April 2008 Archives

UPDATE: Editor's note: Added video taken by INQUIRER.net business editor Ma. Salve Duplito. (From left to right, Marvin Natores, Meme Natores, Allan Cruz and Willy Arcilla) Most newbie entrepreneurs rack their brains trying to think of ways to sell more. Marvin and Melani Natores wonder how they can keep up with surging demand for their products and are even struggling with the basic question: “Are we ready to grow the business? Are we ready for wealth? Is it possible to be rich and happy?” Nuts? Foolish? Crazy? Who wouldn’t want to be in their shoes, huh? Believe it or not, it’s a serious matter on their part. They have received queries on franchising, been booked for events outside Metro Manila, toying with other novel product ideas and are wondering whether to consider advertising. But they still come back to that question on whether they are ready to expand. Business mentor Willy Arcilla attacks the issue with sensitivity and understanding. He reminded them that competition comes naturally with business growth and they have to be ready for it. Operations and logistics become more complicated. Finding time to be with family becomes a constant struggle when business keeps you occupied and pre-occupied. There’s also the issue of putting in more money. Expansion without careful thought can be counter-productive. “You have to calibrate your own vision. Are you happy with being a P50-million company or do you want to be the next Hallmark?” says Willy. Konsepto, the company they built only four years ago, makes unique souvenirs for events like weddings, graduations, parties and even corporate events. Fotoloco, their biggest brand, is like a portable photo booth that prints out quality pictures with customized backgrounds all within 10 seconds. Impatient guests get a kick out of the booth and hardly grumble at the delayed bridal entourage and corporate people find it unique and exciting. From just one booth, Konsepto now has four and the husband-and-wife team hasn’t run out of ideas. And yet, like many small businesses, they still don’t have a vision or mission statement. Does it really matter? Aren’t these only meant as impressive decorations in corporate buildings? ? What does a corny mission/vision statement that have to do with growth? Everything, Willy says.

“A vision is good because it’s your guiding star. You will be facing difficulties, competition, employees who run away and steal money and many problems as your business grows. It’s your vision that will keep you focused on your passion” Willy says.

The couple has agreed that their mission statement is to make people happy. How they do that can be communicated through their vision. A vision statement is not static and should be changed as the business flow expands or contracts. It doesn’t have to be specific. It merely has to be big and bold, Willy says.

“You have to have a dream. Think about your customers; do something for them,” Willy advises.

It all takes a lot of self-searching. Knowing yourself and your product, differentiating yourself from your competitors, finding your core competence – all of the things that matter in creating a strategy that fit business owners like a glove. Such soul searching may also help the Natores couple figure out whether they are ready for the dizzying growth their company is facing and how they are going to deal with it. At the second business mentoring session, Willy assured Marvin that growing both rich and happy is possible -- and finding the right rhythm and balance between the growing business and family is part of it. For the coming month, here are the Natores couple’s homework: 1. Finalize a mission/vision statement 2. Write a business plan 3. Consult lawyers 4. Know more about competitors 5. Working on Willy’s suggestions for product development and marketing strategies (confidential) What are your suggestions for the couple? What are your questions for Willy? (Business Mentoring is a one-year project by Open For Business of INQUIRER.net. Eight businesses that have been chosen by a panel and readers’ votes 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.)

