He set off by being self-employed, serving as buying agent for different firms. His biggest break came when he received a 1,000-pieces order for life-sized clowns for Christmas. "We had no idea then where to look for manufacturers of those kinds of items, since it was still unheard of then. But by being resourceful, we found one eventually, and we complied with the order ahead of time," he said.
He switched to the manufacturing side in 1991, focusing on houseware and decors made from materials sourced locally. His business, LGD Inc. or Lara’s Gifts and Decors Inc., named after his wife, flourished, with his wife in charge of product development and Villafuerte handling finance and marketing. He never knew how to draw, and all the creative ideas for LGD products started from his doodles which his wife polished. Six years ago, the company became the first Filipino company to sell directly in the US instead of using agents.
He talks to his employees, knows their problems, and trains them a lot. He also instilled a malasakit nature, or concern, to the business. Employees are encouraged to know the business, so in case Villafuerte and his wife decide to leave the business, they know they would leave it in capable hands. "Which explains why we started delegating some of our functions, although we did it just two years ago. Before, it was just me and my wife and it was very exhausting. Now that we have capable employees, I know that we can soon delegate 93% of our functions so that we can be more relaxed," he said.
Villafuerte also encourages switching of functions, especially for his mid-management officers. "One time, two division heads kept blaming each other for delays in delivery and production, so I told them to switch roles, which they did for about a month or so. Later on, they found out what caused the delays in each other’s respective divisions, and they formulated measures to correct their mistakes. And they have performed flawlessly ever since," he said.
"Updating constantly your product line is the key. You have to be updated with current popular designs, and innovate by coming up with your own. Right now, we are thinking of other products to sell, especially now that China is starting to make some inroads in the global business market," he said.
In terms of efficiency, which involves meeting delivery schedules to clients, LGD’s 500-worker, three-shift operation in a 2-hectare site in Taguig plans to acquire an ISO certification this year. "Clients abroad are looking for that. That’s why we are putting a substantial investment to improve our operational efficiency. We have even hired an ex-military to instill discipline in the factory," he said.
He also emphasized quality. "You cannot compromise on that. You have to stick to your clients’ requirements in terms of color, shape and other requirements, especially for foreign clients. They are very strict in terms of the kind and quality of the product they want. Failing to do so would mean a lost clients and, of course, lost income," he said.
In time the young man was proven right. Villafuerte was chosen last year as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines for his outstanding work and achievements in the field of entrepreneurship. The award is handed out every year to outstanding individuals between the ages of 18 and 40 years old who have excelled in their chosen fields of endeavor. Not only that, he earlier garnered a World Young Achiever’s Award, another prestigious and global award.
"It was hard not to notice all the nasty talk about me being selected, especially since I’m a politician’s son. But I think my business record can speak for itself, and I’m pretty sure I did it all on my own," he said.