Entrepreneurship is an attitude
Business World Online
October 3, 2010
Edgar J. Sia II
Chairman and CEO
Mang Inasal Philippines, Inc.
The Philippines is the 12th most populous country in the world with over 90 million mouths to feed. Without a doubt, getting into the food business remains a very viable opportunity for entrepreneurs. But with so many players, how does one stand out to be noticed? More importantly, how can another food business make it big time?
Edgar "Injap" J. Sia II answered these questions by conducting his research in a very methodical manner. He looked at the 16 different regions in the Philippines and recognized that each has a unique set of culinary traditions and eating habits. He then analyzed and identified what type of food would have the most potential and mass appeal. This was the ubiquitous barbeque (inasal in Ilonggo).
With much perseverance, innovative thinking and a deep understanding of business, Mr. Sia created Mang Inasal in Iloilo City in 2003. Today it has emerged as the country’s sixth largest fast food chain and its growth seems to be unstoppable.
That the boyish Mr. Sia would venture into business comes as no surprise. Born into a family of Chinese-Filipino entrepreneurs, he was exposed to business from a very young age.
He recounts how, at the age of 10, he would spend his after-school hours stacking merchandise or manning the counter in his parents’ grocery store in Roxas City. "While many of my friends were playing or riding their bikes, I would be moving inventory and counting soap," he recalls.
The family store became the training ground that cultivated Mr. Sia’s drive for success. Learning from the example of his industrious parents, Mr. Sia developed what he refers to as an almost "sixth sense" for business. At 20, he was already running multiple businesses -- a photo developing franchise, a 58-room three-star hotel and a laundry shop in Iloilo City.
Mr. Sia seized another opportunity that came knocking in December 2003 when he was offered a 250-square meter space behind Robinson’s Place Iloilo. The space, in an unused car park, was being offered at a very attractive price. Listening to his well-honed business instincts, he jumped at the chance to acquire it. In retrospect, Mr. Sia admits that he acted on a hunch.
"The price was so attractive that I couldn’t forego it, even if I had no business plan in mind. I bought the space not knowing what to do with it! You can say that the space came ahead of the concept."
While mulling over ideas, Mr. Sia was sure of one thing -- whatever he came up with had to have the potential to expand on a nationwide scale. After much consideration, he eventually decided to go for the time-tested appeal of the Ilonggo’s comfort food, chicken barbeque or inasal, served fast-food style. Mang Inasal fuses Filipino cuisine with the fast food dine-in concept.
Mang Inasal was Mr. Sia’s first venture into the food industry and the challenges he encountered were daunting. When he started, the concept of a fast food restaurant serving traditional Filipino dishes was a novelty and Mr. Sia knew he was up against the top players in the Philippine fast food industry. Without a real system in place during his first year of operation and no commissary to supply their raw materials, he had to learn the hard way.
Mr. Sia in fact had to do most of the work, from managing the business to preparing and serving the food to cleaning up afterwards. This complete lack of hesitation to do backbreaking work, however, enabled Mr. Sia to achieve in seven years what others have taken twice as long to achieve.
Barely a year after Mang Inasal opened, Mr. Sia was able to set up another branch, this time in his native Roxas City. Their second year of operation saw six more branch openings and, in their third year, over 20 more. This phenomenal growth brought an flood of franchise offers but Mr. Sia held back until 2005 when he was completely confident of the stability and brand recall of the business. Only after a year of sustaining market demand and developing his customer base was he convinced that Mang Inasal was en route to expansion.
When Mr. Sia finally opened Mang Inasal for franchising, he concentrated his efforts on his own backyard -- Visayas and Mindanao -- where inasal is most popular. Not long afterwards, potential franchises from Luzon showed much interest, paving the way for Mang Inasal to penetrate Metro Manila. Mang Inasal now counts 260 branches nationwide of which 28 are company owned.
As Mang Inasal gained popularity, there was a need to maintain top quality. To safeguard consistency in all aspects of the business, such as product quality and cleanliness, Mr. Sia established several monitoring systems and procedures. A highly skilled research and development team was tasked to handle product development and guarantee a consistent inasal taste. To facilitate smooth transactions with their commissaries and ensure consistent supplies, Mr. Sia implemented an advanced online supply ordering system for his branches.
Mr. Sia considers sheer hard work and innovation as the primary reasons of Mang Inasal’s success. He also cites the uniqueness that allowed him to beat the odds as a new player in the fast food industry.
He says, "Mang Inasal is a truly Filipino-style fast food chain. Our concept, ambiance and even the way our food is served on banana leaves is authentically Filipino."
This, according to Mr. Sia, differentiates them from the other fast food giants in the country. In addition, Mang Inasal was one of the first quick service restaurants to offer unlimited rice, which strongly appealed to diners.
