Filipino Entrepreneurs

Who: Henry Sy

What: SM was first called as ShoeMart but then was later called or renamed as the SM
Department Store.

When: SM was founded in October 1958.

Where: Sm began as a shoe store in Carriedo.

Why: He was determined to start his business since he started when he was 12 years old.
Henry Sy got enough confidence to expand his shoe store into the department store chain.

How: He inspired me because he is no other than “Henry Sy”, the best retail magnate who owns
well-established SM Malls. He became the biggest banker as well as richest man in the
Philippines surpassing both the Ayalas and Lucio Tan.

Who: Tony Tan Caktiong

What: Jollibee was first named as “Jolibe” but was changed into the familiar and all-time favorite
of the Filipinos, “Jollibee”.

When: Jollibee was founded on January 28, 1978.

Jollibee used to be a Magnolia Ice Cream parlor which opened in January 1975.

Where: The first ever branch of Jollibee was in Cubao, Quezon City.

Why: At the age of 22, he was inspired by a visit to an ice cream plant, he set out to gain his
own foothold in the restaurant business. Relying on family savings, he seized a franchising
opportunity with Magnolia Dairy Ice Cream and opened two ice cream parlors.

How: He inspired me because even though his family was poor, he did not let that get in his way
on becoming one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the Philippines. He knew that he
would eventually start a small business but will also build a very successful fast food restaurant.

Who: Socorro Ramos

What: National Book Store was originally named as “National” because of Socorro Ramos and
her husband’s first cash register and was decided to officially be called as “National Book
Store”.
When: National Book Store was founded/formally established in 1942.

Where: The first National Book Store was somewhere in Escolta, Manila but unfortunately
during the war, a fire broke out and it burned the whole store.

Why: Socorro Ramos first worked in her brother’s book store because their family’s wet market
failed. Socorro learned a lot when she worked for her brother and worked hard to establish her
own business known as “National Book Store”.

How: She inspired me because even though her book store got destroyed by fire and typhoon,
she still continued with her business and that is because she was very passionate about it and
knew that running her own book store is her fate in life.

Who: Mariano Que

What: Mariano named his business as Mercury Drug after the messenger of the gods in Roman
Mythology, whose caduceus is sometimes used as a symbol of medicine as well as the first
planet in the solar planet.

When: Mercury Drug was founded on March 1, 1945.

Where: The first ever branch of the drugstore was in Bambang Street, Santa Cruz, Manila.

Why: The founder, the late Mariano Que, became an orphan at an early age and in order for him
to get by every day, he needed to work hard. From a single cart, his profit was able to grow the
business into 1,000 stores around the Philippines, creating the country’s largest drugstore,
Mercury Drug Corporation.

How: We all know that having the support of our parents is very important especially when we
want to pursue our dreams, but even though Mariano Que didn’t have his parents by his side he
continued his will of starting his own drug store and he definitely succeeded. Without his parents
by his side, he still did his best and eventually became one of the best entrepreneurs in the
Philippines.

Who: Antonio de Ayala

What: Ayala Corporation was of course named after his family's last name which was “Ayala”.

When: Ayala Corporation was founded in 1834.

Where: Ayala Corporation started in Manila, Captaincy General of the Philippines.

Why: Ayala’s story started in 1834 when entrepreneur Domingo Roxas and young industrial
partner Antonio de Ayala created a distillery, which is an agribusiness company that grew and
became popular as they started exporting products to Europe. They then garnered recognition
that made them a name in the international scene.

How: Antonio inspired me since he did such a good job on maintaining his business’s success.
He did very well from the start and eventually passed the business to his children and eventually
to his grandchildren. Ayala Corporation reached high success and it will always be a every
tough competition of other entrepreneurs and corporations in the Philippines.