Jay Domingo and his wife Gina run a branch of Pat’s Flowers & Supplies in Dangwa. The main outlet located in Quiapo was put up by Gina’s grandmother in the early ‘70s. It still exists today.

As the name suggests, Pat’s Flowers & Supplies does more than just provide flowers: They also make available to flower shops the supplies they need, from pots, ribbons, and other tools of the trade.

But five years ago, they started doing retail floral arrangements for consumers. They called this business Flora Grande. Business is brisk on Valentine’s and All Saint’s Day, when sales would be ten times higher than a normal day’s sales. Flora Grande also gets a lot of requests for sympathy floral arrangements, wedding arrangements, and arrangements to decorate stages during school affairs. Jay said they would like to expand the business by putting up a website offering gifts and flowers so OFWs abroad can send these to their relatives in the Philippines. They can even do exports.

There is a lot of competition now for Pat’s Flowers & Supplies in Dangwa, and profit margins have become leaner. Jay and Gina are thus faced with a dilemma: Should they still continue Pat’s Flowers & Supplies in Dangwa? Or should they just close it and focus on Flora Grande?

The thing holding them back is sentimentality. Gina was raised by her grandmother Pat, and so is reluctant to let go of the business. The couple is also reluctant to take that step as they will not be able to absorb the 12 people employed — all old-timers — by Pat’s Flowers & Supplies. Mentor Willy Arcilla sums this up as the couple’s “fear factor — fear of the future.”

How can Jay and Gina address this dilemma? Willy suggests the following:

1. Define your mission and vision. Ask yourself: What do you want to be? A business with P50 million as long as grandma is happy, or a business with P100 million even without grandma’s business?
2. Make a business plan. Putting it on paper will force you to think. “A business plan is not just for multinationals,” says Willy. Study the cost benefit of keeping or letting go of one business.
3. Find out how you can differentiate yourself from other vendors in Dangwa. Jay and Gina said the flowers they use for Flora Grande’s arrangements are different from others’. That can already be the company’s competitive edge.
4. Segment the market. Decide whether you want to focus on institutional customers or retail customers, and whether you want to focus on sympathy, romance, or wedding arrangements. Decide which market you want. “You cannot be everything to everybody,” says Willy.
5. Know your consumer. Once you have identified your target market, find out what he/she likes: his/her favorite color and favorite flowers, then prepare arrangements to suit his/her likes.
6. When putting up the website, beat the top competitor. Show the flowers and the benefit one can get from them. “Find the human emotion — it is the highest form of consumer need.” Think of Kodak offering not just photos, but memories.

What would happen if Jay and Gina follow Willy’s recommendations? Abangan!

Editor’s note: Photo courtesy of Jay Domingo

DELILAH GALANG is a retiree with a mission. Having seen how cancer can take away the lives of people dear to her, she has, since 2000, embarked on a personal mission to offer Filipinos an alternative way to treat and care for cancer patients.

This alternative way is the Gerson therapy introduced by the German physician Max Gerson in the 1920s. Gerson therapy is an all-natural non-toxic treatment program using organic foods, juices, coffee enemas, detoxification and natural supplements. Dr. Gerson founded the Gerson Institute based in San Diego, California to spread the word about Gerson therapy and to train caregivers to administer the therapy program.

How she got into Gerson therapy is interesting. Delilah’s nephew was just six years old when he was diagnosed with advanced non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Doctors gave him only a 25-percent chance of survival. He was having chemotherapy every three weeks.

After losing her mother to pancreatic cancer, Delilah didn’t want to lose her nephew to the dreaded disease. And so she researched on the Internet and found out about Gerson therapy. The success rate for treating cancer using Gerson therapy is reportedly 85 percent. The more she read, the more she wanted to learn, and so she enrolled in the practitioners’ intensive training program in San Diego.

She became the only licensed practitioner here in the Philippines. Applying what she has learned on her nephew, the boy got better. After six months of therapy, his blood was cleared of cancer. Today, he is 19 years old and has not been back to the hospital ever since.

