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Magnum
March 15, 2012 |
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RFM Corporation and Unilever have been joint venture partners for the last 13 years in Unilever-RFM Ice Cream Co. I purchased this company from the Arce family in 1990, when sales were barely 20 million pesos, and I asked my brother John to run the company. During those days, Magnolia was the biggest challenge, owning 90 percent of the market. One had to be crazy to challenge a Goliath.
Our R&D was traveling to America and visiting supermarkets. We brought in Chit Fernandez and the late Ben Makil then from Magnolia and the rest is history. We decided to bring in the world's largest ice cream company, and we felt we had to take Selecta to the next stage. Our 50-50 JV since then has done quite well. This year, we are aiming to hit P8 billion in sales and in the next five years, Selecta aims to more-than-double its size to become a P15 billion-peso company.
Yesterday, Selecta launched the biggest game-changing product: Magnum. It's a super chocolate bar made of Belgian chocolate. It has caught Indonesia by surprise and our prediction is this will be like Cornetto, a huge success. Like a magnum 45 pistol, expect this to explode in the Philippines.
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Good friend Fred Uytengsu surprised us all with the sale of their total interest in Alaska to Dutch firm Royal Friesland Campina (RFC). The first commercial of Alaska that I remember was seeing his brother playing with Cisco Oliver, and that memorable line "Alaska, man."
Fred and Alaska are synonymous. He won the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2007, when he became CEO of the company as his father stepped down. Fred is a competitive person, a triathlete.
I haven't had the chance to ask him why, but I'm sure they have good reasons for selling their stake in Alaska. I had mixed feelings when I sold Cosmos 11 years ago but had to do it because, aside from the price being quite good, the future of the Philippines then seemed hazy with the peso at 54 to a dollar, and one had to deleverage. We wouldn't have had the resources to take Selecta to where it is today had we not done this. People ask me if I regret it; if I had a crystal ball then, we'd maybe always make perfect decisions, but that isn't so. Selecta has indeed become RFM's jewel, not just in terms of market leadership with close to 80 percent of the market, but in making it truly fun to eat ice cream.
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I was invited last week by Doris Magsaysay Ho to attend a forum on helping OFWs with investments and entrepreneurial opportunities. I was asked to present the Go Negosyo story. I shared how and why the advocacy started, which was during a time when poverty and negativity plagued our country; the importance of a change in mindset for progress. This was especially true for those with very limited opportunities, many of whom cannot even finish their education. Some of them become survival entrepreneurs to make ends meet, and Go Negosyo's goal was not only to inspire entrepreneurship, but also to help these microenterprises grow through our seminars and the mentorship of our network of entrepreneurs.
A number of mayors and governors attended the affair, including Gov. Imee Marcos. It was my first time to hear Imee Marcos speak and she's quite impressive as she shared how entrepreneurial and employment opportunities were created through the boom in bed and breakfast hotels and spas for tourists. I was asked if we could bring Go Negosyo to her hometown to help train the hotel staff in raising the standards of service quality. Go Negosyo would be more than willing to tap our network of entrepreneurs in the hospitality industry to mentor and consult on how to make these hotels and spas world-class.
Francisco "Topax" Colayco was also a co-panelist at the forum. While I cited the need for a change in mindset and equipping Filipinos with entrepreneurial know-how, Topax stressed the importance of educating more Filipinos about investing, especially OFWs. Topax, too, agreed in a change in mindset; steering away from too much consumerism, buying things with money one doesn't have, towards creating an investments that would allow one's hard-earned money to grow. He says that the best way really to get rich quick, is to get rich slow.
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Last week, I asked our Women Starpreneurs to share their advice to succeed in business or one's career, for the benefit of those who missed the last Woman Entrepreneurship Summit. Today, we feature Susana Guerrero and Sari Yap.
The winning formula is the same simple recipe for success in any field of endeavor: it's always hard work before success; determination and willingness to learn from failure. At this stage in my career, what gives me the greatest joy is how much I was able to mentor others on how to be successful. – Susana Guerrero, president of Cravings Group of Companies
Women should find their obsession or passion and turn that into their business. I started by just being obsessed with having a magazine. One thing led to another, and now, there's MEGA Publishing Group.
Also, I believe in always hiring people who are better than you. I've been successful because I was surrounded by great people.
Finally, don't be afraid to get out of your comfort zone. In the past 20 years, I've been put through some situations that were challenging. I just pushed on, stayed true to who I am and took a few risks here and there. – Sari Yap, founder and CEO of the MEGA Publishing Group
*****
Watch out for the next PLDT- SME (Success Made Easy) Forum in Oakridge Pavillon in Mandaue, Cebu on March 27 at 3pm. We'll be joining the other PLDT SME Nation Bossings in an interesting dialogue and mentoring sessions with our entrepreneur friends in Cebu. |
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Four years of empowering women
Go Negosyo will be celebrating its seventh anniversary this June, and we have been hosting the Women Entrepreneurship Summit and Expo for four years now. Even on its fourth year, the Women Entrep Summit still is the most attended Go Negosyo event, with thousands staying the whole day to listen to our featured women speakers and entrepreneurs.
