Top 10 Most Successful Entrepreneurs

If there's a fairy tale story in the business arena, these people are going to make the best primary
characters and their book is a guaranteed best seller. Stories of how small they started and how they
struggled to carve their names atop the business field are just as inspiring as they are noteworthy.
Lolita Hizon (Pampanga's Best)
With over 39 years of making the best tocino and other meat products in the country, Pampanga's
Best continues to be the country's top household brands. Lolita's tocino empire started as a cottage
industry in Pampanga which soon became a 9.5-hectare processing plant and is now considered one
of the country's finest businesses.
Cecilio Pedro (Hapee Toothpaste)
Being the first Filipino to make a world-class toothpaste brand and because of his unselfish support to
the community, Cecilio Pedro is now considered one of the country's best entrepreneurs. His
business ingenuity has given the country a fresh alternative to what was originally purely
multinational.
Alfredo Yao (Zest-O)
Every FIlipino child has enjoyed the thirst-quenching effects of a juice drink in tetra pack that this
businessman introduced in 1980. Being interested in the packaging business, he realized the
potential of doy packs in the juice industry, one thing other juice companies failed to see. Zest-O
Corporation is now exporting products around the world.
Socorro Ramos (National Bookstore)
The country's premier bookstore started from a small barong-barong that the Ramos family had
shortly after the Japanese occupation in Manila. Since then, Socorro Ramos and her husband Jose
Ramos worked their way to building store after store until their bookstore became a national icon,
thus the National Bookstore.
David Consunji (DMCI Construction firm)
He is Chairman of the Board of the countrys largest construction services company dealing with
concrete products and electrical works. DMCI Holdings, Inc. is also engaged in the construction,
operation and investment of power plants.
John Gokongwei Jr. (JG Summit Holdings)
With a net worth amounting $680 million in 2008, one can only speculate how disciplined and goaloriented this businessman is. His holdings stretch from financial services, petrochemicals, aviation
(Cebu Pacific Air), telecommunications (Digital Communications Philippines), hog farming and food
(Universal Robina Corporation), and real property (Robinsons Land). Tony Tan Caktiong
(Jollibee)
It was in 1975 that Tony and his brothers started an ice cream parlor that later grew to be the
countrys largest fastfood chain Jollibee
Manny Villar (C&P Homes)
His is the classic story of a poor Tondo-boy-turned-millionaire through hard work and perseverance.
With just P10,000 as capital and an unimaginable amount of willpower, he started a small trucking
business which later blossomed into a large-scale real property asset.
Andrew Tan (Megaworld Corp.)
Finance Asia named Megaworld Corporation as the Best-Managed Company in the Philippines back
in 2006, thanks to the superb leadership of Andrew Tan. He also owns the Emperador Distillers
Incorporation and Golden Arches Development Corp.
Henry Sy (SM Prime Holdings)
The countrys richest man in 2008 with a net worth of $1.4 billion also owns the worlds sixth largest
mall the SM Mall of Asia. He is also the owner of the countrys top banks Banco de Oro and China
Banking Corporation.

1. Achievement Cluster
Opportunity seeking
This refers to the quality that enables the entrepreneur to see and act upon new business
opportunities even in situations where other people see nothing but problems/hopelessness only.
It also encourages him/her to seize unusual opportunities for obtaining the necessary resources
such as financing, equipment, land, workspace, technical assistance, etc, which will enable
him/her to implement his/her business ideas.
Commitment to the work contract-This is the ability to accept final responsibility for
completing a job for the customers. Customers expect entrepreneurs to perform and honour
their commitments. It follows therefore that the entrepreneur should do everything possible to
ensure that he/she fulfils the commitment with his/her customers. It means joining the workers
to work with them to ensure that contractual commitments are fulfilled, the entrepreneur will do
it.
Persistence-This is the quality, which enables the entrepreneurs to develop determination to
have a thorough job done at any cost in terms of personal sacrifice. By doing this, the
entrepreneur remains working towards the achievement of his/her set goals.
Risk taking-Entrepreneurs are people who prefer taking moderate risks. Before they commit
themselves and their resources, they assess the risks that are associated with a business
opportunity that they have selected, and their ability to manage them, the benefits that they will
realise and the challenges that they will face from the venture to be undertaken.Entrepreneurs
can earn profits as a result of taking risks and the higher the risks, the higher the profits.
However, entrepreneurs will always prefer to take on those risks that they can manage.
Demand for efficiency and quality-This is the quality that enables an entrepreneur to do
things that meet or surpass existing standards of excellence or improve on performance by
striving to do things faster, better and cheaply. By doing this, the entrepreneur remains ahead of
others, makes more profits and retains a growing market share.
Planning Cluster-The planning cluster is made up of the following characteristics:
Goal setting-This refers to the ability of an entrepreneur to set clear and specific goals and
objectives. These goals and objectives are normally high and challenging but at the same time,
realistic and can be attained, given the resources that one has got at his/her disposal.
Information seeking-This is having the urge to look for the required information in order to
make an informed decision, for example, selecting, starting and successfully managing the
desired business. This calls for the concerned person to personally seek and obtain information
regarding customers, suppliers, competitors as well as any other relevant information that is
required to enable the entrepreneur make decisions and improve knowledge on his/her business.
Systematic planning and monitoring-This is the ability to develop plans that will be used in
monitoring and evaluating the progress of the business. This helps the entrepreneur to carefully
monitor his/her business actual performance against desired performance and turn to other
alternatives whenever the need arises; so as to achieve his/her set goals.
3. Power Cluster
Persuasion and networking-This is the ability to link, convince and influence other individuals,
agencies and other groups in order to maintain business contacts at a high level. This will help or
work for the cause of the business in a positive manner to accomplish own objectives.
Self-confidence-This refers to having a strong belief or confidence in oneself and the ability to
complete a difficult task or meet a challenge.