Congratulations

I would like to congratulate the management of Ayala Center Cebu led by Clavel Tiongco, Joy Polloso, Bong Dy on the soft launching of The Terraces. It is a stunning development integrating nature and commerce. It is a much anticipated addition to the expanding attractions that Cebu has to offer. The Terraces is a critical part of the rise of Cebu to becoming a world class city.

There are many establishments that are opening that are firsts for Cebu. I got a text from Pancake House Managing Director Germin Espino inviting me and Cebuanos to the try the newly opened Terriyaki Boy and Sixxling Pepper Steak. I can’t wait to do so. I know there are many Cebuanos that are also waiting in high expectation for hukad by the Golden Cowrie Group. Congratulations to the Kokseng Family for innovating and presentating something new for Cebu.

I would also like to congratulate the Co family led by Carlos, Napoleon, Michael, James, Kenneth and Ciara on the soft opening of Parkmall and the inauguration of the Tree of Discovery. Parkmall is indeed a revelation and discovery for many people. It has transformed the landscape of Mandaue North Reclamation and opened a lot of eyes on the investment potential of the area. James and Jewel also opened Playmaze, a huge play area for children to explore. It makes adults want to explore being children again.

Kudos also to the Chua Family led by my good friend Frederick on opening their biggest branch as well as the Philips Concept Store in Parkmall. Fred tells me that they will be surprising a lot of people with the value innovation that they will be offering.

Congratulations are also in order for the newly elected Chairman of the Philippine Retailers Association (PRA) Cebu Chapter Jay Aldeguer as well as our new Madam President Melanie Ng for successfully holding the 2nd General members Meeting (GMM) and Induction of new members and new members of the Board at the City Sports Center last Wednesday. It was a very well attended affair that was highlighted by the unofficial induction of the new “First Gentleman” Wilson who lovingly played a musical tribute to his wife on the Piano during lunch.

Bernie Liu, PRA Vice President as well as Cebu Board member, gave a sobering yet hopeful inspirational message on how retailers can survive the current unstable economic situation. It caused everyone to sit up and listen and afterwards , bombard Bernie with requests for copies of his speech. For the interests of readers, I will be discussing key points from his speech in a future column.

We also had Pia Azarcon from IBM who discussed with us how IBM provides solutions for retailers big and small. She was able to open a lot of eyes of retailers that IBM solutions are not as expensive as they think. She cited the case of a client who is using servers from IBM in running three Lavandera stores. I know she caused a lot of people to think about it looking how many individuals went to chat with her after the presentation.

If I seem to be doing a lot of congratulations now, I wanted to impart that not everything that we read or see in the news are bad. For a lot of things, having the right perspective and attitude will go a long way to pointing us in the proper direction. Bernie Liu said it best, “Business is a Cycle.” We need to buckle down and work harder but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We need to stay positive and focus on what we can do. I believe in taking things one step at a time, we will soon step into the light at the end of the tunnel.

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

For comments, suggestions or stories that you want to share, email me atstirspecialist@gmail.com


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Google Innovation

I have always been fascinated with Google. There was never a dramatic launch nor a great announcement of its arrival. Yet, it has innocently become a major part of our lives. I cannot imagine not being able to ‘google” something that I do not understand. We can see where we live or where our relatives halfway around the world are using google earth. Theres all sorts of other applications. I know I cannot function without my gmail. Soon, we will all be talking on Google phones.

I recently read a article by Chuck Salter on how google uses innovation to get ahead. Let me share what Marissa Mayer’s, VP of search products and customer experience, 9 principle of innovation.

INNOVATION, NOT INSTANT PERFECTION. - Most companies adopt castle building strategies, which means literally building a castle. They spend years and millions on trying to build a perfect product. Google adopts the opposite. It’s called “Launch early and often”, which is to have something working at the end of the day and continue to refine and improve it everyday. Marissa says, “'The Googly thing is to launch it early on Google Labs and then iterate, learning what the market wants--and making it great.”

IDEAS COME FROM EVERYWHERE – Google has a voting list where new ideas are continuously posted and voted on by everybody. It is available and accessible literally to everybody. “It's like a voting pool where you can say how good or bad you think an idea is. Those comments lead to new ideas."

LICENSE TO PURSUE YOUR DREAMS – Google has a policy that allows engineers to spend 20% of their time pursuing whatever their interests are. This allows for very creative product development.

MORPH PROJECTS DON’T KILL THEM – Any project that makes it to “labs” means that it has potential. “It is our job to turn it into something that market will respond to”

SHARE AS MUCH INFORMATION AS YOU CAN – There is a internal intranet called MOMA which tracks everything that people are doing. People post their projects, querries, etc. and allows everybody to contribute on anything.

USERS, USERS, USERS – The focus is on the users and not money. “We believe that if we focus on the users , money will come.” The focus is not to get paid by subscription but to generate so much users that advertisers will pay for sponsorship.

DATA IS APOLITICAL. – Choosing which design or direction to go with is a result of the facts. By removing the human element, it allows for an apolitical decision and not just because the “BOSS” likes it.