Despite the success of Mang Inasal, Mr. Sia recognizes there’s still a lot that can be done to even make it bigger. He is constantly thinking up new ideas to maintain Mang Inasal’s competitive edge, such as their recently launched delivery service.
Variations in the breakfast menu are being developed and he is also looking at giving fast food dining a whole new feel with patented combo cups. The company is preparing to go public by the end of 2010 to solidify its stronghold in the Philippine fast food industry.
While he listens to his instinct, Mr. Sia is very calculated and strategic in his approach to business. He firmly believes in hard work and perseverance, and encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to do the same.
He also urges them to believe in their capacity to make their dreams come true, saying "Nothing is impossible with the right attitude. Do not be intimidated by problems. Instead, look at them as opportunities for growth. I was lucky to acquire the right entrepreneurial attitude as a young boy. You could say I developed the right asal (behavior) for inasal," he quips.
--
The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 is sponsored by SAP Philippines. Official airline is KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, operating on behalf of the Air-France KLM Group in the Philippines. Media sponsors are BusinessWorld and the ABS-CBN News Channel. The winners of the Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 will be announced on 12 October 2010 at an awards banquet at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel. The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines will represent the country in the World Entrepreneur Of The Year 2010 in Monte Carlo, Monaco in June 2011. The Entrepreneur Of The Year is produced globally by Ernst & Young.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Friday, October 1, 2010
Quality to crow about
Quality to crow about
Business World Online
October 1, 2010
Tennyson G. Chen
President
Bounty Fresh Food Inc.
When asked when Tennyson Chen first considered himself an entrepreneur, he laughingly replied, "Me? I consider myself a farmer. When people ask what I do, I tell them ‘I grow chickens’." But behind this humble statement lies a deep passion for innovation and quality, one that has propelled Bounty Fresh Food, Inc. (BFFI) to preeminence as one of the country’s largest and most reputable food producers. The quality of Bounty Fresh chickens is undeniable. Last year, the company won the 2009 Asian Livestock Industry Award, the first time any company from the Philippines had ever won this prestigious regional accolade.
No stranger to change, Mr. Chen started out doing general construction work after graduating from the De La Salle University with a degree in Industrial Engineering. However, when the business took a downturn in the mid-’80s, Mr. Chen decided to switch tracks and explore the food production industry. With his siblings, he started an egg layer farm. After a few years, however, feeling that the business wasn’t growing enough, Mr. Chen once again changed directions. This time, he decided to try his hand at breeding and growing broiler chickens, which are young and tender chickens used primarily for roasting.
"We knew nothing about the business," he confides. "So my siblings and I went to live on a broiler farm for six months to learn everything we could about the breeder business." In 1993, Mr. Chen applied for a Board of Investments incentive and set up the company which later became BFFI. Yet, Mr. Chen and his siblings still had much to learn -- on their first day, it took them 16 hours to dress 1,000 chickens. A stark contrast to the 6,000 birds an hour produced today with BFFI’s state-of-the-art facilities. By 2005, the company was producing 70 to 80 million birds a year, doubling the industry volume. Today, sales are estimated at P9-11 billion annually.
In addition to the steep learning curve, Mr. Chen also had problems dealing with wet market vendors with unscrupulous practices. Fortunately, he was able to land a contract to supply Makro and business started improving. "Our first delivery, we could hardly supply the order. We didn’t know anything, really. We had to go through the process of learning from scratch." He also relates how other integrators in the market gave them just six months to survive. But with persistence, determination and a keen eye for opportunities, Mr. Chen was able to push the business into becoming the billion-peso enterprise it is today.
From the very onset, Mr. Chen believed that technology would be a powerful differentiator in the industry. Making a leap of faith, he scoured the world for the most advanced industry technology, and brought them into the country. Despite being a smaller start-up, Bounty Fresh pioneered many of the systems now used by the country’s other integrators, such as temperature and climate control, single-stage hatcheries and others. "The industry needed to upgrade itself. Some of the practices were over 30 years old. I felt that we needed to modernize if we were to compete with our Asian neighbors."
With the technology he brought in, Mr. Chen was able to keep a tight control over costs while ensuring top quality for his products. "For example, we brought the first climate-controlled single-stage hatchery into the country in 2000. This allowed us to ensure better sanitation, bio-security, and control over the climate and humidity. The chicks grow healthier and stronger, and the resulting chickens are of better quality."
Unsurprisingly, this commitment to quality has translated into ISO certification in Quality Management Systems, Food Safety Management Systems, Environmental Management Systems and Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems for BFFI, as well as a string of national and regional awards such as the Philippine Grand Slam Award for Best Meat Establishment from 2006 to 2009.