Highlights of the event included an empowering speech from keynote speaker Mel Tiangco, one of the most respected news anchors of GMA7; and business and marketing lessons from Dr. Vicki Belo, who shared her company Belo Medical Group's strategies to becoming one of the country's most known and esteemed brands. Former Governor Grace Padaca proved that a handicap is not an impediment to rising to the top, while Myrna Padilla proved that, from her own experience, an OFW domestic worker can become the CEO of her own company. We were also very privileged to have Maria Mercedes Corrales, former regional president of Starbucks Asia-Pacific, to show and share how a Filipina can perform an international CEO function in one of the most known global companies.
Angelpreneur Joy Abaquin lectured on how to harness a woman's innate maternal qualities in a plenary session entitled "Nurturing Children's Strengths," while our other Angelpreneurs Mylene Abiva, Carlo Calimon, Paulo Tibig, Reuel Virtucio and Butz Bartolome, as well as the Women's Business Council of the Philippines and Association of Image Consultants International Philippines, spent the day at our mentoring booths, giving free mentorship sessions to participants.
The forums resulted in a dynamic and insightful session featuring panelists Cynthia Villar, Pinky Poe, Honey Sumndad-Usman, and the Women Starpreneurs in the morning forum; while celebrity entrepreneurs Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan, Vina Morales, Angeli Pangilinan-Valenciano, Fanny Serrano, Miriam Quiambao and Regine Tolentino spoke in the afternoon forum, stressing the importance of time management in shuffling between their businesses and showbiz careers.
Cynthia Villar also sponsored also seminar rooms, providing lectures from real entrepreneurs or business owners on a range of topics: from online selling, to health and beauty, to self-defense.
Our summits have always been both educational and entertaining. GMA7 provided various talents who excited the crowd in between lectures and talks. Go Negosyo entrepreneur and MVP Bossing Vina Morales even provided several song numbers apart from participating in the afternoon forum.
We hope that the participants picked up insights and pointers that they can apply to succeed in life, especially since the summit hosted a large gathering of the country's top women and entrepreneurs. Apart from our speakers, we've also recognized a new batch of Women Starpreneurs, whom we've featured in the Philippine Star the past week. Their stories prove that Filipinos can achieve anything, no matter where you come from. As I've said to the participants at the summit, Filipinos are not destined for poverty, but success is for those who want it the most.
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Teaching Kids About Money
By Maiki Oreta
Kids are in school for years and years learning about English, math, science, history, the arts, etc. from a battalion of teachers, but when it comes down to teaching kids about money, how to handle it, and how to make it grow, we their parents are pretty much all they've got… until they start learning about this on their own – though trial and error.
I think that the sooner they start trying, the sooner they start making their mistakes, the more equipped they'll be as adults to face the greater challenges that come with financial freedom.
To this end, my 6-year old daughter Brielle and I launched The Kiddo-preneur Bazaar – an exercise in entrepreneurship for young minds.
The first of it's kind; it's a place where kids can be entrepreneurs, even for just a day.
The idea in its infancy
The idea for this project came late last year, when Brielle was learning about the peso denominations in school. While helping her with her homework I realized that she wasn't interested in the lesson or about money in general.
Don't get me wrong, she knew that money was important and that she needed it to buy her "so called essentials" (ice-cream, toys, carousel rides, candy) but beyond that, she just didn't give a hoot.
So together, we decided that what she really needed was practical experience; the kind that comes with starting one's own business.
Buckling down to work
Initially, the plan was for a little lemonade stand, something quick, easy to execute and temporary, but things soon took a shape of their own and eventually the business idea mushroomed into something much bigger.
Since we didn't have a venue for this type of business, Brielle and I set one up, not just for her, but also for all the other kids out there that want to try their hand at entrepreneurship early on.
The Kidd-preneur Bazaar #1
Our first foray into this took place last December 4th at The Rockwell Club in Makati. The turnout was astounding and the bazaar was jam-packed from start to finish loaded with hundreds of kid entrepreneurs, their families, and their friends.
It was great to see kids from different age groups setting up and decorating their booths, talking to customers, distributing change, and ultimately earning their own money!
One group of little boys in particular stood out. Their booth, "Cookies for a Cause" earned a cool P102,000.00 in sales that day! Mind you, they sold boxes of cookies worth P100.00 each for just about 5 hours. I guess customers just couldn't resist their charms and the good nature of their business (they donated their proceeds to their chosen charity, CRIBS).
