was able to buy the
equipment she needed to really ramp up
production: a freezer, pressure canners,
steamers, bottles, and packaging labels
were all bought using the loan, and she
was also able to upgrade their production
area with more food-safe stainless steel
counters. All in all, she spent close
to P200,000.
With the boost in working capital,

shes also taking the opportunity to press
ahead with plans to export to the United
States, Canada, and Dubai this year. Shes
already working to get clearance from the
Food and Drug Administration for her
products, which now include bangus in
olive oil, which sells for P300; bangus in
corn oil, P200; tuyo in oil, P210; tinapa
in olive oil, P220; and pickled chili, P100.
She also has spicy variants for the bangus,
tuyo, and the tinapa.
With her renewed focus on the business,
she also wants to widen their local
distribution channels. At present, the
bangus products are sold at ECHOstore,
Sugarleaf, Bibliorganics, and Whole Food
Remedy, but shes also targeting to sell at
7-Eleven, Shell Select, and roasted chicken
chain Baliwag, for the pickled chili.
With the business gaining traction,
Tamayo is feeling golden again. Shes
condent she has the best Spanish-style
bangus in town and is bullish about the
businesshelped along by word of mouth,
and even a feature on Kris Aquinos
Kris TV, which immediately boosted sales to
P500,000 after it came out. In fact, business
is so good, Tamayo is condent theyll be
able to hit P2.5 million to P3 million in sales
this year. Noong una, doubtful pa ako sa
product. Nahihiya ako na baka mapahiya lang
ako at hindi makapasa yung product ko. Lahat
tuloy ng kakumpitensya kong products binibili
ko at tinitikman ko, so I can improve my own
product. Condent ako na mailalaban ko
yung produkto ko.
MICROFINANCE BASICS
What are microfinance loans? Microfinancing loans are small loans
granted to borrowers for their microenterprises and small businesses.
These loans are typically unsecured.
How much can a borrower get? On average, microfinance clients borrow
about P25,000, from a low of P2,000 to P5,000. For a time, the maximum
principal amount can be as high as P150,000, but in 2011, the Bangko
Sentral ng Pilipinas expanded the loan amount to P300,000.
Does the borrower have to provide collateral? A microfinance borrower
is not likely to be able to borrow from a large commercial, thrift, or rural
bank. Thus, microfinance loans are typically unsecured, for relatively short
periods of time.
What kind of interest can a borrower expect? Lenders typically charge
market-based interest rates, allowing the institution providing microfinance
services to cover administrative costs, provisions for loan losses and
intermediation or funding costs, and also to realize some bottom-line gains.
Source: Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
FEATURE
61
GROWING UP
LEONARDO ANGELES , L . ANGELES MACHINERIES CORP .
ndustrial machine manufacturer L.

Angeles Machineries Corp. (Lamaco)
may no longer have a problem nding
capital these days, but that wasnt the
case when it rst set up shop in 1959. In
fact, the founder, Lamberto Angeles,
was only able to get the business started
after borrowing P50 from a bank, which
he used as downpayment for the lathe
machine he needed to get his machine
shop in Pasay up and running.
His son, and now the companys
president and general manager, Leonardo
Angeles, says the microloan was just the
start. Before siya magstart ng sariling
business niya, machinist na siya. He was
a foreman at a big machine shop in Pasay.
Kabisado niya yung business kaya yun din
ang pinasukan niya. Habang palaki nang
palaki yung mga projects niya, dumadami
din ang mga customers niya. Eventually,
he says, his father was able to save
another P50 to use as downpayment for
another lathe, the most essential tool in a
machine shop, and hire a machinist.
Lamberto again took out a loan in 1969
to acquire a 350-square-meter property
in Bacoor, Cavite, where the business is
now based. Leonardo says that over the
years, his dad acquired neighboring lots
in the area, so their factory now sits on a
7,000-square-meter property.
In fact, Lamaco has grown so big
that its gone beyond micro loans. Ten
years ago, Leonardo decided to borrow
P500,000 from the Land Bank of the
Philippines (Landbank) in order to buy
new machines to replace their aging
equipment, and to use as additional
capital as they tried to grow the business.
Eventually, Landbank offered Lamaco
a standby credit line, which increases
every year based on the companys
collateral and capacity to pay. Leonardo
says Landbank offered them a standby
credit line because it was happy with the
companys nancials. The standby credit
line, he says, is good for one year, which
the business can draw from any time. The
credit line also allows Lamaco to enjoy
better interest rates compared with a
straight loan, he says.
62
Apart from the bank loans, Lamaco

also took advantage of technical grants
from the government. For instance,
the company bagged a technical grant
from the Department of Science and
Technology (DOST) under the
Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading
Program, or SETUP, which allowed the
company to acquire a brand new lathe
machine, which was crucial for
its operations.
Now, Lamaco is a multimillion-peso
business. Leonardo sees Lamacos sales
doubling this year, from more than
P20 million in 2014. Sales have been
brisk because of the construction boom,
as they supply steel-bending and shearing
equipment to roong manufacturers.
Additionally, Leonardo has also been
able to expand the opportunities for the
company. Since hes a government scholar
and consultant, the DOST regularly
sends him to hold lectures in different
parts of the country. This gave him the
opportunity to network with potential
clients. Ang laki ng naging impact sa
company [in terms of marketing], he says.
Now that roong manufacturers have
made it a practice to set up warehouses
outside Metro Manila, he says they get
more orders for their machines. The
company also supplies materials recovery
equipment, such as plastic shredders and
waste-management bioreactors, to local
government units. They also fabricate
machines based on specications
supplied by their clients.
His advice to business owners looking
for capital to start their business?
Huwag matakot sa loan, kailangan mo
siya, he says. Lamaco only borrows when
it knows it has revenues coming in
easier in their case, since most of their
projects are repeat orders from regular
customers. Also, he advises to start with
a small amount and make sure to check
your capacity to pay. Yung loan dapat
dun mo lang siya gagamitin sa business.
Maraming bumabagsak kasi dina-divert
yung loanyung iba bibili ng sasakyan.
Madali nang bumili ng sasakyan kapag
may pera ka na, Leonardo says.
FEATURE
BY THE NUMBERS
P9.3
billion
The volume of microfinance
loans extended to
microenterprises as of
June 2014
183
The number of banks with
microfinance operations as of
the second quarter of 2014,
against only 119 in 2002
P186
million
The volume of loans extended
to borrowers, with loan
amounts between P100,000
and P300,000, as of the
second quarter of 2014
Source: Bangko Sentral

ng Pilipinas
63
AGGRESSIVE ADVANTAGE
FLORO AND GEMMA SALINAS , FNDG SHELLS & HANDICRAFTS
he rst time Floro and Gemma

Salinas, founders of FNDG Shells
& Handicrafts, borrowed P200,000
from CARD SME Bank Inc., they didnt
really need the money. In fact, Floro was
disappointed to be given a repayment term
of six months instead of three months. He
gured, the faster they established a good
credit history, the easier it would be to get
a much bigger loan approved when they
really need it.
The couple were used to beating the
odds, having moved to Batangas to set up
a backyard business in 1986, a phoenixfrom-the-ames rebirth of an earlier
enterprise theyd shut down in Cebu.
At the time, they had very little except
improvised tools and P4,000 loaned to
them by a former client, who wanted
them to keep supplying him with coco
shell items. Ground zero for FNDG were
a manukan that served as both workshop
and living quarters for the Cebuano
workers whod relocated with them, and
a kubo that became their home. But they
gained a reputation for dependability, and
eventually won over a steady clientele.
In 2006, after two decades of supplying
handicrafts to the local markets, Floro
felt they could start to export, never mind
that scarcely eight years had passed since
their rst attempt went bust in 1994.
Napag-aralan na namin kung saan kami
pumalpak, ano yung mga problema dati, at
kung bakit nag-fail. Kailangan lang namin
ng nancing. Nakita ko na ang future
requirement ay malaki, he explains.
And so began their campaign: They
stocked up on inventory, streamlined
their production processes, kept overhead
costs low, and made their loan payments
on schedule. Within a year, theyd gone
from borrowing P200,000 to borrowing
P1 million. Theyd also found a buyer in
the United States, whod agreed on a huge
downpayment, allowing them to ship seven
containers worth of items. Nung bumalik
kami sa export noong 2006, wala kaming
cancellation, wala kaming delay, kasi
pinaghandaan talaga namin, says Floro.
Convincing CARD SME Bank to loan
them money meant undergoing a rigorous
64
reviewMatinding interview kung paano

yung business namin, kung sigurado ba
kami, says Florobut because they had
their documents in order, a network
of buyers, and only accepted orders
that they could nish, the interviewer
conceded they could well afford to take
out a loan.
Plus, they had the right timing:
CARD SME Bank Inc. needed them to
prove to the Bangko Sentral that it could
lend larger sumsthe nance institution
was in the process of becoming a thrift
bank. Agresibo sila, kami agresibo
din, says Floro, whose accounting
background was an advantage, though he
had shifted careers to IT programming
long before he and Gemma, a commerce
graduate, decided to seriously pursue
her handicrafts hobby. Both were
entrepreneurial: Gemma, who likes cars,
also dabbles in auto buy-and-sell, while
Floro has just recently bought
a boat because hes testing the waters of
Palawans tuna shing industry.
BORROWING DOS
It might be easier to get a loan
from microfinance institutions
than conventional banks, but
you still have to prove youre
worth the risk. Rita Duenas,
BanKOs chief marketing
officer, says that, unlike
commercial banks, BanKO
cant always require clients to
submit their asset declaration,
balance sheets, or financial
statements. But this is not
to say they do not have the
capacity to pay, she points
out. In our case, we look at
the size of their business, their
relationship with suppliers or
distributors in the value chain,
and the number of years their
business has been operating.
We also look at the health of
their business, and usually
require some documentary
proof whenever possible.
Moreover, the U.S. recession forced

large companies and their suppliers to
close shop. The companies could not
maintain operations because demand
had slumped. Luckily, a small player like
FNDG was able to position itself so it
could still export to the U.S. Yun ang
factor na maging successful din kami, kasi
lahat nagsasara, ako lang nagbubukas.
Yung dati na order nila na P1 million,
P300,000 na lang. Hindi na nila mamaintain ang kanilang mga kumpanya.
Yung natitira [na orders], napunta sa
aminmalaki na yun sa akin, says Floro.
Now, FNDG exports to four clients
in the U.S. and Japan. Its portfolio has
widened from just coco-shell products
to seashell products, jacking up their raw
materials cost to P3 million each month.
Their income has also steadied because
different production cycles meant that
they would work on one product line
during anothers off-season. Juggling
accounts has become second nature: For
instance, rather than lose an account
when an old client doubled his order,
but lowered his downpayment, FNDG
brokered a deal with another exporter and
sold at cost.
Saving isnt a priority for the husbandand-wife team, given negligible interest
on bank deposits. What money they have
goes to repaying their business loans,
rather than allow interest rates to shoot
up further. Tutal, andiyan na yung pera.
Kung kailangan, ilabas, paikot-ikot
lang, says Gemma, indicating they also
maintain a large inventory and balances
in large commercial banks for easier
business-to-business and business-toclient transactions.
In the event that theyve got a little extra
prot, they plow it back into the business.
Theyve got 15 regular workers for whom
they provide housing. And they also need
storage space, so newly bought property
is turned into residences or warehouses.
Hindi kami nag-ipon para may capital.
Ang inipon namin is for inventory, at saka
yung facilities, says Floro.
Wala kaming pera, pero maraming
pera ang bangko, he quips. Basta in
good faith lagikung para saan yung loan
mo, dun talaga gagamitin, at alam mo na
kung paano mo babayaran yun. Good
faith kayo sa iyong buyer, sa iyong tauhan,
sa bangko. Siguro walang magiging
problema. Kung isa dun mawala, kung
hindi buo, masisira ang diskarte mo.
FEATURE
65
LOOKING UP
RAMIL FLORES , PILLOWS & BEARS GIFTSHOP
hen the toy factory hed worked in for

15 years folded, Ramil Flores already
had a Plan B. He knew he could make
money from the toy business given a chance.
Plus, having put himself through accounting
school while sewing toy bears, he did not
66
want to give up the accounts he handled.

