An individual who has paved their own route to success with tenacity, creativity, and unwavering labor is known as a self-made entrepreneur. In contrast to those who inherit firms or have substantial financial support, self-made entrepreneurs begin from zero and frequently encounter multiple obstacles and disappointments during their journey. To create successful businesses, these people rely on their ingenuity, resiliency, and strong belief in their concepts. Self-made entrepreneurs demonstrate an unwavering dedication to their vision, whether it is through the development of a novel product, the provision of a distinctive service, or the identification of market gaps. Their story serves as a testament to the strength of perseverance and the capacity to realize goals with unwavering determination and an entrepreneurial spirit.
1. Mariano Que (MERCURY DRUG)
Before World War II, Mariano Que worked as a drugstore employee and discovered his potential when he realized how important antibiotics were. He obtained sulfathiazole antibiotics by using his expertise of medicines, and he marketed them in highly impoverished places in single dosages.
He was able to build a kariton and turn a profit with just P100 of funding thanks to the increasing demand from the general public. This allowed him to expand his reach and sell additional antibiotics. In 1945, he was able to establish his own drugstore because to his perseverance and hard work.
Mercury Drug has grown from its modest origins to over 700 locations globally.
His approach: Never forget that there is always money to be made if there is a need. Simply ascertain the needs of the market and supply them. The money will follow.
2. Alfredo M. Yao ( ZEST-O )
Alfredo Yao learned the virtue of hustle early on in life. He was born into a family of five brothers and was a sidewalk seller.
To make ends meet, Yao’s parents sold almost whatever a street seller could sell. At the age of twelve, he was compelled to take on odd tasks to support their family because of his father’s early death.
He completed his high school education and elementary education with the support of his family. He was unable to pay for and complete his college education, even as a working student. Even with all of the obstacles, young Alfredo never gave up on his aspirations.
He was able to launch his own printing company thanks to his extensive experience in the printing sector. Later, he learned that flexible foil packs could be a promising new technology for juice packaging and attempted to pitch it to nearby juice producers, but no one was interested.
This inspired him to take a risk and start his own juice manufacturing company, which he named Zest-O juice drink. The rest is history.
His approach: Nothing is unachievable. You can accomplish anything and anything if you work hard, have faith, and persevere. To become famous, all you need is unadulterated bravery.
3. Socorro Ramos ( NATIONAL BOOKSTORE )
As a young child, Socorro Ramos—better known by her stage name, Nanay Coring—worked multiple jobs to support her family. She would go so far as to remove the paper from abandoned cigarettes in order to receive five centavos. Her siblings earned a living working at confectionery manufacturers as well.
She was able to get employment as a salesgirl in one of the respected Goodwill Bookstores thanks to the marriage of her older sister to the proprietor’s son. She soon became familiar with the operations of the company and met Jose Ramos, the man she would eventually marry.
They succeeded in starting their own company with just P211 in capital and unwavering perseverance. Despite facing initial obstacles and having to start their business from the beginning three times, her genuine passion of entrepreneurship carried her through. Her long-awaited success soon arrived.
National Bookstore now has more than 150 locations across the country and is regarded as an institution in Filipino society.
Her approach: Life’s greatest lesson is adversity. Have faith in your own flexibility; without it, no business can succeed. Change, disagreement, and disasters are inevitable in life.
4. Corazon D. Ong ( CDO FOODSPHERE )
The inspiring tale of a mother who became a businesswoman is that of Corazon D. Ong’s journey from poverty to wealth.
During her early career, she worked as a dietician for a hospital, where she applied her knowledge, experience, and skill to develop and invent cost-effective processed meat products.
She shared her handmade siopao stuffed with skinless longanisa with her neighbors after first experimenting with a novel filling. Soon after, word of it quickly spread and it quickly became popular.
She was so keen to pursue it as a business and took out a P60,000 loan to cover incoming orders as a result. She quickly established CDO Foodsphere, her own business, in 1995.
From a modest desire to feed her family well, Ong developed a lifelong dedication to supply Filipino households with high-quality, reasonably priced food.
Her approach: Pursue what you are passionate about. Your interest and pastime could be your competitive advantage and lead to your big break. Continue working hard and attempting to profit from it.
5. Rey E. Calooy ( RNC MARKETING PHILIPPINES )
Rey Calooy was raised in a low-income environment and had to work hard to support his family. Seeking better opportunities, he traveled to Cebu, where he eventually found work as a porter in a public market and as a house servant.
Due to his difficult financial situation, he had a strong desire to succeed in life for both his family and himself.
In 1994, he used his P20,000 savings from his job as a sales representative for a pharmaceutical company to launch RNC Marketing, a trading and repacking business for industrial items.
Since then, he has expanded his company and eventually achieved unwavering success in the industry by repackaging coffee, sugar, creamer, and oil into tiny packets.
His approach: All talent and skill are surpassed by hard work. Recognize the importance of saving, as it is the basis of financial success. It doesn’t make you affluent to save. Your ability to save with discipline is what makes you wealthy.