NEAR THE FAR end of Tomas Morato Avenue in Quezon City, a new restaurant has been quietly luring diners these past seven months with its authentic Asian cuisine. This is Nasi Lemak, a small cozy restaurant just across the big McDonald’s outlet with French fries on its roof. There’s a queue at lunch and dinner on weekends, and during weekdays at peak hours, the restaurant gets almost full too. And it’s all due to word of mouth, as satisfied customers rave about the tasty dishes, mostly Singaporean, at reasonable prices. Restaurant consultant H.K. Tan, a Singaporean, says they are very particular about the quality of the food they serve, to the point of being paranoid. “We import ingredients to be assured of consistent quality,” he says. They also don’t scrimp on the ingredients to be used in the dishes so as to give customers the real deal. But it’s a true blue Filipina, Cora Lelina, who owns the business with her family. Cora worked in Singapore for 20 years as personal assistant to a paper industry executive. In the course of her work, she would travel to many countries with her boss, exposing her to a lot of cuisine. Since she was based in Singapore, Cora developed a taste for Asian food, and can cook it well. In the end, when her boss passed away last year, Cora decided to come back home to the Philippines. “I have been abroad for half of my life. I went back here to try life here,” she says. And since she has long planned to have a business, Cora invested in the food business in the Philippines upon the advice of her longtime friend, H.K. Tan. Tan has been coming to the Philippines for business for the past 10 to 15 years. He noted that there are many Spanish and Italian restaurants here already. As for Chinese restaurants, most of them use vetsin which isn’t really healthy. This is why he advised Cora to go for Singaporean food, and offer other Asian dishes as well, without MSG of course. Popular items on the menu includes Kueh Pai Ti, a sort of fried lumpia with lettuce, turnip, carrots, and prawn on top to be popped in whole in the mouth. There’s Hainanese Chicken, a favorite in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong; the lightly spicy Malaysian Sambal Fish, which is crispy outside and tender inside; Japanese Tofu Sautéed with Prawns; Singapore Laksa, a noodle dish with spicy coconut gravy which you can have with either prawns or chicken; and Stir-Fried Kang Kong with Blachan, among others. Of course, there’s Nasi Lemak, a dish like our binalot, which is rice cooked with pandan and coconut cream. The Onde Onde dessert is like our pichi pichi but with a filling consisting of palm tree nectar. “We didn’t expect this kind of success,” Tan says. It’s Cora’s first business venture. But they’re handling it well, putting a premium on customer service. Tan takes the time to train the chefs and educate customers on the dishes and how best to eat them. They also offer delivery service. And there’s free wifi too. This early, they’re already looking at opening branches in other locations. (All photos courtesy of Nasi Lemak)

A FEW nights ago, I was busy filling out my income tax return, which is due tomorrow, April 15. My son was asking me how much I have to pay, and why I even need to pay when the government isn’t using the money well. You see, my son, who’ll be 13 soon, is very much aware of what's happening in the country, and knows about the ZTE-NBN scandal, the Piatco fiasco, and all the other events occurring on the political front. So why pay taxes when there is much corruption? I have heard this line before. Someone indeed asked me a few years back why we have to pay the right taxes when it will just be misused anyway. Well, what would happen if we don’t pay the right taxes? The teachers in public schools may not even get their meager salaries at all. Patients in government hospitals may not find one doctor or nurse to attend to them. The potholes in the roads may get big enough for cars to fall into. Traffic lights may get busted and not replaced, or worse, there won’t be any more policemen to direct traffic. Senior citizens in places like Golden Acres may have no more place to run to. Some two thousand years ago, some men also asked Jesus, “Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” The Lord asked for a coin, showed them whose face was on it, then said, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” (Matthew 22: 17, 21). So, do your duty and pay the right taxes. What happens to the taxes after we’ve remitted it is up to the government; the leaders will be held accountable for that.

“WELCOME to TriNoma!" Every time I park at this mall’s North Avenue parking building, I am greeted with a sweet smile from the lady issuing the parking ticket and the two security guards inspecting my car. They don’t know me personally, but they smile just the same, and I can’t help smiling back. In his column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer today, historian Ambeth Ocampo said greetings are also given at the Rockwell and Ayala Malls parking booths. See, niceties like these do not go unnoticed. A year ago, my family scheduled a late lunch at Greek restaurant Cyma at Shangri-La Plaza. The place was packed, and there was a long wait for a table, and for orders to arrive. But to this day, I still remember the heavyset male server who had his hair pulled back in a pony tail. He had a genuine smile on his face and apologized sincerely for the long wait as he brought in our orders. I think because of this, none of us got mad; we did enjoy the meal. This was in stark contrast to an experience I had at a deli in Ortigas Center also a year or so ago (yes, not only do I remember good service; I can’t forget bad service too). The girl at the counter got my order, and I paid the cashier. Thirty minutes later, my order still hadn’t arrived, and so I complained in a low tone to the girl at the counter. She just made a wan smile and worked on my order. When she brought my sandwich to my table, she didn’t say anything. I asked in a mild manner, “Would you like to say sorry?” Only then did she apologize. I was appalled at how I still had to draw this out from her, and so I asked for the manager and told her quietly what happened. The manager immediately apologized right then and there. Delays may be inevitable in a busy kitchen, but restaurants win plus points and loyal customers with good sincere service -- with apologies offered at the right moment. This holds true for all other service companies too. In fact, the way to a customer’s heart is through good service. And a satisfied customer will remember this for a long time.

