The humble beginnings of successful entrepreneurs

(Part I)

The 21st Century Education championed by UNESCO runs through the four stages of human construction. It covers the period from birth to 25 years of life. It is divided into four pillars of learning:

Pillar I - Learning to Be, from birth to six when the child spontaneously learn to speak, walk and work by oneself with the aid of the Absorbent Mind. Pillar II - Learning to Learn, from 6 to 12 years old, matches the children’s enormous reasoning power, which needs to be satisfied with a culture-loaded curriculum. Pillar III - Learning to Learn at 12 to 18 years notes the teenage talent for economic independence, which should be nurtured by technology or skill training to meet these young adults’ desire to earn an income. Pillar IV - Learning to Live in Harmony with Others, rewards the fulfillment of the first three stages at 18 to 24 years old when the adult finally matures to gainful employment.

Starting young

PUENTESPINA WALING WALING FARM, Davao — Charita Puentespina, the founder of the Waling Waling Farm, recalls “I was adopted by my uncle who lost their first born child. As a teenager, I raised vegetables and pigs in the backyard. I even sold donuts and hand-embroidered pillow cases. My love for plants came from our great grandparents, who would take pride in having a very beautiful flower garden in our hometown in Barrio Gines in Passi, Iloilo.

“During the first year of our marriage, my husband, Bert and I built a house on a 320 square meter lot providing enough space for a garden. Here I started my orchid business in 1977 because I was inspired by the Bangkok orchid industry. Later we invested in a 5-hectare farm, where we planted banana, and durian and included a small piggery.”

“After People Power, business prospered when my tissue culture experiment, propagating waling-waling became successful. The laboratory was constructed just beside the office of Hydrock Wells in Cabaguio Street. Because of my location, the lengthy trips to the farm were reduced drastically.

“My husband, Bert Puentespina was always very supportive. He supplies all of my construction needs for the plant nurseries. He often accompanies me and gives advises on how to solve some concerns I found difficult to solve, especially the water problem. As an expert on water sourcing, he developed our irrigation system. I extended my farm business, breeding exotic birds.

“Most of my employees stay with us until their retirement age, receiving their retirement pay and SSS benefits. Some enjoy housing benefits like our managers and drivers.”

MILKY WAY— The name Milky Way brings back nostalgic memories for many Filipinos. Thoughts of being brought to the restaurant by their parents after school for a scoop of their popular ice cream come to mind or perhaps enjoying the famous Chicken Asparagus sandwich followed by a Halo-Halo or Buco Lychee Sherbet on dates or family gatherings. Milky Way was a favorite haunt of the San Beda and Holy Spirit students, Manila’s high society, and even the President’s family since the Malacañang Palace was only a stone’s throw away.

Jay Gamboa (cum laude in Amherst, Massachusetts, BS Hotel, Restaurant and Travel Administration), and sister Malu inherited Milky Way from their parents. He recalls “My three sisters Malu, Popsie, Gina and I grew up in the restaurant, literally living above the restaurants in Aguado St. and San Rafael St. near Malacañang until 1975. At a very early age, we were part of the business even though we did not think of it in those terms. It was our house and our home so to speak. Both my parents are CPAs, very good with numbers and have strong business acumen, not to mention a love for food and details. My sisters and I learned our skills on the job early on.”

According to Carmelina “Chu” Palo, their faithful yaya, who now watches over their children like her own, Jay and his sisters would earn P50 a day during summer holiday, serving customer and eventually helping in the cash register. Jay’s 11-year-old daughter, Lucia now works this summer at Milky Way, Makati.

Milky Way first opened in early 1950s as a dairy bar in Old San Miguel by Doña Maria Cartagena de Tomas. When Doña Maria migrated to the United States, the Araullo sisters bought the rights of Milky Way and started adding selections of their own like dinuguan, halo-halo, chicken asparagus sandwich, home-made cakes, and other Pampango specialties. In the 1970s to the 1990s, Julie Araullo-Gamboa was operating 11 Milky Way branches in fast food centers, one-stop restaurants, office cafeterias, and executive dining outlets.