Every stage of the production process is imbued with the same focus on technology, even down to the vacuum packaging and tamper-proof trays for their products. "We’re very critical about ensuring food safety and freshness. Do you know that the amount of bacteria on a chicken in ambient temperature doubles every hour? To ensure that no bacteria comes in contact with our products, our chickens are processed, chilled and vacuum-packed immediately to seal in the freshness. Our technology also allows us to keep our costs low, so we can give more value to our consumers."
This commitment to value is what prompted Mr. Chen to take BFFI into the next stage of its evolution in 2008. Through Bounty Agroventure, Inc., a sister company of BFFI, he conceptualized the Chooks To Go brand to retail freshly roasted chicken directly to consumers. "When we first opened, we sold our cooked chicken for P139. People went crazy over them! That year, in December, the Urdaneta branch sold 900 heads. People queued for almost 100 meters just to buy our chicken," he relates in amazement. In just two years, Chooks To Go has mushroomed, with over 700 outlets around the country. The brand opens three to four outlets a day and retails 100 million chickens a year.
Mr. Chen candidly shares that he still doesn’t know how they did it, but he attributes the success of the business to the dedication and capabilities of his people. The company works with close to 1,000 contract growers, toll feedmills, hatcheries and other partners around the country. BFFI helps these groups modernize their facilities and improve their productivity by providing advice, feasibility studies, technology recommendations, assistance acquiring land or equipment, and other support.
The company also gives back to the community, in particular the town of Pulilan, Bulacan, where the main plant is based. They support Pulilan children through education grants and feeding programs, engage in tree-planting, conduct blood donation drives, support medical missions, provide antirabies injections, and recently established a livelihood project for farmers in Abra. Their waste water, which is rich in natural fertilizer, is also provided to local farmers.
Under his leadership, BFFI continues to advance and improve its facilities and processes. "We’re employing foreign technology in our facilities, which cost more. But they can perform better in the long run. I want to buy the best technology and look at it in the next 20 years. The point of view of a contract grower is they want return in as short a time as possible. That’s not my philosophy. I want to spend on the best technology and invest in a long-term strategy." Today, the company’s feedmill in Tarlac is considered the best in the country. They have also begun construction of an even more advanced hatchery, and their next generation feedmill is already on the drawing board.
Thinking back on the challenges he had to overcome to bring his company to where it is today, Mr. Chen believes that risks should always be viewed as opportunities. "You have to act quickly and decisively," he advises would-be entrepreneurs. "Do the best you can, employ the best technology, and keep moving forward. Tackle issues, don’t hide from them."
Sage advice from a self-proclaimed farmer whose vision has revolutionized an entire industry.
--
The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 is sponsored by SAP Philippines. Official airline is KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, operating on behalf of the Air-France KLM Group in the Philippines. Media sponsors are BusinessWorld and the ABS-CBN News Channel. The winners of the Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 will be announced on 12 October 2010 at an awards banquet at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel. The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines will represent the country in the World Entrepreneur Of The Year 2010 in Monte Carlo, Monaco in June 2011. The Entrepreneur Of The Year is produced globally by Ernst & Young.
Business World Online
October 1, 2010
Tennyson G. Chen
President
Bounty Fresh Food Inc.
When asked when Tennyson Chen first considered himself an entrepreneur, he laughingly replied, "Me? I consider myself a farmer. When people ask what I do, I tell them ‘I grow chickens’." But behind this humble statement lies a deep passion for innovation and quality, one that has propelled Bounty Fresh Food, Inc. (BFFI) to preeminence as one of the country’s largest and most reputable food producers. The quality of Bounty Fresh chickens is undeniable. Last year, the company won the 2009 Asian Livestock Industry Award, the first time any company from the Philippines had ever won this prestigious regional accolade.
No stranger to change, Mr. Chen started out doing general construction work after graduating from the De La Salle University with a degree in Industrial Engineering. However, when the business took a downturn in the mid-’80s, Mr. Chen decided to switch tracks and explore the food production industry. With his siblings, he started an egg layer farm. After a few years, however, feeling that the business wasn’t growing enough, Mr. Chen once again changed directions. This time, he decided to try his hand at breeding and growing broiler chickens, which are young and tender chickens used primarily for roasting.
"We knew nothing about the business," he confides. "So my siblings and I went to live on a broiler farm for six months to learn everything we could about the breeder business." In 1993, Mr. Chen applied for a Board of Investments incentive and set up the company which later became BFFI. Yet, Mr. Chen and his siblings still had much to learn -- on their first day, it took them 16 hours to dress 1,000 chickens. A stark contrast to the 6,000 birds an hour produced today with BFFI’s state-of-the-art facilities. By 2005, the company was producing 70 to 80 million birds a year, doubling the industry volume. Today, sales are estimated at P9-11 billion annually.