CREATIVITY LOVES CONSTRAINTS - Google believes that people work best when they are handed constraints. It forces people to think out of the box. The engineers are told, 'We know you said it was impossible, but we're going to do this, this, and that to get us there.'

YOUR BRILLIANT, WERE HIRING - Google gets the best people. The best people are given the freedom to foster their creativity and needs.

Google has mastered the art of innovation. Innovation is a key driver for businesses to succeed especially in this fast changing world today. But change caused by innovation is very hard for many people to accept, until they notice that it has already been accepted. Larry Ellison, founder and CEO of ORACLE, captured it brilliantly when he said, “When you innovate, you've got to be prepared for everyone telling you you're nuts.”

On a side note, I would like to invite everyone to come and check out EYEBAR , at the second level of The Walk, Asiatown I.T. Park. It is a new concept optical boutique that has the look and feel of a bar, and is even open up to midnight just like one. It is a radical twist on your typical optical clinic. As part of our opening, we are raffling off an Apple Macbook Air for Christmas. Who does’nt want the world’s lightest and thinnest laptop for free? And yes, we are prepared for people to call us nuts…

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.

For comments, suggestions or stories that you want to share, email me atstirspecialist@gmail.com , or visit http://www.stirspecialist.blogspot.com/


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Making the Right Call

I would like to congratulate and welcome to the board of Philippine Retailers Association PRA) Cebu Mr. Pablo “Jun” Yap of JUNREX Cellphones and Accessories. I had a chance to talk to Jun about JUNREX and how they started. It is an amazing inspirational story that will encourage more people to become entrepreneurs.

JUNREX was started in 1996 by two cousins, who started out with a simple plan and an even simpler name. Jun and Rex Yap went into business as dealers of Mobiline handsets and phone lines. They had big dreams but small plans then. They started out renting just one table in an unconventional location, the boutique of fashion designer Tony Igloria. This was all they could afford and to this day, remain grateful to the fashion designer for allowing them to share rent.

A few weeks later, business was fast improving that they needed to hire a secretary to assist them. Soon they asked Tony Igloria if they could rent space for another table, which later became three, then ultimately half of the store.

Two years later, Edward Gaisano offered them space in his store. They wavered initially, but they were not one to turn down opportunity. It started out to be a bad decision, sales were inconsistent and they had a hard time meeting rent. But they persevered trusting God and striving to provide the best customer service they could muster, eventually turned it around. They soon opened another branch in Metro Colon Mall. In 1999, Globe partnered with them that allowed the company to open stores in major cities of Visayas and Mindanao.

Today, JUNREX Cell phones and Accessories is a multi million business, capturing more than fifty percent of the mobile phone needs of Cebu. They have branches in almost all major malls as well as operate concept stores for Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericson as well as Motorola. They operate their own service centers named AirTouch as well as a new concept store catering to market demands for more affordable phones named Mobile City. They have also expanded to other areas like Bohol, as well as putting up their own advertising agency named Q4.

I asked Jun on what were the secrets to their rapid growth. His reply:

Exemplary Customer Service – “We make sure the customer always receives the best. All of our staff are college graduates so that they can consistently assist the customer in making right decisions. “

Quality Product and Services – “We sell only brand new units complete with warranty. We don’t sell refurbished, second hand nor do we change packages. We also make it a point to be consistent in our pricing, we don’t take advantage of model scarcity to increase prices of units.”

Maintain and Build Relationships – “ We have very good relationships with customers, suppliers and employees. Globe gave us our first big break by asking us to handle their distribution for Visayas and Mindanao. Despite the obstacles, we rose up to the challenge and went on to be awarded Dealer of the Year for Globe. We also won the Nokia National Gold Award as well as the Top Volume Producer for 1996, the first time for a dealer outside Metro Manila. We also give our employees benefits and bonuses as well as scholarships for their children.

Open Communication – “All my employees know my personal mobile phone and can call me, we are very transparent with them even about the company’s financial status.”

There are many more lessons that we can learn from Jun. His story is very inspiring, and I hope will encourage more people to find out if they have an inner entrepreneur inside them. We will never know until we try. Take it from Jun, when opportunity came along, he made the right call.

I would also like to invite other retailers, coffee shop and restaurant owners to join PRA Cebu. We will be holding the second General Members Meeting together with the second induction ceremonies for new members on October 29, 2008 at 12:00 noon at the City Sports Club Sinulog Ballroom I. The event will have Mr. Bernie Liu, CEO of Golden ABC and concurrently, Vice President for Regional Affairs of the PRA as well as board member of the local chapter, as inspirational speaker. The theme for the event will be “Supporting the Cebuano Entrepreneurial Spirit. Building World Class Brand Excellence.” For details on how to join, you can email me or pra_cebu@yahoo.com . Be part of the voice and pulse of the Philippine retail industry.

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.

For comments, suggestions or stories that you want to share, email me atstirspecialist@gmail.com , or visit http://www.stirspecialist.blogspot.com/ .


