Successful Story of an Entrepreneur

Research one successful story and answer the following

question.

1.Choose an entrepreneur and its business.

Socorro C. Ramos/National Book Store, Inc.

2.Tell his/her story.

Socorro or “Coring” as she is fondly called, was born into
a family of shopkeepers who were thrown into poverty
after losing the family business. While working for her
brother-in-law, Coring met and fell in love with Jose
Ramos. They got married and the couple founded
National Book Store in 1940. Unable to afford extra help,
she worked not only as manager but also as cashier,
purchaser, saleslady, janitor, and helper – all rolled into
one.
After the Japanese occupation, the Ramos couple was
able to rebuild a shanty in the corner of Soler and
Avenida Rizal in time to catch the boom of post-war
business. Using the door of their house as a counter,
Ramos again started selling textbooks, notebooks, pad
paper, and pencils in time for the first postwar school
year in the country. Just like that, National Book Store
made its transition from being a general merchandise
store to a store that sells books and more. Business went
well mainly because only a few stores sold school
supplies during that time.

The building that they built was damaged when typhoon

Gene entered the Philippines, destroying dozens of
houses and property. Their house and store were taken
down and all the merchandise soaked. But this did not
bring down the Ramos couple. They worked harder, they
slept for only three hours a day spending the rest of their
time rebuilding the business. Eventually, through will and
determination, the Ramos couple was able to construct a
two-story building complete with mezzanine that would
be their store for years.
In the 1950s, Socorro Ramos thought of producing a line
of greeting cards and postcards using Philippine views
and artwork. By creating a distinct design, it
promoted Filipino culture to the rest of the world. The
company later acquired the national franchise for
Hallmark Cards. It was also at that time that they began a
publishing program with the assistance of international
publishers such as McGraw-Hill, Prentice Hall, Lippincott,
and Addison-Wesley.

After more than a decade, Ramos acquired a nine-story

building along Avenida Rizal, and in 1963, the
construction of the Albecer Building (Albecer taken from
Ramos’ three children - Alfredo, Benjamin, and Cecilia)
began. Little did the Ramos couple know that the Albecer
Building would be the first of many buildings they would
build. Socorro Ramos now has more than 2,500
employees in over 80 branches of her once-small stall.
From a humble beginning, Ramos’ National Book Store is
the Philippines’ biggest book store chain and an icon in
the country’s retail industry. Today, more than 70
National Book Store can be found nationwide.

3.How are you inspired by the story.

She grew up poor, couldn’t go to college, survived the
Second World War, she kept losing everything and she
kept rebuilding. Her family was the reason why she
continued to succeed, she wanted them to send them all
to school and keep learning. It inspired me to work hard
because nanay coring survived with that kind of difficulty
in life. So do I.

4.What are the lessons that you learned from the story.
Don't give up even life give you a hard time. Be patient
and work really hard and trust God no matter what.
5.What are the characteristics/qualities that made them
successful.
Socorro Ramos stays humble and credits her success to
values. She constantly monitors the business landscape.
She says there's always something new to learn;
successful business people must remember this and keep
their minds open.