THE ASIAN PEARL JOURNAL ISSUE NO. 3 BENEATH THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG by Asian Pearl Journal

Richard B. Lim, Jr. 2022 JCI Manila President

MESSAGE OF THE PRESIDENT “Rebuild the Future”, the slogan of the 2022 Board of Directors of JCI Manila, challenges us to rebuild ourselves after the effects of this global pandemic. It is in this environment where we hope to establish JCI Manila as one of the premier business organizations for young leaders. Numerous programs have been set in motion to help members rebuild their confidence in business including Onsite Business Visits, Business Seminars, and Learning and Networking Opportunities. For the Onsite Business Visit Series, members have been given the opportunity to physically visit successful cutting-edge businesses in new industries including in E-Commerce, Live Streaming and E-Sports. There have also been several Business Seminars on NFTs and APP Building. For the Networking and Learning Opportunity in ASPACE Makati branded as MasterClass, where sixty (60) participants have learned not only the best business practices of JCIM Past Presidents, but also about themselves. This is where the strength of JCIM’s Business Development really lies – in our members. Through the different challenges and difficulties faced, there have also been stories of success and greatness that may inspire the next generation of business leaders. In this issue of the Asian Pearl, we hope to know more of these motivational stories to Rebuild our Businesses.

ABOUT THE COVER

Icebergs are large pieces of ice that formed on land and float in an ocean. The “tip of the iceberg” is its small part that floats on the surface of the water, but beneath it is a much bigger part; thus, it has become an idiom for things that are easily observed, when there is a much greater aspect that is not known about. We can compare an iceberg to a business wherein other people normally would just see the surface such as the confidence of the man behind it, the wealth and success, or maybe its plain failure. On this issue, we want to unravel the stories beneath the tip of the iceberg of some of our members to find inspirations from their personal sacrifices, disappointments, and persistence.

2022 JCI Manila Board of Directors

Editorial Team

Richard B. Lim Jr. JCI Manila President

Kevin Walter Ng Editor-In-Chief

Jaime E. Barlizo Executive Vice President

Dan Michael Gallego Managing Editor

Jan Adrian D. Padiernos Secretary General Daniel H. Perez Executive Treasurer Paolo Luigi H. Balinas Vice President for International Affairs & Business Ramon E. King III Vice President for National Relations & Development Eikon Conrad D. Javaluyas Vice President for Community Affairs

Enrique Hilario Associate Editor Ramon Bergonia David Emmanuel Ong Alexander Bryan Go Contributor

TABLE OF CONTENTS 2nd GMM: Feb-Ibig

Jab To The Future

Carlo Manuel V. Delantar Director for Business Development

2022 Business Outlook, Economic Brief

Duane S. Young Director for National Development & Relations

Clean Waters

Atin Ang Kinabukasan

3rd GMM: NFT Party/ Limitless Mind

Gulping Golfers

Lou Bryan D. Santos Director for International Affairs

Avo Bravo and Tikka Tikka

PushKart.ph

Joe Louise L. Garcia Director for Local Organization Management

ROG

Bean Shack

Nelson A. Roquero Director for Community Development

The Dessert Museum

Kicksomatic

Andre Christopher C. Bernardo Director for Special Projects & Partnerships

James Ervin M. Tatel Director for Membership Development & Engagement

Willie Daniel L. So Director for Skills Development & Activation

Chairman Kit Rodriguez and Committee Honor JCI Manila Couple with a Love-Filled GMM BY: dAVID EMMANUEL ONG

From hot drinks vs alcohol, asking for favors, and of course showing up often - these are just some of the strategies which could aid you on building a healthy loving relationship. One of the few points that struck me the most on her talk was this line she said: “most often, our family life is a strong indicator of how happy we are in general. If we don’t do well in our decisions for dating and relationships, how are we going to have a healthy and happy family life?”

Love comes in different forms and ways. Last February JCI Manila successfully launched our very first physical hybrid general membership meeting. What other way to spend it but with our special someone alongside our fellow JCI Manila brothers. The spectacular night began with a smooth serenade from none other than our very own Josh Groban – Chairman Rafael Nite! Our very special guests present on site were 2016 JCI Senate Manila President Johnny Fetalvero and his wife Mrs.Alma Fetalvero, Coach V. Antonio, Ms.Glanda Cura, Mr. Ronald Lee, APDC Development Officer Ryan Chuacokiong, and JCI Manila Member and National Director for Broadcasting Calel Gosingtian.

Finally our last speaker, Sen. Pres. Johnny Fetalvero, personally related how he and his wife have endured the years of being together. He was even able to sneak in how golf is actually related to being in a healthy relationship with our very own “JCI Ryder Cup” where everyone wants to feel good, meet a lot of friends, and do well. According to Sen. Pres. this event was actually one of the rare events wherein our officers and guests were able to mingle and get together with our partners. To be a master of love, you have to keep on learning, attend seminars, build on our skills and spend more time with our partner. Of course there will be good and bad times. Forgiveness turns out to be the lubricant in all our relationships, people are bound to make mistakes. How do you stay in love? Lower your expectation and increase your appreciation and surely the feeling will follow. One of the highlights Sen. Pres. Johnny shared was when he was able to involve his family to include the family on a project and eventually uplift a community. Overall Sen. Pres. Johnny gave us the advice to look up and pray to God to keep us always in the balance of things.

The program was hosted by Commissioner Jasper Tiongson and the 2022 Director for National and International Relations of JCI Makati Princess Urduja Director Julianne Ong. They kept us entertained and eager for the night to talk about love. The first speaker Ms. Glenda Cura opened our world to new opportunities on the digital platform. Ms. Cura as a founder of the Kay Siao app continues to aid and help Filipino-Chinese citizens find the true meaning of love. Through this platform, there have been a number of people who were able to find their forever. We were able to get a glimpse that the future of dating is very open and vast rather than the old traditional methods. Of course, there are positives and negatives on each end. As she said, digitalization is only a “tool” and vigilance is our only protection in search for the genuine meaning of love.

Feb-ibig night was unforgettable as it was capped with a few games, raffle, and the renewal of commitment to all the members who brought their special somebody and slow dance sweetly serenaded by our moderators Commissioner Jasper Tiongson and Director Julianne Ong.

Our second speaker Ms.Vanessa Antonio aka “coach V” spoke about the “Science of Dating”. It was very interesting to also see that numbers played a significant role on love. Coach V. shared a lot of tricks and tips on the dating scene.