If her nephew got well on Gerson therapy, Delilah knew many more people can benefit from the alternative therapy program. And so in 1990 she established the Cancer Council of the Philippines, a charitable organization. The organization has since been providing financial support to indigent patients. Delilah has also been practicing the Gerson therapy program on some patients.

Now here’s what she wants to do: Raise enough funds. These funds will be used to train more people as caregivers of the program. She also wants to get government accreditation for that caregiving training. She also wants to have an office and a wellness center where patients can come and relax. The funds will also be used to build the organization’s website so more people can know about it. Right now, Delilah is Cancer Council’s one-woman team.

9(

But how does one raise funds for a cause when there is donor fatigue? In the Philippines, alternative therapy is also not as well-received by people as traditional medicine.

Mentor Willy Arcilla recommends the following:

1. Raise the level of awareness about Gerson therapy by using mass media: TV, newspapers, and even websites. Doing so will educate people about the benefits of Gerson therapy.
2. Network with other cause-oriented organizations. Some organizations may have needs that Cancer Council of the Philippines may provide, and so a “swap” can be made for funds Cancer Council needs.

The business is laudable, says Willy. Let’s hope things work out in the coming months as Delilah does her homework.

FRANCO MESINA is in an enviable position. At twenty-something, his problem is how to keep up with the success of Icylicious, his snow cone business, and how to sustain the seasonal business of FranzAvian Trading Co. Ltd., which supplies equipment to water refilling stations. Franco has been running his businesses with his girlfriend Abby Sarmiento, and they sat down with mentor Willy Arcilla for advice last March for their first mentoring session.

Because they had space in front of Fountain Cool, the water refilling station in Binondo he put up with his dad, Franco thought of selling something there. Lots of young people pass by on their way to school.

And so Franco and Abby started Icylicious just three months ago. They registered the business with DTI and SEC. They got an electric ice crusher and sourced ready-to-use syrups for the snow cones. To distinguish themselves from other snow cone vendors, Franco and Abby made sure the syrups are delicious and do not leave discoloration in the teeth and mouth. They would sell as much as 1,000 cups of 6-oz. styro cups a day for P15 a cup, so the profits are coming in swiftly. Franco foresees the return on investment to happen in five to six months’ time.

Now people have been making inquiries about franchising. One person who inquired said that one obstacle facing them is their company background. “They’re asking, ‘Who are you? What’s your background?’” shares Franco.

Is this a good time to franchise? It seems a good time. Willy says, “Milk the market before competitors come in.” But Willy is also cautioning the two that there’s a possibility of Icylicious becoming an instant hit like Zagu. The market then became quickly saturated due to the low cost of entry.

Here’s Willy’s advice:
1. Think of how to differentiate Icylicious from competitors. Look for the unique selling point.
2. Protect the patent.
3. Touch base with franchising organizations.
4. Don’t be sentimental. If the business loses its luster later on due to mushrooming of competitors, bug out.

FranzAvian’s water refilling equipment/assembly business has more favorable long-term prospects. Today they can put up two to three water refilling stations per month. But Franco says if they can streamline procedures, they can even do one water refilling station per week. They can do different setups, from residential to commercial. The company’s competitive edge is in using bigger filters for tanks, and not artificial filters and cartridges that have to be replaced monthly.

The problem is that this business is seasonal, and there are many water stations already in Binondo — few new ones are being put up. Franco sees the need to market their services more effectively to get more customers.

Because PET bottles are environmentally damaging, Willy blew Franco’s and Abby’s minds when he said, “Why not filter straight from the source? Imagine the campaign: Dump the Plastic Bottle, Save the Planet.” Franco remarked that some have already tried but all failed. Willy responded by quoting Benjamin Franklin: “I have not failed. I have found just 10,000 ways not to do it.”

And so here’s FranzAvian’s homework:
1. Research and get data about the possibility of filtering water sources. Other countries have clean potable drinking water coming out of their faucets so this is attainable.
2. Don’t commit the same mistakes made by home filtration systems.
3. Test water filtered by FranzAvian and document this. Talk to an engineer, a water expert, and a quality testing company.
4. Be clear about your mission. Don’t be opportunistic.

These all sound exciting. Let’s see how FranzAvian and Icylious fare in the coming months.

(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.)

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)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!