GMA Network CEO pushes for entrepreneurship

MANILA, Philippines - As an accomplished lawyer who got into business by accident, GMA Network’s Chairman and CEO Felipe L. Gozon believes that it is high time that the young generation be oriented towards entrepreneurship.

“Part of our mindset and training is to become professionals and work for big companies as employees or managers. We should change that and develop the entrepreneurship orientation among the young people,” Gozon said. “Even our schools need to train the students to become future entrepreneurs,” he added.

Gozon admits that in the past, all he wanted was to practice as a lawyer or work for a law firm. That changed when he began to have his own businesses, including running the country’s leading broadcast company, GMA Network.

“In putting up and managing a business, there is no formal training. My training as a lawyer, however, helped me when I was learning the ropes in the broadcasting industry,” Gozon shared.

Gozon underscored the need for more entrepreneurs to help boost the country’s economy. He said that in starting up a business, people do not need a lot of money or capital.

“If you study the stories of successful businessmen in our country, most of them started small, but look at where they are now,” Gozon said.

“The important thing is for the people to have the mindset to go into business like the Chinese, Japanese, and others,” he added.

To help encourage more people to become entrepreneurs, GMA Network has partnered with Joey Concepcion’s Go Negosyo for the biggest women entrepreneurship summit and expo dubbed, “Babae: Kapuso Ka ng Bayan.”

Gozon said that women are very capable of becoming successful entrepreneurs. “Women know the importance of taking care of the family. Running a business is in a way like running a home, you need to pay attention to a lot of details,” Gozon said. “Our country, in fact, has a number of successful women entrepreneurs,” he added.