In addition to the steep learning curve, Mr. Chen also had problems dealing with wet market vendors with unscrupulous practices. Fortunately, he was able to land a contract to supply Makro and business started improving. "Our first delivery, we could hardly supply the order. We didn’t know anything, really. We had to go through the process of learning from scratch." He also relates how other integrators in the market gave them just six months to survive. But with persistence, determination and a keen eye for opportunities, Mr. Chen was able to push the business into becoming the billion-peso enterprise it is today.
From the very onset, Mr. Chen believed that technology would be a powerful differentiator in the industry. Making a leap of faith, he scoured the world for the most advanced industry technology, and brought them into the country. Despite being a smaller start-up, Bounty Fresh pioneered many of the systems now used by the country’s other integrators, such as temperature and climate control, single-stage hatcheries and others. "The industry needed to upgrade itself. Some of the practices were over 30 years old. I felt that we needed to modernize if we were to compete with our Asian neighbors."
With the technology he brought in, Mr. Chen was able to keep a tight control over costs while ensuring top quality for his products. "For example, we brought the first climate-controlled single-stage hatchery into the country in 2000. This allowed us to ensure better sanitation, bio-security, and control over the climate and humidity. The chicks grow healthier and stronger, and the resulting chickens are of better quality."
Unsurprisingly, this commitment to quality has translated into ISO certification in Quality Management Systems, Food Safety Management Systems, Environmental Management Systems and Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems for BFFI, as well as a string of national and regional awards such as the Philippine Grand Slam Award for Best Meat Establishment from 2006 to 2009.
Every stage of the production process is imbued with the same focus on technology, even down to the vacuum packaging and tamper-proof trays for their products. "We’re very critical about ensuring food safety and freshness. Do you know that the amount of bacteria on a chicken in ambient temperature doubles every hour? To ensure that no bacteria comes in contact with our products, our chickens are processed, chilled and vacuum-packed immediately to seal in the freshness. Our technology also allows us to keep our costs low, so we can give more value to our consumers."
This commitment to value is what prompted Mr. Chen to take BFFI into the next stage of its evolution in 2008. Through Bounty Agroventure, Inc., a sister company of BFFI, he conceptualized the Chooks To Go brand to retail freshly roasted chicken directly to consumers. "When we first opened, we sold our cooked chicken for P139. People went crazy over them! That year, in December, the Urdaneta branch sold 900 heads. People queued for almost 100 meters just to buy our chicken," he relates in amazement. In just two years, Chooks To Go has mushroomed, with over 700 outlets around the country. The brand opens three to four outlets a day and retails 100 million chickens a year.
Mr. Chen candidly shares that he still doesn’t know how they did it, but he attributes the success of the business to the dedication and capabilities of his people. The company works with close to 1,000 contract growers, toll feedmills, hatcheries and other partners around the country. BFFI helps these groups modernize their facilities and improve their productivity by providing advice, feasibility studies, technology recommendations, assistance acquiring land or equipment, and other support.
The company also gives back to the community, in particular the town of Pulilan, Bulacan, where the main plant is based. They support Pulilan children through education grants and feeding programs, engage in tree-planting, conduct blood donation drives, support medical missions, provide antirabies injections, and recently established a livelihood project for farmers in Abra. Their waste water, which is rich in natural fertilizer, is also provided to local farmers.
Under his leadership, BFFI continues to advance and improve its facilities and processes. "We’re employing foreign technology in our facilities, which cost more. But they can perform better in the long run. I want to buy the best technology and look at it in the next 20 years. The point of view of a contract grower is they want return in as short a time as possible. That’s not my philosophy. I want to spend on the best technology and invest in a long-term strategy." Today, the company’s feedmill in Tarlac is considered the best in the country. They have also begun construction of an even more advanced hatchery, and their next generation feedmill is already on the drawing board.
Thinking back on the challenges he had to overcome to bring his company to where it is today, Mr. Chen believes that risks should always be viewed as opportunities. "You have to act quickly and decisively," he advises would-be entrepreneurs. "Do the best you can, employ the best technology, and keep moving forward. Tackle issues, don’t hide from them."
Sage advice from a self-proclaimed farmer whose vision has revolutionized an entire industry.
--
The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 is sponsored by SAP Philippines. Official airline is KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, operating on behalf of the Air-France KLM Group in the Philippines. Media sponsors are BusinessWorld and the ABS-CBN News Channel. The winners of the Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 will be announced on 12 October 2010 at an awards banquet at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel. The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines will represent the country in the World Entrepreneur Of The Year 2010 in Monte Carlo, Monaco in June 2011. The Entrepreneur Of The Year is produced globally by Ernst & Young.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Entrepreneurial diplomacy
Entrepreneurial diplomacy
Business World Online
September 30, 2010
Junie S. Del Mundo
Chief Executive Officer
EON
In communications, the way one packages a message is often as important as the content of the message itself. In a rapidly digitizing and intensely sensory world, people are bombarded with thousands of messages each day, making it even more challenging to ensure that messages are transmitted with unequivocal precision. Particularly in sectors such as business or politics, misunderstandings can have extensive repercussions. This is the world of professional communicators like Teodoro "Junie" S. Del Mundo, CEO of EON.