BJC COMMITTEE ORGANIZES VAX DRIVE PRIORITIZING THE ELDERLY IN PASIG CITY

By: Ramon Victor Louis Bergonia

The Philippines has been contending with one of the worst COVID-19 outbreaks in South East Asia and the government has been criticized by the public for its insufficient response, particularly the slow vaccine roll-out. Indeed, the COVID-19 pandemic is terrifying for many of us, but the elderly and people with disability have more reason to worry than most because most often, they have underlying health conditions that make them more susceptible to serious illness or death if they contract COVID-19. In February 19 2022, the project Jab to the Future was launched for the residents of barangay Santa Lucia in Pasig city, the priority of the project was the elderly and people with comorbidities. The project Jab to the future's objective was to assist the LGU in its vaccination drive, particularly to those who are generally overlooked, discriminated against, or financially disadvantaged, it also aims to help mitigate the spread and risk of the COVID-19 infection. The generous sponsors and partners who made this project possible were Toyota CDO who provided the 300 doses of Moderna vaccines, Asian Hospital and Medical Center who has provided vaccine freezers, storages

and monitoring devices for this project, the Pasig city government who provided the data and venue for this project, and private individuals who gave monetary assistance The Project was lead by baby Jaycee chairman Ramon Victor Louis Bergonia who had a relentless team that ensured the success of this project, the committee members were baby Jaycee vice-chairman Rodrigo Jerome Melendres, baby Jaycee treasurer Michael John Ocrisma and committee member Lujije Paulo Dela Cruz. This project is under the Special Projects and Partnerships directorate, it was well supervised by Director Andre Christopher Bernardo and Commissioner Robert Martin Tajonera. Jab to the future was highly impactful not just to the chosen community but to the whole nation as well. Through this initiative, we are helping the community recover from the devastation brought about by the pandemic. To secure the chosen community with the vaccines, we are not just raising the government and other organization's awareness that there are people who still want to be inoculated with the Covid-19 vaccine, we are likewise giving the beneficiaries a chance to secure their future by lessening the risk of the virus. Which is very pertinent to the 2022 JCI Manila theme "Rebuild the Future".

real estate, banking and economic experts see an upward trajectory in 2022

by: Kevin Walter Ng

Have you ever wondered how our economic growth would be doing this 2022? Let me take you back to the informative webinar entitled “2022 Business Outlook Economic Brief” that was hosted by JCI Manila’s very own Robert Ian Joseph. From the deep economic contraction in 2020, the economic rebound gained momentum in the third quarter of 2021 despite another COVID-19 wave. Thus, we can say that the Philippines is on the path to economic recovery since we have clear signs of rebounds in domestic activity, community mobility and industrial output. However, there are still challenges with the continuing threat of the pandemic. We were honored by the presence of several VIPs such as our 2022 JCI Manila President Richard B. Lim Jr., 2022 JCI Senate President Harry Cheng, 2022 JCI-Zugbuana President Janelle Casas, 2022 JCI Marikina Marikit President Grace Enrique. To note, we also have our generous sponsors such as Hanns Mart, GRN co. Packaging, Tikka Tikka and Avo Bravo In this webinar, we had invited three experts with different aspects with regards to economic growth to share their insights, data and economic forecast on what will continue to push positive economic growth. David Leechiu, the CEO of Leechiu Property Consultants which is the leading commercial real estate broker in the Philippines, explained that despite the two-year pandemic that has happened to us, the government’s strong fiscal fundamental still sustained properties. Capital values and interest in key business districts surpassed pre-pandemic levels with regard to transactions for commercial lots in BGC, Arca South and Filinvest City. A rebound is happening in the main segments of the real estate market. Data and statistics show that office demand in 2021 is up by 39% from the year 2020, and the IT BPM sector is still the largest demand driver representing 48% of the demand in 2021. In the residential sector, demand for condominiums had increased 12% in the last quarter. With the accelerated rollout of vaccines, the easing of quarantine and travel restrictions helped increase land values in provincial areas and tourist hotspots across the country. From the past 2 years, we have received the biggest injection of infrastructure projects in our history. The 60% of our GDP will come in, because of the18 projects up for completion in the next 18 months,which will be benefiting 40 million people in the Philippines. Therefore, we can be optimistic that the economy will be significantly better when the projects are completed. According to John Patrick Cua – Managing Director of Nielsen’s Retail Intelligence business for Philippines, Vietnam and Myanmar. Online shopping and E-Commerce platforms have boomed because they were quick to adapt to the consumers’ needs during the past 2 years Mr. Cua advised that businesses must make their online presence known and make the product/service conveniently accessible for the customer.

He shared his insights on Philippine consumerism, he states that the 70% of our GDP comes from household consumption. With COVID-19 restrictions loosening and economic activities opening, we can see a higher consumer confidence in spending. Filipinos then have become more conscious in spending, they have become aware in stretching funds, by choosing products that have promos and discounts, which in return give more value to their money. Ruben Carlo Asuncion, chief economist of Union Bank, discussed macro–economics, which deals with the structure, performance, behavior and decision making of the economy. Examples are economic outputs, unemployment rates, and inflation. According to him, 2022 will be consumption driven and election spending driven growth will provide upside. Discretionary spending will be poised to make a comeback, and the government will restrain infrastructure expenditures starting 2023. He advised to lookout for potential risks this 2022 such as a risk of new variants emerging and possibility of a lockdown. Private investments to GDP may edge up slowly this year by getting acquainted with the new administration and its priorities. Lastly, China’s slow growth will weight on commodity exports this year. Nevertheless, despite the positive growth of GDP because of household consumption, the data and reports of Mr. Ruben Carlo Asuncion has given us a reminder to be cautious this year as inflation looks to dominate the outlook for 2022. This informative webinar entitled “2022 Business Outlook Economic Brief” has helped us in strategizing and deciding business plans as well as inspiring us to get back on our feet and start this year with our heads held up high.

