Andrew Gotianun Sr: Defying norms in life and business

MANILA, Philippines -  If there are secrets to nurturing a company to become one of the country’s biggest conglomerates, Filinvest Group chairman emeritus Andrew L. Gotianun Sr. is simply vocal and more than willing to share “his secrets” with aspiring entrepreneurs.

At 88, Gotianun  imparts how it all worked for him building his business empire for the past 60 years.

In one of his rare forum appearances during the Anvil Business Club gathering with his son, Jonathan T. Gotianun and daughter, Josephine Gotianun Yap, Gotianun gamely answered questions from the audience.  

He revealed that it is not just about hard work but the right attitude that makes one succeed in life and business.

“Be fair in all your dealings, may it be in your family or in your business. At the end of it all, what matters is not how much money you make but how honest you are,” shares Gotianun.

Equal opportunity

Even before there is much talk about breaking the glass ceiling in the workplace at the turn of the century, Gotianun has already started the revolution that women deserve a place at the boardroom in the 1950s.

Breaking the tradition of the time that only sons or males in the family take precedence, Gotianun emphasized  that women deserve to be treated equally with all the opportunities in life.

“Do things fairly especially with your children. Girls deserve equal opportunities especially in getting educated as well as equal sharing in business,” he says.

He candidly admits that his wife, Mercedes, was the one who implements and executes the business plans with cunning and efficiency. She did it while raising their family.

“It was by accident that our mother got involved in the business, she adamantly pitched in for a resigned cashier.  Since then, there was no turning back for her,” Yap explains.  

Gotianun says that he did not hold back his wife from dabbling in the business and even recognized her potential.

“I am the dreamer,” Gotianun says. “She executes my ideas and made those dreams a reality,” pertaining to his entrepreneurial ideas then that built the Filinvest Group of Companies. 

Diversification that works

Still the visionary, Gotianun does not get tired of seeking new business opportunities especially with the power of the Internet. 

Admittedly now more laidback and relaxed, Gotianun might have passed on the baton to the next generation of Gotianuns, but he still dabbles into researching new business frontiers that allows them to take on diverse business interests. How?

“He uses the Internet to research a certain business that he is interested in,” Josephine adds. “And he prints outs tons of research and  makes us read it. My father does not get tired of doing research,” Yap says.

 The Gotianuns saw potential business opportunities during their trips here and abroad. Gotianun and Mercedes personally did their research on their  first bank interviewing small bank owners in the US and followed their business models and fine tuned it to fit the Philippine setting.

Their trips to Florida gave them ideas about guarded subdivisions for the middle class in the mid-60s.

Gotianun has no regrets defying the norms of his time and is passing it on to the next generation.