SUCCESSFUL entrepreneurs have a healthy relationship with money.
Not that they are obsessively chasing after it. They just have the understanding of money as a means to an end, a fuel that would enable them to realize their vision.
“I like making money. When I was young, I was always attracted to it. I enjoyed the thrill, the risk that came from growing it,” said Edwin Ortiz, who manages food, tourism-related, and cleaning services and solutions companies.
Edwin recalled he wasn’t the typical “home-school-home” type of student, unlike his siblings. He was more outgoing, free-spirited and inclined to pursue other interests.
“We are a family of professionals. I’m the only one who went into business,” he said.
Edwin’s mother, Julita, is a teacher while his father, Mario, is a lawyer and a public servant.
Edwin became an exchange student in North Warren Regional High in New Jersey, USA during his fourth year in high school. He finished business management in the University of the Philippines-Cebu in 1982.
Edwin believes entrepreneurship is already embedded in his DNA because while working in various corporate jobs, he also did business on the side like selling lechon when he was based in Manila, souvenir shirts, corporate giveaways, and distributing flowers in Manila when he moved back to Cebu.
When he quit his corporate job, Edwin set up Able Services that does special cleaning jobs for companies and offices. At that time, nobody was concentrating on this specialized job, an opportunity he saw would grow quickly if properly nurtured.
To grow the business, Edwin borrowed $10,000 from his brother who worked in the World Bank so he could buy leaning equipment. His brother, though, asked for one thing from him—“If things slow down, never give up,” a constant reminder whenever things got rough.
Ayala Center Cebu was the company’s biggest client when they were starting. Edwin said they bested top Manila companies during the bidding phase. They’ve been the mall’s cleaning contractor for 12 years.
From cleaning services, Edwin diversified the business. He ventured into food (Sunburst Chicken), tourism-related business (Ga-as Eco-Adventure Park Inc.) and most recently into solid waste management.
Edwin’s venture into tourism paved the way for him to be part of the Tourism Promotions Board, an attached agency of the Department of Tourism. The group was tasked to formulate and implement an integrated promotions and marketing program for Philippine tourism.
He also became an active member of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry and is spearheading the chamber’s committee on tourism.
With the number of businesses he was able to grow the past years, Edwin is using his money to promote noble causes.
His recent venture involves garbage collection and integrated waste management facility that turns waste into a valuable resource--his way of giving back to the community.
He also wishes one day to see his children get actively involved in the family business.
What was your first job?
I was in my fourth year in college when a friend invited me to work in Cebu Plaza (now Marco Polo Plaza Cebu). I immediately said yes and I ended up working in the front office. There, I learned to treat customers like kings and queens, which helped me navigate my success both in corporate and business.
When did you realize this is what you were meant to do?
Whether it was because of the very little allowance I was getting from my parents or because I was thrilled with games that involved betting or gambling, I liked the idea of having money, even at an early age. I recall that when I was still in third grade, I placed some key holders (election giveaways) in a folder, numbered them and used them as items for a “hulbot-hulbot” game. Classmates who wanted to take the chance to pick the right number for a key holder had to pay 20 centavos for every try.
When I was around 13 years old, I spent a vacation in my cousin’s place in Cagayan de Oro City, located beside the Del Monte Packaging Plant. Hearing of international ships docking at the nearby wharf and bringing imported goods and selling them at cheap prices, I borrowed money from my aunt and purchased around 10 reams of More Cigarettes. While they were sold for P18 per pack in Cebu, I got them at only P6 per pack from the vessels. That’s P12 profit for every pack sold.
While in college, I sold CB radios for additional income. CB radios were the “in” thing at that time and I made a profit of around P500 for every unit sold.
Why did you pick this type of business or industry?
My first major business which is on its 26th year now, is Able Services, which focuses on home and building cleaning services. I went into this business as I had a few months involvement in a similar business. I and my wife, Monette, also experienced working in a company (SC Johnson) in Manila, selling cleaning products. Since cleaning methods that time were mostly the “broom and dustpan” type, I thought there was an opportunity for real, good, professional cleaning services that offered such services as high-rise window cleaning, post construction cleaning, marble crystallization, floor protection, carpet maintenance, etc. The timing also seemed good since malls like SM and Ayala were just being constructed and surely, other establishments would follow.
Where did you the training you needed to succeed?
It must’ve been my stint working in Cebu Plaza Hotel as front office opening team member (when I was still in my last year of college) where I learned the importance of treating customers as kings and queens. Cebu Plaza was the first five-star hotel in Cebu and I was fortunate to have gotten much valuable training on customer service and hotel front office procedures. We also had a very good front office manager, Mr. Steve Alfafara, who guided us well.
I left Cebu Plaza after a year and a half as I was recruited by a multinational sales company, SC Johnson & Sons, Inc. I was fortunate to have joined at a time, right after a reorganization where most sales managers came from Procter & Gamble, a multinational sales company known for its very good training programs and systems. I started as a salesman handling downscale accounts and was assigned in various areas in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
As a consistent “budget buster”, I got promoted in no time and was moved to handle big accounts in Manila. I proved my worth after a year and became the year’s global awards champion and got promoted to district head supervisor.
The sales expertise and discipline that I got from the five years of experience in that company led me to handle other top sales and marketing positions in other companies.
How many times did you fail before you succeeded?
Prior to my first major business, which was Able Services, I ventured into other small business ventures like T-shirt printing, selling corporate giveaways, distributing flowers to Manila, etc. Luckily, all proved successful.
It was after the establishment of Able Services, Cleaning Solutions, and Sunburst Restaurants where I, like many other entrepreneurs, experienced some difficulties in business.