Chairman Ned Sytengo and Committee Lead the First and the Biggest NGO-Driven Mangrove Planting Activity By: Dan Michael Gallego MANILA – Last 19 February 2022, JCI Manila, through the Special Projects Committee led by Ned Bryan Sytengco, joined the national efforts begun by the Department of Natural Resources (DENR) in rehabilitating and developing the Manila Bay back to its pristine state. In line with the leadership thrust of JCI Manila for 2022: “Rebuild the Future”, the committee organized the project entitled “Clean Water: Survive and Thrive” and conducted a massive mangrove planting activity at the BASECO Mangrove Forest Nursery Operations and Livelihood Center in Port Area, Manila. The BASECO got its name from the Bataan Shipping and Engineering Co., the company that acquired the 30-hectare property from the National Shipyard and Steel Corporation in the 1960s. It was cleared and many families in the area were displaced to give way for an ambitious international seaport and other government projects. It was, however, sequestered by the government after the 1986 revolution; the urban poor began to repopulate the area, which led to the degradation and pollution of its environment.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) began helping the DENR in the cleanup of the BASECO lagoon and the areas surrounding it, making it suitable for planting. According to Sytengco, JCI Manila has, so far, been the first and only non-government organization approved by the Pasig River Coordinating and Management Office (PRCMO) and DENR to conduct mangrove planting in the area. The project conducted by his committee has also been the biggest with over 2,000 seedlings of mangrove palms sown during the activity. Sytengco and his committee members, Dr. Marvin Fajardo, and Rafael Nite, admit that their project’s short-term impact might be limited in rousing awareness and interest, but everyone must really start and build a foundation someplace. In the case of the “Clean Waters: Thrive and Survive” project, the mangroves they have planted will eventually grow to become our defense against storm surges, as well as a natural spawning ground and habitat for marine life, which, will in turn, reinstate the environmental ecosystem of Manila Bay. As an advanced diver himself, Sytengco connects his passion to the JCI Manila projects he engages himself with. Apart from the mangrove planting project, he is also involved with another Special Projects initiative, “Sea of Life”, that focuses on creating an underwater museum that will serve not only as an attraction for divers but also as a planting nursery to promote coral regeneration. This just goes to show that when it comes to efforts in natural and environmental conservation, it takes commitment to make it enduring and sustainable. Furthermore, it is vital to engage stakeholders and drive communities in fostering the right strategies to address some emerging issues, including water pollution and climate change. The activity was participated in by 2022 JCI Manila President, Richard Lim, Jr.; Special Projects Director, Andre Bernardo; JCI Manileña President, Alex Dayrit; DENR Assistant Secretary, Dr. Joan Lagunda; and over twenty other DENR and JCI Manila volunteers. For the committee, what they achieved that day was already a success story, but they also assured that their efforts certainly did not end with mangrove planting. As a team committed to “rebuild the future”, the mangrove planting activity was, for them, “only the first of many things to come”. So far, the committee has also begun planning for the second phase of the project. This will include the physical rehabilitation of the area by dredging to make it more suitable for mangroves to grow.

Chairman Clarence Tiu and Strong Committee, in Partnership with over 100 Institutions, Rally More than 115,000 Youths in a Nationwide Voters’ Symposium By: Dan Michael Gallego

MAKATI CITY– Through the initiative of Special Projects Director Andre Bernardo, Project Chairman Atty. Clarence Tiu, and committee members Comm. Shih-Hao Hsu, Comm. Migi Gabrino, Comm. Franz Offemaria IV, Dan Michael Gallego, Comm. Jesus Sanchez, Comm. Mark Gotauco, Comm. Keon Chioa, Ivan Uy, and Rafael Nite, JCI Manila brought together over a hundred thousand youth leaders and students for “ATIN ANG KINABUKASAN 2022,” a National Engagement Symposium for the Youth. Held last February 26 at the Industria Edition Gallery and live-streamed on Facebook and Kumu, the event was co-presented by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), and was hosted by Rappler’s Head of Community, Jules Guiang and UAAP volleyball star turned TV5 presenter, Gretchen Ho.

During their meetings with their partner schools, Tiu underscored the objectives of the program: “elections are the cornerstone of the country's political process. As such, it is critical to our national development. We want to educate, enlighten, and empower the youth on how to better exercise their right to vote.” As a lawyer at the Philippine Supreme Court and a progressive thinker, Tiu understands that the challenge is not only in encouraging young Filipinos to be politically involved through the ballot, but also in ensuring that they have the necessary socio-political consciousness to make an informed choice about their future. Hence, the title of the program.

The National President of the IBP himself, Atty. Burt M. Estrada, participated in the event as a speaker and panelist. He was joined by the longest-serving spokesperson of Commission on Elections (COMELEC), Director James Jimenez; an esteemed election law professor at the Ateneo Law School, Atty. Alberto Agra; and a professor of political sociology at the University of Canberra, Ms. Nicole Curato. Together, they discussed topics concerning youth participation in the 2022 national and local elections, election law, deliberative democracy, voting philosophy, and related issues. In addition to the talks by the panelists, the JCI Manila Team introduced an innovative format where student-representatives from various schools across the Philippines joined in the conversation by giving their own thoughts and opinions on the subject-matter. Particularly, 18 youth leaders gave their diverse insights on key election issues such as vote-buying, political dynasties, youth participation in politics, and voting philosophy. Notably, one of the participants enjoined the youth to read up on our country’s history in order to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. The hosts, Guiang and Ho wrapped up the discussion by encouraging the youth to be cautious of the rampant disinformation plaguing social media and to approach issues with an open and discerning mind. In many circumstances, Tiu would remind his committee about the power of their votes, with these words from Abraham Lincoln: “the ballot is stronger than the bullet.” Indeed, in the context of a democratic society like the Philippines, the right of suffrage, when exercised properly, is a potent weapon against social injustice, corruption, and abuse of power. As a nation, our vote reflects our aspiration for a transparent, just, and progressive government – one which will bring us out of the quagmire of economic and political inertia.

The strength of JCI Manila as a leadership organization is seen in its ability to engage people and unite different groups together towards achieving a common goal. This idea was realized by Tiu and his committee when they were able to rally the support and gain the partnership of heavyweight institutions such as the IBP, Hirayang Kabataan, Seda LAW offices, Rappler, Kumu, COMELEC, Legal Network for Truthful Elections, National Citizen’s Movement for Free Elections, Philippine Association of Law Schools, Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities, Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations of the Philippines, Young Women’s Christian Association, and AIESEC Philippines. Aside from this, the team was also able to bring together the JCI Manila Senate, 20 JCI local chapters and over 70 universities, colleges, law schools, high schools, and student governments and organizations nationwide as partners to participate in the event. Notably, these include, among many others, Tiu’s own alma mater, the Ateneo Law School, University of the Philippines, De La Salle University, San Beda University, Far Eastern University, Holy Cross College, Holy Angels University, Iloilo Doctor's College of Medicine Inc., Jose Rizal University, Arellano University, Kolehiyo ng Lungsod ng Lipa, Notre Dame of Marbel University, Lipa City Colleges, Trinity University of Asia, West Visayas State University, Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan College of Law, Centerphil Montessori Learning Center, and Central Philippine University. As of writing, the event has garnered over 115,000 organic engagements on Facebook and 2000 views on Kumu. With the broad reach and relevance of Atin Ang Kinabukasan 2022, JCI Manila affirms its commitment to create young active citizens who will bring about positive change in our society. Ultimately, the team accomplished what was sought to achieve. In the words of 2022 JCI Manila President, Richard “Dods” Lim, Jr., “we, the youth, have it in ourselves to rebuild ourselves, rebuild our country, and ultimately, rebuild the future.”