I RECENTLY came across a report on CNN about personal paparazzi you can hire for a day (or night). Yes, for about $1,500 a day, you can have a pack of paparazzi trailing you from your home to a restaurant to several clubs, snapping away every second and calling your name so you can look at the camera for yet another (expensive) click. So far, the service is offered in the US and Britain, but who knows -- this may click soon in Asia. Really now, if there are people dying to get to the society pages around here, then there’s a market for this service. Clearly, the personal paparazzi business is one crazy business idea that has worked. And there are a lot more crazy business ideas that have brought in the cash for its owners. In Tokyo, for instance, the pet columbary business is thriving. While on vacation there last year, we went to one such building housing about seven floors containing vaults bearing pets’ cremated ashes. There are even extra services offered: Before cremation is done, you can ask them to save a tooth for you and they can turn it into a pendant you can keep forever. Also in Tokyo, there’s a hot spring resort for dogs right beside the ones for people. You bring your dog there, he gets to swim in a lap pool (with hot water), then gets the pampering of his life. Then there are the topless flip-flops such as those made by Nude Sandals of the UK. The idea of wearing your tsinelas without the straps seems weird indeed -- your feet stick to the slipper with some kind of glue. But the reviews have been great. In fact, a Filipino company is now bringing this in. I also recently passed by Amazing Cones in New Manila, Quezon City, which serve pizza in a cone. How does pepperoni pizza sound like to you eaten from a cone? Cool, huh? Speaking of pizza, have you tried sisig pizza from Greenwich? Bloggers have been giving it the thumbs up. So if you have a far out, super crazy business idea, don’t be afraid to explore it further. Fifty years ago, the idea of a computer that would fit in a brown envelope you can carry around was unthinkable. And look now, there’s MacBook Air.

“FAMILIARITY breeds contempt,” so goes the well-known proverb. To some married couples, this holds true so they make sure they're out of each other's hair during the day -- the husband off to work, and the wife off to her own job or home duties. But then there are those couples who somehow make their relationship work even in the workplace. Take marketing guru and popular author Josiah Go, chairman and chief marketing strategist of Mansmith and Fielders Inc., and his wife Chiqui Escareal-Go, president and chief sales strategist of the same organization. At Thursday's Women to Women Mentoring Conference organized by the Women's Business Council at the Philippine Trade Training Center, the couple revealed that not only do they have a good marriage; they have a good working relationship as well. How do they do it? The Gos tell us their secrets: 1. Shared responsibility. From the start, it was clear to both of them what they had to do. "I provide. She takes care of the kids and home. I let her; she lets me," said Josiah. For the first 10 years of their married life, Chiqui stayed home to care for their twins. Josiah, on the other hand, worked hard and really worked hard, sometimes up to 12 to 18 hours a day. "I was so into my kids; he was so into his work. We knew our roles in the relationship from the start. We were partners," said Chiqui. 2. Shared power. When the kids were 10 years old and could be left with a nanny, Chiqui joined Josiah's company. Working for Josiah, Chiqui says she got to understand Josiah better, which made their relationship even better. "I learned to work with, not for Josiah," says Chiqui. Josiah, on the other hand, didn't lord it over Chiqui, adjusting by talking to her differently at work than he would with his staff. After all, she is his wife. 3. Common vision. The couple revealed they do have arguments. After all, they're both stubborn, hard-headed, type A people. But these arguments are tempered with logic and love. "We are willing to talk and apologize," they said. That's because they had a common vision. 4. Common joys. "We share joys -- about the work we love and the people we love," the Gos said. "And because we have love in everything we do, God takes care of the rest." Is harmony possible at home and in the workplace? Obviously, yes. But should there be conflict, Josiah's advice goes: "Between business and relationship, save the relationship." Now that's a man who knows his priorities.

UPDATE: Editor's note: Added video taken by INQUIRER.net business editor Ma. Salve Duplito. Attention to detail, ability to multi-task, tendency to think hard – many times – before taking a big leap, and that thing called women’s intuition. These things have allowed Filipinas for many decades to excel in entrepreneurship. With the changes of the times, women have become more outspoken, assertive and confident. They are more vocal and visible, proving all the more that in the coming years more and more women will be entering the world of business. The Good News Kapihan yesterday in Makati City was bustling with women power. The speakers themselves were the statement. In this video, Elizabeth Lee (left), executive vice president of Universal Motors Corp. and president of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, and Ma. Aurora Geotina-Garcia, chairman and president of CibaCapital, explain why more women are going into and becoming successful in entrepreneurship. (BootsGeotina-Garcia and Anj Decena) There was Ma. Aurora Geotina-Garcia, former top SGV “honcho” (in quotes because the word sounds so much like “macho”!) who is now president of Women’s Business Council and holds the title chairman and president of CIBACapital Philippines, Inc. The other speakers were Elizabeth Lee, president of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. and executive vice-president of Universal Motors (and you thought trucks and engines are guy things?), and Anj Decena, glowing in her motherly role, but tough as a businesswoman. Anj started Hotshots (flame-grilled burgers, not KFC) but more importantly has a group called Network For Enterprising Women. Check out my article ‘Chauvinism has been broken’ in business – women’s group. Excerpt below:

