Sipag at tiyaga with some tech help

Socorro Ramos, recently adding to her list of accolades the title of Grand Bosing during the third MVP Bosing Awards night, always credits her success as an entrepreneur to two simple words: Sipag at tiyaga, or diligence and perseverance.

As matriarch of the country’s biggest bookstore chain, Ramos or “Nanay Coring” together with her husband had set up a stall shop in Escolta in the early 1940s selling school supplies, GI novels, and textbooks. With hard work and a keen sense of entrepreneurship, the couple had grown their business to what it is today.

The story of National Bookstore, with its current number of 108 branches spread all over the country, is one that more famous success stories that Filipinos are familiar with. And yet, recounting how it had grown never fails to draw awe and inspiration from us.

Nanay Coring, now past retirement age, still takes her job title as general manager of National Bookstore with the same fervor as she did during the business’ formative years before the war, after the war, and in today’s digital information age.

She is truly an inspiration to all Filipinos who dare to dream big, and the standing ovation from a sea of admirers when she received her latest award tugs at the heart of many.

Many stories

I would like to think that with the string of prestigious awards that Nanay Coring has received through the years, it is her inspiring story that spawned a growing list of home-grown businesses today that she can feel proudest about.

At the MVP Bosing Awards 2011 held at the Meralco Theater, the roster of the year’s awardees is a testament to this. This third batch of 12 winners were culled over 200 nominations coming across all sectors including commerce and trade, industrial and manufacturing, retail trade and finance, travel and leisure, and service industry.

On its third year, the MVP Bosing Awards is PLDT’s annual search for successful small and medium-sized businesses that have helped drive economic growth by generating employment as well as creating positive value in nation building.

In this current group, Nanay Coring is joined by Willy Tee Ten (Autohub Group), Samie and Eric Lim (Automatic Centre/BLIMS Furniture), Tennyson Chen (Bounty Fresh), Felix Ang (CATS Motors), Francis Juan (Chic-Boy), Tommanny Tan (FERN Inc.), Dr. Rosalinda Hortaleza (HBC Inc.), Robert Trota (Max’s Fried Chicken), Martin Lorenzo (Pancake House Group), Justin Uy (Profood International Corp.) and RJ and Arianne David (Sulit.com.ph).

Helping hand

All 12 join the previously named bosings of two years past, bringing the total to 36. All bring to the table inspiring stories of struggling years and strong entrepreneurial spirits.

With PLDT’s help, particularly from the telecommunication company’s SME Nation division, the role of information and communication technology in each Bosing awardees’ operations has helped boost individual growths to higher levels.

It is commendable that PLDT is investing in SME Nation and going beyond providing telephony or mobile phone services for small and medium-sized businesses.

There’s a suite of technology-based applications that use the power of telecommunications to enhance the budding entrepreneur’s day-to-day business operations. These are classified into three kinds of products: call solutions, Internet solutions and security solutions

Think security cameras that watch over all operating stores or branches from a single location. Or a web-based point-of-sale system that allows key company officials to monitor sales activity and inventory from a single personal computer.

What’s more laudable is the fact that these services are within very affordable ranges. For example, PLDT’s Watcher is P2,000 a month; while the Check Out web-based POS comes at a monthly service charge of P2,700.

Potential to grow

SMEs, which are a force to reckon with in terms of sheer numbers, would do well to adopt more suitable technologies in their struggle to grow bigger. And in this area, PLDT SME Nation is doing its part, although with its teething pains.

Small entrepreneurs mostly are averse to employing better technology-based business systems in their operations, adamant at keeping old-school methods of counting sales and doing inventory, or even employing mechanized production processes.

This has hampered the SME force from exponentially expanding, and therefore jump-starting economic growth in nation building from its ranks. Because of this, the gap between SMEs and the truly large local players are millions of miles apart.

Hopefully, companies like SME Nation through its MVP Bosing Awards can help provide our small and medium-sized businesses the help they badly need to make that leap upwards.

For details on the MVP Bossing Awards, visit its website at www.pldtsme-nation.com.ph/bossingako.

National Collegiate Championship update

Champions League (PCCL) 2011 National Collegiate Championship is approaching its exciting phase with the Final Four Championship round robin scheduled to start on Dec. 5, 2011, at the FilOil flying V Arena, San Juan.

Ateneo Blue Eagles, four-peat UAAP champion and back to back National Collegiate Champion, together with San Beda Red Lions, NCAA champion, are waiting for the other two qualifiers to the Final Four. These will be known after the Sweet 16 games scheduled on Nov. 29 and 30 at the Ormoc Astrodome, Ormoc City.

Ormoc City, headed by Mayor Eric C. Codilla of Ormoc City assisted by Councilor Ruben R. Capahi, chairman city sports council, and Roger Lagarde, OCSSO (collegiate league of Ormoc) president, is the site of a four-day basketball festival (Nov. 27-30) featuring the best teams from Visayas provinces, CESAFI champion, University of Cebu Webmasters, CESAFI runner-up, Southwestern University Cobras, and the top two teams from the Luzon-MM bracket.

The PCCL National Collegiate Championship is supported by SMART, M. V. Pangilinan, Molten Balls, FilOil Flying V, SM Ticketing and The Philippine Star.

Visit www.CollegiateChampionsLeague.net for more details on results and standing of teams.

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Should you wish to share any insights, write me at Link Edge, 25th Floor, 139 Corporate Center, Valero Street, Salcedo Village, 1227 Makati City. Or e-mail me at [email protected]. For a compilation of previous articles, visit www.BizlinksPhilippines.net.