OComm Mckinley Sy Spearheads JCI Manila’s First NFT Party By : Alexander Bryan Go

LFG! The 3rd General Membership Meeting, entitled “The NFT Party - Connect. Experience. Learn.”, was a fun-filled event that will surely be one for the books as it is one of the first Cryptocurrency/Blockchain-Related Events in the Philippines. For one, the event garnered a huge number of participants, gathering more than 200 JCI Manila Members, Sister Chapters and Nationals all in one venue - one of the most participants in any GMM. Collaboration. This is a word that could summarize the whole event, as it united the majority of the members & communities in an attempt to translate the event into fruition. The two men behind this successful event, namely Chairman McKinley Sy and Vice Chairman Ervinne Que, could not believe how well-received the event was because of the number of bottlenecks, constraints and circumstances that they had to control to make it as successful as it was. With NFTs and blockchain being more popularized in recent days, we will surely be seeing more of these insightful events! WAGMI! (We Are All Going To Make It!)

COMM. SHI HAO HSU LAUNCHES THE LIMITLESS MINDS SERIES ON MENTAL HEALTH By: Kevin Walter Ng

The monthly Mental Health Webinar invites top psychotherapists to provide information tools and answer questions relevant to Mental Health. Each month will be of a different theme that includes but is not limited to stress, grief, motivation, etc. Beyond providing talks, Mental Health Day will offer tools suited to each theme. In collaboration with sister chapter JCI Makati Princess Urduja, we talked about toxic relationships. As we all know, nobody enjoys too much negativity in our lives because it is not healthy and does not promote growth. In this webinar, we were taught on how to handle toxic situations. A highly interactive program, as we were able to hear the perspective and insights of men and women.

The objectives of the monthly webinar titled “Limitless Minds” is to raise awareness about mental health, not only will viewers be educated and empowered on mental health in 12 aspects, but also provide tools for coping with mental health issues. We have Clark Hsu, a multilingual IT professional, who became an Expressive Arts Therapist through personal journeys of growth and healing as our speaker for this 12 series webinar. Since 2013, he has been offering individual therapy, group therapy, workshops, training, and graduate courses in China, Taiwan.

In collaboration with JCI Sister Chapter JCI Zugbuana, we had the 3rd episode titled “The Woman In All of Us”, it talks about becoming vulnerable and open, regardless of your gender. We are taught that it is alright to accept your weaknesses, after all, we all have a soft side.

In the 1st episode of Limitless Mind, he discussed about Grief, Loss and Healing. There could not have been a better time to discuss this, because of the loved ones lost during this pandemic, with the knowledge shared by Dr. Clark Hsu, the audience were able to learn coping strategies.

Limitless minds continues to help us with our mental health, it continues to educate young people and empower them to aid other individuals who are struggling with anxiety, depression, stress and toxic environment. Stay tuned for future episodes!

GULPING GOLFERS BY: Chair Allen Aquino - MEMDEV Directorate

“Golf is the closest game to the game we call life. You get bad breaks from good shots; you get good breaks from bad shots—but you have to play the ball where it lies.” Bobby Jones

Please stay tuned! FORE—!!! Are you ready for Ryder? This is road to Ryder. #JCIManila #RebuildTheFuture #AyalaGreenfieldGolf #GolfComeback #BirdieParBogey2022 #RoadToRyder2022

It was an awesome Sunny Day for JCI Manila Golfers. Headed by 2022 JCI Manila President Richard “Dods” Lim Jr. at the Hole No. 1 of the 18-Hole, 72-Par Championship Golf Course of Ayala Greenfield Estates designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. Kicked-off the game at 9:00 AM with the Pilot Flight spearheaded by 2020 President John Bautista, including Comm Laurence Tan, Chair Rocky Cebrero and Chair Gian Madrigal. Trailed by the JCI Manila Senators — Sen. Soc Villanueva and Sen. Mike Bulaong, including PD Marc Tio. Followed by The Gentleman Secretary General AP Padiernos, including Comm Calvin Grageda and Chair Allen Aquino. Solid smashing by 2022 VP Ramon King, MEMDEV Director Jet Tatel and Chairman Cyril Manalo who swept the day with a rare birdie at Par 3, Hole No. 6. Closing the afternoon with a luncheon and “refreshments” ending at 4 PM, the gentlemen ended it with a fellowship. Capped-off by a Mini Raffle won by Chair Gian Madrigal, Sen. SG GP Valencia, and Sen. Soc Villanueva. Gulping Golfers Edition sign ups will be open for the coming days. Vice Chair Quino Baterna hosted the whole project in the prominent Ayala Greenfield Golf Course.

The effects of the pandemic have really been tough for many food businesses. How was your experience coping up with these? The greatest challenge was when we had to cease our operations. We had to close several stores because they could no longer be profitable with all the lockdown restrictions. The bright side was our assets were mostly food carts, so the impact was a bit more tolerable than those who had to close their entire structure. Thankfully, these days, foot traffic in malls have somehow gone back What makes your food concepts different from the others?

LIFE RECIPES THAT TURNED PBB HOUSEMATE INTO A SERIAL FOODPRENEUR

Right now, I am still looking for other suppliers that can really serve the needs of my target customers, such as food packaging like bento boxes, packed cutlery sets, etc. Basically, anything that will make our offerings safer for our customers like hotels, restaurant, and hospitals, in terms of making.

Interviewed By: Kevin Walter Ng

For Tikka Tikka, aside from offering frozen food products, we also now have bottled sauces like garlic sauce and sambal chili sauce. Aside from these, we have made ordering online and delivery more efficient for our customers.

Please introduce yourself and the business that you do, to help familiarize our readers about you.

What are your current goals and what are those things that stop you from reaching them?

Hello, I’m Roberto S Pagotan IV, also known as Fourth. I am in the restaurant and food cart businesses. Currently, I manage Tikka Tikka (Kebab and Biryani) and Avo Bravo (everything Avocado). At Tikka Tikka, we offer mainly roasted meat served in biryani rice and pocket wraps. For me, this is the perfect grab-and-go offering for all busy millennials like us. On the other hand, at Avo Bravo Gourmet, want to somehow help every Filipino family in these trying times. We provide the market with gourmet frozen meals delivery so they can enjoy delicious and quality foods in the comfort of their own homes.

Generally, our goals for Tikka Tikka and Avo Bravo are to make them the leading food carts and restaurants, based on its concept, and of course, for every Filipino to try it. What makes it difficult are the current effects of the pandemic, which really hit our financials. We also met several issues in hiring employees, because some employees did not fit the job, so weren’t able to stay too long with our company. Then again, I have already learned from that experience. How do you prepare employees for your business operations?

Currently, we have fifteen employees, which includes the five of us who are business partners. We also have franchise stores, so if we combine them, we are a forty people strong business.

It would help a lot when you make and give them a training program where they can learn all the process, like it is a step-by-step guide. It also works when you entrust them with big roles, that they can be proud of doing.

Most people know you as a Big Brother Teen Housemate. For sure many would be curious to find out how you got into the food business. Tell us how.

For anyone who is planning to start a business like yours, based on your experience, what are the things one should remember?