Talagang may pera doon sa negosyo na
yun, says Flores. Na-mismanage lang yung
kompanya namin kaya nagsara.
He partnered with colleague Milo Silva
and scraped together P30,000 as capital
to start Pillows & Bears Giftshop in 2005.

They bought two sewing machines for
P10,000 apiece from their former boss,
and set up a makeshift factory in a woodand-nipa house in Brgy. Sto. Angel in San
Pablo City, Laguna, for which they paid
P1,000 in monthly rent.
To stretch the money, they convinced
one of their old clients to give them a
50 percent downpayment, which
covered the costs of materials. They also
convinced four of their former colleagues
to come on board. Still, the capital could
FEATURE
only go so far. Kulang sa puhunan.
Nag-start kami ng May, mga December
nangutang na kami sa CARD [SME Bank
Inc.] ng P12,000, says Flores of their
rst loan, payable in six months.
Flores says business was brisk at the
onset, with more clients coming in and
production ramping up from June all the
way to February. They sold stuffed toys
to gift shop owners, companies looking
for giveaways, and wedding suppliers
needing customized wedding souvenirs.
Orders grew from an initial 100 bears
and pillows of various sizes, to as many

as 10,000 through the peak months. To
meet stronger demand, they bought three
second-hand sewing machines and hired
part-time workers.
To pay for overhead, Flores and Silva
had to borrow money, as there was
usually a lag before they got paid. As they
were producing more, they had to borrow
more from CARD SME Bank, until the
loan size grew to P500,000. Pag natapos
yung loan mo na P12,000, doble na yung
uutangin mo, P24,000, six months ulit.
Pag natapos mo yung P24,000, another
P12,000. Palaki nang palaki, hanggang sa
umabot ng P500,000, says Flores.
It wasnt hard to convince the bank to
lend them money, says Flores, because
they had the purchase orders to show
that money would be coming in. It helped
that they were up-to-date with their loan
payments. The P500,000 loan, he says,
took a year to pay at 22 percent interest,
and they made it without trouble.
By 2008, theyd opened a mall kiosk,
Hugs & Touch, to ensure that they had
money coming in even when large orders
dried up during off-peak season. This
proved a successful strategy, and they
opened three more kiosks.
Apart from getting collateral-free
nancing, theyve also gotten training
in product development via CARD MRI
Development Institute Inc. Nagbibigay
sila ng oportunidad para ang negosyo mo
lumago, mag-level up. Nagbibigay sila
ng mga training at mga seminar, says
Flores, adding that he even got sent on a
tour of the textile shops and toy factories
in Bangkokthis came in handy when
their local textile supplier closed shop
and they had to start importing cloth,
initially from Thailand, and then later
from Indonesia, too.
Now the challenge is in getting more
workers and managing their production
schedules. He admits that the workshop
isnt ideal, since theyve opted to do most
of the work manually, rather than buying
expensive equipment that would speed
up production. Theyd bought land in the
hope of building a better workshop, but
scuttled the plan when they realized their
workers werent willing to commute far
from their homes.
Theyve learned to make do with what
they have, and it has cost themtwo
typhoons, in 2006 and 2009, destroyed
stock when the workshops roof caved in.
LEVELING UP
So you have capital. But you still
have to run your business and
make sure that it becomes a
protable enterprise. How do you
level up?
Dr. Jaime Aristotle Alip,
founder of micronance leader
Center for Agriculture and
Rural Development Mutually
Reinforcing Institutions
(CARDMRI), says successful
microentrepreneurs must be
passionate about their business,
and thus pour their hearts,
minds, and time into it. They
must be innovative, always
minding the ever-evolving
needs of their clients, and
responding creatively to these
needs. They must always watch
their bottomline if they want to
exist sustainably. They must
build their networks. They
must advocate for government
policies and regulations that
provide conducive environment
for microentrepreneurship.
Graduating from becoming a
microenterprise into an SME also
means facing a unique set
of challenges, he adds. Thats
why CARD MRI set up its thrift
bank arm, CARD SME Bank, and
a nance and leasing company
to address the capital
requirements of CARD MRI
members who graduated from
micronancing, and of nonmembers, he says. Its efforts
seem to work: Alip says that, as
of December 2014, CARD MRI had
2.7 million clients, and repayment
rate was at 99.40 percent.
Typhoon Ondoy alone caused P100,000

worth of damage, in the same year they
had to close three of their mall kiosks.
But things are looking up, says Flores.
Theyve got steady clients, and apart from
their Hugs & Touch kiosk at the Bay City
Mall in Batangas City, theyre looking at
reopening one more. He doesnt regret
starting the enterprise, boasting that
his four kids studied in private schools
because of the business. Dahil may
experience naman kami, tatakbo kahit
papaano. May market na, hindi na kami
mahihirapan. Kailangan lang talagang
pagtiyagaan, says Flores. E
67
WHAT
MAKES A
GREAT
BRAND?
68
FEATURE
LEARN THE SECRETS OF

STAYING POWER FROM A
162-Y EA R-O L D CO M PA NY
DENISE LEE YOHN
n our consumer culture of shiny-newobject syndrome, it is increasingly

unlikely that a brand will survivemuch
less thrivefor more than a few seasons.
But for 162 years, Levi Strauss & Co. has
done just that. The staying power of the
Levis brand stands out boldly in this era
of pop-up stores, Snapchat-style startups,
and eeting loyalty.
For perspective, consider that when Levi Strauss
emigrated in 1853 from Buttenheim, Bavaria, to
the U.S. and founded his company, there were only
31 American states.
Another 32 years would pass before the
automobile was developed. Among iconic U.S.
brands, only Anheuser-Busch (founded in 1852)
has been around longer than Levis. Coca-Cola
came about in 1892; Ford in 1903.
And yet Levis remains a formidable brand
today. Over 140 years after the rst blue jean,
Levis remains one of the most recognized brands
in the world, sold in approximately 50,000 retail
locations in more than 110 countries, including
the Philippines.
Fiscal 2014 revenue increased 2 percent over the
previous year to $4.68 billion, and the company
commands the highest share of the global jeans

market. Retailers credit Levis for having unique
brand assets they cant get from other lines. As
Gary Oneil, former creative director for J .C.
Penney, explains, Levis has become a brand titan
that scales across lifestyle, gender...this allows
retailers to cast a broad net that captures a diverse
customer base.
Moreover, Levis continues to be considered hip.
Complex, a website devoted to twenty-something
males, listed Levis among its 15 Brands Hipsters
Love, alongside Band of Outsiders and other indie
designers. Sightings of Levis-clad celebrities ll
the pages of style and pop-culture media.
Shawn Parr, head of San Diego-based brand
and innovation consultancy Bulldog Drummond,
whose clients include Adidas, American Eagle
Outtters, and Nike, observes, Levis is like the
Rolling Stones or Johnny Cash. Theyre one of the
all-time greats who defy and dene the category,
and without them, the genre wouldnt be the same.
The secret to the longevity of Levis actually isnt
a secret at all. The company uses classic brandbuilding principles to maintain and grow its brand
equity. These are fundamental ideals that remain
the keys to building a brand with staying power. >>
69
I LLU ST R AT IO N BY AR N O L AN D
WRITTEN BY
COMMITAND
STAY COMMITTED
Above all else, Levis is authenticand ercely

committed to maintaining and reinforcing
that authenticity.
The company got its start by selling built-to-last
pants to miners during the California gold rush.
Demand spread across the nation, and as pioneering
gave way to manufacturing in the economic
landscape of the early 1900s, Levis became the
clothing of choice for the working class.
During the mid-century deindustrialization period,
the companys denim became popular among rebellious
youth subcultures. Its proposition as a genuine, original
brand resonated with greasers and hippies alike.
In the mid-1980s, Levis launched a campaign
promoting its classic 501s, which rekindled excitement
and demand for the ve-pocket jean originally
introduced more than 100 years earlier. The company
returned to the effort again in the late 2000s.
People love the original 501 because it is
timeless, comments Levis CMO Jennifer Sey. As a
brand thats been around for more than 160 years, we
have clothed a lot of people and been a part of many
great, pivotal storytelling moments.
These days, authenticity is one of the most
common business buzzwords and desired brand
traitsand with good reason. The Authentic Brand
Index (ABI) has shown that the stronger a brands
perceived authenticity, the more likely people are to
become advocates for it. Authenticity, ABIs analysts
observe, helps fuel success in todays markets as
consumers search for greater meaning and sincerity
from the brands they choose. People desire to
connect with products that feel safe and certain.
Levis clearly identies its core purpose, attributes,
and valueand then uses them as a compass for
everything it does. This resonates particularly with
todays inuential young consumers.
Brands that create purpose win Millennials
hearts, and brands that are different and authentic
win their minds, says Jeff Fromm, co-author of
Marketing to Millennials.
GO FOR AN
EMOTIONAL RESPONSE
The quality and integrity of Levis products is

unquestionable. The rivets on the jeans have
become a standard around the world, and the
signature red-stitched selvage and double-needle
stitching are superior design details. But the
companys brand messages have made a more
culturally signicant appeal.
Starting in the 1950s with print ads featuring
celebrity bad boys like Marlon Brando, and
continuing into the late 60s with counterculture
radio spots set to psychedelic music from Jefferson
70
Airplane, Levis sought to make a powerful emotional

connection with its audience. In the 70s and 80s,
Levis turned to TV, capturing consumer attention
with vignettes that were risqu at the time, including
a commercial starring model Nick Kamen stripping
down to his boxers in a laundromat. The spots
inspired a visceral response.
More recently, in 2009, Levis stirred viewers
with an expertly crafted and beautifully shot
campaign titled Go Forth. The series of minilms sets black-and-white images of a Hurricane
Katrina-ravaged New Orleans against a soundtrack
of Walt Whitman poetry. By celebrating the brand
for pioneers who are in the process of building a new
America, Levis once again managed to capture
and convey a unique spirit.
In each of these campaigns, Levis stoked
passion for its brand without describing its wares
or promoting product features. In fact, it could
be said that Levis advertising has systematically
avoided selling its productsaiming instead for an
emotional connection with consumers.
Weve been there with people for many of their
great and dening life experiencesbig and small, Sey
explains. From rst dates to the rst day of schoolour
job as marketers is to facilitate and amplify that great
storytelling to drive deep engagement.
THE
COMPANY
FAVORS
MAINTAINING
ITS BRAND
INTEGRITY
OVER
JUMPING
DEFY THE TRENDS
ONTO THE
LATEST
TRENDS.
All brands need to evolve to remain relevant.