After the “1986 revolution” the business encountered labor problems and the restaurants closed. A blessing in disguise for Milky Way re-opened with an expanded concept.

Milky Way is very much alive now in Manila’s foodscape serving home-style comfort food with 3 outlets located at the Rockwell Power Plant, V-Mall in the Greenhills Shopping Center and at 908 A. Arnaiz Avenue (Pasay Road) in Makati, the same site where they built their own Milky Way building, complete with Spanish, Japanese and Thai restaurants — El Cirkulo, Tsukiji, and Azuthai.

Husband and wife teams: Glenda and Pancho Barretto, and Socorro and Jose Ramos

VIA MARE— Local and balikbayan Filipinos head first to Via Mare to feast on their popular lumpiang sariwa, sinigang na baboy or bibingka. Glenda Barretto (Business Administration at UE Special Courses conducted by Cornell University) recalls how it all started. “In 1975 my husband Pancho and I, with four friends, opened a seafood restaurant. We called it Via Mare, which means “by sea.”

“I learned to cook from my mother. She had this extraordinary talent of refining or improving ordinary dishes. She employed her knowledge of French cooking techniques. Her rule was to use only the freshest and best ingredients.

“Two events stand out in my experience as a chef — preparing a dinner for Pope Paul II when he was in Cebu. For dessert, I made Mango with Ice Cream laced with Caramel. The Pope savored the entire dish. He even used the teaspoon handle to scrape the caramel off his plate, and then licked it off. Then in 1977, President Marcos celebrated his 60th birthday in his hometown, where we catered for 3,000 VIP guests and about 13,000 Ilocano kababayan. It was a major production feat back then, as there was no modern technology like blast freezing. We had to prepare the main entrée in Manila, freeze them and transport them to Ilocos.”

Asked if she has any unfulfilled dream after catering to heads of state and royalty, Glenda wistfully said “I’d like to bring Philippine cuisine to the world. It has always been my dream for Philippine cuisine to be recognized internationally, and for Filipinos to be proud of their unique cuisine.”

NATIONAL BOOK STORE— Who would have thought that Ernst and Young awardee Socorro Cancio Ramos, being National Book Store’s founder and chairman was already in business as a child in Sta. Cruz Laguna, when she helped her grandmother sell banana, mangrove, roots, nuts, and vinegar.

Her widowed mother took all of her six children to Manila, where in her teen years Socorro became a factory worker, and graduated from high school as an honor student. She then became a saleslady at the Goodwill Book Store. Here she met her future husband, Jose Ramos, the brother of her sister-in-law.

From 1930 to 1940, National Book Store (NBS) was started by Socorro and Jose as a stall shop in Escolta before the Japanese occupation selling supplies, G.I. novels, and textbooks. But the whole Escolta was burned so they rebuilt a barong-barong in the corner of Soler and Avenida, Rizal in time to catch the post war business boom, selling textbooks, notebooks, pad papers, and pencils until Typhoon Gene destroyed their store and soaked all the merchandise. Adversity forced them to work harder, so eventually they constructed a two-storey building, which will become their retail store for many years.

By 1950s to 1960s, the business turning point came about. Mrs. Ramos thought of producing a line of greeting cards and Philippine postcards, which promoted Filipino customs and traditions. She also acquired the Philippine franchise for Hallmark cards, then began publishing textbooks assisted by famous publishing companies like McGraw-Hill, Prentice Hall, Lippincott, and Addison-Wesley. The Ramoses were able to acquire a piece of prime property owned by the Guerreros so that in 1963, Albecer Building, named after their three children - Alfredo, Benjamin, and Cecilia was constructed.

Between 1970s and 1990s, they opened a new branch in Recto Avenue, the university belt. Later, they acquired space in new shopping centers of Cubao and Makati. By 1990s the NBS chain of stores numbered 50 all over the country. Eventually, Mr. and Mrs. Ramos then hired 2,500 employees in over 145 branches. Therefore generations of students have become “Laking National,” having grown up buying their school needs from National Book Store.

(Next week Part II - “Entrepreneurship blossoms during adolescence”)

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