In fulfilling its mission to lead local businesses to embrace the digital world, Globe myBusiness Academy rallied entrepreneurs in Pampanga, the culinary capital of the Philippines, to the future of local businesses.
Globe myBusiness Academy, in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Pampanga Chamber of Commerce, launched a Go Lokal learning session last November 29, 2018.
Held at SM City Pampanga, the learning session featured motivational speakers, industry experts, and veteran entrepreneurs who offered insights that can help Kapampangan business owners reach success in the digital world.
Globe myBusiness Sales Head Cleo Santos hailed the micro, small, and medium businesses (MSMEs) as the backbone of the country’s growing economy, citing data from DTI which shows that they make up about 36% of the country’s economy.
This was why Globe myBusiness is excited to bring in experts to provide solutions to Pampanga, where thriving businesses from different industries are emerging fast, Santos said.
“Our advocacy remains that all MSMEs embrace the digital world. That is why we are here to provide affordable solutions that are fit for your businesses,” she said.
Likewise, DTI Provincial Head Elenita Ordinio emphasized the importance of training in how to make technology work for you, such as the Go Lokal learning sessions.
“Do not leave your learnings in the four corners of this venue. You have to translate them into action. Share all the learnings. Invest in training. Invest in technology,” Elenita urged Go Lokal participants.
If you missed Globe myBusiness Academy in Pampanga, we’ve got you covered! Here is a rundown of what industry experts and veteran entrepreneurs shared during the learning session.
For motivational speaker Francis Kong, a business has to be sustainable and replicable for it to succeed in the long term.
“If you run a business and it isn’t sustainable, it ain’t a business. It’s just a gig,” he said.
However, if the business is sustained but it’s not growing, then it may be in the “danger zone,” Francis said. This is why he advised entrepreneurs to invest in technology, research, and development to get ahead as “competitors are never sleeping.”
Miguel Magsaysay, Sales and Marketing Executive of premium ice cream brand Carmen’s Best, emphasized that success appears easy at first look; however, it takes a lot of hardships to achieve.
“All entrepreneurs face failures and hardships just like everyone else. The thing that makes entrepreneurs different from other people is that they take failures and turn them into lessons. They learn from their mistakes instead of letting them bring them down,” Miguel said.
Ginger Arboleda, Founder of Manila Workshops, emphasized the importance of constantly striving to grow and improve your business.
For example, Ginger stressed that no idea is perfect. “There are a lot of lies we tell ourselves. ‘We have a great idea, and we won’t fail.’ If that’s our mindset, believe me, you will fail.”
“If you think that an idea is a perfect idea, you don’t have room for improvement anymore because you already think it’s perfect,” she said, adding that entrepreneurs should embrace constant change in this technologically advanced world.
Joey Flores, Associate Director at AdSpark, believes that for a business to grow, it has to be where the customers are. “Be there, be found, and be engaging.”
About 67 million Filipinos are online and on social media. To engage with customers where they are, Joey said it was important for businesses to be on social media and to create their own website.
“Back in the day, you could get away with not having a website. A website before was nice to have. But today, if you don’t have a website, basically your company doesn’t exist online. If your competitor has a website, your clients will go to them instead because people today do their research,” he said.
The future is now. Embrace it.
This was the advice of Eugene Arboleda, Subject Matter Expert at Manila Workshops, as he emphasized that the future of local businesses is now, and that entrepreneurs should embrace digital transformation.
“People say you have to prepare for the future when people are online. I’m saying that future we’re talking about is already happening. People are already online,” he said.
In embracing the digital world, entrepreneurs have to learn how to make technology work for them.
For example, Lazada Vice President and Seller Engagement Head Alvin Ching said that brick and mortar stores (or physical stores) can use online selling channels as a solution to help them reach out to more customers across the country.
“Brick and mortar stores, these offline stores, are here to stay. However, the online channel is a good complement to your business,” he said.
The future is now. The world has ushered into the digital age. Businesses are thriving. New ideas are emerging. It’s time for us to embrace digitization as success is within our reach.
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