One of the most intriguing persons I have met is Germin Espino, Managing Director of the Pancake House Group. Germin is about my age so I was eager to talk to him about business and life in general. I found out that Germin started out in college as a counter crew of Jollibee. He literally rose from the ranks to manager all the way to being part of the management team that planned and opened new stores, including the ones in Vietnam. He eventually moved on to become General Manager of Domino’s Pizza.

One of his franchisees was a very young Bryan Tiu, who went on to founding the legendary success story that is Teriyaki Boy. Germin eventually joined Bryan and was one of the key figures instrumental in the phenomenal rise of Teriyaki Boy. He was so valued that when the restaurant chain was bought be the Pancake House Group, he was retained and eventually promoted to becoming managing director not only of Teriyaki Boy but also of Dencio’s.

I was fascinated by his story on how he rose from the ranks to where he is now. He shared with me some lessons from his journey.

We aim to be the best – Germin told me that when Terriyaki Boy was still small, they ran their operations just like they were a Php500 million company.

Hire for Attitude and Train for Skills – Germin had a lot of pride in the quality of his staff and their dedication to customer service. He said “We don’t hire for a specific skill set but we look for the best attitude for the job, skills we can teach.”

Underpromise but Overdeliver – Terriyaki Boy became famous for its challenges and promises. They had a promo wherein if they could not serve the food in 15 minutes or less, the customer would get a free tempura dish. So they made sure, with any new entry to the menu, that they could prepare, cook and serve it in 10 in ten minutes or it would be scrapped.

Germin is a example of how professionals can bring the spirit of entrepreneurship into their jobs and careers. He showed he was constantly willing to take risks. He believed in the idea and promise of Terriyaki Boy. He committed to the standard of excellence needed to turn something good into great. He brought the right attitude to the job. He fostered creativity to bring innovation into what they do. Germin is a good example of a corporate entrepreneur. Managers who bring the culture and spirit of entrepreneurship into everything that they do, for the ultimate benefit of the company.

Muhammmad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank, 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner, made a commitment in helping the poorest of the poor discover their potentials. He says, “Each of us has much more hidden inside us than we have had a chance to explore. Unless we create an environment that enables us to discover the limits of our potential, we will never know what we have inside of us.” We owe it to ourselves to look for the right environment that allows us to discover what we truly can become.

Let’s follow the examples of these ordinary individuals as they strive to make a difference. Each week, lets all get together and share knowledge, stories, experiences, information, all for the sole purpose of getting One Step Up.

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