Chris Tio: Mixing business with faith

He started his first business - a hotdog stand - while he was still in college for the simple reason of increasing his and his business partner’s allowance. At 37, Chris Tio, who was a Political Science major at the University of the Philippines Cebu College, now runs four diverse businesses – a toy store, a popular footwear line and a clothing line with branches at Ayala and SM malls, and a unique optical concept shop. He is set to open another optical clinic for kids soon.

“Putting up a store is easy. Sustaining operations is the hard part,” shared Chris.

Thinking out of the box

Chris prides in “thinking out of the box” when it comes to his businesses.

Even when he put up Techno Dog in college with friend Nimrod Quiñones, Chris was already deep into “thinking out of the box.” Techno Dog was not just an ordinary hotdog stand. Clients got the usual hotdog on a bun alright, but these were handed to them by attractive ladies! Now, who wouldn’t want a hotdog sandwich from a pretty lady?

“Business was really good,” said Chris’ then business partner, Nimrod. “Models were the ones manning our hotdog stands!”

Chris and Nimrod first put up a hotdog stand in one of the schools in the city and then the business grew and both of them became engrossed in running their business venture.

Techno Dog didn’t live that long but Chris’ passion for business did not die with it. In fact, he applied the things he learned from running the hotdog stand to the businesses he planned to put up. He tried his hand at selling sanders and sandpaper to water treatment. He learned a lot along the way. All of that led to what he is doing now.

He started Toys@Work, a concept toy store six years ago at the JY Discovery Mall in Lahug. He was soon invited to open branches at the Banilad Town Centre and the Ayala Center Cebu. “Toys at Work is my first venture into retail. It was a learning process that we had to go through by hard experience. One advantage we had was that our customers were very happy with our products. It helped that the customers were children.” 

Toys@Work formed a reputation for kids’ activities, from mounting Hot Wheels races to Barbie events. They now also run the play center at the Marco Polo Plaza Hotel, as well as kids’ events there.

Jay Aldeguer, first president of the Philippine Retailers Association Cebu Chapter, invited Chris to be a part of the first board. “Jay really expressed a lot of confidence and belief in what we were doing. He encouraged me to grow and seek out more opportunities in retail.”

The opportunity soon came in the guise of clogs. “I was offered the partnership in opening the Crocs concept store in Ayala.” He was uncertain then. “Although Crocs was already popular in other countries, there were hesitations about selling them here because Cebuanos might not like them, or that it might just be a fad. But look at Crocs now. When we opened the store in Ayala, I was shocked by the number of products delivered to us. But after less than two months, we were ordering new stocks already! Even my staff at the store complained that they do not get to rest anymore because of so many customers,” said Chris. Soon, they were able to open a much bigger store at the newly opened Northwing, SM City Cebu.

Business meetings bring Chris to Manila often. When in the capital, he would often look for “pasalubong” for his wife Julie and kids, Jeremy and Jonathan. Upon recommendation of a friend, he would buy clothes for his wife at Iora, a popular Singapore-based clothing line. “Julie liked them so much that we decided to explore acquiring the franchise for Cebu.” Believing in the quality of Iora items, Chris and his family decided to get the Cebu franchise of the store. He then opened a shop at the SM City Northwing, and then another one in Ayala.

Chris did not stop there. He ventured into eyewear and eye clinics. Just last week, he opened a unique concept shop, Eye Bar, at The Walk at the I.T. Park. Eye Bar is a lifestyle concept shop that simulates a bar but is actually an optical clinic catered to call center people who work within the vicinity, as well as the young and trendy. During daytime, Eye Bar is like the usual optical clinic, with an optometrist to check on clients and varied eyewear on display. At 9 p.m. though, it transforms into a bar, still with the optometrist but with house/lounge music and dimmed lights. They are offering a unique opening promotion, raffling off an Apple Macbook Air for Christmas.

The young businessman is also set to open another eye store for kids this time at the Ayala Center called Eyes Candy.

“Ayala asked us to try something new so we thought of opening an optical clinic for kids that looks like a toy store and a play center. There will be play diagnostics using the Nintendo wii to check the eye-hand coordination of children,” Chris said, adding that eye care for kids is also part of his advocacy for children and young people.

Christian Entrepreneurship

Although he is already busy with his businesses, Chris is also involved in encouraging people to become entrepreneurs. In fact, he is invited by different schools to give talks about putting up a business. He also writes a column for The FREEMAN every Friday on encouraging entrepreneurship entitled “One Step Up.”

“God has blessed me with so much. I want to share how much Faith in God has played in everything that I am doing. I want to give back by encouraging young people to become entrepreneurs. Our country needs more entrepreneurs,” he said. To succeed in business, Chris shared that one has to start by having a lot of faith in God’s plan. Then faith in oneself and one’s abilities, then faith that people, customers, suppliers will accept his or her ideas, and lastly, faith that God is willing, and the belief that the true meaning of success can only come from Him.

“There is a saying that if you want to fly with eagles, seek them out. If you want to learn more about running a business and if you want to succeed, you should go out and seek out successful entrepreneurs and mentors. Learn from the best. That is what I am doing now, I go out and seek out people who have been successful in their respective businesses and try to learn from their experiences. I share these experiences in my column writing. I encourage people to look into the beginnings of success and not the trappings of it. You might discover that many of these icons started out just like you and I,” Chris concluded.