MANILA, Philippines -- Women in the Philippines are becoming more and more entrenched in business, successfully navigating the world of golf, cigars and big deals, women business leaders said Wednesday. Ma. Aurora Geotina-Garcia, president of the Women’s Business Council, said higher need for double incomes in many Filipino families would pave the way for this trend to continue. “I think the macho chauvinist has been broken,” Garcia said during the Good News Kapihan at Figaro in Makati City. Filipino families are struggling with a worsening job picture and escalating prices, forcing many women to go abroad for better pay. “Now the women does the work and the husband becomes the houseband,” Garcia said. When overseas Filipino workers come home to their families with some savings, a common decision is to set up their own business because local jobs cannot match their overseas income. Pacita Juan, owner of Figaro, a company in a male-dominated industry, pointed out that husbands don’t seem to mind staying home anymore. Elizabeth Lee, president of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc., and executive vice-president of Universal Motors Corp. pointed out that 51 percent of entrepreneurs in the Philippines are women. Read more here.

51 percent. That’s a pretty amazing figure. Many businesses are also started by women and taken over by their husbands when the businesses grow bigger. It appears that women are good in creation and men are good with expansion. And to think universities like the University of Asia and the Pacific initially allowed only men to enroll in their entrepreneurship courses! There are still big hurdles, though. Philippine banks require husbands’ signatures in loan documents. So middle ages, huh? Family demands are high on the list, too. For women entrepreneurs out there who want more inspiration and enlightenment, go to the Philippine Trade Training Center today for a whole-day seminar on Women to Women Mentoring organized by the WBC. Speakers include the Philippine-born, US-based industrialist Loida Nicholas-Lewis, Citibank Countery Business Manager Nina Aguas, PNB chairperson Flor Tarriela, Universal Motor’s Lee, Sun Microsystems Cynthia Mamon, ABS-CBN’s Maria Ressa and many more. See you!

(This post marks the first entry of Karen Galarpe, the new blogger for Open For Business. Karen is the editor of SME Insight, the Inquirer group's magazine for entrepreneurs, and has been a journalist for almost two decades now. She has written extensively on entrepreneurship in many different magazines and books like The Ultimate Guide To Starting Your Own Business and has been a consulting editor of Entrepreneur. Karen is bringing in her extensive experience on writing about entrepreneurship and is a great addition to the INQUIRER.net team. Welcome, Karen! -- Ma. Salve Duplito) SOME years ago, in an interview with Good Housekeeping magazine, Sharon Cuneta advised the GH reader what to do if she had P50,000: Put half of it in a high-yielding account in the bank, place about 10 to 15 percent in a savings or checking account for emergency, then start a small-scale business selling cakes (if the reader loves to bake) with a startup capital of P5,000. Many entrepreneurs started out this way, putting up a business they love with a small capital. And they have found out that the rewards are good -- money will flow in most cases, and they’ll get to do what they love to do. Take my high school batchmate Analyn, for instance. She's good at cooking and so she started selling chicken pastel and baked macaroni from her home on a small capital. Soon she got a small space in Greenhills Theater Mall and the Peach Box business was born. Analyn tells me that among her regular customers are showbiz people, with whom she's now on first name basis. Her business, which she runs with her sister-in-law, Joan, is growing, and now she has other products as well, like kesong puti made from pure carabao milk from the family business, Arce Dairy. My other friend Jun is so high-tech (and I’m so low-tech) that I had to ask him more than once to explain to me what business he got into with his friends. It turns out that they do IT stuff such as making billing software, among other business solutions they provide through their company, Seer Technologies Inc. And time and again he has told me how happy he is to be doing what he loves and doing it for himself -- no more employment in other companies for this fellow. So why be an entrepreneur? It's to do what you love to do. And I found out, through years of covering interesting people in my work as a journalist, that such passion is the one that will spell success in business. Indeed, when you do what you love to do, you excel in it, and in the process, you help enrich other people's lives. The money will just follow. In this blog, Open for Business, we'll be featuring passionate business people and find out how they run their businesses. We’ll follow the travails of the winners in our mentoring contest and see what will happen when they implement mentor Willy Arcilla's tips. We'll talk about entrepreneurs' concerns and what must be done to address them. We'll talk business -- plain and simple. Thanks to Salve for giving me the opportunity to blog here. She has done a wonderful job -- I'm sure you'll agree. Now let's take Open for Business to the next level. Jump in on the discussions!