Levis, despite the powerful brand equity it has
established, is no exception. But the company favors
maintaining its brand integrity over jumping into
the latest trends.
What has kept Levis in the forefront of the
ever-changing jean world is their market research
FEATURE
MADE OF PROGRESS
how they test products with a variety of

diverse retailers and use that feedback to
address various ts, washes, and fashion
elements to stay current, says Billy
Rudnick, general merchandising manager
for New York retailer Dr. Jays. But they
never go too far into the gimmicks that have
misled many good companies.
At times, this stance caused the company
to fall behind. In the early 2000s, for
example, the design team was late to move
into popular new fashion directions like
colored denim for women and tailored
jeans for men. As a result, sales plummeted.
But in many other instances, Levis was
ahead of its time, especially in areas of
social responsibility. Way back in the 1890s,
Levi Strauss established scholarships for
students at the University of California,
Berkeley, and ever since, the company
has pursued a mission that executives call
prots through principles.
Strauss great-great-grandnephew Robert Haas,
CEO from 1984 to 1999, launched a manufacturing
code of conduct for overseas suppliers. He was
also the rst Fortune 500 CEO to extend medical
benets to employees domestic partners and one
of the earliest corporate executives to champion
funding for HIV/AIDS research.
Adds Sey: We invented the blue jean, provided
the rst-ever womens jean, and continue to innovate
today based on consumer need with greener
products, including the Water<Less collection;
products that support sustainable lifestyles, such as
the Commuter series; and better-tting, more gureattering jeans like the Revel Collection.
While most companies search for ways to
modernize, innovations at Levis often invoke the
brands history. For example, the latest version of its
visual identity features an updated logo based on the
original batwing designed for the company nearly
50 years ago by Walter Landor. Other elements of
BUTTON FLY
Buttons were used
on the original pair
of 501s, designed 20
years before the zipper
was created. Levis
eventually replaced the
buttons with a zipper,
hoping to broaden
the brands appeal to
female customers.
But more recently,
it reintroduced the
button y on the 501.
BACK-POCKET
STITCHING
Since 1873, Levis
has stitched the back
pockets of its jeans
with two connecting
double arches that
meet in the center. It
is the oldest known
apparel trademark
in the U.S.
BATWING
Designed by Walter
Landor in 1967, the
red batwing-shaped
housemark, signifying
the upper portion of
the back pocket, acts
as visual shorthand
for the brand.
the new identity include the shape of the

stitching that has been on the back pockets for
more than a century, a modernized rendition
of the two-horse mark, and the message
Patented 1873.
Marketing strategies also tie strongly to
the brands history and values. In 2013, Levis
held a series of concerts along the oldest U.S.
railway route, with stops in small towns. Social
media marketing communications, meanwhile,
serve to educate consumers about issues such
as water conservation, or to support social
jjustice leaders, as much as to promote products.
Levis recognizes that trend-following may be
the simplest way to attract attention and raise
sshort-term revenue, but following someone elses
llead usually causes a company to stray from its
own brand identity. At times in Levis history,
o
iits managers learned this lesson the hard way.
Branding consultant Parr says Levis has always
B
got to watch that theyre not trying too hard to
be something theyre not. Theyve been at their best
when they are comfortable being Levis, leaning on the
past, but being risk-takers.
A look at Levis offers insight into the
commitment, courage, and consistency that goes
into making a great brand. One of the longeststanding companies in the United States, it thrives
on its identity as an original American brand in
an increasingly global marketplace. It represents
individuality and rebelliousness while appealing
broadly, and it offers accessibility in an industry that
thrives on exclusivity.
The cultural resonance of Levis has withstood the
ups and downs of the economy, fashion trends, and
the business itself. Even more than its products, the
Levis brand was built to last. E
DEN ISE L EE YOHN HAS WO RKED W ITH B R AN DS

INCLUDING SONY AND FRITO-L AY. SHE I S T HE
AUTHO R O F W HAT GREAT BRAND S DO.
71
R EP RI N T ED W I T H PE RMISSION F ROM ENTR E P RE NEUR - UN IT ED STATES
RED TAB
In 1936, it added as
an identifying mark
the red tab stitched
with LEVIS to the
right back pocket of
its jeans, where it still
appears today.
P HOTOS C OU RTESY O F L E V I STR AUSS & CO.
LEATHER PATCH
In 1886, Levis
introduced a leather
patch branded with an
image of pants that are
so strong they cant be
pulled apart by
two horses.
COPPER RIVETS
Levis got its start as
the durable workwear
of choice of gold
prospectors in the
1850s. The copper-rivet
feature was created
by Jacob Davis, Levi
Strauss tailor, who
placed each copper
rivet at points of strain
to make the jeans
sturdier.
FRANCH I S E
SEE YOU
AT THE EXPO
Make the most of your visit to a franchise exposition

WRITTEN BY
TONI ANTIPORDA
housands of visitorsthe majority

on the lookout for a good business
opportunityare attracted to the
franchise expos, says Charito Estrada,
executive director of the Philippine
Franchise Association (PFA).
Its sometimes referred to as a show,
and rightly so: The franchise expo is the
best venue where local and international
franchise brands gather to showcase their
strengths to consumers and potential
franchise buyers alike.
Attending franchise expos is a great
rst step in knowing and getting familiar
with different types of businesses, says
multi-unit franchisee Pauline PlataBondad, a frequent visitor of franchise
expos for the past decade.
Why go so often? These handful
of expos are organized only once a year;
you dont want to be missing out. So
whether youre already an established
entrepreneur, or just shopping around
for a new concept, heres how you can
make the most out of your visit to a
franchise expo.
Youve got to have a specic reason for

going. Do you want to just look around,
or are you already considering buying
a franchise? Your intent for the visit is
important since this will also dictate
your plan of action, says Rafael Canare,
executive director of the Association of
Filipino Franchisers, Inc. (AFFI).
For Plata-Bondad, her purpose for
visiting expos evolved in step with her
maturation as an entrepreneur. In the
beginning, she dropped by to familiarize
herself with different types of businesses
and available franchises in the country.
Eventually, she visited to link up
with suppliers of kitchen materials,
packaging, and equipment for her
edgling food businesses.
Now that shes a seasoned
entrepreneurapart from owning Butch
Restaurant in Batangas, Plata-Bondad
is also a multi-unit franchisee of burger
chain Hungry Hippo, pizza chain
Shakeys, and barbecue joint Inengs
Barbecueshe visits primarily to check
in on the competition and do proper
benchmarking.
Knowing your intention, she says,
also allows you to come up with a needs
list, which details what you need to
accomplish by the end of your visit.
72
ILLUSTR ATION FROM GET T Y IMAGES
BE DELIBERATE
TRACE YOUR ROUTE

Figuring out why youre going is just
half the preparation; youll also need
to know what to expect. Is it just a
showcase of homegrown brands, or would
international franchisors also be there?
How many visitors does it get on average?
And, more importantly, how many
exhibitors will be there?
At the expos ofcial website, reminds
PFAs Estrada, you can nd a detailed
list of exhibitors and line-up of activities.
Armed with this information, you can then
pinpoint which booths to prioritize and
which activities to participate in. Even
if youre just looking around, coming up
with an itinerary gives your visit a sense of
direction, and keeps you from getting lost
in the crowd.
If you already have a shortlist of
franchises that you are seriously
considering, it becomes easier: Check if
they are exhibitors in the expo and nd
out where their booths or stalls will be.
In coming up with your shortlist, take
into account your budget, interest, and
inclination, advises Estrada, and exercise
due diligence. Still, you cant go wrong
with an exhibitor thats a member of a
franchise organization, and the logo of
the organization they belong to should be
displayed in their booth, adds Canare.
GRAB NOW, SORT LATER

The number of exhibitors in a franchise
expo might overwhelm you, but PlataBondad believes you should take time to
swing by all of them. Make sure that you
dont miss any stall or supplier. Get their
yers and review them once you get home
after the expo, she suggests.
PRO MOVES
Walk the halls

like a pro with
these tips from
franchise expo
veterans
Attending franchise expos is a great rst

step in knowing and getting familiar with
different types of businesses.
To ease the process, bring a friend
along to work the halls with you. Also,
bring your own eco-bag, where you can
just dump all the brochures, yers, and
business cards handed to you, adds PlataBondad. While exhibitors are now also
giving away eco-bags as expo souvenirs,
its always best to bring your own in the
size of your choosing.
Also, take advantage of the free samples
and demos during the expo, especially
if its for a product or service thats still
unfamiliar to you, says Canare. That
way, even if you already have a franchise
in mind, you get to properly compare it
with another franchise offering the same
product or service.
ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS

A franchise expo is a great opportunity
for you to know as much as you can about
a franchise prior to buying onethat is, if
you ask the right questions and get your
answers from the right sources.
While talking to sales and franchise
representatives might sufce, it is still
better to seek out the franchisor for
more serious inquiries, says Canare. If
youre really serious, you can also set up
a meeting with the franchisor after the
expo, he adds.
While exhibitors might be quick to
dish out their franchise fees, remember
to ask for the total investment needed
to set up the business, reminds Estrada.
REGISTER ONLINE
Reserve a slot via
the ofcial website of
the franchise expo and
have easier access
to the franchise hall
compared to a
walk-in visitor,
says multi-unit
franchisee Pauline
Plata-Bondad.
Just bring along
your printed e-ticket
to conrm your
registration.
BAG IT
Even though some
exhibitors are giving
away their own ecobags, it is better
to bring your own,
preferably a big one,
says Plata-Bondad.
Its lightweight, and
you can just dump all
the brochures, yers,
and business cards
handed to you, to be
sorted accordingly
once you get home.
Dont be easily swayed by an affordable

franchise fee, adds Canareask if there
are also monthly fees, such as royalty fees,
continuation fees, and even marketing or
advertising fees.
Inquire about the number of outlets
and their locations, Estrada adds, both for
company-owned and franchised ones. If
you notice that your base of operations
is far from the area where the brands
existing outlets are concentrated, ask how
you will be properly supported once you
become a franchisee.
Canare also says that you should also
ensure trademarks, names, and logos
have been duly registered so as not to
cause legal problems in the future. In
addition, inquire about the length of
their franchise term or contract, if it is
renewable, and under what conditions.
When talking about returns on your
investment, gure out the average daily sales
needed to be able to hit that projection. In
the case of food concepts, remember to ask
if they have their own commissary or if they
have their products toll manufactured, as
this will affect your operations.
Take note of the answers you get during
the expo. Either write them down, or
document them using your smartphones
voice or video recorder as a security
measure on your end. They might have
just said those things to entice you, but
they can change their minds once its time
to close the deal, cautions Canare. E
TAKE NOTES
You can get a lot of
information during
a franchise expo, so
better take notes.
Bring a dedicated
notebook, or use
your smartphone
to take pictures
and capture video
or audio recordings
during the expo, says
Rafael Canare of the
Association of Filipino
Franchisers, Inc.
LISTEN IN
Learn from the free
seminars given during
franchise expos,
says Plata-Bondad.
Here, experienced
entrepreneurs will
share their stories
and startup tips.
Some franchise
expos even offer free
mentoring sessions
with seasoned
business mentors,
adds Canare.
73
FRANCH I S E
Rowena Velasco
says that a lot
of love, thought,
and sweat goes
into creating a
collection for
Pois Belly & Kids,
which caters to
teen girls and
young ladies.
FASHION FORWARD
FRANCHISE
PACKAGE
Total
investment:
P1M-P1.5M,
depending on
the store size
Franchise fee:
P450,000
Contract term:
5 years
Inclusions:
License to use
trademark,
name, and logo;
site selection
and evaluation
assistance;
training;
operations
manual and
systems; and
marketing
support,
among others
74
hanks to her then-pregnant

sister-in-law, who came griping
to her about how maternity
wear was so baduy, Rowena
Velasco thought of starting a
boutique that sells casual wear to
moms-to-be and their kids. [My
sister-in-law] wanted something
simple, attering , and modern,
she says. Thats how she got the
idea for Pois Belly & Kids, the
boutique she and her husband
Clement started in 2000.
It seemed natural for Rowena
to start the business, since she had
studied fashion merchandising in
Singapore and came from a
family that was into garments
manufacturing. At rst, the couple
set up the business from their
home, with Rowena designing
just a few pieces of maternity
clothes. Soon, the clothes
became available at Robinsons
Department Stores under the
brand Great Expectations
Maternity. Clement handles
the business side of Eurowear
Marketing Corp., which owns
the brand, while Rowena is
the creative director.
After the initial excitement,

though, Rowena began to feel
bored. I was thinking, how many
pregnant people are there to wear
all our clothes? She realized that
she could work on a line for little
girls too, encouraged by customers
who were clamoring for ageappropriate clothes for their tween
and teen daughters. She responded
by coming out with a trendy line for
this age group.
Their success earned them
a space at TriNoma in Quezon
City, the rst standalone space for
Pois Belly & Kids.
Rowena says growing the
business wasnt easy. We really
had to put out a substantial capital.
We could not design just a few
pieces. It had to be a whole
collection for each brand. By
Gods grace, He saw us through
and allowed us to grow the
business. There was competition,
but the couple persisted, believing
that it challenged them to improve
their products even more.
Now, the couple have
nine company-owned, freestanding stores in TriNoma,
Alabang Town Center, SM Mall

of Asia, SM Megamall The Atrium,
Shangri-la Plaza, SM City Cebu,
SM City Iloilo, SM Lanang
Premier Davao, and Ayala Center
Cebu. They also have limited
presence in stores in Australia,
Bahrain, and Germany.
But the Velascos have
bigger plans for the brands
global foray. Clement thinks
the Asean integration is the
perfect opportunity to franchise,
particularly in Southeast Asia.
Wholesalers pick out clothes
that they like, choose the quantity,
and sell them alongside other
brands in their store. We want to
retain our brand image, but we
dont have the capital to knock on
every country in the world that
will have our store, he says.
Franchising is the best way to
do it.Lolita Villa
POIS BELLY & KIDS

facebook.com/poisbellyandkids
0917-8997693
greatex@gmail.com
PHOTOS COURTESY OF POIS BELLY & KIDS
Bellyaching about baduy maternity wear births fashion brand
INTERNATIONAL APPEAL
This provincial favorite just got global
FRANCHISE
PACKAGE
Total
investment:
P4 million
Franchise fee:
P600,000
Contract term:
6 years
Inclusions:
Use of trade
name and
proprietary
marks; site
evaluation;
training;
procurement
program;
marketing
assistance;
opening
assistance;
operations
manual; and
research and
development,
among others
to make it overseas, says Paolo.

In the end, after numerous visits
and product tasting, the Germans
brought the brand to Dubai,
deciding it was a good t for the
Middle East market due to the
foods taste and quality. [The
decision] was a surprise to me
because they have covered a lot in
terms of studying our brand and
our competition in the Philippines,
says Paolo.
Because their food made such
a big impression on the Germans,
the Bernabes are determined to
deliver the same quality of food to
their overseas outlets. The food
here in the Philippines is exactly the
same as what customers abroad can
expect. We use the same ingredients
sourced locally and we ship them
abroad, he says. At the same time,
the couple are making sure their
menu and store design take into
consideration the sensibilities of
their market in the Middle East.
But beyond having a great
product, their exible franchise
terms, plus their emphasis on
long-term partnerships, enable

the Bernabes to partner with
diverse individuals here and
abroad. I believe we were able
to expand overseas because of
our commitment to our master
franchise owners, says Paolo, a
second-generation restaurateur
born and raised in Bacolod City,
the birthplace of chicken inasal.
His family has been in the chicken
inasal business since 1976.
While having one master
franchisee per country is ideal,
a franchisee can also operate in
various countries, preferably in the
same region, provided they have
logistics and manpower support.
The Bernabes are also growing
their Philippine presence. They
plan to add more stores and to
strengthen support systems, such
as their commissaries, trainings,
and research and development.
Proper sourcing and shipping of
local ingredients will also be a
priority to maintain the quality and
taste of products here and
abroad.Ieth Inolino
BACOLOD CHK-N-BBQ HOUSE

bacolodchickenbbq.com
(02) 948-5326; (02) 934-4017
20 Lilac St., Hacienda Heights,
Marikina City 1800
PHOTOS COURTESY OF BACOLOD CHK-N-BBQ HOUSE
s chicken inasal concepts

jockey for a place in the hearts
of Filipinos, Bacolod
Chk-n-BBQ House is quietly
widening its reach outside
the Philippines, beating its
competitors in markets where
theres a big Filipino population. It
now has three branches overseas
and is slated to open six more
within the year, while in the
Philippines, it has eight branches,
two of which are franchised.
Paolo and Josephine Bernabe,
the chains founders, did not
initially plan to go global. But
when two German businessmen
based in Dubai inquired about
setting up Bacolod Chk-n-BBQ
House in the United Arab
Emirates, they agreed. Now,
Bacolod Chk-n-BBQ House is also
present in Kuwait and Qatar, and
soon in Oman, Bahrain, Saudi
Arabia, and Myanmar.
The Germans, our rst master
franchisee, actively searched, not
only for our brand, but for other
brands that have the potential
75
BEYOND
COOKIE-CUTTER
Mrs. Fields breaks from its old-fashioned
mold to tap a younger market
rs. Fields is one tough cookie. Known

and loved in over 20 countries, the
brand has had a good run since it
launched in 1977. But now, the rather
dated concept of a dedicated chipperya
cookie shopdoesnt y so well with the
millennial crowd.
Gerwyn See, president of Cookie Caf
Franchise System Inc., the local franchise
holder for the Mrs. Fields brand, wants
to change that. While the brand has been
in the country since 1994, See took on its
operations in 2007 and introduced the
cookie caf format as a response to the rise
of coffee shops back then. We stretched
the basic operations of the brand from a
chippery to a simple coffee house,
See recalls.
FRANCHISE
PACKAGE
Total
investment:
P750,000
for kiosks,
P1.1 million
for cookie cafs
Contract term:
5 years
Inclusions:
License to use
trademark, name,
and logo; franchise
fee; store location
assistance; store
design & planning;
construction;
equipment and
wares; initial
stocks and
supplies; marketing
collaterals;
and training,
among others
76
Tough cookie: Mrs. Fields

has weathered the changing
preferences of the Philippine
market, thanks to Gerwyn Sees
commitment to the brand.
While the cookie caf format proved

to be a hit, the brands price point and
premium reputation still failed to capture
what See calls the more dynamic [and]
well-informed millennial crowd, which
now forms a huge chunk of the market.
See is once again pushing for change. Its
quite a mature brand, and its been known
to have a vintage concept So we need to
transition the brand from that perspective
to a younger paradigm, he explains.
So after eight years, Mrs. Fields is
introducing a new cookie caf format, and
this time, opening itself to franchising.
See wanted to achieve organic growth for
their cookie cafs rst, which is why their
cookie kiosk format was the only one up for
franchise beforeof their 23 stores in the
Philippines, three are franchised kiosks.
This new cookie caf format has a more
modern look, and a wider range of snack
and meal options, including sandwiches,
salads, pasta, breakfast meals, and rice
dishes. Their new meal bundleswhich
will bundle together a meal, drink, and
cookie of your choicewill also be easier
on the pocket, says See, to better cater
to the preferences, and the purchasing
power, of young and senior markets alike.
Of course, the cookie chains specialty
cookies, cookie gift boxes, and cookie
cakes will still be there. And to keep up
with the tech-savvy millennial crowd,
the brand is also collaborating with social
media groups and even group-buying
sites, says See.
While the kiosk format will remain
an option for franchisees, See believes
that the improved cookie caf format will
push consumers to indulge more, thereby
providing a better return on a franchisees
investment. To further encourage
potential franchisees to take the next step,
nancial support is also available via a
partnership with BPI Family Ka-Negosyo.
Now that they have the caf format
down pat, See and company also intend to
franchise in the provinces, especially in
locations with high per capita income such
as Cebu, Davao, Pampanga, and Cagayan
de Oro.Mikael Angelo Francisco
COOKIE CAF
FRANCHISE SYSTEM, INC.
mrsfields.com.ph
(02) 501-3037 loc. 105
UPRC Building 1, 2230 Don Chino Roces
Ave., Makati City 1200
franchise@mrsfields.com.ph
PHOTOS BY VINCENT COSCOLLUEL A
FRANCH I S E
LESSONS LEARNED
Former hair salon franchisee proves her mettle as a franchisor
FRANCHISE PACKAGE
Total investment:
Starts at P500,000 for a
20-square-meter salon
Contract term: 5 years
Sisters Roseann (left) and Robina Ko

had grown Status Hair Salon to six
branches prior to franchising.
or Robina Marie Ko, experience is still the