Educated in the Philippines, the United States and France, Mr. Del Mundo spent 13 years of his professional life strengthening ties between countries. He built a career in foreign service with postings in the Philippine embassies in Paris, France and Dakar, Senegal and at the Philippine Mission for UNESCO in Paris. After deciding to return home for good in 1995, Mr. Del Mundo felt a burning need to explore other avenues for his career and future. Serendipitously, he was asked to help organize the 1996 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Manila. Gaining much knowledge and confidence from this experience, he followed his instincts and entrepreneurial spirit, making the jump from government service to the private sector. He founded EON in 1998 and focused on events organizing.
His past experience in facilitating communications and bridging ideas proved invaluable in helping him build trust and cooperation -- this time among clients, media, investors, businesses, and government and nongovernment organizations.
Happy with EON’s events management services, Mr. Del Mundo’s clients also requested him to handle their publicity requirements. This opened up a new avenue of opportunity, enabling EON to evolve into a full-service communications agency. EON’s services expanded to include public relations, corporate communications and stakeholder relations. The company also affiliated itself with Edelman, one of the world’s largest global public relations network.
A defining service that EON provides to its clients is stakeholder relations, which involves building trust-based relationships between an organization and its stakeholders such as media, the government and business entities. "Different stakeholders will necessarily have different issues and concerns. We need to internalize the unique needs of each stakeholder, then tailor tightly focused strategies for each group. Using a broad-based communications platform just won’t work," Mr. Del Mundo explains.
EON is a forerunner in rendering this innovative and personalized communications model. To help others understand stakeholder relations, Mr. Del Mundo illustrates it with the work done recently for a client. "We managed a corporate social responsibility project for one of our clients, a global oil and gas company with drilling operations in the Sulu Sea. They wanted to do something for the town closest to their operations, so they initiated a water pumping project. To make this work, not only did we need to raise awareness of community’s very pressing needs for potable water, we also needed government and media groups to buy in and support the whole thing."
In addition to developing an effective community profile for their client, EON also facilitated dialogues with media and government groups, including arranging for these concerned groups to see the situation for themselves.
Over the years, EON’s client base has grown to include both local and regional companies, 95% of which are multinational corporations. EON has done projects in Uzbekistan, Singapore, Hong Kong, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and New Zealand. Mr. Del Mundo hopes to win more regional projects within the next five years. The firm has been accredited by the Asian Development Bank and is the only Filipino agency with a specialization in Central Asia. He intends for EON to be a regional player using the Philippines as a hub, believing in the creativity, ability and resourcefulness of Filipino professionals. He draws encouragement from the success of projects such as one done in Uzbekistan, where all online requirements were done out of the Philippines.
Recognizing the huge potential and growing importance of the online landscape, Mr. Del Mundo created a separate company called Tangerine in July 2010. This spin-off company will offer web content development and design, blogging research and Web site-related interaction.
In an industry that relies hugely on talent and aptitude, quality people will always be a professional services company’s greatest asset. Mr. Del Mundo expects his people to differentiate themselves from competition in terms of professionalism, immediacy and quality of response, speed in delivery, and intelligence. To ensure that EON can deliver consistent high-quality work to meet the specialized requirements of its clients, he also focused on building a strong and experienced management team to guide and mentor the young and enthusiastic staff. From 36 people in 2009, the company has now grown to 60 employees in 2010.
One of EON’s core values is joy. Mr. Del Mundo constantly works to promote a happy, friendly, light and interactive culture within the company. He is involved with Hands On Manila and the League of Corporate Foundations and encourages his employees to fully embrace the ideal of personal and corporate social responsibility. With his staff members, they support 10 scholars under World Vision by contributing through voluntary salary deduction.
While he may have left the foreign service and has found his niche in entrepreneurship, Mr. Del Mundo remains a diplomat at heart. "I still get to apply my people-relation skills because we do a lot of business with local and foreign governments. And really, if you think about it, our job is to act as envoys for companies and organizations. I’m really still building bridges and connecting ideas between people," he muses.
--
The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 is sponsored by SAP Philippines. The official airline is KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, operating on behalf of the Air-France KLM Group. Media sponsors are BusinessWorld and the ABS-CBN News Channel. The winners of the Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 will be announced on October 12, 2010 at a banquet at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel.
