These days in the flower business, the scenario is hardly rosy. There’s cutthroat competition for diminishing clients and in Dangwa market, where rows and rows of beautiful fresh flowers can be seen every day, the hunger for buyers can be felt in every corner.
I love the luxury of shopping around for the best prices in Dangwa and making ruthless demands to stall owners to drop their price tags. But during the plenary session of business mentoring recently, I learned that the other side of the fence could be thorny.
How does one business differentiate itself from the next one? Do values still matter in this kind of environment? Jay and Pat Gina (so sorry! my fault) Domingo, owners of Pat’s Floral Supplies, have downsized with much thought and care when others would have forced growth by sheer size. And they have kept their values intact, deciding not to directly compete with the small storeowners who buy flower supplies from them.
But downsizing doesn’t mean sitting back on their butts waiting for manna to fall, Jay says. Jay and Pat Gina, trained in business management and investing, knew that a well-crafted strategy will eventually bring them to where the grass will be greener and the flowers are all a-bloom. They are hoping that being mentored by Open For Business consultant Willy Arcilla will improve their sales and marketing strategies.
Pat Gina remembers what it was like when her grandmother, Pat, was the only one selling flowers in Quiapo back in the 70s. The flower business is deeply woven in her family’s history. No wonder that for the couple, failure is not an option.
Watch the video, and see how Jay and Pat Gina are so passionate about their business. (Click here to watch the video.) These days when marital relationships are stretched in all directions by conflicting goals and clashing values, it was refreshing to see a couple dedicating their life’s work to their four children. Pardon the cliche but if you watch them, you’ll get the sense they are really in this together, through good and bad. (This is the most emotionally charged video in the bunch.)
Vote for Jay and Pat Gina by commenting in this blog post. This week, we will decide who makes it to our Batch 2008 business mentoring activity. Good luck!
(Business Mentoring is a one-year project by Open For Business of INQUIRER.net. We are choosing eight businesses from the ones that applied by email, who will be mentored by Willy Arcilla, regional director of ZMG Signium Ward Howell and president of Business Mentors Inc. Willy is an industrial economist from the UA&P-CRC with a 25 year career in corporate planning, marketing, sales and general management across Asia-Pacific, and is a recipient of the Agora Award for Marketing Excellence. Click here for more information on our business mentoring project.)
March 22nd, 2008 at 6:30 pm
101% vote for the domingo couple!
we’ve known Jay and Gina for years and knew the up and down travails of their flower business while managing family time with their kid’s academic schedules and we know there are so much space for the improvement of their business with the proper support and opportunities.we wish them goodluck and rosy future ahead.
March 21st, 2008 at 10:00 pm
a truly inspiring story… makes me think of leaving my 16yr-corporate life to also become an entrepreneur myself : )
Love you, guys! keep it up!
March 19th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
Here’s a vote for Jay & Gina!
With the short period of time that I spoke to them, I know this couple will surely conquer new heights and will be a BIG factor to the business mentoring group.
More power to you two! And hope to learn more from you guys!
March 19th, 2008 at 11:30 am
Gina Domingo was my officemate in the company i am still connected with. She was in charge of Marketing. I remember her working very hard for all the marketing activities of the Company. She was focused up to the tiny details of our activities from start to finish. She made sure that everything will be perfect when the events happen.
She is a dedicated worker in what ever she does, may it be in business and of course with her family. A full time mom and an event organizer (flower arrangement) is what Gina is all about. When you talk about these two topics, Gina will never run out of stories especially when you couple it up with Starbucks Frapp.
Gina and her husband is perfect for the Business Mentoring activity. They have what it takes to become successful in their business with Mr Arcilla as their mentor. Its in Gina’s blood to bloom forever with her family on her side. Mr Willy Arcilla will never regret choosing the couple for Batch 2008.
Goodluck Gina and Jay!!!
March 19th, 2008 at 5:30 am
I definitely vote for jay and gina. As I looked back from the time they started their business to where they are now I can still see in their eyes the determination to succeed. They always put their heart and soul in everything they do. And what I admire most with this couple is that no matter how big or small trials come their way they always face it head on. They don’t linger too much on the problem but finding solution is what they focus on. A classic example of this was when their home got burn last year followed by problems in the business. You will never feel or hear any single hatred in their hearts. But instead, the incident drew them even closer together as a family and strives harder to be a better people. I believe that they don’t have any secret formula to motivate themselves. Their children are their driving force to succeed. They are both passionate in their business and even if there are times that they have conflicting views in certain things they always know that at the end of the day they are still walking together in achieving towards a common goal.