Splash: The 'little' company that could

MANILA, Philippines - It was not an easy decision. Jojo Vega was, as the cliché goes, at a crossroads. He was content where he was, being general manager of a new beverage company that showed much potential, but then came two very juicy offers, one with a multinational in the Philippines while the other was an expat position in Vietnam. Although he was already very well situated, Vega knew that he would have to move. And so he did.

“I did not choose the multinational. I did not choose the expat position in Vietnam either,” said Vega, currently Splash Corporation’s general manager, who joined the firm early this year.

Right before he made his decision, Vega recalled receiving a call from his headhunter telling him there was an opening for a GM position in a great little company, very under the radar. He was told that the company was actually big and had a presence in over 40 countries, but was called “little” because few knew about it.

“She said it was Splash. That is a little company and what did I know about personal care? I don’t even remember the brand of shampoo I use,” Vega said. “I was very reluctant to even go to the interview. I wanted bigger, better, more international. But when I heard that there were several senior managers from San Miguel Corp. and other multinationals now working in Splash, I thought there must be something going on there.”

A little company it is not. Splash Corporation has established its reputation as one of the formidable players in the Philippine personal care industry. It is relentlessly strengthening its presence in the personal care markets in the Asia-Pacific region and is gaining a foothold in the affluent markets of Europe and North America.

Demonstrating resiliency and coming out even stronger every year since its inception in 1985, Splash was able to transition from a backyard business with just P12,000 initial capital into a P4 billion global enterprise. It is ranked fourth in the Philippine personal care industry, and the only Filipino transnational firm to have penetrated the personal care market long dominated by multinationals.

Despite all this, Vega emphasized, “Splash still does feel like a ‘little’ company indeed. The warmth of the ‘Good morning, sir’ that you hear at least a dozen times speaks of the family-like culture of the company; the monthly birthday celebrations with the CEO where employees of all positions get to gather for a simple meal and chat freely with him — these opportunities for open interaction between top-level managers and line personnel speak of how, despite its bigness, the company has been able to remain ‘little.’ It is this ‘littleness’ that makes this company so successful.”

It also gives a glimpse into how Splash has succeeded in becoming an employer of choice, because of the goodwill it has extended to its employees. Since 1995, Splash has provided subsidized housing to its workers via the Splash Village, where the cost of housing is amortized for a period of 18 years at cost with zero interest. “The housing assistance contributes to this culture of family within the organization, and reinforces the malasakit or empathy among the employees,” Vega said. “We also make available shuttle service for employees from various pickup points in the metro. An employee, regardless of his level in the organization, receives Splash products every month.”

Vega also reiterated the importance of adopting this culture of littleness from a management perspective. “Being little means you have to make sure your products and services are better than the competition, because in personal care, there is no second chance. It means truly empowering your people because you know faster decisions lead to quicker execution. It means mistakes don’t get you fired, but that they lead to better, more effective products.”

Vega admitted that it is a bit strange working in this paradoxical company. “I am very proud to be in this big ‘little’ company that we often liken to The Little Engine That Could. Here at Splash we take even more pride when we hear our competitors say, ‘You can’t.’ To that we say, ‘Oh, but we already have.’”