Business World Online
September 30, 2010
Junie S. Del Mundo
Chief Executive Officer
EON
In communications, the way one packages a message is often as important as the content of the message itself. In a rapidly digitizing and intensely sensory world, people are bombarded with thousands of messages each day, making it even more challenging to ensure that messages are transmitted with unequivocal precision. Particularly in sectors such as business or politics, misunderstandings can have extensive repercussions. This is the world of professional communicators like Teodoro "Junie" S. Del Mundo, CEO of EON.
Educated in the Philippines, the United States and France, Mr. Del Mundo spent 13 years of his professional life strengthening ties between countries. He built a career in foreign service with postings in the Philippine embassies in Paris, France and Dakar, Senegal and at the Philippine Mission for UNESCO in Paris. After deciding to return home for good in 1995, Mr. Del Mundo felt a burning need to explore other avenues for his career and future. Serendipitously, he was asked to help organize the 1996 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Manila. Gaining much knowledge and confidence from this experience, he followed his instincts and entrepreneurial spirit, making the jump from government service to the private sector. He founded EON in 1998 and focused on events organizing.
His past experience in facilitating communications and bridging ideas proved invaluable in helping him build trust and cooperation -- this time among clients, media, investors, businesses, and government and nongovernment organizations.
Happy with EON’s events management services, Mr. Del Mundo’s clients also requested him to handle their publicity requirements. This opened up a new avenue of opportunity, enabling EON to evolve into a full-service communications agency. EON’s services expanded to include public relations, corporate communications and stakeholder relations. The company also affiliated itself with Edelman, one of the world’s largest global public relations network.
A defining service that EON provides to its clients is stakeholder relations, which involves building trust-based relationships between an organization and its stakeholders such as media, the government and business entities. "Different stakeholders will necessarily have different issues and concerns. We need to internalize the unique needs of each stakeholder, then tailor tightly focused strategies for each group. Using a broad-based communications platform just won’t work," Mr. Del Mundo explains.
EON is a forerunner in rendering this innovative and personalized communications model. To help others understand stakeholder relations, Mr. Del Mundo illustrates it with the work done recently for a client. "We managed a corporate social responsibility project for one of our clients, a global oil and gas company with drilling operations in the Sulu Sea. They wanted to do something for the town closest to their operations, so they initiated a water pumping project. To make this work, not only did we need to raise awareness of community’s very pressing needs for potable water, we also needed government and media groups to buy in and support the whole thing."
In addition to developing an effective community profile for their client, EON also facilitated dialogues with media and government groups, including arranging for these concerned groups to see the situation for themselves.
Over the years, EON’s client base has grown to include both local and regional companies, 95% of which are multinational corporations. EON has done projects in Uzbekistan, Singapore, Hong Kong, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and New Zealand. Mr. Del Mundo hopes to win more regional projects within the next five years. The firm has been accredited by the Asian Development Bank and is the only Filipino agency with a specialization in Central Asia. He intends for EON to be a regional player using the Philippines as a hub, believing in the creativity, ability and resourcefulness of Filipino professionals. He draws encouragement from the success of projects such as one done in Uzbekistan, where all online requirements were done out of the Philippines.
Recognizing the huge potential and growing importance of the online landscape, Mr. Del Mundo created a separate company called Tangerine in July 2010. This spin-off company will offer web content development and design, blogging research and Web site-related interaction.
In an industry that relies hugely on talent and aptitude, quality people will always be a professional services company’s greatest asset. Mr. Del Mundo expects his people to differentiate themselves from competition in terms of professionalism, immediacy and quality of response, speed in delivery, and intelligence. To ensure that EON can deliver consistent high-quality work to meet the specialized requirements of its clients, he also focused on building a strong and experienced management team to guide and mentor the young and enthusiastic staff. From 36 people in 2009, the company has now grown to 60 employees in 2010.
One of EON’s core values is joy. Mr. Del Mundo constantly works to promote a happy, friendly, light and interactive culture within the company. He is involved with Hands On Manila and the League of Corporate Foundations and encourages his employees to fully embrace the ideal of personal and corporate social responsibility. With his staff members, they support 10 scholars under World Vision by contributing through voluntary salary deduction.
While he may have left the foreign service and has found his niche in entrepreneurship, Mr. Del Mundo remains a diplomat at heart. "I still get to apply my people-relation skills because we do a lot of business with local and foreign governments. And really, if you think about it, our job is to act as envoys for companies and organizations. I’m really still building bridges and connecting ideas between people," he muses.
--
The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 is sponsored by SAP Philippines. The official airline is KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, operating on behalf of the Air-France KLM Group. Media sponsors are BusinessWorld and the ABS-CBN News Channel. The winners of the Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 will be announced on October 12, 2010 at a banquet at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
The branding of non-brands
The branding of non-brands
Business World Online
September 29, 2010
Benjamin I. Liuson
President
The Generics Pharmacy Franchising Corp.
