Changing the World

Changing the World

One Flan

at a Time

For some people, failing in business 14 times would be enough to make you quit trying. But when you are as fierce as the Philippines’ Princess San Diego, you keep believing and keep moving forward. Good thing she did! After only three years, her dessert business What’s Your Flan, reached its 100th unit with franchise locations operating all over the Philippines and one in Dubai. “I am so blessed to be a part of this dream and to have our WYF company that is like family,” San Diego said. “Everything has been so unexpected, and I am so happy.”

by Elizabeth Denham

How She Started

San Diego always wanted a source of income so she and her husband could save for their family’s future. Her husband funded her first 14 businesses which ranged from restaurants to gadget sales and a clothing line to car accessories. She started What’s Your Flan with her own $20 in her kitchen.

“It was hard being of a certain age and feeling like I had not achieved anything,” San Diego said. “My husband’s support has been a big factor in my success. He told me, ‘you only have to succeed once.’”

And succeed she did, but not without challenges.

After considering options for treats to feed her love for cooking, San Diego discovered an amazing Mexican treat – flan! She started small in her own kitchen, and the first few months were great. She kept going, added flavors and thought she was on her way. But by summer, she had no sales and no customers. She was ready to give up.

Perseverance

In San Diego’s moment of doubt, her husband stepped in and gave her some encouragement. Together, they came up with ideas to help her reach more customers and increase sales. They stepped up their packaging, introduced different flavors, offered opportunities to resellers and made the product available nationwide. Once people started discovering the product, she had to offer more flavors to keep up with demand.

What’s Your Flan is now the pioneer in the flavored leche

flans niche, making it the number one flan business in the Philippines and abroad. They are continuously innovating their favorite desserts and have begun adding a new line up of products with unique concepts.

“We are somewhat unique in that we are a home-based business,” San Diego said. “It’s difficult in the Philippines to open a storefront. It is expensive and traffic is so bad, people would rather stay home and order online.”

As a home-based business with a low entry point, San Diego’s business model targets people who are often marginalized in society – the unemployed, the disabled, senior citizens, housewives and abused OFWs (overseas Filipino workers).

“We look for people who could benefit from business ownership who are often overlooked or unable to work in a corporate job,” San Diego says with pride. “There are many companies that won’t hire senior citizens or people with disabilities, but they can work if it’s flexible.”

San Diego is also dedicated to helping repatriated and abused OFWs. She has partnered with HOPE of the Blas Ople Center (and other NGOs who serve this community) in helping the repatriated and abused OFWs by giving them opportunities, seminars and counseling. There are 760,000 OFWs and one in five is a domestic worker. Many of these workers face abuse when working abroad.

What’s Your Flan also partners with UNICEF. A percentage of sales goes to the organization and WYF supports UNICEF’s annual Christmas Celebration Charity event at The House of Refuge.

Awards

San Diego won 1st Place in the NextGen in Franchise Leaders event held at Franchise Asia Philippines in July of 2018.

She won The NextGen in Global Franchising first runner up award at the International Franchise Convention’s annual confrence held in Las Vegas last February. She is the first Filipino and Southeast Asian to reach this level of success.

For more information about What’s Your Flan go to: https://m.facebook.com/whatsyourflan/. You can also email Princess at whatsyourflanmainbranch@yahoo.com.