I started into food business after I took Culinary Arts from the Center of Asian Culinary Studies at the College of St. Benilde. I made a brownies business with my twin brother. Later, I also joined some friends in their catering business; however, since we were still very young, the business did not really go well.

It is very important for anyone to consider the target market, the branding and the image you would like to project, also the financial strategies to make the business less risky. In franchising, we normally look for a franchisee, it is for us to increase our capital, but it is very important that you check first if you are truly ready to franchise out your business, and the reasons are valid to you.

After that, I worked at Shangri-La Hotel for two years. I also operated a cafeteria and catering service for a corporate office as a franchisee, concessionaire, and operations manager. That was where I really learned how to take food business seriously, manage manpower, do costing, plan menu, make financial reports, and most importantly, become a leader.

Briefly, How does Fourth handle stress and how does he define success? Finding a lot of things stressful can already be a part of the usual process, but you should not let them get into your system, as negative thoughts may have a lot of negative impacts in terms of how you deal with others and cope up with the problems. Some hobbies and distractions like working out in the gym or running also help relieve stress.

For some I know, starting from scratch can be a tough experience. Please share our readers the “birth pains” you had to go through. I had many of those especially that I had a regular day job. After timing out, I would have to work again at night until midnight. Aside from that, when I was still starting, I did not have enough manpower to do the hard task of assembling

Success for me means having contentment and peace of mind. It is also learning from your past experiences and being able to apply them to your life and future dealings.

The Optimism that Keeps Manila’s Homegrown Online Grocery Steadfast Interviewed By: Dan Michael Gallego and Hero Ongham The arrival of fast and reliable tech-enabled apps for various personal and business services has encouraged more and more people to consider and embrace smart options to fulfilling some of their chores more efficiently. A company of highly spirited and tech-oriented young professionals saw the opportunity in this revolution, so they jumped on the bandwagon. In 2016, they initiated a technology startup that addresses many troubles and inconveniences that come along with going to the supermarket, buying groceries, and filling the pantries, which may include spending time in traffic to reach the store, queuing for payment, and tiring oneself out looking through shelves for the specific items to buy. They called it Pushkart.ph For the past six years, Pushkart.ph has enabled countless households, and even offices, to buy quality home essentials and grocery goods conveniently and securely online, and to have them safely delivered to their doorsteps within the shortest time possible. From my own experience, I personally like the part where I can see the product prices on the interface at once. As other e-commerce apps, Pushkart.ph also gives an instant computation for the items you have selected, which makes accounting way easier, quicker, and more accurate; in contrast to in-store shopping where you could only check the official total amount after the cashier has scanned all the items in your cart. Finding items has also been as effortless as searching on Google – you simply need to type it. You can also save some money with Pushkart.ph as it keeps you away from the temptation of buying stuff you do not need just because you saw it on the shelf. Recently, with all the lockdowns, physical distancing requirements and other changes that disrupted consumer behaviors and expectations, Pushkart.ph have also seen a tremendous increase in demands for straightforward, hassle-free deliveries. Today, we can say that Pushkart.ph and its smart shopping model is now, more than ever, geared up for further business development and expansion. Nonetheless, steering Pushkart.ph to its current stability did not come without some challenges. In this interview, let us learn more about Pushkart.ph, as well as its present challenges and opportunities, straight from its then Chief Technology Officer (CTO) turned Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in 2020, Mr. Michael George Lim.

Tell us about how PushKart.ph started.

For some I know, starting from scratch can be a tough experience. Please share our readers the “birth pains” you had to go through.

PushKart.ph began in 2016. I was a part of the founding partners, although the idea was originally developed Joshua Aragon, Bryan Reyes and Lorenzo Yu. Prior to starting PushKart.ph, these three had a technology company that needed the support of my own digital solutions business. As their associate, they invited me to join them as the Chief Technology Officer for PushKart.ph.

I had many of those especially that I had a regular day job. After timing out, I would have to work again at night until midnight. Aside from that, when I was still starting, I did not have enough manpower to do the hard task of assembling my cart and equipment for ingress. As you expected, I was also the one who would do the disassembling and carrying them back to the pickup to transport them. In between those, I also had to do the selling of my products myself.

Back in 2015, it was still a proof of concept. As a group, we were really inspired by what had been happening in the tech world. We observed that online groceries were becoming a thing all over Southeast Asia and it would not be too long before the wave would reach the Philippines.

The effects of the pandemic have really been tough for many food businesses. How was your experience coping up with these?

How was the market during the initial stage of your business? How did they perceive and receive your business idea?

The greatest challenge was we had to cease our operations. We had to close several stores because they could no longer be profitable with all the lockdown restrictions. The bright side was our assets were mostly food carts, so the impact was a bit more tolerable than those who had to close their entire structure. Thankfully, these days, foot traffic in malls have somehow gone back.

We consider ourselves the pioneer in the country although we knew from the start that selling our idea would not be too easy. Filipinos generally like going out and do groceries. They consider the task as part of their so-called therapeutical chores. This was also the usual opinion we would get from different people. Nonetheless, we remained quite optimistic about our model since there would always be people who would rather choose convenience and value their time than to go out and face all the hassles that comes with going out to shop. That was the market we were bagging in. When it comes to marketing PushKart.ph, we were quite slow and always playing it safe. When Honestbee, a big player from Singapore, entered in late 2017, they pushed and marketed their platform very hard. Many people signed up and appreciated their service. Because of them, we realized that there is really a market for a platform like ours. When Honestbee closed their business after a year and a half of operating, many from their client network flowed in to PushKart.ph.

What was that moment that motivated you to join in developing the business?

In my other company, Glimsol Web and Digital Solutions, we have been helping a lot of startups on building their platforms, including other e-commerce businesses. With that, I got interested in also having my own venture that was not limited to offering I.T services. I just felt that I also wanted to have this participation in the e-commerce space. When I was invited by Josh’s team to join them, I immediately said yes, like instinct.

Share with us about the concerns, worries and some fears you had when you were starting.

Just like other startups, our greatest challenge was to bring more cashflow into our business. It was difficult for us to find a venture capitalist, so we had to rely on our own resources. Because of that, we were not able to finance our marketing that well, which was crucial to our model’s growth. Next challenge we faced were our differences as partners. We struggled as a team because of a lot of disagreements that slowed down the progress of our business. Gradually, some partners also got exhausted and fell out. Sad as it may seem, but it really happens. That was also the reason why I took over and became PushKart.ph CEO in 2019. Third one was the challenge in operating the business. It was really a new concept so learning how to run it took trials and errors. Some partners who were really in charge of the operations were also not cooperating that much, so we made so many lapses here and there. When it comes to marketing an online platform, aside from doing it on social media, do you also form partnerships with other groups to promote your business? How is PushKart.ph different from Grab and Panda?

Was there any point that you thought about giving up?