best teacher. At 21, fresh out of college, she
took over the familys hair salon franchise.
The self-confessed kikay took to the business
well. When the franchise was sold to us, it was
making around P300,000 a month. When we
took over, it reached P700,000, she says.
Still, Ko had problems with their franchisor.
There was [a] conict of ideas. They prohibited
us from doing a lot of things, particularly in
marketing. At that time, we already wanted out,
but we were still under contract, she recalls.
Her father decided to put up their own hair
salon after the contract ended in 2010. Thus,
Status Hair Salon was born in December 2011,
with Ko and her sister Roseann running the
show. Ko poured her knowledge and frustrations
into the salon, turning it into the young and hip
salon that she always wanted. I realized that I
am a better t as a franchisor than a franchisee.
Shes so bullish about the business, in fact, that
theyre starting to franchise this year. Using her
experience as a franchisee, Ko cobbled together
a franchise package she feels will be attractive to
franchisees. The salons franchise package starts
at P500,000, with the franchise and royalty fees
waived for the rst three months. We want our

franchisees to have the orientation that this is not
just for us to make money from them. We want
them to sustain and really grow the business.
Through that, I believe they will get more
value from this later on, she says, adding that
Status Hair Salon already has three franchisees
in the pipeline.
And the value extends to their clients, too.
Designed to be a one-stop shop, Status Hair Salon
boasts of a full range of services, including hair
cutting and coloring, waxing, eyelash extensions,
manicure and pedicure, as well as traditional and
airbrush makeup for all occasions.
Theyve kept pricesand staff sizedown
because each staff member has a varied skill set.
The salon also carries in-house product lines to
keep costs of inventory manageable.Ieth Inolino,
from an interview by Toni Antiporda
STATUS HAIR SALON

statushairsalon.ph
Unit 17B, 17F Olympic Heights Tower 1,
Eastwood City, Bagumbayan, Quezon City 1110
0998-5776880
status_hairsalon@yahoo.com
77
Inclusions: Use of
trademark, name, and logo;
training; construction and
renovation; four stations for
clients; furniture and xtures;
initial salon supplies; marketing
collaterals, among others
FRANCH I S E FRA N C H I S E E
WITH FLYING COLORS

IT professional finds passion
and profit in educational center franchise
ot wanting to teach like the rest of his family,

Ethelbert de Leon took up IT in college. But
after 11 years of working in the IT industry,
he quit his high-paying job in 2013 and bought an
educational center franchise, ending up exactly
in the eld he had tried to avoid.
It started with the desire to home-school
our children, which my wife and I couldnt do
then since we were still both in the IT industry,
recalls de Leon, Teacher Teng to his students
and co-teachers. He chanced upon Eye Level,
a learning center concept from South Korea,
while looking to enroll their eldest daughter,
now 6 years old, in supplementary classes.
While de Leon and his wife Karen liked the
Eye Level program, the learning center didnt
have a branch near their home in Dasmarias,
Cavite. We decided to bring it here, he says,
78
FRANCHISE PACKAGE
Franchise fee:
P112,000
Starting capital: P500,000
for a 50-square-meter space
Contract term: 5 years
Inclusions: License to use
trademark, name, logo, and
teaching methods; site selection;
initial training; continuous
training; system-wide advertising
support; local marketing support;
continuous center visits; and
implementation of standard
operations, among others
adding that the decision answered two of their

prayersto have their own business, and to be
able to home-school their children.
It was a tough decision for the couple. I
knew it would initially be a sacrice for us,
because income from a business is not as certain
compared to a monthly salary, says de Leon.
Still, he took the leap, tapping family savings
to nance the business. My mother, a retired
assistant principal, appreciated that I was
coming back to education, he adds.
The center broke even on its second month.
They only employed two teachers, including
de Leon, who chose to waive his salary at rst.
The center gained a good reputation and the
number of its enrollees grew, even during the
off-peak season, thanks to referrals from parents.
We tried several marketing activities, but
nothing really beats word-of-mouth and referrals
from parents, he says. By the end of 2014, the
de Leons Eye Level branch was already one of
the brands best-performing centers.
De Leon plans to open three more branches
in Cavite over the next six years. He just opened
his second in Molino in Bacoor last March, and
hes positive that operations will break even in
two months. It helped that Eye Level cut the
franchise fee in half, and shouldered the cost of
the signage and billboard.
Beyond the nancial rewards, de Leon believes
he has found his true calling. The passion is
there to educate young people. It started with
this desire to home-school our kids, but now it
translates to educating other children, he says.
Toni Antiporda
EYE LEVEL PHILIPPINES

myeyelevel.com
(02) 706-1670; (02) 706-4630
Unit 812 Globe Telecom Plaza I, Pioneer St.
corner Madison St., Mandaluyong City 1500
eyelevel.marketingdept@gmail.com
HIGHER EDUCATION: After 11 years of working in the

IT industry, Ethelbert de Leon, left, joined the education
sector by buying an Eye Level franchise. An Eye Level teacher,
above, with his students.
06/15
AFTER 6
BOOKS
STYLE
SHINY
OBJECTS
AF TER 6
WALANG HIYA!
Proudly dishing out Filipino fare

WORDS BY
CL AUDE TAYAG
79
PHOTOS FROM GETTY IMAGES
he world could use a heaping of Pinoy

avor. As every Filipino knows, ours is
probably one of the best cuisines in the
world. We love it, we are passionate about
it, and we eat it every day. So, what gives?
Were not the only ones raving about
it. Back in 2008, Simon Majumdar,
Cutthroat Kitchen and Iron Chef judge,
told Metro Home magazine that he had
underestimated Filipino cuisine. He
called it one of the few undiscovered
culinary treasures left in the world,
adding, if the people of the Philippines
attacked the marketing (italics mine) of
their food with the same gusto that they
apply to eating it, it could be the next
culinary sensation.
Following the February 2009 U.S.
premiere of the Philippine episode of
his show No Reservations, host Anthony
Bourdain blogged that sisig is one of
the worlds best beer drinking dishes,
whereas slow-roasted lechon from Cebu
elevated the Philippines to the top spot
in his Hierarchy of Pork. Bourdain, in
October 2008, also told Therese JamoraGarceau of The Philippine Star that a
tourism push could help the country
become a food destination on par with
Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Its an unfair thing to capture in a few
images and dishes the heart and soul of
Filipino cuisine, but you promote that,
suggested Bourdain.
Andrew Zimmern, host of Bizarre
Foods, told Today.com in 2012 that given a
couple more years, Filipino cuisine would
be the next big thing. In an interview
with PEOPLE Magazine, he also ranked
Filipino cuisine second among his
Top 10 Food Trends of 2013. The Filipino
food movement, he said, will one day be
traceable to Paul Qui serving dinuguan
(pork blood stew) at his restaurant, Qui,
in Austin, Texas.
There are two points Im leading up to
by citing these: One, its been a marketing
problem from the start. Two, we need
to serve our food the way it is. All three
foodiesMajumdar, Bourdain, and
Zimmernlove it just the way it is. It
doesnt need to be presented the Western
way or glossed over. Remain true to its
taste and essence, just use better-quality
ingredients, leaner cuts of meat, fresher
REWA R DS A FTER 6
produce, and make sure to adhere to

hygienic practices.
Of course, the proverbial proof is in
the actual eating, especially with the
emergence of several upscale Filipino
restaurants here and abroad.
A lot of individuals should be credited
for passionately championing Filipino
cuisine in America. At the forefront
are Amy Besa and Romy Dorotan, who
drew devoted diners to their acclaimed
Manhattan restaurant, Cendrillon, for
13 years starting in 1995. In 2009, the
couple opened Purple Yam in Brooklyn,
New York. They continue to garner new
fans and rave reviews. Chef Dorotans
cooking has been featured in and praised
by Gourmet, New York magazine, the
New York Times, and the Wall Street
Journal. Also in New York City, Fil-Am
Nicole Ponseca and chef Miguel Trinidad
opened Maharlika on 7th Street in the
East Village.
HELP YOURSELF!
For truly tasty Filipino food,
consider this short list as
merely a way to whet your
appetite. For seconds, there
are food guides aplenty,
my paperback Linamnam
included. Mangan ta na pu!
When exploring the
Philippines, try the oxtail
kare-kare, and sinoteng baby
squid at Ab; Blackened
Sinigang (smoked pork belly)
and palabok negra at Chef
80
Meanwhile, in the West Coast,

eat-all-you-can restaurant Cabalen opened
its rst overseas branch last year in San
Bruno, California. In the same Bay area,
Patio Filipino and Tastebuds are practically
institutions serving the traditional Filipino
lechon. Theres also Karilagan, Boracay
Garden & Grill, Ongpin, Maxs, Kuyas Asian
Cuisine, and countless others. In the Los
Angeles area, theres LA Rose Caf, Fiesta
Sa Barrio, Bahay Kubo Restaurant, Kusina
Filipina, and Bahay Natin.
With many hands pushing our cuisine,
a few shoves are expectedbut is it right
to argue whether one Pinoy dish is more
Pinoy than another? If you happen to be in
a foreign land, does using salmon, bokchoy,
and sinigangg powder make sinigang less
authentic? Cooking, in any country or
culture, is making the most of whatever
is available locally, and then adapting it
to the tastepanlasa
one grew up with,

wherever that may be.
Tatung; kambing
papaitan (goat
innard soup with
bile) at Bistro
Candon (Candon
City, Ilocos Sur);
black tempura
and crispy isaw
ng manok at Demeter Diner
(Aziza Paradise Hotel, Puerto
Princesa City, Palawan);
three-kinds ceviche and
Adobo Overload at La
Terrasse (Puerto Princesa
City, Palawan); bringhe rice
pizza, lechon taco, pan de
On the local front, the phenomenal

rise in popularity of the Ilocano bagnet,
Pampango sisig,
g or Ilonggo chicken inasal
into the national culinary scene is a
good illustration on how the best, or
at least the most popular, of a regional
cuisine actually takes part in weaving
the quilt that makes up Filipino cuisine
as a cohesive whole. And if you try one
region, then you are likely to be curious
to try the rest.
The emergence of chef-centered and
regional-themed Filipino restaurants is a
clear proof that theres a local market to
sustain them. The Filipino diner has come
of age: He goes out with an open mind
and palate. There has been a rediscovery
and appreciation of the sheer diversity of
our cuisine. Entrepreneurs can cash in on
this by coming up with concept dining
alternatives, trendy looking interiors,
consistently good food, and better service.
And why not bring your Filipino
restaurant abroad (or, as in the case of
Purple Yam, back home)? We may be
late bloomers, but we have denitely
taken off for a long haul across the Pacic
and the world. One can safely say the
very successful Madrid Fusion Manila,
concluded last April, was the culmination
of ve golden years of bountiful harvest
for our cuisine. CJ Junterreal of Manila
Bulletin called it the Philippines comingout party to the food world.
It seems that the oft-asked question
Why isnt Filipino cuisine known
internationally?no longer holds true.
Filipinos have nally found pride in
our own cuisine. Theres no stopping
us now. E
b
bagnet, and haloh
halo with crema
d
de pastillas at
D
Downtown 1956
C
Caf (Angeles City,
P
Pampanga); betute
((stuffed frogs),
and kamaru (mole
crickets) at Everybodys Caf
(San Fernando, Pampanga);
and grilled Bonuan bangus
at Matutinas Seafood Haus
& Restaurant (Urdaneta,
Pangasinan).
When food-tripping in
the U.S., take your pick
from pan-Filipino cuisine

at Cabalen (San Bruno,
California); the PampanganStyle Sizzling Sisig with
Egg at Maharlika Filipino
Moderne (East Village,
Manhattan, New York);
lechon at Tastebuds (San
Bruno, California); crispy
pata at Patio Filipino (San
Bruno, California); and
ukoy (vegetable fritter with
shrimp), pork tocino sliders,
beef kare-kare, and bibingka
at Purple Yam (Ditmas Park,
Brooklyn, New York).
BOOK S
REWARDS
PRINCIPLE OVER PROFIT
THE ROAD TO CHARACTER

