7 success secrets of Goldilocks

Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.  — Thomas Alva Edison

One humble small- and medium-scale enterprise (SME) that has evolved into a giant is the Philippines’ biggest bakeshop, Goldilocks. Its operations head Franklin L. Go is overall chairman of the Franchise Asia Philippines 2013 International Conference from July 17 to 18 at the SMX Convention Center. All would-be entrepreneurs and existing businesspeople who want to try franchising are invited to this event.

When asked about the success secrets behind Goldilocks — how it’s grown to 394 stores and sales of P7.9 billion in 2012 — in an exclusive interview, Franklin Go cited seven:

1. Passion — Franklin Go said: “You have to love what you’re doing.”

2. Luck — Being at the right time, at the right place and ready to seize opportunities.

3. Quality — The business has a department that focuses only on quality assurance.

4.  Brand — The owners prioritize building up and protecting the integrity of their brand.

5. Hard work — “We have no holidays,” Go said. “As kids, we were trained to work on holidays and during summer breaks.” The three founders of Goldilocks in 1966 were his 85-year-old father Freddie Go, his 80-year-old mother Clarita Leelin Go, and his 82-year-old auntie Milagros Leelin Yee, who up to now all exemplify the virtue of hard work.

6. Customer service — Good customer service brings back the customers.

7. Loyal Employees — The owners of Goldilocks attribute a large part of their success to their over 2,000 loyal employees. Their oldest employee, Joey Dajac, retired last year at age 82 and was the person holding the money as cashier for decades.

Metro Manila as the ‘Dental capital’ of Asean?

One aspect of tourism that our government should promote is medical tourism, which includes the lucrative field of dental tourism. The chairman of the Board of Dentistry under the government’s Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) is Dr. Steve Mark Gan, also known as the “dentist of the stars.” He said there are over 16,000 registered dentists and two dozen dental schools in the Philippines. He hopes the country can maximize the huge potential of “dental tourism.”

Dr. Gan is president of the Gan Advanced Osseointegration Center (GAOC), the country’s top high-end dental clinic group with 80 employees and 25 dentists. Dr. Gan idolizes billionaire investor Warren Buffett and the late innovator Steve Jobs of Apple.

Dr. Gan hopes Metro Manila can become the “dental capital of ASEAN,” like Budapest is the “dental capital of Europe.”  He said: “Before dental tourism can reach its full potential in the Philippines, our dentists have to upgrade ourselves first, or else we’ll always be second to Singapore, Malaysia or Thailand. Even Vietnam is now catching up very fast. We need to invest in people and technology. We need to do continuing professional development and education.”

Among GAOC’s clientele include RCBC president Lorenzo Tan, BDO president Nestor Tan, Century Properties Group founder Joey Antonio, ex-president and now Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada, broadcasters Karen Davila and Noli de Castro, Anne Curtis, Gretchen Barretto, Sarah Geronimo, Piolo Pascual, and John Lloyd Cruz.

Kris and Vilma’s sons share earnings

Kris Aquino recently invested in the LBR taxi business of actor Luis Manzano and his former high school classmates, which grew to 140 units in three and a half years. She said she admires the way the taxi business is run, especially the fact that drivers have SSS and Philhealth benefits.

Kris and her two sons Joshua and Bimby are the new celebrity endorsers of San Marino Corned Tuna owned by CDO. Due reportedly to regular exercise and eating healthy foods like tuna, Josh has lost 120 pounds and his waistline has gone down from 46 to 36 inches. Sources told this writer that Josh has learned to be generous like his mom Kris, buying gifts for his driver, yaya and lavandera from part of his talent fee.

Grow business by expanding management beyond family members

High school students often ask me via e-mail what course is ideal for one who wants to be a future entrepreneur. I believe there are many good courses, not just management. One example is Ateneo mathematics graduate Victor T. Batungbacal, the 48-year-old president of AsiaPhil Group of Companies.

A quiet tycoon whose family-owned firm manufactures switchgears, panel boards, and also “rent-to-own” electric power substations for rural electric cooperatives nationwide, Batungbacal leads Asiaphil Group, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Asiaphil earned P1 billion in sales in 2012. His parents were the late engineer Guillermo Batungbacal and Filomena T. Batungbacal, his father-in-law and legal adviser is 84-year-old former Chief Justice Andres Narvasa.

What is the success secret of Asiaphil Group? Vic said: “People, meaning you expand the family and not just rely on blood relatives to run and grow the business.”   The persons he idolizes most are Warren Buffett and his late mom, Filomena. The Asiaphil boss proudly points out that his factories are located outside Metro Manila — in Santo Tomas, Batangas, and Bacolor, Pampanga.

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One of the country’s most brilliant leaders, former Finance Secretary and former Asian Institute of Management president Roberto de Ocampo, is the new chairman of Philippine Veterans Bank, a well-run private commercial bank owned by some 400,000 veterans of the war of resistance against the Japanese invasion in World War II, and their heirs.

By the way, a young entrepreneur and Philippine STAR reader e-mailed to say that Veteran Bank executive vice president Jesus Vicente O. Garcia, senior vice president Annabelle Y. Yong and assistant vice president Justina M. Francisco are very supportive of SMEs.

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Manila Jockey Club, Inc. boss Atty. Alfonso “Boy” R. Reyno Jr. told me that his group is known for investing P4.5 billion to construct the 180-suite Winford Hotel — the only five-star hotel in that part of Santa Cruz, Manila, where the Manila Jockey Club used to be. That former 16-hectare horseracing area now has SM San Lazaro, Ayala Land projects and BPOs.  The 69-year-old Atty. Reyno said that the new all-suite hotel will be finished “after 18 months” and will target the affluent businessmen of nearby Chinatown.

Atty. Reyno is the father-in-law of GMA-7 broadcaster Vicky Morales Reyno; he is also the business partner of TV5 host Willie Revillame and Viva Entertainment boss Vic del Rosario. Revillame signed his contract with Manny V. Pangilinan of TV5 at the Forbes Park residence of Atty. Reyno in 2010.

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