We almost shutdown the company in 2019. The market was growing but it did not produce relevant cashflow for us to sustain our growth. Those were also the time when we were facing issues with some partners losing their interest, so the business was left with Josh running the front side of the business, while I was doing the backend works.

When it comes to digital marketing, it must come 360. There should be social media marketing, search engine optimization and presence in Google searches. There should also be influencers and other online mediums that would help you tap your market.

Do you have you own fleet of delivery riders? How did it impact the cost of operating your business initially?

We are absolutely planning to do that this year and that is one of our major plans for expansion.

We had our own fleet of delivery riders. Those were some of the proving factors especially when you are starting up. A lot of things can get exciting at first that we overspent in some matters like hiring many logistics staff. We thought it was essential for us because we wanted to show that our service was excellent. To do that, we believed that we really had to have our own team and not just hire some freelance riders as their services might not be too efficient. Our marketing spending also went up since we had no other way of making our brand visible than to spend a lot on digital marketing.

Our key plans are to expand to the major cities in Visayas and Mindanao, and to increase our merchant selections. Right now, when you look at our app, you will see that we are just limited to groceries. Soon, we will also be offering sets of food from well-curated merchants like Best Choices, Beyond Harvest. Currently, we now have tapas and wine, pre-cooked and ready-to-heat food. As you see, we are really working hard to improve our selections. Someday, we will also be offering food delivery straight from the restaurants.

Have you begun planning for your expansion? How do you imagine implementing it?

What were the general effects of the pandemic on PushKart.ph?

We were spending a lot of cash in terms of operation. When we were starting, our manpower reached around 25 to 30 people. With that, the salary expenses would already reach more than half or close to a million, and then you add the expenses for our marketing.

I believe many e-commerce businesses did well during the pandemic since many people were relying on us to provide them their essentials. It will be hard to beat that. We experienced so much growth in 2020 and 2021. This year has also been a good year, although we have noticed a minimal decline because things have started to go back to normal; while there are those who have gotten used to doing everything online.

We considered getting venture capitalists and we almost got one when we participated in the Final Pitch, but it also did not pursue.

Talk about some key factors that triggered change in your company.

Since you’ve mentioned that, how was the challenge of finding a venture-capitalist here in the Philippines?

Going back to the 2019 story… we almost shutdown and we almost got taken over by our financer. We did a lot of steps that year like getting bridge loans after bridge loans. Nonetheless, we were able to surpass those challenges; hence, PushKart.ph is still here.

The answer is that we were not just falling into the right venture capitalist who was aiming for the bracket we had. Most likely, the capitalists we tried to get in the past were those that are on a different level of revenues, or we were not exactly the industry they were looking to invest on. Basically, we were not hitting the right people to talk to. Local investors are also, more often than not, very conservative, and traditional in their way of thinking. They can be more assertive that is why it is usually more challenging to convince them about your ideas. Grab and Panda are on-demand delivery services so you can receive your orders from them within 20 minutes or so, and they do not really have a dedicated logistics team. Almost all their riders are freelancers. In terms of GrabMart, we are similar but they are far wider in terms of market and service offerings.

I was already the CEO at that time, and Josh and I had already done our turnover. I decided to run the company in a more fundamentalist way. My primary objective was to make it more sustainable, so we had a leaner operation.

Taal Eruption triggered the demand for grocery supplies and with that, January 2020 became the first month that we broke even. People got scared of going out due to the ashfall and its bad effect on human health. The recurring monthlong lockdowns brought by the COVID health crisis caused the demand for our service to shoot up as well. That, I could say, was our real turning point. Back then, we were looking for people to use our platform. But since people could not go out, they started looking for us.when we participated in the Final Pitch, but it also did not pursue.

As a startup, didn’t you find those rapid increase on the demand for your services overwhelming? Since the demand increased, operating during the pandemic became quite overwhelming because many of our staff went home to their provinces; while some found it difficult to travel to our hub because they live far and there were many lockdown restrictions. With that, we had to pause our operations for two to three weeks.

Do you consider yourself a positive person and is it a quality that one must possess for him to keep a successful business? When I took over the company, I was optimistic and confident that I could make the startup work. When you are running a business, it would always help to stay positive. With that, you attract other positive things to come.

The first challenge I took was to hire and train new set of people on our processes and systems so they could run our operations. During those times, many were cancelling their orders, asking for a refund, and getting mad for our inefficiencies. However, I realized that you really must go through those moments to make you stronger and inspire to think of new ways to make your business more efficient.

How does your usual day go? Are you always busy, do you always have to be in front of the computer? Do you still have time to jog, workout? Since pandemic came, I have always been busy. I’m one of those people who work 16 hours a day, especially now that I have to juggle the works in my two companies, Glimsol and PushKart.ph.

When it comes to making decisions during those tough times, did you rely on gut, or you did you focus more on company’s survival?

Important for customer acquisition and retaining them… first point of contact is really the platform. we must demonstrate that your app is functional all the time. Next thing, we must satisfy our customers in terms of fulfilling and handling their orders. Our riders, they must also be efficient in using our systems and delivery. Lastly, our support group must also be quick in responding to customer concerns.

One of the most difficult decisions I made was when we had our transition, where I took over as CEO. We had the option to simply close the company just to prevent further losses. During those times, Josh also already had a plan to build his new startup, Zagana. Basically, I was the only one left at PushKart.ph. I was thinking hard whether I should continue the business or not. I was aware of the challenges I would be facing should I decide to continue. But I believe in our vision and the brand we have made. Besides, I have also been too invested with the company in terms of resources, tech and time. I pursued it and I became the troubleshooter for all the problems I enumerated awhile ago. Thankfully, I was able to address them except for the glaring challenge in terms of cashflow.

How do you summarize the learnings you’ve obtained from all these experiences? Find mentors and individuals who can teach you a lot of things. Learn how to make people work for you. Invest in people. Delegate. Learn to work on a particular budget. Spend within your means. Use skills in budget management.

