Globalpinoy Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises believes that a principal reason why the Philippines continues to lag behind its Asian neighbors in economic development is because of the lamentable absence of a wide-spread entrepreneurial orientation and a woeful lack of entrepreneurial skills among Filipinos. Even today, our youth are still brought up on the principle that the key to success is to get a good education preferably with impressive grades to be able to find good employment in big multinational companies. One look at our more successful Asian brothers will easily reveal that their economies were founded on local entrepreneurships, not employment.

There is therefore an urgent need to correct this anomaly that has left our country behind in economic development. This is most crucial as the whole world economy now faces the onslaught of globalization, a trend which cannot be stopped and will not be stopped.

Our country drastically requires the development of a mass-based entrepreneurial class if we are to survive globalization. A country of employees such as ours will always have a government that is beholden to multinational companies. On the other hand, a Philippines with a wide-based entrepreneurial class can exist on its own and could even wield companies hostage in this country.

The Philippine economy must be controlled by Filipinos. "Para umunlad ang ating bayan, kailangan umunlad ang negosyanteng pinoy." This is the battlecry of the Globalpinoy Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises. With every activity of Globalpinoys, we hope to spread the seeds of Filipino entrepreneurship to the four corners of the archipelago or wherever the Filipinos maybe.

But for the entrepreneurial class to flourish and succeed, we critically also need the cooperation and support of the government. Globalpinoy Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises likewise commits itself to attempt to persuade government to implement laws and incentives conducive to the development and success of home-grown entrepreneurs.

With you, the local entrepreneurs, behind us, we will succeed finally in creating a powerful entrepreneurial class. YOU the local entrepreneurs of this country will be the next heroes of the Philippines!

 

Bakit kailangan mong mag-negosyo?

 

Magagamit mo ang iyong kinikita sa kapaki-pakinabang na paraan.

Hindi mo na kailangang magsilbi sa iba, sa negosyo mo, ikaw ang 'amo'
Magkakaroon ka ng oras para sa iyong pamilya.

Di mo na kailangang mawalay sa iyong mga mahal sa buhay upang kumita ng
pera sa malayong bansa. Di na kailangan ang mawalay sa iyong mga mahal sa buhay. Magiging buo ang iyong pamilya at mabibigyan mo ng maayos na patnubay ang iyong mga anak dahil kapiling mo sila.

Makakatulong ka sa bayan sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay ng trabaho at serbisyo sa mga taong nangangailangan.

 

Para sa mga katanungan at paglilinaw, tumawag sa Telepono (632) 926-0860 o celphone +63920 425 9973 o magpadala ng email sa Globalpinoys@yahoo.com o magtungo sa tanggapan ng Globalpinoy Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises, Inc. na matatagpuan sa  #6 Bayanihan Drive, Project 8, Quezon City, Philippines.

                                                                                         

                                                                                            Globalpinoy Management Team

 

For more information, contact globalpinoys@yahoo.com

Franchising retirees - by Gerry Bactagon (printed in Entrepreneur Magazine (July 2005)

Many retired people find it eassier to start and grow a business as a result of their experience and skills.

When Virginia Viernes retired in May 2002, at age 57, she knew she would have to keep on working. "Even before I retired, I was already thinking of my future," says Viernes who served as a teacher and Reading Department administrator of San Beda College-Alabang for 18 years. "I didn't want to be idle. I wanted to still earn a living and not merely depend on my pension or my three sons. I knew then that going into business was the best thing to do."

She first tried multilevel marketing. "Next, I joined fellow retirees from school selling health-insurance plans. Then I learned that I could earn extra income by selling prepaid cell phone cards, but it was not my cup of tea, either." Still, Viernes kept on looking. Then she read in Entrepreneur magazine about a franchising meeting to be held at the Philippine International Convention Center sometime in September, and there she and her son discovered Inkman, the printer ink cartridge refiller, of which she would become the first franchisee. "I saw that ink refilling was relatively new and that there would be a great demand for it eventually," she says, "especially since our country was experiencing an economic crisis. People were already looking for ways and means to economize and save."

Before her early retirement from the Central Bank in 1992, Teresita Mallari started selling chocolates, perfume, clothes and accessories to her officemates and close friends. She continued her buy-and-sell business when she retired, but in 2003 she bought a Plato Wraps franchise and set up her outlet at the SM Southmall Foodcourt. "Plato Wraps started in Dagupan and Baguio and they were doing well," she recalls. "I saw that the franchise fee was reasonable and the product had gained a reputation in the market. So when they were expanding in Metro Manila, we took advantage of the chance of being the pioneers there." In four months she recouped her investment. Then, in May 2004, she opened her second Plato Wraps outlet in SM Dasmarinas before moving to Alabang Town Center. The same year, she attended the 2004 Franchising Exhibits at the World Trade Center on the lookout for another hit, and there she discovered New York Fries and Dips. "We immediately loved the product and found that the franchising fee was reasonable. We also decided that the product would be a sure hit at the Alabang Town Center, an A market." She held exploratory talks with the Fries and Dips people and visited some outlets to see how those were doing. "We even interviewed their service crews and monitored operations from opening to closing," she says. She needed P308,000 to buy the franchise, so she dipped into her Plato Wraps earnings and opened near the cinemas. She recouped her investment in six months. Now she isn't about to stop with three food carts. "God willing, we see the business graduating from cart operations to a small resto/cafe in the near future," she says."

