Women behind success of beauty clinic, bakeshop and BPO

MANILA, Philippines - As early as grade school, it was clear that Rubby Sy already had an entrepreneurial vision.

She saved the P50 incentive her parents gave her every week for helping out in their auto supply business and used it to indulge in her passions such as beauty, fashion and wellness and also for other necessities.

Rubby learned even then to work hard for the things she wanted, a trait inculcated in her and her siblings by their Chinese parents.

Years later, equipped with the right attitude and entrepreneurial knowledge plus a supportive environment, Rubby fearlessly pursued her interests, with an entrepreneurial inspiration from a relaxing visit to a spa in Tagaytay.

The spa trip led to a business concept that would provide women a more affordable place for skin care, health and beauty.

Flawless Aesthetic Clinic – a game-changer in the beauty industry – was born.

The clinic spearheaded the trend for lower-priced skin care and beauty services.

Rubby said that she wanted to establish a skin care and beauty clinic for women who could not afford the fees of private dermatology clinics.

She combined excellent customer service with sound medical practices and with this strategy, sales soon flourished in Flawless’ first clinic in SM Megamall. It now has 33 clinics nationwide.

Apart from having a vision, Rubby stressed the importance of a good work ethic to succeed.

This is why she makes sure to impart to her staff the values of compassion and hard work – both of which had been instrumental in making Flawless Aesthetic Clinic one of the strongest brands for skin care and beauty today.

Cooking up success

When Susana Pascual Guerrero, better known as Annie, established Cravings, she must have done so with a real understanding of what it was like to satisfy a craving with delectable, fine food.

Her mother, after all, was a dedicated cook in Malabon, and they shared countless bonding moments in the kitchen.

Little did Annie know that her passion for creating dishes for family and friends would eventually lead to a catering business, and later, to the birth of Cravings.

What started as a small bakeshop and take-out food counter along Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City soon became a restaurant chain.

Annie also decided to impart her culinary wisdom to aspiring chefs and cooks.

In 1996, she founded the now renowned Center for Culinary Arts-Manila, the country’s first internationally affiliated culinary diploma school.

Annie said this endeavor was borne out of her desire to professionalize the local culinary industry.

She likewise established the Culinary Education Foundation (CEF) in 2002 to grant scholarships to aspiring but financially challenged chefs and cooks. The CEF also has a Mobile Kitchen Program that brings short cooking courses to aspiring chefs in the provinces.

Asked about the formula for success, Annie said it’s all about passion, and doing what one knows best.

A woman at the top

There is no denying that the boom in the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry a few years back boosted the economy, providing thousands of job opportunities mostly to young professionals and fresh graduates.

Among the first BPO companies established in the country was Convergys, employing as many as 28,000 Filipino professionals in eight years.

Today, Convergys remains as one of the largest private employers in the country, and it is the pride of Filipinos to know that a Filipina, Marife Zamora, steered Convergys through its remarkable growth.

Marife is not only the head of Convergys in the Philippines, but is also the senior vice president and managing director of Convergys Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and is the only Filipino BPO executive with a global CEO role.

It was under Marife’s management that the combined revenues of Convergys Philippines, India and UK surpassed $600 million.

Marife said any BPO company is defined by its people and the kind of service they render to clients, and she is proud to say that Convergys has a loyal employee base.

All these Women Starpreneurs will be awarded at Go Negosyo’s 4 Women Entrepreneurship Summit and Expo on March 2 at the World Trade Center.

Go Negosyo and The Philippine STAR highlight the stories of these outstanding women entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs to inspire and encourage Filipinas to reach for greater heights.

Themed Babae, Kapuso Ka ng Bayan, the summit offers lectures, talks, and seminars about entrepreneurship and various other topics that can help empower women in society.