Early Trials and Pandemic that drive Bhenjie Florentino to Keep on Innovating Interviewed By: Dan Michael B. Gallego

Describe ROG.PH as you originally conceptualized it. What were those initial objectives you had set yourself? As a college student, I thought about experimenting and putting up business of my own. I enjoyed playing computer games and so are many of my closest friends. That made it very easy for me to decide on building a computer shop as a business. During those times, it could be too difficult to find a computer shop that impressed me in terms of the overall ambiance and services. E-Sports was also not yet a trend then, although I could say that I already had those ideas of forming teams and joining international events. Through the years, the industry continued to see growth, so I had to innovate too and refine my goals of creating E-Sports teams and expanding to more branches. What were the main reasons why it did not work? What were those issues that you failed to consider? I and my business partner were able to expand into ten (10) branches through franchising within a single year of starting our business. However, we failed to consider several things. First, gamers shifted their interest in newer games that required higher PC specifications; thus, we needed to infuse more capital to upgrade the configurations for all our branches. Another is the rise of mobile gaming industry. Many game developers focused on developing mobile phone games and took advantage of the revenue they could make out of it. And then the health crisis came. Many businesses, including ours, were unable to operate for over a year due to physical distancing restrictions. When did you realize that your initial attempt was a failure? Tell us about your situation and the business. To help our franchisees, we implemented ways for them to earn during the pandemic. One of them was leasing out the PCs to call to call centers but it did not help much in covering the operational expenses that just kept on piling up as months went by. That was when we decided to let go of many of our branches. How did it affect you personally and emotionally? I suffered several sleepless nights and I felt terribly lost. From being a provider, I suddenly became the one who would ask for financial assistance from my relatives and friends. Then again, the silver lining are my family and some true friends. The lockdowns gave me the chance to spend time with them and learn new things for my self-improvement. I also learn to be more outgoing and use my network for business development in ways I never thought were possible. Please share with us those things that anyone starting a business should avoid and not do. You must choose business partners who you think could spend their lives with you for five years or so – figuratively, those who can even stay with you in your house. You must know them so well, including their personal values and attitude, besides their financial capacity and business acumen. Business success happens when opportunity meets preparedness. It is important to have liquid assets that can secure you for several years, even when calamity comes. You must never settle on what you know and never stop learning. Never rush. The pandemic has changed the landscape of many business industries so you must consider that. Work on data to back you up on your business decisions.

If you were to nag or scold your younger self about business, what would you tell him? “Let the business work for you, and not the other way around so don’t be too hard on yourself.” When did you decide to continue doing the business? Describe to us what triggered it. I can stop anytime, sell my assets, and enjoy a simple life. But I also feel that I am responsible to persevere for the people who work for me. I am an “employee” to them as much as they are to me. I look at them as family who would stick with you around even in difficult times. Having a business is both a blessing and an obligation. You are blessed with control and potentials and curse, but they do not come without many responsibilities. What were your new goals in pulling through, and how did you plan to put the business up again? The goal now is to pull more funds and find new areas where our new model will grow. We want to develop as a tech company and expand in the metaverse. Tell us about ROG.PH today. Years in business, where you are located, how many branches, plans for expansion, and development. ROG.PH Today is surviving and riding on the waves of this pandemic. We continue our healthy partnership with various Business Process Outsourcing and Information Technology companies by supplying them cheaper alternatives. We also strengthen our relationship with MYSTC Inc., and we hope to add more partners in the metaverse. For its clients, what are the things that make ROG.PH special in contrast with other gaming café? In the past, we would need players to pay us for our services. Soon, we will be paying them play for us. Our future works will be focused on gaming. We expect the new model we are currently developing to make an impact and alter the landscape of the gaming industry. How can other people join you in this venture? Discuss the requirements and the potential income with a summary of your feasibility study. We are currently on the testing phase of our new business model. Right now, we are looking for an expansive space to maximize our efforts. To those interest, you may connect with me through bhenjie@rog.ph. I will be more than glad to share my ideas with you. As essential requirement, you need to have a similar vision.

What were the innovations in your business? We make our promos fun by connecting our daily posts to social trends. We also made a TikTok account since that’s what’s in now. Since deliveries are more frequent during the pandemic, we made sure it was seamless & hassle free for our customers by providing a simple order form. We also plan on expanding to a location with more foot traffic this year, so customers will be able to eat their food in their parking slots in our cafe inside their cars. And roadside weekends outside the cafe What were the goals of your business? Our goals are; to connect Bean Shack to more delivery apps this year, to join bazaars and to create another branch with more foot traffic. When it comes to our timeline, we were not able to meet some of our goals during the Q1 of the year such as being connected to delivery apps (Grab, Pickaroo etc.) What were your strategies that you incorporated but didn't work? To make it easier for the customers, we have a curbside pick-up option for those who prefers to have their coffee on the go. This didn’t really pick up as much as we thought. Most of our customers still prefer delivery. How do you keep your business running despite the difficulties?

THE WALLET-FRIENDLY COFFEE DESTINATION OF an entrepreneur

Starting a business is a huge commitment, and usually involves a significant amount of risk. This might include keeping your day job while pushing with a new opportunity. It might include foregoing nights and weekends to push harder. Entrepreneurship is not a 9-to-5 endeavor. It's sometimes 24/7. But if you do it right, the rewards can be well worth it. Have a plan, love what you do, be patient and be in it for the long haul. This is why it is so important to have a plan and focus on something you really care about. Building a business takes years of effort and energy with many ups and downs, but if you have a plan and you love what you do, you will always be able to stay motivated and have the patience to persevere despite the inevitable bumps along the way.

Interviewed By: Kevin Walter Ng Introduce yourself, the business and your position.

Bean Shack Grill + Café looks forward to serving you all our selection of drinks & comfort food!

Hi my name is Franz Offemaria IV, I’m the Marketing Manager and Cook of Bean Shack, along with me is my business partner Krysstal Cruz, she is currenly the CEO, Operations Manager & Barista. How did you start the business? Our first day of business was October 9, 2011 and we are 3 in total, as of now. The challenges were making the café’s branding different from the new generation of coffee shops today and how can we make our marketing style unique but make it trendy at the same time? This was definitely a challenge but a good one since we got to explore our creative sides. What were the sacrifices that you have to make for your business? I have an 8:30am-5:30pm full time job in an international bank, so post work hours, I spent it contributing to the business. Especially in the weekends. It’s really important to be hands on when starting a business. While my business partner, Krysstal Cruz had to postpone certain personal plans such as travelling, getting a master’s degree and being employed in an 8-5 job. It’s important to be hands on when you’re starting a business. If you have great foundation, the rest will follow.

the next big thing in satisfying your sweet tooth

What, for you, were the biggest sacrifice you had to make in the face of the challenges you mentioned? The sacrifices have been the same as any else trying to make something great. Time, money, and health. When we were close to opening, most of us were only getting about 3 hours of sleep per night. It wasn't very healthy, but it was necessary to make sure it was a success. We just didn’t expect to experience it again during the pandemic, but probably the most devastating were the employees we had to let go during those times as we couldn’t afford to sustain them any longer. We were closed for almost two years.

