D’che spa opens second franchise program

Homegrown spa and wellness chain, D’che Salon and Spa is set to open its second franchising opportunity program, inviting entrepreneurs especially women to take advantage of fast growing wellness business in the Philippines.

D’che which had grown to three outlets operating in Metro Cebu, is managed by two women entrepreneurs Armida “Dhaz” Rabilas and Cherry “Che” Tolentino, who bravely entered into the wellness industry, by starting their first outlet in 2005, leaving their careers as sales and marketing executives.

Both Rabilas and Tolentino encouraged “brave” women to go into business and overcome fear of failures and negative outlook.

The company offers this franchising program to all those Filipino would-be entrepreneurs, especially women who are still fearsome but have the resources to invest, the partners said.

“They can use d’che as a guide.  All the systems concerned have been steadily developed through the help of Franchise consultant Rudolf Kotik of RK Franchise. The ups and downs, the “trial and error” stages – we have already overcome them.  We have vibrant promo packages for customers that whether it’s worth P50 or P5,000, the quality is uncompromised,” Tolentino said.

“Fear of failure, of loss of capital or of money is the greatest hindrance for would-be entrepreneurs,” said Rabilas.  “We experienced this fear ourselves when we started out.  But we decided to stick it out and now we are confident in the progress of our businesses.”

These successful women entrepreneurs tagged fear as the major factor why most Filipinos refrain from venturing into their own businesses.           

The d’che Spa Salon chain, currently has three branches here in Cebu and is set to launch its fourth branch in Mandaue City on April 20, 2008. 

The management’s second franchising program in a seminar is set on April 10, 2008.

The two partners got an investor and set up their salon for a year before they decided to leave employment and pursue their business full time.

“Determination is the key,” Tolentino added.  “Most true-blue Cebuanos have no background in business and rely mainly on employment and monthly salaries as a source of income.  But once this mind-set is shifted, we Cebuanos actually have the right traits to succeed, particularly in the spa industry that capitalizes heavily on hospitality and nurturing.”

Tolentino also stressed on the advantages of Filipino ingenuity.  Their company continually evolves and creates new ideas and strategies patterned after the Filipino psyche – with a variety of marketing promotions and product packages.

Now d’che Spa Salon has loyal Filipino customers and other nationalities as well, like Chinese, Koreans, Japanese and Caucasians. 

The D’che Salon and Spa chain also pioneered the introduction of Kid’s Spa service, providing services for children aging 12 years old and below. As well as the Mobile Spa trend.