6. Diosdado Banatao (CHIPS AND TECHNOLOGIES CO.)
Diosdado Banatao, also referred to as the Bill Gates of the Philippines, is the son of a rice farmer and a housewife from Cagayan Valley. He had to go barefoot to school because of his poverty in order to complete his elementary and high school education.
At Mapua University, he studied Electrical Engineering and received a cum laude degree. After serving as a pilot trainee with Philippine Airlines, he was soon given a position as a design engineer for Boeing Co. in the United States.
He joined the Homebrew Computer Club at Stanford University after earning his master’s degree in electrical engineering, and it was there that he met well-known individuals like Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Because of his expertise in the sector, he was able to discover single-chip controllers and chipsets, which are now recognized as seminal items in the computer industry.
As a result, he was able to launch Chips and Technologies Co., which Intel eventually purchased for an astounding $430 million.
He made sure that Malabbac Elementary School, although being a public school, would have the most cutting-edge computer system in the nation as a token of gratitude to his alma mater.
His plan: Your four years in college will undoubtedly have a profound effect on the rest of your life. Never forget that a strong education can propel you to success.
7. Julie Gandiongco (JULIE'S BAKESHOP)
According to Julie Gandiongco, if you want to excel in life, there is no such thing as being too late. Julie was exposed to entrepreneurship at a young age, as she was occupied with running their sari-sari store and taking on sewing chores from their neighborhood whenever her husband was assigned to a job.
Julie worked closely with her husband to oversee their 30-hectare sugar plantation in Dumaguete when he made the decision to resign from his job. However, they quickly lost their farm due to the abrupt global decline in sugar prices, thus the couple made the decision to return to Cebu.
Julie applied to be a canteen concessionaire at a rattan export firm because she was eager to carry on with their lives despite the significant loss. After realizing there was a market for bread due to her experience to the industry, she took a chance at the age of fifty and opened her first bakery, which she named Julie’s Bakeshop.
Her approach: Dream big because you never know what the future holds. It’s never too late to dream.
8. Tony Tan Caktiong (JOLLIBEE)
Everyone aspires to be a billionaire, even this young man who was born the son of a Buddhist temple cook and is currently ranked highly successful.
Tony Tan Caktiong began his career in his family’s business as an assistant. He spent his childhood serving patrons, clearing tables, and doing dishwashing. His family’s support and his own determination allowed him to graduate from the University of Sto with a BS in Chemical Engineering. Tomas.
Using money he borrowed from his family’s resources, he followed in his father’s footsteps and entered the restaurant industry by franchising the then-famous Magnolia Ice Cream House. He eventually added chicken and burgers to his menu and enlarged his ice cream shop. His burgers eventually outsold the ice cream goods in terms of sales.
Tony and his siblings made the quick decision to turn their ice cream shops into burger joints they called Jollibee. Currently, Jollibee Foods Corporation stands as one of the top restaurant brands both domestically and internationally.
His approach: If you believe, nothing is impossible. You too may succeed in the crowded market you’re in by going up against the industry titans, paying close attention to what your clients want from you, and adopting the proper mindset for handling risk and reaping benefits.
9. Libereto Levy P. Laus ( LAUSGROUP OF COMPANIES)
LausGroup of Companies began as Carworld, a little sub-dealer in 1978. Over time, it grew into a network of dealerships with more than 50 branches spread throughout Metro Manila and Luzon.
The enterprise is the pride and joy of none other than Libereto Levy P. Laus, the glamorous boy of entrepreneurship known as the “Country Taipan” due to his numerous accolades and recognitions in the corporate and automotive industries.
Despite his unfortunate and premature death in April 2019, he has had a significant impact on the automotive industry. Owing to his diligence and faith in his fellow citizens, he was able to create thousands of jobs, allowing his legacy of changing lives to endure long after his passing.
His approach is to forge your own unique route, and everything else will fall into place. Acknowledge the importance of your efforts, push yourself to improve, and draw inspiration from others around you. That’s the main goal of success. Acquiring and returning favors from those who helped you succeed.
10. Edgar Injap Sia (MANG INASAL)
Edgar Injap Sia, a genuine blue provincial person, founded Mang Inasal from the ground up in 2003.
He was able to sell the company’s whole operations to Jollibee Foods Corporation for a total of P5 billion, despite its modest origins with just one branch in Iloilo City and presently having over 300 locations countrywide.
With a distinct vision, he made the decision to start over and make money in the real estate industry alongside his siblings and JFC’s founder, Tony Tan Caktiong. Together, they were able to amass one million square meters of lettable space, which is currently known as Double Dragon.
His may not be the usual tale of a poor man rising to great wealth, but his humble beginnings in the province and his current ability to compete with the industry’s titans serve as an example for all Filipino-born businesspeople.
His approach: Persuade others and has the insight to launch your own company. Your first step in real life will be your last step to success, therefore never forget to look back at your modest beginnings.