Interviewed By: Kevin Walter Ng

When we visited The Dessert Museum, we were really amazed by the whole experience we got. What exactly were your ideas for coming up with something like it? Our focus was delivering desserts to your mouth in the coolest, most fun way possible. When we first opened, we had the Cotton Candy Forest where branches of cotton candy were plucked from trees so they could be eaten. Our creativity with how we presented and delivered food were probably some of our most fun innovations, aside from our many other current or former installations such as the Banana Beach or like our Bubble Room which is obviously a room full of never-ending bubbles. All these really sound like wonderful concepts. Where do you get your inspirations and how do you come up with them? Our mother brand is called The Nextperience Group - which specializes in creating unique experiences with the goal of always being The Next Big Thing. We have always challenged ourselves to bring The Dessert Museum to the next level. Unlike others who just resort to straight out copying, we try to innovate and challenge our creativity. Our goal is really to consistently create installations that will make you experience and reimagine your favorite desserts in the most unique way possible. Eventually, we want our installations to be unlike anything you have experienced before so stay tuned! Please introduce yourself to our readers and discuss with us a little about your business. My name is Nikko Que and I’m one of the co-founders of The Dessert Museum - the first ever experiential museum where you can feast your eyes and exercise your tastebuds with our 9 mouthwatering rooms of sugar-filled happiness. Our business opened last February 2018. We are 7 partners in the business, employing over 40 employees. This 12,000 sq. ft. sugar wonderland was the first ever EAT AS YOU PLAY experience in Asia! As we all know, the health crisis came. How would you describe the challenges you found yourselves in as a group, and how did you manage to cope up? Besides the obvious challenges all of us faced during this pandemic, we also had to contend with difficulties on the creative side of things as well as searching for our identity and relationship with our customers. Being confident with our designs and ideas was one of the first hurdles we encountered as creators. Time, work, and money go into every installation so there is a definite pressure to create something that you are proud of and that you think others will enjoy, too. It doesn't always work out that way, but that is the goal. Now that you have mentioned those, how do you evaluate the impact of your outputs to your clients and partners? Sometimes people don’t like it as much as you’d want them to, and then, sometimes people like what you've made so much they try to take credit for your hard work. That one was especially infuriating because we never expected it to happen since credibility and proof always go hand in hand in business. At first, we were mostly just pretty to look at. Now we've shifted our energy into being interactive as well as pretty. Just check out our human claw machine!

Going back to the pandemic. I am sure you had objectives that needed to be put on hold. Tell us about these plans. We had to postpone the renovations of our rooms to bring new experiences to our customers, and a more aggressive global expansion (although we’re getting there). One of the strategies we tried during the pandemic was setting up The Dessert Museum online store by opening our own Shopee shop. However, since The Dessert Museum’s core idea was to give a radical experience in real life, it didn’t work as good as we hoped. Nikko, with our discussion, I can tell that The Dessert Museum is truly a promising business. To close, please inform our readers about the status of your business and what else we can expect soon. Our business, despite the pandemic, have been thriving. Although we still must deal with closures, and reduced hours, we’ve been able not only survive but thrive. In fact, we had our second pop-up abroad in Abu Dhabi just last December as one of the featured installations in the wildly popular Mother of the Nation Festival - hosting hundreds of thousands of attendees per day. We have upcoming partnerships with world class brands to launch new experiences in The Dessert Museum. Once we normalize even more, we expect that this is the only the beginning.

FROM 500 PESOS TO MILLIONS, THE STORY OF THE GREAT ALEXANDER GO OF JCI MANILA

When did you start the Business? We started planning the business at the age of 17 alongside my co-founder, Raoul. We personally saw the need for a better shoe restoration service in the Philippines, as the existing ones have not been consistently providing quality service.

Interviewed By: Kevin Walter Ng

How many are you in the company/business?

Introduce yourself, the business of your choosing and your position.

We are 6 in the company, from different walks of life. I am obviously the youngest, at 22 haha!

Hi to all! My name is Alexander Bryan Go and I am the current CFO of Kicksomatic

What were the challenges/failures in your business? I personally experienced a lot of learning curves, with this being my first business. But the biggest challenges happened amidst the pandemic, when we were forced to close down 2 of our newly built branches due to poor foot traffic in the area, which the business was heavily reliant on. I am personally glad to have experienced these failures as they have shaped me into the individual I am today.

Kicksomatic is the #1 sneaker cleaning and restoration service in the Philippines, we are one of the true originators of sneaker cleaning and restoration in the vibrant sneaker culture in the Philippines today. We offer various cleaning, restoration and customization services for sneakers, and was the first to introduce free pickup and delivery within Metro Manila three years ago and later on, in the metropolitan outskirts and provincial areas such as Antipolo, Rizal, Laguna and Cavite, as we continue to strive for greater accessibility to all our customers, especially now in the New Normal.

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You are known in JCI Manila as the guy who started his fortune with just 500 pesos, how did you turn it into a goldmine? It started in my teenage years, to be honest we weren’t that well off and I was just saving money to buy PS2 so I came up with the idea of buying and selling sneakers, I got that 500 pesos from tutoring, then i started my journey in sales by buying a secondhand pair of Nike Roshe One, then i went home and clean it myself and sell it for a higher price. I was able to flip it for 2000 pesos and made a profit 1500 pesos, which allowed me to buy 2 more pairs of secondhand shoes, I just repeated the process . Now, I’m selling 100 to 200 pairs of secondhand sneakers a month to different collectors, I even got referred to celebrities such as Vice Ganda. What has been your motivation? I had that mindset at an early age that I have to be successful to give my family a better life, i endured hardships, slept on the streets, and many more. It became my fuel for my success. How many are you in the company/business? We are 6 in the company, from different walks of life. I am obviously the youngest, at 22 haha! What were the challenges/failures in your business? I personally experienced a lot of learning curves, with this being my first business. But the biggest challenges happened amidst the pandemic, when we were forced to close down 2 of our newly built branches due to poor foot traffic in the area, which the business was heavily reliant on. I am personally glad to have experienced these failures as they have shaped me into the individual I am today.

What were the sacrifices that you have to make for your business? As Kevin O Leary would say, when managing a business there are no movie dates at 9 nor Saturday hangouts with friends & family. With the business being at its earliest stages and with me being at school, I had to schedule all my classes in the morning just so I could drop by the shop in the afternoon. I had to cut classes and part time with my friends & family. But as you grow old, you begin to realize that these tangibles are incomparable to time spent with your loved ones. So as of the moment, I do my very best to incorporate family time as much as possible into my tightly-knit schedule. What are the key principles that you have lived by that you want to share with us? (1) Purpose over passion. What you’re passionate about may not be what your purpose is. Do not be passion’s slave and strive to find what your purpose is in life! (2) Psychology is everywhere. I kid you not, the most important skills I’ve had in my arsenal are not financial nor business tactics. But they are in line with psychology - I closed most of my fundraising rounds with this. (3) A man who has a why in life can bear almost any how. (4) Knowledge is very powerful. I’d argue that it is much more powerful than brute force. If you can speak, wrote and eloquently generate arguments, you are one of the most powerful men in the room and people will not mess with you (5) The Art of Acquiescence - Control what you can control, and do not control what you can’t control. This is one of the most simplest and powerful principles known to mankind. This is the most important. Here is my advice to the aspiring young men of JCI Manila, whatever you do, just exceed the status quo!

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