By David Brooks
Random House, 2015
Most of us have clearer strategies for how to achieve
career success than we do for how to develop a
profound character, says New York Times pundit
David Brooks. We live in a society that encourages us
to think about how to have a great career, but leaves
many of us inarticulate about how to cultivate the inner
life.We live in a culture that teaches us to promote and
advertise ourselves and to master the skills required
for success, but that gives little encouragement to humility, sympathy, and
honest self-confrontation, which are necessary for building character.
Brooks says he wrote this book to be honest, to save [his] own soul. If
yours needs saving too, hes cleared the path for you via selected stories
of how some people, ordinary in some aspects but quite extraordinary in
others, have cultivated strength in their own character.
As George Eliot, author and one of Brooks chosen subjects, once wrote,
Adventure is not outside man; it is within.
DO THE KIND THING

By Daniel Lubetzky
Ballantine Books,2015
If youve made it a life goal
to build a not-only-forprot company, Lubetzkys
10 philosophical tenets
might inspire you. The
founder and visionary
CEO of KIND Healthy
Snacks shows what social
entrepreneurship is all
about: living, and working,
according to principle. The
book follows the growth of

his company through
11 yearsfrom working
with very few resources
and an overworked
skeletal team to a large
professional organization
racking up hundreds
of millions of dollars
in sales annually, and
encouraging small acts of
kindness (submitted causes
that receive the most
votes among their online
community) with funding of
up to $10,000 every month.
Even if it means
taking nancial gambles,
Lubetzky says the KIND
way is actually businesssmart: As our market
share growth demonstrates,
if you have a commitment
to excellencea commitment
to avoid false compromise
you will win in the long-term.
STUFFOCATION
By James Wallman
Spiegel & Grau New
York, 2013
Getting rid of all the clutter
in our lives could be the
route to future happiness.
Wallman sees a movement
from materialism to
experientialism, which
favors collecting memories
(quality of life) over
owning more things
(quantity in life).
Instead of projecting our

own power through our
material prowess, we will
express our identities,
and signify who we
areour character, our
individualitynot through
the purchase and ritual
display of physical objects,
however rare and valuable
they may be, but through
the activities, adventures,
and encounters we
experience, he says.
Wallman speaks of new
measures of progress,
for our selves and for
society as a whole: What
marketers call our buying
motivators or consumption
triggers will change,
and they will change their
business models. And
the repercussions could be
even more far-reaching."
ALL BOOKS AVAILABLE AT NATIONAL BOOK STORE
JUNE 2015
81
ILLUSTR ATION FROM GET T Y IMAGES
These books will help you reexamine your life goals
REWA R DS | STYLE
COLOR
OUTSIDE
THE LINES
STYLISTS TIPS
Why wear black

when you can
wear brights?
usiness is good and

life is literally and
guratively colorful
for Dennis Ng. He founded
Govago Inc. two years
ago, initially to offer a taxi
dispatching system, but
overhauled it to become a
dispatching app and eet
management system,
with taxi operators
R&E, Sturdy, EFE, and
Nine Stars among its
clients. Ng is also behind
restaurant reservation
system ResDiary, which he
brought to the Philippines
from the U.K. last year.
I want to bring newer
and more innovative
technologies to the
Philippines...[and] I would
like to see some of our
business units publicly
listed in about three
years, he says.
Ng is just as fearless
a dresser as he is a
businessmangetting
older hasnt stopped him
from exploring trends and
colors, from his apparel
to the paint on his ofce
walls. His philosophy is
simple: Everybody always
wears black. Why not
stand out by wearing
colors?Belle Camarsi
A spot of color for

the shoegazer.
Before you reach
for your dark brown
loafers, try teal
lace-up brogues
instead. Colored
shoes, especially
on men, are
a fashion statement
in themselves.
Navy woven
long-sleeved polo by
Forever21 Men;
Pants and shoes,
models own
82
If youre not
ready for colored
shoes, start
with socks.
You think a detail like
that wont matter
much, but even a
small splash of
color can make a
difference. Go bright
or choose a quirky
print. The thing about
wearing color is to
just have fun with it.
PHOTOS BY JONATHAN BALDONADO; ST YLING BY BELLE CAMARSI, ASSISTED BY GER ALYN DADAP; GROOMING BY VIDA NON JAUCIAN
FOREVER21 IS LOCATED ON THE 2 ND FLOOR, BUILDING A, SM MEGAMALL.
Do color splashes
in small doses.
If royal blue
trousers are a bit
too much for you,
try a navy blue
long-sleeved polo in
a bright pink polkadot print.
A DV E R TIS IN G F E ATUR E
BUSINESS WATCH
Weve gathered some strong options for franchising and new business. Keep your eyes on this
months crop of business opportunities if youre looking for worthwhile investments.
7-ELEVEN TO OPEN 500 STORES IN 2015
World-leading convenience store chain brand 7-Eleven, announces its aggressive

expansion campaign in the country, with plans to put up 500 new stores this year.
Via its exclusive local licensor, Philippine Seven Corp., 7-Eleven aims to expand in
major cities of Mindanao and other major cities in the Visayas such as Dumaguete,
Capiz, and Aklan. As part of its major expansion goals, PSC is aggressively seeking
franchise partners particularly in the said areas. Offered in exible options, potential
partners can avail of 7-Elevens franchise business package in two simplied ways:
Regular New Store Franchise (open a new 7-Eleven store); or by Property Conversion
(convert an established business or properties into a 7-Eleven franchise).
7-Elevens franchise package offers suitable franchise partners a unique opportunity
to benet from a proven system and ongoing support. Apart from one-month
preparatory training, partners are given assistance especially at the rst crucial stages
of operational transition, from supervising, basic HR coaching, to sales monitoring.
BURGERS AND BEYOND
The Burger Factory Franchise is a food cart franchise package

by JC Worldwide Franchise Inc., which also offers several
other food cart packages. This particular food cart serves
burgers, and also offers a buy one take one scheme. Aside
from the usual hamburger sandwich, Burger Factory also
offers longaburgers (longganisa), ham sandwiches, cheese
mania, footlong hotdogs, hotdog sandwiches, burger steak
with rice, and chicken pops. Their burgers come with cheese,
coleslaw and even egg. Drinks like gulaman and red iced tea
are also available. Come and visit a Burger Factory outlet at
Victory Mall Lacson Underpass Quiapo, Manila. For franchise
inquiries, please call (02) 889-4773 to 76.
RECIPES FOR
SUCCESS
As a follow up to the success of its

initial installment, SIAL ASEAN returns
on June 17 to 19 at the World Trade
Center Manila, Philippines for another
yummy and fullling round that seeks
to bolster the countrys reputation as
Southeast Asias most lucrative food
trade hub.Serving up a total of 300
exhibitors from 19 countries, nearly
7,500 buyers from 33 countries ocked to the rst-ever SIAL ASEAN to take part in the biggest B2B
platform for the Philippine food industry. At SIAL ASEAN 2015, members of the food and beverage
industry can expect lots to explore and discover. From getting a rst hand look at the industrys most
innovative products and services to tapping into the boundless B2B opportunities that abound in
each turn, the highly anticipated food exposition also assures a highly entertaining and informative
experience for its visitors as it cooks up a compelling line-up of event highlights. If youre a part of the
food and beverage industry, jump aboard and explore the avors of the world as SIAL ASEAN 2015, the
biggest food gathering of the season, happens on June 17 to 19 at the World Trade Center Manila.
AQUABEST ANNOUNCES
NEW BATCH OF SCHOLARS
Aquabest, the countrys leading water franchise, is

pleased to announce the awarding of its new batch
of scholars under its Corporate Shared Values
(CSV) program.
Under its CSV program, the company offers
scholarships to the children of its deserving
employees.The company has always placed an
emphasis in the welfare of its employees and
their families. This is driven by the companys
realization that its people are its prime assets and
as part of its Christian values.
Every year, the company sets aside funds to
help with the education of its employees in good
schools that offer quality education. With the
scholarship grants, the children of its employees
get to realize their dreams and reach their full
potential.
Since its inception, the scholarship program
has assisted dozens of children in getting the
good education needed to succeed in their lives.
This years scholars are Fitz Geralde Palomar,
Grade 2 at Creative Learning Center Educational
Foundation Inc., Danica Marie Boton, 2nd year high
school at Fortunato F. Halili Agricultural School
and Scarleth Jane Cayetano, Grade 3 at Merry
Mount Preparatory School.
SPACE
CRAFT
To put together the perfect
work space, find pieces that
provide functionality and
inspirationor both
WRITTEN BY
SMALL WONDER
The meeting of two curved surfaces resulted in this

small table. Crafted by Patricia Urquiola, using a bending
technique that creates a rounded shape with no corners
or joints, the unobtrusive but intriguing Bow can slip into
any role, from a side table in your ofce or a coffee table
in the lobby. Bow table by Moltini & C at Furnitalia, Bonifacio
Global City, Taguig City
CLIFFORD OL ANDAY
SOUND AND GLORY
Whether it is the warblings of Rihanna from HiFi streaming

service Tidal or the rally cry that is your voice during a Monday
meeting, these sculptural columns deliver perfect sound
throughout the room. Bang & Olufsen, in celebration of its 90 th
anniversary, returns to the Roaring Twenties, the decade of
its founding as well as the era of Art Deco. With its rose-gold
nish, the BeoLab 18 wireless speakers can also dress up your
corner ofce or conference suite. BeoLab 18 by Bang & Olufsen,
Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong City
RETRO FLAVOR
May we reintroduce you to Mandaue Foam (MF)?

