Events, Profiles, Stories, Taoke (Business)

Modern Tao Ke: Tips from the Top Execs of Seaoil, Mega Sardines, and Hapee Toothpaste

As part of the Modern Tao Ke campaign, Globe myBusiness, together with CHiNOY TV, invited a roster of acclaimed entrepreneurs in the business sector, to mentor Globe myBusiness loyal clients who are entrepreneurs that have had their businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The exclusive one-on-one consultation called, Modern Tao Ke Exclusive: Taking the Lead in 2021, is part of the Modern Tao Ke campaign which aims to reach out and help the next generation of business leaders reinvent their businesses for success.

Among the mentors present during the consultations were Francis Glenn Yu, Michelle Chan, and Dr. Cecilio Pedro who are successful business leaders in the local industry.

 

Francis Glenn Yu

 

Francis Glenn Yu is the President and CEO of Seaoil Philippines, the largest independent oil company in the country. Having two parents who are both immersed in the business world, Yu was born and raised to take business seriously. At an early age, he was able to learn the mechanics of managing a company in the constantly evolving market, as well as being more innovative and independent from any foreign partner for the infrastructure.

In 2020, the pandemic took a toll on gasoline station businesses due to limited transportation regulations. As the company’s second generation, a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic wasn’t new to Yu. In addition, he has learned from the brand’s fair share of past crises, which they also overcame. 

“For me, personally, I’ve gone through several cycles, the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997, then the global financial crisis of 2008, and the pandemic in 2020,” Yu shared during Globe myBusiness’ exclusive one-on-one consultation. “In each of those crisis events, we’ve gone through it and we’ve grown significantly, despite those crises. And I think now that it’s because of those crises, the lessons that we learned from those times have actually helped the company continue to grow,” he added.

Throughout his sessions with Globe myBusiness’ loyal clients, he strongly emphasized the importance of innovation and diversifying one’s business. Relating to his own experience, he said, “The challenge there is either to diversify to a different segment to broaden my revenue streams, or given my expertise in the stream, are there products that I can carry that will meet the needs of my customers? So that’s expanding your product.”

Yu shared that having gone through past crises is part of the process. He tried to give encouragement, saying that the pandemic is only “for a season,” thus entrepreneurs must take it as an opportunity to learn from the challenges in order to future-proof their businesses. 

 

Michelle Tiu Lim-Chan

 

Michelle Tiu Lim-Chan, Chief Operating Officer of Mega Global Corporation has geared their family-owned business empire for capital expenditure, digitalization, and expansion. 

Mega Global Corp. executes fishing operations, manufacturing, and distribution. It started out as a fishing business, an industry that Chan was involved in for 45 years. She also had a hand in making Mega Sardines the country’s top sardines brand.

During the one-on-one consultations, Chan tapped each of the client’s brand digital presence on social media since business digitalization has also helped her company’s sustainability and communication throughout the pandemic. 

“What helped us the most is digitalization,” Chan emphasized. “Since we are already connected with our Zamboanga sites even before COVID, we have been used to video conferencing. Our digitalization plan is quite good. We have our own digital team. As early as 2015, we have been setting up our platforms for digital and it helped us a lot amidst the pandemic.”

Chan specifically mentioned Facebook, which is the leading social media platform that entrepreneurs can utilize to advertise their business to a huge audience during the pandemic. “I see a lot of B to B, they are trying to get into retail now kasi marami na mass market, marami na SMEs. Like when they do Facebook, when I see Facebook, actually that’s where I get my suppliers. I say, ‘Oh, this is a nice idea!’ Sometimes that’s where you get customers.”

Looking into the future, Chan remarked on some future projects that she plans on implementing so her business can still cater to the constantly evolving local market. “We are heavily on agri-business. First, we have fishing, then we have our fish meal plans, then we’re going into fish fertilizer. We’re going into collagen for the fish, Omega-3 oil, and a lot more. These are our business plans for the next five years.”

 

Dr. Cecilio Pedro

Ever since a young age, Dr. Cecilio Kwok Pedro, President and CEO of Lamoiyan Corporation, has always had a knack for business. Pedro started out by selling ballpens to earn a profit. Eventually, Pedro founded his own company, Aluminum Containers, Inc., which supplied collapsible aluminum toothpaste tubes to toothpaste brands. But due to environmental concerns, the brands decided to use plastic-laminated toothpaste tubes which affected Pedro’s business. Looking forward, he decided to establish Lamoiyan Corporation of which Hapee has become a notable toothpaste brand in the local market and remains to be a major competitor against global toothpaste brands in the Philippines.

Over the years, Lamoiyan Corp. has demonstrated its innovation and resiliency, which Pedro shared while imparting advice during the one-on-one consultation with Globe myBusiness’ loyal clients. As a veteran in the business, Pedro added that although his products are considered essentials, he still has to be mindful of the market’s needs and changes.

One example is that he took notice of his competitors lowering their toothpaste prices to suit their market’s needs. And due to environmental concerns and lack of raw materials for plastic amid the pandemic, they started selling their toothpaste in sachets instead of tubes, which Hapee has already been doing. 

But on top of that, Pedro still chose to innovate so that he remains one step ahead of his competitors, saying, “We innovated, we came out with alcohol, handwash, disinfectant [spray]. We have other products lined up to address the coronavirus. So innovation is the key. Naghanap kami ng ibang produkto na we can sell to the market to sustain our operation and give employment to our people.”

“We need good people to run the company, to help us move forward,” shared Pedro. “Kasi hindi naman kaya na nagiisa lang tayo, diba? We depend on people, whether it’s from production to logistics. There’s so many elements, so many factors for a company to operate.”

All three entrepreneurs eagerly mentored Globe’s loyal clients and imparted useful advice on digital solutions and more. Together with digitalization, they stressed that it’s crucial for a business owner to expand and diversify one’s business in order to sustain its growth. Analyzing the market and maximizing all the opportunities ahead can also benefit one’s business.

 

For more activities and exciting promos of the Modern Tao Ke, stay tuned to Globe myBusiness and CHiNOY TV’s Facebook pages this 2021, and equip yourself for growth and prosperity.

 

For more business advice, check out our Modern Tao Ke articles here.

Related Posts

Leave a Reply