For a country where medical treatment is both prohibitively expensive and sadly insufficient, the concept of generic medicine is a godsend. With little government subsidy on health, Filipino families are hard-pressed to provide for their family’s needs. According to latest data, Filipino families spent an estimated P127.3 billion on healthcare in 2007, 54.3% of the Philippines’ total health expenditure.
The Generics Pharmacy, under the leadership of Benjamin I. Liuson, is doing its best to help society and the pharmaceutical industry by carrying only generic medicines. The company traces its roots back to Pacific Insular Co., a German wholesaler and importer of medicine in 1949. In 1960, Mr. Liuson’s parents bought the firm, which he joined in 1970. He eventually took over in 1974 when his father passed away.
Under Mr. Liuson’s guidance, the company started implementing innovative marketing strategies in 1983. Seeing how the average consumer struggled to make ends meet, they lowered their gross margin to around 30% from the usual 400%. To save on costs, they also did not give out samples and did not employ an agent. Instead, they sold directly to doctors and hospitals. After the Generics Act of 1988 was implemented, the firm established DLI Generics, to serve the needs of government hospitals.
In 1996, doctors from the Philippine General Hospital started referring their patients to the DLI Generics’ office in Quezon City. Mr. Liuson recalls that they had to turn the patients away since the company was a wholesaler and therefore not allowed to sell products to them. This inspired him to open the Philippines’ first generics-only retail store, DLI Pharmacy, in 2001. To set it apart, they focused on selling generic medicines exclusively. They also carry only one generic product for every type of medication. "When a consumer is in a rush to buy medicine, the last thing they need is to get confused by too many brands or chemical names. It also makes inventory-keeping simpler and more efficient," he explains.
The drugstore started to gain acceptance and in 2006, regular customers complained that the lone branch in Quezon City was not accessible to provincial residents. With this, Mr. Liuson re-branded DLI Generics into The Generics Pharmacy in July 2007. They also began franchising outlets through The Generics Pharmacy Franchising Corp.
To help jumpstart the franchise stores, Mr. Liuson had all stocks in the stores on consignment. Having been in the pharmaceutical business for 50 years, he was confident that they understood the needs of their market. Second, as a concession to the first 100 outlets, the company offered to refund the franchising fee should the franchisees opt out for any reason in the first three years.
"We might have been in hot water had it not clicked," Mr. Liuson muses. The strategies seem to be working because the firm now counts over 300 franchisees nationwide. To date, The Generics Pharmacy has 900 franchise stores, only one of which is company-owned. "With only one company store, our franchisees trust us more because they know that we’re not competing with them ourselves," Mr. Liuson says.
Because it only sells generics, the firm can set its own retail price for all its products for the franchisees to follow. It encourages franchisees to put up outlets in areas with heavy foot traffic, even if there are already big drugstores in the vicinity. "Being near a big drugstore is one of my key success criteria. Consumers can more easily compare products. In the end, the public wins," he says.
Over the next three years, the company plans to open 450 more stores. By December 2013, it expects to have a network of 1,500 pharmacies. Mr. Liuson says that they are also considering opening outlets in Indonesia, Bangladesh, Vietnam and the United States.
The company also plans to introduce more products. In the pipeline are dermatological, cosmetic and antiseptic products, as well as medical supplies.
Mr. Liuson believes in the value of building long-term trust and partnership relationships with franchisees, suppliers and retailers. "We work closely with those who share our goals," he relates, "An example is one supplier who, despite objections from a huge competing drugstore chain, chose to continue working with us because their CEO shared our vision of providing the public with affordable and effective medicine." The Generics Pharmacy would eventually become the supplier’s biggest local client.
Besides sound business relationships, Mr. Liuson emphasizes the importance of quality, affordability, accessibility, communication, God’s help and social responsibility to maintain his company’s growth. A deeply religious man, Mr. Liuson acknowledges God’s help in all his achievements. That is why, aside from the usual corporate social responsibility projects, the firm is also involved in what he calls "corporate spiritual responsibility." For three years now, the company sponsors the printing of 200,000 Bibles annually through the Philippine Bible Society. Free copies are distributed with the aim of having one Bible in every home in the country. Copies are also sent to the country’s top corporations.
Reflecting on the company’s success, Mr. Liuson shares that he received the best comment from a franchisee -- that Generics Pharmacy was heaven-sent. This affirmation of how much the company helps people provides powerful motivation to work even harder. "The more people you help, the more successful you are," Mr. Liuson says.
--
The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 is sponsored by SAP Philippines. The official airline is KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Media sponsors are BusinessWorld and the ABS-CBN News Channel. Winners will be announced on October 12, 2010 at a banquet at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel.
