MANILA, Philippines - The fairer yet formidable sex in this part of the globe has long been smashing glass ceilings in the Philippine political, social and cultural arenas. Across the male-dominated business firmament, legendary matriarchs, from the late Doña Engracia “Aling Asyang” Reyes of Aristocrat Restaurant and Gliceria Tantoco of Rustan’s Commercial Corporation, to the present-day Socorro Ramos of National Book Store, have proudly carried the torch of female empowerment.
Some of the leading ladies of domestic franchising seem to be following in the footsteps of these pioneering Filipinas who have adeptly juggled a business career and family life.
Franchisers Siu Ping Par of PR Gaz Haus, Rebecca Bucad of K2 Drug Inc., and Mary Simisim of Blue Water Day Spa share their perspectives, philosophies and principles on business and homemaking. It comes as no surprise that the three entrepreneurs profess admiration for all women who have found success in business.
Women of Success
Par, the chief operating officer of the subsidiary company of PR Gaz Franchising Corporation, says that “successful women entrepreneurs can be found in every country and under all circumstances.” A member of the Philippine Franchise Association (PFA) Board, she says that women of today have the equal opportunity to make a difference in the business community and in society, unlike decades ago when they had to fight for the right to self-determination.”
To which Simisim, president of Blue Water Day Spa, concurs. This economics graduate of the University of Santo Tomas applauds courageous women who take risks in their chosen ventures and are rewarded accordingly. “Their success is admirable since we live in a society where men dominate most industries, of course, with the exception of the beauty and wellness field.”
For her part, Bucad says women are great business owners because “apart from being excellent organizers, we treat our staff like family. We also have a special way of listening to and addressing business-related concerns.” The president and CEO of K2 Drug adds that while women are still a minority in the franchise business worldwide, their number as well as influence are growing, most notably Indra Nooyi of Pepsi and Cathy Hughes of Radio One.
PR Gaz Haus
Describing herself as foremost a wife and a mother, Par keeps a very simple and straightforward business philosophy: “My father has taught me that hard work, perseverance and discipline are the keys to achieving success. Careful, efficient and long-term planning and strategizing are important, too.”
According to Par, who also sits on the board of the PR Gaz Haus Group of Companies, a good management style should not be grounded on skills alone. “One must have the heart and passion for running a business,” she states. “The challenges and demands of being an entrepreneur can be multi-dimensional and women, because of the various roles we play in society — daughter, wife, mother, sister, teacher, or friend — are uniquely equipped for this.”
Thus, when faced with challenges Par reveals that she not only draws support from her team, “I also get an overflowing dose of inspiration and encouragement from family and close friends.” Married to Nelson Par and a mother of four, Par prioritizes family life. “Pages of my office note planner bear important school dates of my children, family events or functions, to ensure that I don’t miss out on anything. Likewise, technology has made the job for busy moms like me a lot easier. I am always a phone call away.”
On weekends, Par and her family go on short, out-of-town trips because she says the change of scenery is sure to charge one’s spent “batteries.” “Watching movies with my husband and kids is a great stress-buster, too,” she confides. “And to keep fit, I attend a boot-camp class once a week and play badminton as often as I can.”
Par recounts that she was a full hands-on manager during the initial stages of their family business. That was in 2000, when the company she helped grow with her husband set up refilling plants in Metro Manila, Cavite and Zambales. A year later, the company began putting up its own retail outlets, called PR Gaz Haus — the first LPG convenience store in the country. “But now we have a different organizational setup and I am able to focus on the bigger, more important requirements of my division.”
A Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) graduate of the Institute of Certified Franchise Executives (run by the US-based International Franchise Association), Par relates how she and her husband got into franchising in 2004. “We needed a proven way to extend our reach and franchising provided us the means to do this. So we tried to learn as much as we could about the concept and we found that many popular brands employed franchising to grow their business. We also attended franchise shows like the Philippine International Franchise Conference and Expo (PIFCE) to get more information. In 2005, our first franchised store opened in Cavite. Less than two years later, we had a total of 34 franchises in our chain.”
Par attributes the growth of their franchising business to having the right program, people and processes. “You must constantly employ innovations in business and update yourself on developments in the industry. It is also a good move to link with peers in the franchising sector and tap the benefits of being in a franchising association such as the PFA.”
She adds that it is vital for franchisers to always be connected with franchisees. “We hold conferences with our various franchisees to update them on company developments and discuss concerns. We also have good relations with our franchisees even on an individual level. We consider our franchisees active partners in growing the business.”
To date, PR Gaz Haus has over a hundred outlets operating in Luzon. This figure is expected to grow by at least 60 more stores before yearend. “This is part of our company’s “500-in-5” vision, in which we aim to set up 500 stores by 2015,” Par says.
Blue Water Day Spa
Simisim’s firm belief in and adherence to time management even extends to her personal life in order for her to be effective in her different roles as a mom, wife, and entrepreneur. Family is very important to Simisim as it is her primary source of inspiration. “I want to provide my family with a promising future, so I work really hard,” she emphasizes.
