Guest speakers during the seminars were Rustan’s Supercenter Inc. president Bienvenido Tantoco III; Northroad president and fashion designer Delby Bragais; Andok’s Litson founder and president Sandy Javier Jr; and Aldegue Group of Companies president Jay Aldeguer.
Tantoco who delivered his lecture at the University of Asia and the Pacific talked on the paramount importance of the virtues of love, excellence and honor in being an effective entrepreneur. According to him, it is vital to have a love, conviction and passion for what you do; to maintain excellence within so you can pass it on to others and to remember that honor more than anything else matters at the end of the day.
For fashion designer Delby Bragais, the beliefs and values you follow in everyday life can be the same ones you apply in business. She advised the student audience to always take price in Filipino creativity, maintain good personal and business relationships, be open to possibilities, think outside the box, express their individuality, draw attention to assets and downplay liabilities.
Sandy Javier Jr of Andok’s Litson Manok fame is now president of several corporations and is active in various organizations.
For Javier, it is common sense more than money that he considers the most precious capital of all. He believes an entrepreneur must never quit, think positive and should never spend more than what he makes. For him, innovation, hardwork, determination and clear direction can carry anyone through life. As he said, everyone fails but what is important is how one picks himself up and continued with the journey.
Jay Aldeguer who made famous the Islands Souvenirs chain of stores claims he is a frustrated artist. It is this situation, however, that led him to start one of the country’s most prominent brand name.
Aldeguer’s success can be a blueprint for any entrepreneur. He shared that jumping into the water and getting his feet wet had been most rewarding for him. Ten years ago, he saw a demand for creative souvenir shirts and boldly went into the business. Aldeguer row runs several companies and yet maintains that he does not qualify his success in terms of assets but in terms of personal growth and fulfillment. Helping to professionalize the industry is one thing he is proud of. Aldeguer also believes that the Filipino’s innate talent is the best asset our country has.
The APJF, PLDT Entrepreneurship campus seminar series is presented by PLDT in association with PLDT Leadership Circle, Believe and Inspire Movement/Go Negosyo, Radyo Negosyo of DZMM, Events Team Inc., Assumption High School Batch 83 Section 4, Anna Marie Home Collection (Phils) Inc., Buy the Bucket, Chinatrust Bank, Fortune Guarantee, Informatics Holdings Inc., Lamoiyan Corp., Villafuerte Brotherhood Foundation and Waffle Time. The media sponsor include Manila Bulletin, The Philippine Star, Philippine Daily Inquirer and the Manila Times.
The Aurelio Periquet Jr Business Leadership Siminar series will next visit Ateneo de Manila University, St. Michael College of Laguna, De La Salle University, St Scholastica’s College, University of the East, University of the Philippines and University of Santo Tomas, Southville International School and Pamantasan ng Lungson ng Maynila.