The perception that most retirees are past their prime is proving to be wrong. In fact, many retirees are finding out that the best time to start a business is when they retire, and buying a franchise is the best way to go about it. "This is definitely becoming a trend," says franchise consultant Ricky Cuna, who is doing a series of talks on retirement programs for retiring employees of various banks. "They have retirement benefits, their kids are out of college, and they are at a point in life where they can afford to take a risk." There are several factors driving this trend. Firstly, people are living longer and are in better health to handle a post-retirement job. Secondly, people - those laid off or are forced into early retirement, particularly - are recognizing the need to continue making money and to avoid idleness and the reduced intellectual stimulation in their later years. The odds are in their favor. "Retirees don't have those fixed expense commitments they had when they were younger, like bringing up children and saving for their education or paying mortgages," says Cuna, who became an entrepreneur himself after his early retirement as a bank executive.

Many retirees are finding out that the best time to start a business is when they retire, and buying a franchise is the best way to go about it.

People of retirement age also have an edge when it comes to looking for financing. "Of course, some can use their lump-sum [payments], but their real advantage is their experience and their contracts," says Cuna. "If they have done well in their career, they have built a reputation for credibility and reliability, and these precisely are the things that attract investors." As well, retirees don't have to reinvent the wheel when they buy a franchise. All they have to do is follow the business plan and stay focused to ensure success. Viernes agrees: "Doing our business is very simple. Everything is clearly stated in the operating manual, and aside from that, our franchisers regularly communicate with us and fully support us in every way."

Franchising now an investment option of OFWs

FRANCHISING is emerging as a viable investment option for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) seeking to set up a business in the Philippines. Filipino franchise investment packages have drawn the attention of many individuals who have sought greener pastures abroad but are keen on spending the rest of their lives back home with their families once they've saved enough. It is this motivation of having a better life that is driving an increasing number of OFWs to invest their hard-earned money in lasting and profitable franchise ventures. The success rate of some these homegrown and relatively low-cost, high-viability franchises have prodded more and more Filipinos to invest on them.

It is interesting to note that for the same volume of business that can be generated by a foreign franchise brand operator, a homegrown franchise investment package costs 60-80% cheaper. What's even more heartening is that with winning concepts, product quality consistency and a harmonious franchisor-franchisee relationship, these Filipino franchises grow to multiple store operations.

Sheree Santy, 31, a marketing graduate who worked for five years as crew purser for international luxury liners, had long nurtured a desire to run her own business. So while she dealt with the pressures of her job - handling the payroll and immigration clearances for 400 crew members - she was intent on saving enough to achieve her goal. When the Miami-based company she worked for became bankrupt (following the World Trade Center bombing), she decided it was time to go back to the Philippines.

The opportunity to set up her own business presented itself when she met a friend who was a dealer for Lots'a Pizza. She and her family liked the taste, and with an initial capital of PhP350,000 and tons of belief in the product, Sheree embarked on her first Lots'a Pizza franchise venture: a nine square meter kiosk located at the fourth level of Robinsons Place Ermita that reaped a return on investment (ROI) in five months and continues to do well on its second year.

Sheree exemplified the Pinoy entrepreneur who was ready to adapt and go the extra mile to satisfy her customers. She is also thankful for the ample support and continuous product innovation coming from the master franchise holder. Her three-step advice for OFWs who want to reintegrate themselves in the Philippine work scene and be with their families: first, you have to dream: second, make a plan to actualize the dream; and third, save and have discipline to be able to reach your goal.

Better and surer steps in franchising.
Pioneer entrepreneurs have taken out the guesswork from franchising so that some entrepreneurs take on the game without necessarily starting from scratch but by building on already existing strong business names. Although not yet fully grown, franchising business in the Philippines, more and more are going for the option of establishing a business with a strong beginning pitch.

Starting in the franchise business requires a franchise fee which is dependent on the location of the outlet, the necessary equipment and stock and the training of staff to run the store. Aside from those enumerated, the buyer of the franchise (franchisee) really buys the knowledge and marketing savvy of the franchisor. Buying franchises take out the trial and error method of starting a business done specially by inexperienced businessmen who do not know how to systematically start a business, the ins and outs of businesses.

With franchising, the learning process is cut short such as: perfecting the product, getting a good location, creating the system, finding the right people etc. The basic problem of a new franchise holder is how to run a business which have been proven successful in other sites. While the initial investment requirement for a franchise may seem heavy for starters, the advantages of having a completely built up business are evident. Working like a coach and a player, the franchisor and the franchisee must train and work together to achieve their common goal which is to deliver goods and services to people as many locations as possible but without comprising quality.

However, one most remember that, franchising does not yield instant profits. Just like other startup business, franchising has an adjustment period where the patience of the entrepreneurs will be put to a test, a franchise will usually need a six-month adjustment period before profit stabilizes. Returns come in a year or so after and the net profit is usually 10% to 15% of gross sales. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has been supportive of franchising and its potentials. Franchising minimizes the risk of failure since the franchisor has already laid the ground work of the business and the initial training. In addition, a well-known and recognized trademark minimizes the cost of advertising.

However, similar to any other marketing system, franchising does not guarantee success. Like any endeavor, a franchisee needs a lot of patience, attention and hard work to succeed.

The Globalpinoy Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises invites all interested individuals especially overseas Filipino workers in search of viable business and investment opportunities in the Philippines. We offer free seminar in How To Start Your Own Business (see schedule in www.geocities.com/entrepinoys/seminars.htm)

The program assists in processing documents needed to establish a new business. It has a list of reputable and seasoned franchise companies with proven track records and financial institutions offering financial assistance in starting a new venture.