3 Entrepreneur in the Philippines and their Stories

Socorro Ramos (National Book Store)

 Socorro Ramos began her publishing and retail career as a bookshop salesgirl. At the age of 19,
she and her husband opened National Book Store in Escolta with a capital of PHP200, selling
children's books and school supplies. At the time, the Japanese censored books and
publications, which included her burgeoning business. Her husband and she supplemented their
income by selling candles and soaps. After the postwar boom increased revenue for the
company, the Ramoses built a nine-story structure along Avenida. Ramos took an active role in
running her company, even designing the logo herself. The National Book Store now employs
approximately 3,000 people. Socorro Ramos is one of the country's wealthiest people at the age
of 98, with an estimated net worth of USD3.1 billion.

Alfredo M Yao (Zest-O)

 When Alfredo Yao was 12 years old, his father passed away; his mother then supported the two
of them by working as a street vendor. Yao was able to enroll in and eventually drop out of the
Mapa Institute of Technology thanks to the assistance of a family member. Yao performed a
number of odd occupations, including operating a printing press. During his stay there, he
picked up the skills necessary to print cellophane packaging for candies and biscuits, and as a
result of his experiences, he was motivated to start his own printing business. Although his
printing business was doing well, it was his discovery of the Doy Packaging method from Europe
that really catapulted him into the spotlight. Juice firms were the target market he tried to sell
the system to, but they were uninterested. Yao made the decision to launch his own juice
business and initially developed concoctions in his house. Parents liked these juices since they
were tasty and easy to pack in their kids' lunchboxes because to the lightweight, vividly colored
container. Additionally, the juice stayed colder for longer thanks to the packaging. As of right
now, Zest-O controls 80% of the juice business in the Philippines. It has since expanded to
markets in Australia, China, New Zealand, Korea, Singapore, the United States, and other nations
in Europe. Yao's commercial success has revived the juice industry in the Philippines and
expanded the revenue of dalandan orange farmers. Doy packs are recycled by small business
owners into handbags that are exported to other nations. Yao has expanded his business
activities into the airline sector by purchasing Asian Spirit Airlines and rebranding it Zest Air. Yao
used technology to make his expanding juice company a worldwide success. With our
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change your business.

Cresida Tueres (Greenwich Pizza)

 Cresida Tueres founded Greenwich in 1971 as a small over-the-counter pizza store in Greenhills.
Tueres had a natural flair for cooking, and her loved ones and friends were so impressed with
her meals that they encouraged her to expand her little business into a nationwide chain. In
1994, Tueres' business acumen and Greenwich's growth delighted Jollibee Foods Corporation,
which agreed to purchase 80% of Greenwich's equity. After the lucrative business deal, the new
business changed its name to Greenwich Pizza Corporation, and in 1994 it opened its first
location in the Ever Gotesco Commonwealth Shopping Mall.