The kid entrepreneurs were so thrilled, so eager, so dedicated and by the end of the day, extremely tired. I even overheard one little boy say to his dad, "Dad, I'm so tired. Work is so hard. Now I understand why you are so tired when you come home and why sometimes you can't make it home for dinner." The dad looked as if his heart was about to melt and he gave his son a big pat on the back for a job well done.
Now, while Brielle my 6-year old never asks me for money as blatantly as she used to, she still does ask money-oriented questions. These questions however, have taken an entirely different tone since she's now conscious about price and whether or not the item she wants is indeed worth the amount it costs.
As a mom, I'm just happy that she now understands the value of hard work and that money doesn't grow on trees!
The Kiddo-preneur Bazaar #2
Given the success of our first bazaar, we're having another one this summer.
The next Kiddo-preneur Bazaar will be on Saturday, April 14th at the event hall of the Aphaland Southgate Mall (EDSA corner Chino Roces Ave.). If you'd like your child to join please contact kiddopreneur@gmail.com or 0917-580-0216.
As an added bonus we're giving the first 35 registered booths one slot each to a Philippine Stock Exchange sponsored field trip to the Makati bourse on March 30th. Bell ringing simulations, games, prizes, and a cartoon screening on investing await this lucky batch of Kiddo-preneurs!
The British Council and Rappler are offering a FREE four-day seminar workshop featuring highly respected and world-class professionals to provide young leaders the opportunity to find their voice, gain new skills as facilitators of change, and grow their capacity for citizen action toward a more just world.
Our roster of speakers includes John Silva, Maria Resa, Chay Hofileña, Patricia Evangelista, Michael Josh Villanueva, CNN reporter Steve Lunt, and a creative mix of communicators and professionals who will:
- Teach you how to reach larger audiences and help you tell your story
- Challenge you to think out of the box and discuss innovative ways to make yourself heard
- Give you effective techniques to make you more convincing in obtaining resources and funding for your initiatives
- Show you the many possibilities how digital technology can be harnessed to create greater impact for your work
WHO CAN JOIN?
- 18 to 26 years old, Filipino
- actively engaged either as an initiator or a leader in community development work
- have a good track record of community service
- have strong desire to effectively advocate for social transformation
WHEN AND WHERE WILL IT BE?
24 to 27 March 2012
Magellan Room
Discovery Suites
ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center
Pasig City
WHAT'S ON OFFER?
- Participation to the seminar is FREE
- Meals, seminar kits and reference materials
- An unforgettable 4 days of learning!
- An opportunity to train under experienced and respected journalists from Rappler
HOW TO JOIN?
Submit a 2 minute video and fill out an application form (attached)
Note: Your video does not have to be professional; a video taken from your phone will do.
SLOTS ARE LIMITED TO 40. Take advantage of this rare opportunity! Make sure your application (application form + video) arrives by 12:00 midnight of 16 March 2012.
The British Council is committed to a policy of equal opportunity and welcome applications from all sections of the community particularly minority groups.
Click on the link for more details:
The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We are a registered charity; 209131 (England and Wales) SC037733 (Scotland). We create international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and build trust between them worldwide. We call this cultural relations.
This message is for the use of the intended recipient(s) only. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and delete it. The British Council accepts no liability for loss or damage caused by software viruses and you are advised to carry out a virus check on any attachments contained in this message. |
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Recent Ask Go Negosyo Articles
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Cheers to all the ladies!
Join us this weekend as we celebrate Women's Month and the Filipina's contribution to the society's progress and welfare at the 4th Women Entrepreneurship Summit & Expo: Babae, Kapuso ka ng Bayan!
Be among the 15, 000 people who were inspired and educated by noted women of the generation like Mel Tiangco, Vicki Belo, Sara Soliven De Guzman, Grace Padaca, Joy Abaquin, Myrna Padilla, Maria Mercedes Corrales, Cynthia Villar, Pinky Poe, Honey Sumndad, as well as remarkable leaders like Atty. Felipe Gozon and Mr. Go Negosyo himself, Joey Concepcion.
Also, listen to the advice of celebrities with business excellence like Regine Tolentino, Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan, Vina Morales, Angeli Pangilinan, Fanny Serrano and Miriam Quiambao.
Meet this year's 13 Women Starpreneurs who were awarded for their outstanding enterprises and exemplary attitude not only in business but more importantly, towards life.
And be entertained by the stunning performances from top colleges, Vina Morales and Kapuso Stars Kyla, Jonalyn Viray and more!
All these only on Go Negosyo Kaya Mo, Tagumpay sa Kahirapan. This Saturday and Sunday, 8:00 to 8:30 AM on GMA News TV 11 with replay on Tuesday, 8:00 to 9:00 PM on PTV (NBN) 4.
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