Business World Online
September 29, 2010
Benjamin I. Liuson
President
The Generics Pharmacy Franchising Corp.
For a country where medical treatment is both prohibitively expensive and sadly insufficient, the concept of generic medicine is a godsend. With little government subsidy on health, Filipino families are hard-pressed to provide for their family’s needs. According to latest data, Filipino families spent an estimated P127.3 billion on healthcare in 2007, 54.3% of the Philippines’ total health expenditure.
The Generics Pharmacy, under the leadership of Benjamin I. Liuson, is doing its best to help society and the pharmaceutical industry by carrying only generic medicines. The company traces its roots back to Pacific Insular Co., a German wholesaler and importer of medicine in 1949. In 1960, Mr. Liuson’s parents bought the firm, which he joined in 1970. He eventually took over in 1974 when his father passed away.
Under Mr. Liuson’s guidance, the company started implementing innovative marketing strategies in 1983. Seeing how the average consumer struggled to make ends meet, they lowered their gross margin to around 30% from the usual 400%. To save on costs, they also did not give out samples and did not employ an agent. Instead, they sold directly to doctors and hospitals. After the Generics Act of 1988 was implemented, the firm established DLI Generics, to serve the needs of government hospitals.
In 1996, doctors from the Philippine General Hospital started referring their patients to the DLI Generics’ office in Quezon City. Mr. Liuson recalls that they had to turn the patients away since the company was a wholesaler and therefore not allowed to sell products to them. This inspired him to open the Philippines’ first generics-only retail store, DLI Pharmacy, in 2001. To set it apart, they focused on selling generic medicines exclusively. They also carry only one generic product for every type of medication. "When a consumer is in a rush to buy medicine, the last thing they need is to get confused by too many brands or chemical names. It also makes inventory-keeping simpler and more efficient," he explains.
The drugstore started to gain acceptance and in 2006, regular customers complained that the lone branch in Quezon City was not accessible to provincial residents. With this, Mr. Liuson re-branded DLI Generics into The Generics Pharmacy in July 2007. They also began franchising outlets through The Generics Pharmacy Franchising Corp.
To help jumpstart the franchise stores, Mr. Liuson had all stocks in the stores on consignment. Having been in the pharmaceutical business for 50 years, he was confident that they understood the needs of their market. Second, as a concession to the first 100 outlets, the company offered to refund the franchising fee should the franchisees opt out for any reason in the first three years.
"We might have been in hot water had it not clicked," Mr. Liuson muses. The strategies seem to be working because the firm now counts over 300 franchisees nationwide. To date, The Generics Pharmacy has 900 franchise stores, only one of which is company-owned. "With only one company store, our franchisees trust us more because they know that we’re not competing with them ourselves," Mr. Liuson says.
Because it only sells generics, the firm can set its own retail price for all its products for the franchisees to follow. It encourages franchisees to put up outlets in areas with heavy foot traffic, even if there are already big drugstores in the vicinity. "Being near a big drugstore is one of my key success criteria. Consumers can more easily compare products. In the end, the public wins," he says.
Over the next three years, the company plans to open 450 more stores. By December 2013, it expects to have a network of 1,500 pharmacies. Mr. Liuson says that they are also considering opening outlets in Indonesia, Bangladesh, Vietnam and the United States.
The company also plans to introduce more products. In the pipeline are dermatological, cosmetic and antiseptic products, as well as medical supplies.
Mr. Liuson believes in the value of building long-term trust and partnership relationships with franchisees, suppliers and retailers. "We work closely with those who share our goals," he relates, "An example is one supplier who, despite objections from a huge competing drugstore chain, chose to continue working with us because their CEO shared our vision of providing the public with affordable and effective medicine." The Generics Pharmacy would eventually become the supplier’s biggest local client.
Besides sound business relationships, Mr. Liuson emphasizes the importance of quality, affordability, accessibility, communication, God’s help and social responsibility to maintain his company’s growth. A deeply religious man, Mr. Liuson acknowledges God’s help in all his achievements. That is why, aside from the usual corporate social responsibility projects, the firm is also involved in what he calls "corporate spiritual responsibility." For three years now, the company sponsors the printing of 200,000 Bibles annually through the Philippine Bible Society. Free copies are distributed with the aim of having one Bible in every home in the country. Copies are also sent to the country’s top corporations.
Reflecting on the company’s success, Mr. Liuson shares that he received the best comment from a franchisee -- that Generics Pharmacy was heaven-sent. This affirmation of how much the company helps people provides powerful motivation to work even harder. "The more people you help, the more successful you are," Mr. Liuson says.
--
The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 is sponsored by SAP Philippines. The official airline is KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Media sponsors are BusinessWorld and the ABS-CBN News Channel. Winners will be announced on October 12, 2010 at a banquet at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)