Pinays share secrets to business success

By Dheza Marie Aguilar, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau

Posted at 09/08/2010 11:03 AM | Updated as of 09/08/2010 5:40 PM

NETHERLANDS – Determination and hard work are what define the Filipino migrant workers. 

With a burning desire to provide for a family back home, Pinoys always strive to be the best in their jobs abroad and eventually achieve the dream of having a better life for them and their loved ones.

But for those who dare to dream bigger, courage is an additional component to success. And this is what Pinoy businesswomen in the Netherlands shared in the second series of a business seminar conducted by the Philippine Trade and Investment Center.

 Taking risks

Despite the fear of loosing her job, Rosario Ong was decisive on starting on her business and not being an employee for the rest of her life. 

“Karamihan sa atin pag may trabaho tayo dito, feeling safe. Gusto natin safe, dahil kailangan ng pamilya natin sa Pilipinas ng tulong. So ang pagkakaroon ng business, it’s about a risk. That is the most difficult part. You have to make a choice. I-ririsk mo yun trabaho and you’re gonna try to have your own business or pagsasabayin mo yun business and trabaho mo,” said the enterprising mother. 

She found an opportunity in the money changing business, and worked hard in convincing a Dutch businessman to partner with her venture. Today, her money exchange business called Sunro has grown into a money-remittance center, the most trusted among Filipinos in the Netherlands. She now employs 14 Filipinos, and the preferred remittance center with the biggest network with Philippine banks.

Ong shares 3 important tips for other Filipinos who also want to succeed as businessmen in other countries.
“Do not be afraid to ask questions. You have to do research. You have to know what you are going into. Kailangan alam mo kung ano yong market, ano yong kliyente, ano un gusto nila alam mo yun competitor mo, ano ang ini-ooffer nila. Kailangan assertive ka,” she said.
She also said that integrating a country’s language and culture will help a lot in achieving business goals because it will lessen the fear of starting on your own.

Following your passion
Meanwhile, 26-year-old Mervylle Formilleza had to use hers and her boyfriend’s savings to start an organic soap manufacturing.
A chemist who was granted a scholarship in Erasmus University, Formilleza suffered persistent eczema.

Together with a classmate from the university, they decided to experiment with organic products to find a solution for her skin dilemma. The outcome is “Pink Baskets”, a company which produces soaps and bath products made only from natural ingredients. 

“It is really my passion. Nagsimula pa ito sa Pilipinas kasi ang pamilya ko, nagsisimula ng mga projects para sa mga non-government organizations. Ang paggawa ng sabon ang tinuturo namin sa mga tao para makapagsimula ng negosyo,” shares Formilleza.

Like Ong, Formilleza believes that asking the right questions and having the right information is the best way to start a business where you have a passion for. Her company, despite being small, now sells to most parts of Europe including Belgium, Germany, Italy and Spain.

For small businesses like hers who do not have enough money for advertising and big marketing, Formilleza’s tip is to have a professionally-made website to reach out to clients.

“The presence of a website itself will give an impression to the people kung ano yong business mo. The more you make it professional, people will trust you somehow.”

Ong and Formilleza were 2 of the speakers in the Magnegosyo Tayo Seminar held in Rotterdam to encourage Filipinos migrant workers to invest their hard-earned money into business ventures. The seminar gave an insight and step-by-step guide to potential business owners about the risks and benefits of having your own business both abroad and in the Philippines.