There are many successful Filipino entrepreneurs in our country.

Among many reasons, they

became famous because of their big contributions to the growth of our economy. These top
Filipino entrepreneurs possess different characteristics which are essential to becoming
successful. Many of them have great stories for us to wonder. They can serve as an inspiration
for us Filipinos that someday we may become like them. Ms. Socorro C. Ramos started
working as a salesgirl when she was 18 yrs. old in Goodwill Bookstore in Escolta. She was
good in selling, that’s why she became in charge of the store. When she was married to Jose
Ramos, they put up The National Book Store. Her vision was to extend the National bookstore
not only here in Luzon but also to Visayas and Mindanao for cheaper access to books and
school supplies. Before, the National Book Store was a general merchandise store. Until later
on, it was selling books, greeting cards, and school supplies. Today, more than 70 National
Book Store can be found nationwide.
National Book Store, the Philippine’s largest chain of bookstores is the featured success story
for today as we witness the life story of the woman behind it, Socorro Ramos or more
commonly know to her staffs as Nanay Coring.
Her story is truly an inspiring one as she built the business National Book Store from scratch
with a lot of challenges and hurdles as she and her husband Jose Ramos literally built and
rebuilt the business three times from scratch. That’s the true entrepreneurial spirit with enough
courage and determination.

Nanay Coring or Maria Socorro Cancio in her early years was born in Sta. Cruz, Laguna on
September 23, 1923. Ever she was young, she grew up in an entrepreneurial environment as
one of the six children born to entrepreneur parents and grandmother. Her parents used to ran
a store selling a lot of stuffs from slippers to clothes and a lot more while her grandmother had
a market stall where the young Socorro got used to seeing customers withdraw items on credit.
Unfortunately, her grandmother did not manage the business carefully not maintaining a list of
those items availed on credit and their business fell.
After that event, they went to Manila. Her mother struggled hard to feed six children and the
young Socorro considered herself as lucky if she got money from her mother. Her elder sisters
helped the family by working in a candy and bubble gum factory and she spent her summer
doing summer jobs too. In one instance, young Socorro was hired to peel off the paper used in
old cigarettes so that it can be reuse to make new fresh cigarette sticks. She received 5 centavos
per pack of cigarettes. But the young Socorro started her entrepreneurial skills and hired kids
and their neighborhood paying them 5 centavos for every two pack of cigarettes leveraging her
efforts. Since then, the young Socorro was on her way to become an entrepreneur as early as
10 years old!
Immediately after graduating from Arellano High School, she worked as a salesgirl at Goodwill
Book Store owned by the family of her present husband Jose Ramos. Socorro’s brother Manuel
married one of the Ramos children and in 1940, they needed someone to look after the branch
they set up along Escolta Street, on the ground floor of Panciteria National. Jose Ramos took
over it and asked Socorro to work on him in that branch. They renamed it as National Book
Store.
Their love story began but her parents were against with it as Socorro was just 18 years old
back then. She was told to stay in the province to keep away from marrying Jose Ramos. But
as they say, true love never dies, the young Socorro with just 11 pesos in her pocket, struggled
to went back to Manila to marry Jose. Because of this act, her family was so furious and angry
that they considered her dead already. It was short-lived though lasting only until Socorro gave
birth to her twins named Alfredo, who is now the President of National Book Store and
Benjamin, now the Vice President.
As mentioned above, the business National Book Store faced a lot of challenges as it was built
and rebuilt three times from scratch!

First, Socorro admitted that it was not easy to start the business from scratch. She recalled that
during the Japanese occupation, they would look on each and every book title on sale. If they
found questionable books, they would just tear the pages off leaving them useless. So instead
of selling books, Socorro and Jose decided to fill their bookshelves with stuffs from candies,
soap, slippers, papers, and cigarettes. During the war, she would transfer goods to her smaller
stores.
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Second, when the Japanese were driven away, it was now the time for the Americans. Their
National Book Store stall in Escolta was damaged in the war. They recovered a bit by selling
unused greeting cards and uncensored books, which they had hidden in their home.
Third, in 1945, they relocated their National Book Store previously located at Escolta to
Avenida. The business is doing quite well during first few post-war school years but
unfortunately, three years after, a typhoon blew the roof of their store and they were left with
soaked books and stuffs that were worthless. Again, for the third time, they have to start from
zero.
They struggled hard to rebuilt National Book Store for the third time. But since then, every
centavo that they earned were used to buy the lot where the Rizal Avenue Branch of National
Book Store stands to this day.
Today, National Book Store is considered as the largest chain of bookstores in the country.
They have ventured into several businesses already such as a convenience-type store named
NBS Book Express, publishing companies named Cacho-Hermanos printing press, Anvil
Books and Capitol-Atlas Publishing, another book store named Powerbooks, music store
named Tower Records and Music One, Gift Gate, the home of Hello Kitty and Swatch, and a
department store named Crossings department store. Socorro’s children and relatives ran all
these.
Socorro Ramos’ life and success story and the challenges that she faced with her business
National Book Store business was another inspiring story. In fact, it was recognized when she
was chosen as the Ernst and Young’s Philippine Entrepreneur of the Year in 2005.
Today, at the age of 85, Socorro Ramos or Nanay Coring acts as the General Manager of
National Book Store. And she told that the core values in her success are to keep learning,
being actively involved in the business, being able to read changes and act on them
immediately, and most of all, never give up!

The story of nanay Coring is truly an inspiring one. She is really an integral and successful
Filipino business person. Using the different quotients the National Bookstore