Geronimo Begre likes the sea, boats and Aquaman

As managing director of General Bath and Body Company, Geronimo Begre employs 50 people to help him distribute the skin care products that he manufactures locally.

Begre, as his friends call him, uses raw materials from France, Italy and Germany to make the perfumes, eau de toilettes, lotions, body gel, foot care products, peppermint foot lotion, massage oil and bath accessories. Over 50 different products under the label of Skin Private Joyce are sold through 14 kiosks in shopping malls. Since 5’11" Begre is in charge of product development, he has become an authority on his company’s ever-widening line of lotions and its very popular body whitener cream. Another outlet of distribution for his lotions and perfumes is through First Quadrant, a direct selling team.

Skin Private Joyce, the result of the team-up between enthusiastic marketing man Begre and actress Joyce Jimenez, has proven to be a success with franchisees.

Our 29-year-old bachelor grew up in the Philippines until he was sent to boarding school in Switzerland. His took up hotel and restaurant management in the Cesar Ritz Institute, Switzerland, which gave him a chance to learn more about Switzerland where his father hails from. The most remarkable thing about him is his love for boats and the sea.

Begre developed a product that he could use in his sport – the rubber-ducky bags for divers to store things in the boat to keep them dry. They are now available in sports shops and most dive shops.

What is your favorite occupation?

Being an entrepreneur – the whole entrepreneurial spirit. It is very rewarding to be able to execute your ideas. Today I have to do a mall visit to design a new store. We will be adding three more kiosks by next month – in SM Bacoor, Centerpoint and Robinsons Angeles.

Which living person do you admire most?

I kinda like Richard Branson. Seems to be a fun guy.

Who or what is the greatest love of your life?

The sea, the ocean, bodies of water – even lakes.

What is your passion?

Living and enjoying the outdoors. I love physical activities. Every day I feel like doing something different.

What is your most fervent wish?

That all of the ideas I have in my head will one day come to fruition.

What sports/hobbies do you like most?

Water sports – everything from diving to wake boarding. I used to snow board a lot. I also love skate boarding. Football, too.

Where are you most comfortable?

In the water. I am pretty much a water baby. I love being on the beach, in the water or under the water.

What film influenced your life?

I thoroughly enjoyed Dazed and Confused. It reminded me a lot of high school.

What book influenced your life?

The Alchemist from which I learned that the universe conspires to help people get what they want. I learned to listen to the signs and not to push for things. Just wait for the time to come and then the universe will conspire to get you what you want.

Which hero of fiction can you most identify with?

Aquaman, although I don’t actually talk with fish.

What is your greatest fear?

I want to do something that I really want to do, and then I become afraid that something will happen to prevent me from doing it.

What is the trait you most like in yourself?

I don’t know if you can call it a trait. Enjoying my weirdest ideas even if some of them don’t work.

What is your current state of mind?

Trying to enjoy whatever it is I am doing. Sometimes it is not that easy.

What is your greatest extravagance?

I just got back from India. I traveled from the South to the Himalayas for a month and a half. Traveled like an ordinary backpacker and used the Lonely Planet as my guide. I was alone. It was scary at times. I arrived in Bangalore, made my way to Bombay and Delhi, and then to the mountains of Dharamsala. I saw the Dalai Lama and had to take a 42-hour train ride back.

What is the first thing you look for when you meet a woman?

She has to strike me somehow. How she will do that, I don’t know. It could be something she says or does. It could be how she looks.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

When my ideas gel, especially at work. When I make a decision and it actually improves things.

Which famous quotation would you have wanted to be the author of?

Paulo Coelho’s words: "And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

I tend to shrug things off but many times I put my trust in someone and then that trust is ruined. I get really sad and affected by it.

Who greets you when you get home?

No one, because I tend to get home late so I go straight to my room. The earliest time we leave the office is about 8 p.m. Sometimes, we work till 1 a.m. on our new projects. While we are young we try to maximize what we can do. It is usually at night that we brainstorm about our new projects.

What do you most do with your hands?

I like to work with my hands. I fix my own boat. Do my own carpentry. In hotel school I cooked and worked as a chef.

In case of fire, what would you bring out?

I would run to my mom’s room and bring out my loved ones. And then my sister’s dogs, two Golden Retrievers and a Bichon Frise.

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E-mail babycamp2@yahoo.co.uk.