54-year-old Bacolodnon finds business success through 7-Eleven
MANILA, Philippines - For those retired or planning to make that transition soon, an ideal goal would be turning one’s hard-earned savings into a lucrative retirement income.
Maria Teresa Teodoro of Bacolod City made one such accomplishment; the 54-year-old businesswoman successfully mapped out her retirement plan by making the smart investment choice through 7-Eleven.
While the ultimate bucket list for most early retirees includes seeking new life experiences like traveling and vacationing, Teodoro found her lifelong thrill by seizing the opportunity to manage her own C-store.
“My cousin, Felix Yulo, who owns two 7-Eleven franchise stores in Manila, recommended us to join,” she said. “Since it is new to my area, I knew that it would be an interesting commodity for my potential consumers.
“Since 7-Eleven is an international chain and has been in business for a long time now, I knew that it was a promising business opportunity,” she added. “It is stable and risks would surely be at a minimum.”
More importantly, the C-store also reflects her interest, strength and length of career experience. Prior to 7-Eleven, Teodoro, a BS Business Management graduate of Ateneo de Manila University, was also a franchisee of Casa Ilongga, a long-running mall-based food retail chain, since 1998.
“Having a Business Management degree and also being in another food franchise in the past was definitely an advantage,” she said. “7-Eleven’s exclusive licensor in the country, Philippine Seven Corp. (PSC), leveraged my knowledge and readiness further by providing a two-week classroom and in-store training.”
Teodoro opened her first 7-Eleven C-store in 1132 Luxur Hotel along Lacson-Magsaysay Street in October 2013, followed by another one in Bago City along Araneta-General Luna Street in July 2014.
As a hands-on store manager, Teodoro admits encountering challenges that she took as part of the learning process. “Of course, we also had stressful moments during the early operations, unforeseen problems such as technical difficulties. But with the dependable support from PSC, the store team was able to address these effectively. When we opened our doors during the Masskara Festival in 2013, customers came in droves. Same thing happened when we opened the Bago store. People kept on coming back, thus we still maintain healthy customer traffic.”
Proud about successfully running her franchise stores since 2013, Teodoro plans to continue doing so in the near future as she aims to grow the business further. “I believe my investment is secure and I’m lucky to have two of the best locations here in Bacolod. I’m grateful to have made the right choice as my C-store franchise business has been personally and financially rewarding.
“I’m happy because business is still doing good,” she continues. “If given a chance, I’m looking at applying for another franchise in one of the nearby towns. I believe that as long as you are hands-on, fully committed and confident about the business, 7-Eleven is a good and solid investment.”
To date, Teodoro’s 7-Eleven stores are among the 26 fastest-growing franchise outlets in Negros Occidental. Expanding strategically across various locations in the country, 7-Eleven remains the most trusted and undisputed convenience store chain leader in its category.
Looking forward to a job that she greatly enjoys, Teodoro has this advice for aspiring franchisees: “It’s never too late to set new goals. Retirement doesn’t have to mean totally leaving a successful career. Just like me, you can still be enterprising retirees. Focus on how to capitalize on your experience and choose a business that’s reliable, continuously growing, and well established, like 7-Eleven, to give you the best investment return.”
For more details on 7-Eleven’s franchise opportunity offerings, call 0917-9935059 and 0935-3236431 (Visayas); (02) 7269968, 0920-9508651, 0917-8711686 (Luzon) or email franchising@7-eleven.com.ph or visit www.7-eleven.com.ph.