What began as a mattress company has grown into
a furniture and decoration source with a full range of
classic and modern solutions, and even custom-made
pieces, all at the reasonable prices MF is known for.
This vintage-style chair has been envisioned for the
home, but it would not look out of place in your ofce.
It is a piece that gives nuance to any room. Black Retro
chair by Mandaue Foam, mandauefoam.ph
84
SHINY OBJECTS
The low prole and gently swooping curves

of the Stockton chair will soften the edge of
a steel-and-concrete ofce. This is exactly
what sisters Stephanie Kienle-Gonzalez and
Jessica Kienle had in mind when they were
putting together their California-inspired
collection for Philux. The pair captures that
laid-back vibe with raw and natural materials
in earthy tones. This will put your guests
at ease. Place near your tablein view of
your collection of heavy plaques and crystal
trophies. Stockton chair by Philux, Power
Plant Mall, Makati City
SMART SOLUTION
Here is where you can corral all the clutter that seems to be multipying
on your desk. A large tray, with its wide surface, can be used to stack
papers and folders or hold many personal items like your iPhone, keys,
or sunglasses. That graphic design of tribal origins also proclaims your
passion for travel (or getting away from the ofce). Ethno tray by
BoConcept at MOs Design Building, Bonifacio High Street, Taguig City
BATTLE STATION
To nd balance between the nature of the workspace as an environment

of relationships and technology, and a place for concentration and calm,
designer Rodolfo Dordorini creates the highly adaptable Jobs desks.
Besieged by a colleague in need of advice? The desk allows for the
addition of a round table, creating a
mini-meeting area that is separate
from your space. And what if you
require a suite of machines and
gadgets for always-on connectivity?
A concealed wiring system
accommodates technology while
retaining a formal neatness. Jobs
also declares that you are the boss
with premium materials like satinnished steel and oak veneer. What we
like best: A central strip of wood that
distinguishes which side is hosts and
guests. Jobs desk (available in Easy,
Executive, and President models) by
Poltrona Frau at Furnitalia, Bonifacio
Global City, Taguig City
PHOTOS COURTESY OF BANG & OLUFSEN, FURNITALIA, MANDAUE FOAM, BOCONCEPT AND PHILUX
EASY DOES IT
REWARDS
85
BUSINESS OPP ORTUNITIES

lamacoph.com
(046) 417-2852; (046) 417-5901
info@lamacoph.com
allday.com.ph
(02) 836-0519 local 118
franchising@allday.com.ph
ALLFAMOUS DIGITAL
allfamous.com
0919-9926870
contact@allfamous.com
ASSOCIATION OF FILIPINO
FRANCHISERS, INC.
(02) 501-5449; (02) 504-3693
info@af.com.ph
BACOLOD CHK-N-BBQ HOUSE

bacolodchickenbbq.com
(02) 948-5326; (02) 934-4017
info@bacolodchickenbbq.com
CARVE
carve.ph
(082) 300-7896
talktous@carve.ph
MICAB
SISON CORILLO PARONE & CO.
micab.co
0917-5335755
info@micab.co
scp-ph.net
(02) 687-6649
nusison@scp-ph.net
MISE EN PLUS FOODS INC.
SPACE ENCOUNTERS
miseenplusfoods.com
(02) 646-1099
ask.us@miseenplusfoods.com
spaceencounters.net
(02) 910-8031; 0917-7956739
info@spaceencounters.net
NENE PRIME FOODS
STATUS HAIR SALON
CRYO+ INSTANT COLD WRAPS
facebook.com/NenePrimeFoods
0915-9058888
neneprimefoods@yahoo.com
statushairsalon.ph
0998-5776880
status_hairsalon@yahoo.com
CryoPlusInstantColdWraps
(02) 734-2334; 0927-7619911
macnmorecorporation@gmail.com
PAWNHERO
SUN LIFE FINANCIAL
CRYSTAL SEAS
pawnhero.ph
0917-6834376; 0998-9984376
customer@pawnhero.ph
sunlife.com.ph
(02) 555-8888; (02) 849-9888
phil_prosperity@sunlife.com.ph
crystalseashandwoven.com
(02) 284-2804
info@crystalseashandwoven.com
PERSONAL FINANCE ADVISERS

PHILIPPINES CORP.
CURIOSITY DESIGN RESEARCH

curiosity.ph
birdie@curiosity.ph
EYE LEVEL PHILIPPINES

myeyelevel.com
(02) 706-1670
eyelevel.marketingdept@gmail.com
FNDG SHELLS & HANDICRAFTS
personalnance.ph
(02) 216-1541; (02) 359-3094
info@personalnance.ph
PESOS AND SENSE

pesosandsense.com
(02) 419-4173
seminars@pesosandsense.com
PHILIP MORRIS FORTUNE

TOBACCO CORP. INC.
fndgshellsandhandicrafts.com
(043) 784-0915
oro_salinas@yahoo.com
pmi.com
HORSEPOWER
pfa.org.ph
(02) 687-0365 to 67; (02) 579-4841
info@pfa.org.ph
JERTIES KITCHEN
PHILIPPINE FRANCHISE
ASSOCIATION
jertieskitchen.com
0908-8696824
info@jertieskitchen.com
PILLOWS & BEARS GIFTSHOP
JUJU EATS
PIZZA PEDRICOS FOOD CORP.
CAT CAF MANILA
jujueats.com
(02) 551-3968
eats@juju.com.ph
pizzapedricos.com
(02) 411-9444 local 131
kctansekiao@pizzapedricos.com
catcafemanila.com
meow@catcafemanila.com
KANTAR WORLDPANEL
POIS BELLY & KIDS
kantarworldpanel.com
KNITTING EXPEDITION
facebook.com/poisbellyandkids
0917-8997693
greatex@gmail.com
knittingexpedition.com
knittingexpedition@gmail.com
POWERCOM
cheers-now.com
reach.us@cheers-now.com
CIRRUS INSIGHT
cirrusinsight.com
COLAYCO FOUNDATION
FOR EDUCATION INC.
colayconancialeducation.com
(02) 637-3731 or 41; 0917-8537333
info@colaycofoundation.com
86
THE ROUND TABLE
levistrauss.com
horsepower.ph
CHEERS
rocktech.com
info@rocktech.com
facebook.com/RoundTablePH
(02) 706-1668
q.bistro@gmail.com
LEVI STRAUSS & CO.
ALL DAY CONVENIENCE STORE
ROCKTECH
facebook.com/hugsandtouchcollection
0943-5899291; 0917-5718873
powercom.ph
(02) 570-7805
info@powercom.ph
THEO & PHILO

theoandphilo.com
(02) 631-1362; 0920-4315650
hello@theoandphilo.com
TOM SAWYERS
facebook.com/
TomSawyersFriedChicken
(02) 966-2291; (02) 650-5866
tomsawyersfriedchicken@yahoo.com.ph
VMONEY
vmoney.com
(02) 808-1888; (02) 808-1234
support@vmoney.com
WHOLE PET KITCHEN:

PET DELI & BARK-ERY
wholepetkitchen.com
(02) 357-2753; 0917-8488857
bark@wholepetkitchen.com
YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS
SOCIETY PHILIPPINES
yesphilippines.org
0917-3464126
ZAP
zap.com.ph
(02) 866-5836; (02) 730-2059
info@zap.com.ph
Q PROVISIONS
qprovisions.com
(02) 706-1668; 0922-8948509
q.bistro@gmail.com
Note: Care was taken to get the right

contact information; any mistake is
unintended.
PHOTOS BY HEDI AQUENDE AND COURTESY OF KNITTING EXPEDITION AND THEO & PHILO
COMPANY DIRECTORY
L. ANGELES
MACHINERIES CORP.
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
FRANCHISE DIRECTORY
FOOD
RETAIL
Coffee shop
bialetticaffe.org
0917-8081255; 0922-8965581
Total cost: P1.8M to P2.5M for
expanded kiosks, P3.5M for full stores
Total franchises/co.-owned: 8/0
inquiry@bialetticaffe.org
Fragrance kiosk
aciona
ado.com.ph
(02) 740-0000;
40-0000; (02) 411-5455
Total cost: P465K
franchisegroup@acionado.com.ph
GAMOT PUBLIKO
Drugstore
gamotpubliko.com
(02) 723-8142; (02) 727-3869
Total cost: P500K-P600K
spl@gamotpubliko.com
FONDUE FACTORY CAF

Chocolate fondue
fonduefactorycafe.com
(02) 531-3008; (02) 274-6363
Total cost: P380K for cart package,
P580K for counter package
franchising@fonduefactorycafe.com
OCTOBOY
Takoyaki and other Japanese
street food
octoboy.wix.com/octoboy
(02) 359-2881; (02) 216-6568
coctoboy@yahoo.com
K2 DRUG
Drugstore
k2drug.com
(02) 708-5299; (02) 913-7271
Total cost: P980K
k2drug@yahoo.com
PLAINS AND PRINTS

Ladies apparel
plainsandprints.com
(02) 372-6190 to 92, loc. 117
Total cost: P2.7M-P3.2M
franchise@plainsandprints.com
Water relling station

crystalclear.com.ph
(02) 975-6623
Total cost: P500K
solerex@solerex.com.ph
CHEF IT UP!
Cooking classes and parties for
children and adults
chetupkids.com
Total cost: $10.4K-$54.8K
ENVIE FITNESS
CUT & FIX

Hair salon
cutandxinternational.com
(02) 445-5994; 0936-6949977
Total cost: P1.8M
cutandxsalon@gmail.com
Skin care center

awless.com.ph
(02) 586-6807
Total cost: P5M-P6M
raymond.diyco@nafranchising.com
Womens tness studio

enviefranchise.com
FRESH HEALTHY VENDING

Snack and beverage
vending machines
freshvending.com
MICROTEL INNS & SUITES

Hotel
microtelphilippines.com
(02) 870-0303
Total cost: P2.5M/room
franchise@microtel.ph
NETOPIA
Internet caf
netopia.ph
(02) 638-6742; (02) 638-0618
Total cost: P2.6M for a branch
with 30 computers
franchise@netopia.ph
OH MY LASH
Eyelash extension
ohmylashsalon.com
(02) 912-2946; (02) 912-2973
Total cost: P450K
ohmylash@yahoo.com.ph
REDBUCKS COFFEE SHAKES

Coffee shakes
redbuckscoffeeshakes.com
(044) 931-7893
redbuckscoffeeshakes@gmail.com
CRYSTAL CLEAR
FLAWLESS
FERINOS BIBINGKA
Rice cakes and coffee
ferinosbibingka.com.ph
(02) 216-1028; 0917-8313477
Total cost: P385K
ferinos_bibingka1938@yahoo.com
SERVICES
HUNGRY HOWIES
Pizzas and subs
hungryhowies.com
Total cost: $228K-$432.5K
VAPOR SHARK
Electronic cigarettes and
related products
vaporshark.com
WINE AND DESIGN

Paint-and-sip studio
wineanddesignus.com
Total cost: $35.8K-$83K
TOBYS SPORTS
Sports merchandise
tobys.com
(02) 651-7777; (02) 651-7753
Total cost: P3M-P5M
al.regalado@tobys.com;
tobysfranchising@tobys.com
Note: Investment costs indicated here might be different from actual investment
costs due to various reasons (ongoing promotions, adjustments, conversion
rates, etc.). The inclusion of any company in this list is not an endorsement;
please get in touch with the companies concerned to make a sound decision
about starting a franchise business.
87
PHOTOS FROM FREEIMAGES.COM
Intimate apparel
bench.com.ph
(02) 777-7888 loc. 173
Total cost: P4.5M-P5M
franchise@benchtm.com
Shawarma
facebook.com/EnzosShawarma
(02) 585-7039; 0917-8336967
Total cost: P300K
enzoshawarma@gmail.com
Nonmedical home care

actikare.com
AFICIONADO
BENCH BODY
ENZOS SHAWARMA
ACTI-KARE
BIALETTI CAFFE
INTERNATIONAL
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
SEMINARS &
WORKSHOPS
June 4-5
PACKAGING AND LABELING FOR

