The Sinulog Festival is almost synonymous to Cebu. It celebrates the Queen City of the South’s devotion to the Santo Niño (the Child Jesus), but history states that the Sinulog dance and the term “Sinulog” itself exist long before the Santo Niño image was given by explorer Ferdinand Magellan to Queen Hara Amihan, the wife of Rajah Humabon, then ruler of Cebu. “Sulog” means “current” in Cebuano, and locals say the dance movements mimic the currents of the Pahina River.

Whether or not you are a believer of any of these tales, one thing is for certain—the Sinulog Festival, which dates back to the 1980’s, is one of the most memorable Philippine celebrations. Local and foreign tourists alike flock to Cebu to experience the street activities, fluvial processions, and everything else that the city has to offer.

Such festivities are a perfect backdrop for entrepreneurs to advertise their brand to visitors, and these two business owners have it figured out.

John Pages, Vice President of Thirsty Juices and Shakes, comes from a household that encourages each member to put up their own business. His family has stakes in education and the F&B industry, so naturally, John did the same. He opted to venture into fresh fruit shakes, ice cream bars, smoothies, and salads in kiosks all over the Philippines—Cebu included, of course. He shares, “Thirsty has over two hundred outlets, and our goal is to provide healthy and delicious drinks and salads to everyone.”

Beyond being his own boss, John revels in the joy of being able to make a positive impact in the community.

“Being an entrepreneur gives us the opportunity to employ more people,” he relates. “We also have sports programs, like the 12th Thirsty Football Cup, one of the largest football tournaments in the country.”

Running Thirsty means that it’s necessary to be on top of your game, and John says that they’re more than ready to cater to the Cebu market, and that Sinulog-goers are in for a delicious treat.

“As entrepreneurs, we can use our creativity to concoct new concepts and products that will excite the public. The Cebu Blends, our favorite product line, is unique to the Cebu outlets. We offer drinks such as the Mango Otap, Buko Rosquillos, and Pineapple Tamarind.” These locally inspired flavors will surely appeal to visitors after hours of frolicking in the streets.

And if Sinulog goers need more boost for all the exciting activities, they can get their caffeine fix from a shop that’s proudly born and bred in Cebu—Bo’s Coffee.

Founded by Steve Benitez in the late ’90s, Bo’s Coffee has grown to several branches nationwide. According to Mark Piñero, system and network administrator of Bo’s Coffee’s mother company WS and Landin Inc., they are partly a social enterprise because their business helps communities grow, especially the local farmers that they work with.

Through the years, Bo’s Coffee has maintained its “proudly Pinoy” philosophy— from the coffee they serve to the ambiance of their shops, wherever it may be in the Philippines. Those who are celebrating Sinulog would do well to visit Bo’s Coffee to get an authentic taste of a local coffee business. Mark shares, “We look forward to the tourists as well as the Cebuanos that will come in and witness the Sinulog.”

So when you fly to Cebu this weekend, drop by any Thirsty kiosk or a branch of Bo’s Coffee to sample what a successful business in Cebu is like.

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Heralded as the Queen City of the South, Cebu is a prime business environment that thrives from its natural affinity with the arts. It was the perfect venue for Sparkfest, which helped budding creative minds dig deeper into entrepreneurship and learn how Cebuanos are striking a perfect balance between art and business.

Sparkfest featured some prominent faces in Cebu’s business and arts landscape, who spoke about their experiences through panel discussions that focused on a variety of business topics. They likewise shared their opinions on current issues faced by artists and entrepreneurs alike.

Discover what Sparkfest Cebu’s line of experts have to say and apply their learnings to your own business. Here are some outtakes from the event:

Overcoming the Scare of Starting Up

• Get Mentors: I was glad that I asked a lot of people about starting up a business. They later on became my mentors, who would tell me what can possibly work or not. Having mentors helped me steer to the direction of being more likely to succeed. – Charm De Leon, Director of Sugbo Mercado
• Don’t Overthink:  Whatever your idea is, if you are starting up, don’t overthink. Things are better done than perfect; just improve along the way. Action is everything, but you have to time it. It’s all about balance. – Ken Ngo, Founder and CEO of Hammerland and Travelbee

Taking on the Challenge of Scaling Up

• Find the Right People: There are different challenges in every phase of the business, including expansion. I think the most common would be finding the right people. Running a business is not a one man team. As founders and executives, we need people who can execute our vision. We have to share the same values, and they must buy into the vision and have the talent to grow the business. – Steve Benitez, Founder and CEO of Bo’s Coffee

Rising from Entrepreneurial Setbacks

• Have an Open Mind: To create, many times, we have to destroy. Destroy expectations from ourselves and other people. […] Destroy who we know ourselves to be so there’s space for who we need to become. When you leave, take what you learn from Sparkfest Cebu as an opportunity to live, fail, and be reborn. – Richard Dacalos, Founder, UpStart
• Get Out of Your Head: You have to unlearn a lot of things to really be with people you want to support and partner. In the beginning, my mistake was thinking I know everything. […] I knew about all these problems from books, but it wasn’t until I experienced them that I learned. – Reese Fernandez-Ruiz, President and Founder of Rags2Riches

Meshing Creativity with Business

• Look from Another Angle: Since the Internet came, all the old rules and games have changed. We have to find creative ways to do stuff like creating content online and advertising. […] It’s a mix of creativity and strategy: how are we going to make this work knowing this is the landscape now? – David Cua, Executive Creative Director, Republiq Group of Companies
• Self-Assessment is Key: To get something done, you have to make a call. […] The important thing is knowing your limits and how you can improve, so you can collaborate with the right people, who will take what you do to the next level. – Butch Carungay, Founder of District 32

The Business of Doing Good

• Give Back: I’m a passionate advocate for education. That’s because I was fortunate enough to be a university scholar. All the opportunities I’ve had in life is because of someone who decided to invest in my potential and help me acquire the skills, knowledge, and values to succeed. All my projects and life’s work has been devoted to trying to pay it forward with what I do. – Lynn Pinugu, Co-founder, Mano Amiga Pilipinas
• Make it Last: We identify local champions, who know the problem, but can’t solve it. We provide the solution, along with a platform to discuss the needs of the community. We come to empower and tell them that here’s a solution and it’s free. All I ask from them is very reasonable: take care of it and make sure you share it with the community. – Carlo Delantar, Country Director, Waves for Water

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