“On a typical weekend, I go away from the city with my family to visit magnificent places like Tagaytay, Cebu and so on,” Simisim discloses. “My one great love is traveling for business and pleasure as it allows me to explore different places and countries including their people, food, arts, and cultures. It also helps me keep up with new trends and technologies in the business world.”
Simisim, who says one of the greatest advantages of owning a spa business is that unwinding becomes very convenient for her, recounts how she became an entrepreneur. “Upon getting married, I moved to my husband’s family business that is focused on export and trading. I have since then been managing the business with my husband up to the present. Seven years ago, I opened a facial center with a partner, under a Malaysian franchised brand. That experience was really a learning process for me,” she recalls.
“Moving from trading to the beauty business took a lot of risks and hard work, due to the unrelated nature of both businesses. In 2005, I finally began my own spa and facial business, which is today known as Blue Water Day Spa,” she continues. The spa offers quality services comparable to high-end spas and hotels but at a reasonable cost. Its wide range of services includes massage techniques specially created for the spa. Each year, the spa introduces two new services into the market that are unique and have health benefits.
In 2006, she started franchising the business. From the outset, Simisim made it a point that the spa business she set up was running well and smoothly before she decided to jump on the franchising wagon. “After all, when a potential franchisee invests in your brand name, they deserve to have all the support and assistance from the franchiser,” she remarks.
That is why Simisim enjoys a good relationship with her franchisees. She makes sure that their concerns related to marketing, advertising, training support and the like are taken care of even if they have been a franchisee for years. “I believe that franchisers must establish a good rapport with their franchisees in order for their business to grow and so that they will also look after Blue Water Day Spa as if it were their own.”
Currently, the spa has two company-owned branches in Ortigas and Makati as well as three franchisees in Capitol Hills, Eastwood City and Tomas Morato. “For this year, Blue Water Day Spa plans on expanding the business in terms of having more franchisees nationwide, introducing more innovative treatments and maintaining the quality service that we are proud of,” Simisim declares.
K2 Drug, Inc.
A master opportunity-seizer, especially if the opportunity matches her values and vision, Bucad maintains, “We should learn to live within the laws of life and business. Both essentially need attention, time, nurturing, planning, goals, and supervision.”
Ergo, Bucad highly recommends integrating one’s lifestyle, relationships and business into one since they are all symbiotic. “My beloved family, including my youngest child, is involved in K2 Drug,” she shares. “My eldest two are directly involved in management and operations. So every business discussion among us has never been a stressor. In fact, we consider it the common thread that strongly binds us. As we bond, the business becomes stronger.”
Leisure for this Asian Institute of Management alumnus is unsurprisingly another family affair. Says Bucad, “We infuse a sense of democracy into our family activities, where everyone has a say in what they want to do. The focus is always placed on what works for everyone, whether it means staying at home, cooking a simple favorite dish or having a karaoke session. The important thing is the activity must be safe, there is constant communication, and that it strengthens the family fabric.”
Believing that Filipinas will always do well as entrepreneurs because family is their single greatest motivator, Bucad grew her current business to what is it is now based on making the right choices. Her first store was originally owned and run by a former client. The client, believing that she was already advanced in years and seeing that none of her children were interested in inheriting the business, gave Bucad the store, trusting the latter would turn the fledgling company around. That was 1998 when Bucad was moonlighting as a distributor of generic medicines.
Later the company was developed by Francorp Philippines for franchising. K2 Drug was incorporated in February 2007. The lady entrepreneur says franchising is a way to share a winning business plan, which makes sound business sense.
“As to how I deal with potential and even current franchisees, I always try to stress the infinite value of capitalization and aptitude. Not all people can have a franchise. Their expectations must be tempered by realizations that in all businesses there is a risk factor,” she states. “The secret is making that risk factor a calculated risk. And the beauty of a franchise with K2 Drug and many successful franchises is that it is no longer a trial-and-error process. It is more like a find-and-refine process.”
K2 Drug has 16 company-owned drugstores in Metro Manila, Angeles City, Olongapo City and San Pablo City. It has two franchises, one of which belongs to a group of Japanese investors. According to Bucad, the goal is to expand the business by two to five stores a year.
Franchise 2010
For Siu Ping Par, Rebecca Bucad, and Mary Simisim, joining the prestigious PIFCE is very rewarding. Otherwise known as Franchise 2010, the annual event is one of Asia’s most-attended and longest-running franchise shows.
Par says, “Joining the event affords a franchise brand a captive audience and a good lead-generation strategy. With new government leaders in place by the time of the holding of Franchise 2010, people will hopefully be in a positive mood and actively on the lookout for investment opportunities. We hope to surpass last year’s results in terms of number of leads generated and actual franchisees signed up.”
Bucad, meanwhile, says, “I encourage the public to join and participate in the upcoming PIFCE. The opportunity to tap prime business options, acquire new knowledge, and learn best international practices in franchising is priceless. When I first joined my primary expectations were to learn how to survive and succeed in this competitive world. I feel that I have achieved both.”
For her part, Simisim remarks, “PIFCE provides the perfect avenue for all kinds of entrepreneurs to learn from world-class experts and practitioners how brands and concepts can expand faster while providing people with the opportunity to profit from it.”