PROCESSED FOOD
Improve your products packaging.
Venue: Philippine Trade Training
Center Building, Sen. Gil J. Puyat Ave.
corner Roxas Blvd., Pasay City 1300
Contact: The Philippine Trade
Training Center; (02) 468-8969;
elizabethsalcedo@yahoo.com;
pttc.gov.ph
June 4-5
FACILITIES PLANNING
Understand the different
approaches in designing facilities.
Contact: The Philippine Trade Training
Center; (02) 468-8969; (02) 468-8990;
lenragamat@gmail.com; pttc.gov.ph
June 6
MANAGING AND CONTROLLING

YOUR BUSINESS IN ABSENTIA
Establish internal controls to
better manage your business remotely.
Venue: Unit 626 Tower A, BSA Twin
Towers, Bank Drive, Ortigas Center,
Pasig City 1605
Contact: Day 8 Business Academy;
(02) 722-2318; 0917-5673298;
info@day8.org; day8.org
June 10-11
AWARENESS ON HAZARD
ANALYSIS AND CRITICAL
CONTROL POINTS
Know the hazards in the food
production process.
elizabethsalcedo@yahoo.com;
pttc.gov.ph
June 11
HOW TO STRUCTURE AND

COMPUTE SALARIES, WAGES,
AND BENEFITS WITH THE NEW
TAX RULES
Address both labor and tax concerns
in employee benets administration.
Venue: EDSA Shangri-La Hotel,
1 Garden Way, Ortigas Center,
Mandaluyong City 1650
Contact: Center for Global Best
Practices; (02) 556-8968;
(032) 512-3106; ivana@cgbp.org;
cgbp.org
88
June 24
June 5-7
HANDLING PROBLEM EMPLOYEES
ENTREPRENEUR
AND FRANCHISE EXPO
Read and interpret nancial

statements correctly.
Venue: EDSA Shangri-La Hotel,
1 Garden Way, Ortigas Center,
Mandaluyong City 1650
Contact: Center for Global Best
Practices; (02) 556-8968; (032)
512-3106; anna@cgbp.org; cgbp.org
Learn how to handle problem

employees professionally.
Venue: The Heritage Hotel Manila,
Roxas Blvd. corner Epifanio Delos
Santos Ave., Pasay City 1300
Contact: Harry Pound Consultants
Inc.; (02) 523-5394; optimum@
harrypound.com; harrypound.com
June 24-25
An expo promoting entrepreneurship

and franchise businesses.
Venue: SM Megatrade Hall,
SM Megamall, EDSA corner
J. Vargas Ave., Mandaluyong
City 1860
Contact: MediaCom Solutions, Inc.;
(02) 509-4792; 0927-3951575;
info@mediacom.ph; elvis@efe.ph; efe.ph
LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT
June 20
KEY ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT

FOR SMEs
Learn how to sell to key accounts
based on value rather than price.
Pasig City 1605
(02) 722-2318; 0917-5673298;
info@day8.org; day8.org
June 20
CHOOSING YOUR CHANNEL

Find and develop the right marketing
channels for competitive advantage.
Pasig City 1605
(02) 722-2318; 0917-5673298;
info@day8.org; lou@day8.org; day8.org
Maximize the benets of logistics.

evagancheta@gmail.com; pttc.gov.ph
June 26
TAX AND ESTATE TAX PLANNING

Plan ahead to minimize tax
complications.
Venue: Astoria Plaza, 15 J. Escriva
Drive, Ortigas Center, Pasig City 1600
Contact: Ariva Events Management;
(02) 890-9651; (02) 895-9527;
successseminars@ariva.com.ph;
ariva.com.ph
EXPOS &
TRADE FAIRS
June 3-4
June 23
MAXIMIZING SAVINGS AND

EFFECTIVENESS THROUGH
LOGISTICS
POWER & ELECTRICITY WORLD

PHILIPPINES
Learn the basics of logistics planning.

Pasig City 1605
(02) 722-2318; 0917-5673298;
info@day8.org; lou@day8.org; day8.org
A showcase for the latest fuel

and energy products, services,
and solutions.
Venue: SMX Convention Center,
Seashell Lane, Mall of Asia Complex,
Pasay City 1300
Contact: Terrapinn Pte. Limited;
andre.laury@terrapinn.com;
terrapinn.com
June 23
June 3-4
EXPORT COSTING AND PRICING

WITH EXPORT PROCEDURES FOR
PROCESSED FOOD
THE SOLAR SHOW

PHILIPPINES
Learn how to price your processed

food products for export.
Training Center; (02) 468-8969; (02)
468-8990; evagancheta@gmail.com;
pttc.gov.ph
An expo on the latest in the solar

power industry.
Pasay City 1300
Contact: Terrapinn Pte Limited;
andre.laury@terrapinn.com;
terrapinn.com
June 4-6
PHILCONSTRUCT VISAYAS
June 23
MANAGE AND CONTROL YOUR

INVENTORIES
Learn the basics of inventory
management.
Pasig City 1605
(02) 722-2318; info@day8.org;
day8.org
An annual showcase of
construction equipment,
building materials, and interior
and exterior products in the Visayas.
Venue: Waterfront Cebu City
Hotel & Casino, Salinas Drive,
Lahug, Cebu City 6000
Contact: Global-Link MP Events
International Inc.; (02) 893-7973;
(02) 832-9332; info@globallinkmp.com;
globallinkmp.com
June 10-14
FRANCHISE ASIA
Asias biggest franchise event.
Pasay City 1300
Contact: Philippine Franchise
Association; (02) 687-0365 to 67;
franchiseexpo@pfa.org.ph;
franchiseasiaphl2015.com.ph;
pfa.org.ph
June 20-21
THE PHILIPPINE
WEDDING SUMMIT
A midyear showcase of products
and services from the wedding
and bridal industry.
SM Mall of Asia Complex,
Seashell Drive, Pasay City 1300
Contact: Themes and Motifs,
The Special Events Co.;
(02) 818-9794; (02) 613-2368;
exhibits@themesnmotifs.com;
themesnmotifs.com
June 23-24
LIVESTOCK PHILIPPINES
An exhibition of products
and services dedicated to
the livestock industry.
Pasay City 1300
Contact: UBM Exhibitions
Philippines Inc.; (02) 551-7803;
(02) 551-7391; livestockphil@ubm.
com; livestockphilippines.com
June 25-27
WOFEX MINDANAO
A showcase of supply solutions
for the food and beverage industry
in Mindanao.
Venue: SMX Davao Convention
and Trade Center, SM Lanang,
Davao City 8000
Contact: Premier Events
Plus Group Inc.; (02) 929-7993;
info@pepgroup.com; wofex.com
Note: The information on this page is

correct as of press time. Please get
in touch with the event organizers in
order to conrm the event details.
EVENTS
June 18-19
HOW TO REALLY READ FINANCIAL

STATEMENTS FOR BOARD
DIRECTORS & DECISION MAKERS
A DV E R TIS IN G F E ATUR E
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
More franchise opportunities are headed your way with 7-Eleven, Aneo, and Siomai King, while
RK Franchise gives you the tools for whatever trade youre in. Dont skip out on these reliable
business resources in our spotlight this month.
AFFORDABLE
PROFESSIONAL
FRANCHISE
DEVELOPMENT
AT EASY
PAYMENT
TERMS
BUSINESS CLASSIFIEDS
J O I N T H E W O R L D ' S # 1 R E S TAU R A N T C H A I N *
44,600*
in 110 countries
ASIA COUNT
43,129
37,000
37,0000
YEAR
40 885
40,885
2013
34,500
32,187
30,448
28,610
26,876
*projected growth
24,912
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2012
# OF
STORES
2014* 2117*
2013
2014
2015
1898
2012
1591
2011
1241
2010
957
2009
780
2008
670
2007
551
2006
448
2005
352
*As of 6 January 2015
*SUBWAY is the #1 restaurant chain in total restaurant count with more locations than any other chain in the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) industry.
Know more about franchising

a SUBWAY restaurant.
Write to info@substogo.ph or call 843-6057.

2015 Doctors Associates Inc. Subway is a registered trademark of Doctors Associates Inc.
TO ADVERTISE, PLEASE CALL

(02) 451-8888 loc.1012
HOUSE AD
CARMAELA B. ALCANTARA
OF CRYSTAL SEAS
PEOPLE
WILL
PROFIT
Money is not the only solution

to the problem of poverty. Its also
about expanding your knowledge.
92
hanks to Crystal Seas,

a Davao-based enterprise
that promotes hand-woven
and handcrafted products
from Mindanao, artisans from
indigenous communities in
the region now have livelihood.
Crystal Seas designer
Carmaela B. Alcantaraoften in
collaboration with government
ofces, design centers, and
textile institutesworks directly
with tribal weavers to improve
their craft. We give assistance
in additional skills training,
in product design, and new
advancements in technology
[and] help them become more
efcient, she says.
Crystal Seas ensures
indigenous textiles are converted
into quality products sold in
specialty stores and trade exhibits
here and abroad. Theyve worked
with the Bagobo, Mandaya,
Maguindanao, Manobo (including
the Matigsalug), Tboli, and the
Tausug tribes. I sat at their looms,
[and told them] you have to do it
this wayshow and tell talaga,
she adds.
Crystal Seas pays more than
the middlemansometimes
double the going rate per meter
of cloth. The additional income
is welcome in places where the
women become the breadwinners
because their husbands are
caught up in armed conict.
Their recourse is to become
domestic workers abroad
we want them to be productive
where they are, Alcantara says.
At Crystal Seas Davao
workshop, they also work with
20 housewives, high school
graduates, and out-of-school
youth. Since November, these
workers have been given
bridging education classes in
English, Science, and Math to
make them more comfortable
with returning to school. The
goal is to build condence in
them...that they can still do it,
says Alcantara.
Crystal Seas has also started
The Field Trip Project, which
will fund eld trips for public
school students using proceeds
from their new line of casual
bags. Field trips broaden your
understanding of the world,
and also increase your options,
she says. Money is not the
only solution to the problem of
poverty. Its also about expanding
your knowledge. Johanna Poblete
PHOTO BY JONATHAN BALDONADO
I N S P I R AT I O N

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e hardly ever talk about ourselves, but

outside the U.S. Passion was always built

KRISTINE . FONACIER @ SUMMITMEDIA . COM . PH

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TONI ANTIPORDA EDITORI A L A SSI STA NT

JUNE 2015 Entrepreneur Philippines

SELLING, AND GAMING, ONLINE

Hi, I have an online shop selling band shirts and

A new incubator, innovation hub,

Hi sir! Any tips on operating an e-games [establishment]?

will be best to rst invest your capital to do an

Dr. Alejandrino Andy Ferreria

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