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PRA Cebu








I would like to start by congratulating the Sy family as well as the management and staff of SM City Cebu on the grand launch of the Northwing today. There will be a unprecedented gala activity as there will be a classic car fashion show featuring vintage sportscars from the Performance and Classics Enthusiasts (PACE) Car Club of Cebu and the Fashion Council led by luminaries like Philip Rodriguez, Arcy Gayatin, Junjun Escario, and others tonight at the Northwing. The affair is titled Gear and Glam.

I would also like to extend congratulations to the management of the Ayala Center Cebu and Golden Great Value Properties on the upcoming launch of The Terraces and Parkmall respectively. It is an exciting time for the retail industry and the local economy as developments like these will contribute to making Cebu a world class city and a premier tourist destination.

Retail is one of the key drivers of the economy, as it helps shape the needs and wants of the consumers and shoppers. In lieu of this, I would like to take the opportunity to invite, in behalf of the local chapter of the Philippine Retailers Association (PRA), all retailers to come and join the organization. “The PRA as a world class organization shall empower and guide members to attain global competitiveness and make the retail industry a significant contributor to, and driving force of Philippine Economic development. PRA is the pulse and voice of the Philippine retail industry” .


The PRA Cebu Chapter will be conducting the second General Members Meeting together with the second induction ceremonies for new members on October 29, 2008 at 12:00 noon at the City Sports Club Sinulog Ballroom I. The event will have Mr. Bernie Liu, CEO of Golden ABC and concurrently, Vice President for Regional Affairs of the PRA as well as board member of the local chapter, as inspirational speaker. The theme for the event will be “Supporting the Cebuano Entrepreneurial Spirit. Building World Class Brand Excellence.” We will also be treated to a product presentation by IBM Retail Solutions, who is the major sponsor together with GraphicStar as the media sponsor.

I would also like to greet and congratulate our incoming Chairman, Jay Aldegeur , who as founding president, was instrumental in the formation of and leading of the first couple of years of the local chapter. I would also like to congratulate Melanie Ng, who will be taking the reins from Jay as the new President of the local chapter.

Jay has contributed a lot to the local retailing scene and has inspired countless others to strive to attain excellence in retail. I should know. I remember not too long ago, that Jay expressed confidence in my efforts to grow my toy store brand, Toys@Work. Through his constant encouragement and support, I was able to expand to other sectors in the retail industry, footwear, women’s fashion and now eyewear. Jay and the support of PRA allowed me to gain the skills, network and confidence to expand and grow.

I would like to extend this invitation to local retailers to join us in the PRA. Be part of the voice and pulse of the Philippine Retail Industry. We can all learn and achieve so much if we unite and do things together.

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.

For comments, suggestions or stories that you want to share, email me at stirspecialist@gmail.com , or visit http://www.stirspecialist.blogspot.com/ .


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Black and White

Nelson Mandela won the Nobel Peace prize in 1993. This is a remarkable achievement for an extra ordinary man. A man who was able to change from within and in doing so change the society that he lived in. He was imprisoned for fighting for what he believed in, his tools of the trade were marked with violence. In prison, he refused to compromise his beliefs and commitment to the cause, and while imprisoned, became the most significant black leader in South Africa.

He was released in 1990 and soon continued where he left off. He succeeded and the world is better for it. What was previously a choice of color now became black and white. He did this by showing a change from within, from previously espousing change thru violence to change from non violence and dignity. He went on to oversee the end of apartheid as President of South Africa, and the transition to a multi cultural democracy.

Nelson Mandela is a man that human society owes a tremendous debt of gratitude. He challenged the status quo and won, using tools that are not associated with battle. Here are some of the lessons that he shared on how he accomplished it.

Courage is not the absence of fear — it’s inspiring others to move beyond it. – It is ok to be afraid. The key is not to show it. To inspire your followers that they can do it. Acting courageous can lead to courage. Nelson Mandela says, “Sometimes you just need to put up a front.”

Lead from the front — but don’t leave your base behind. –“To achieve great things, It takes a village.” You cannot achieve great things alone, you need to marshal and bring your supporters. Bringing and showing that you had the critical numbers to succeed is very important.

Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front. – A leader does not necessarily always need to be in the limelight. By allowing others to shine, he can inspire them to achieve greater things for him.

Know your enemy — and learn about his favorite sport. – Communication is very important. You should not allow your mistrust of your opponent to burn all communication lines. Looking for a common bond, or interests can go a long way to continuing the discussions.

Keep your friends close — and your rivals even closer – Knowing what your rival’s intentions are will always allow you to “manage” the situation. Identifying their motivations allows you to shape their actions.

Appearances matter — and remember to smile. – Showing and acting will allow people to predict you.

Nothing is black or white.- There are always other choices. Sometimes, you are allowed to choose both options.

Quitting is leading too. – Admitting that you are wrong and cutting losses allows you to move forward.

These are fantastic lessons that we can learn. We can also find hope for our country. If Nelson Mandela was able to change South Africa, a task that the world deemed improbable, change can also happen in our country. Nelson Mandela said, “It always seems impossible until its done.”

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.


For comments, suggestions or stories that you want to share, email me at stirspecialist@gmail.com , or visit http://www.stirspecialist.blogspot.com/ .


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