Small and medium businesses are an integral part of a country’s economy.
To further empower and inspire more Filipino entrepreneurs, Power Mac Center (PMC), the premier Apple partner in the Philippines, launched on March 15, 2024 the first leg ‘Techpreneur’ festival.
Techpreneur is a three-day event designed to help small and medium-sized business (SMB) owners in strengthening their brands and expanding their network. The first leg happened at the Eastwood Mall branch in Quezon City.
“Our unwavering commitment to efficiency, growth, and innovation emboldened us to stage pocket events like this Techpreneur festival. Power Mac Center hopes to continuously empower the Filipino entrepreneur community by extending our expertise on Apple technology and how it elevates business operations,” PMC Director for Marketing and Product Management Joey Alvarez said.
At the Techpreneur, participants were given “an exclusive opportunity to gain valuable insights from successful Filipino entrepreneurs, network with fellow business owners, and immerse themselves in games and interactive booths.”
“Attendees can also avail special discounts on Apple devices, accessories, and services they can use for their business,”Alvarez added.
New breed of entrepreneurs
Techpreneur featured two inspiring entrepreneurs armed with impressive experience in building their own empire. These are But First, Coffee Inc. founder Anna Isabelle H. Magalona-Go and ATOMM Studios co-founder and Creative Director Merphi Panaguiton.
But First, Coffee Inc. is a chain of coffee shops that support Filipino coffee farmers while ATOMM Studios is the Philippines’ first self-photography studio.
Magalona-Go shared in an interview with Sun Star that she is using her enterprise now to open opportunities to other aspiring entrepreneurs as well as support local coffee farmers.
She started her brand during the pandemic with only P6,000 capital.
“It started as a passion project and as my backup plan in case I’ll lose my job because at that time the economy is uncertain. Fast forward today, I never imagined it to be this big,” she said.
But First, Coffee now has over 100 branches nationwide.
“In achieving this, I wasn’t too hard on myself, hindi ako nagpapressure agad (I didn’t pressure myself) in our first few years. I just focused on growing and strengthening the brand. I invested in marketing,” Magalona-Go shared.
The young entrepreneur also underscored that as a business owner, one shouldn’t just be fixated on growing the revenue but also work on the values of the business and people.
“It is not always about revenue, I also make it a point to give importance to our values as an enterprise,” she said.
Moving forward, Magalona-Go eyes to open 100 more stores nationwide through franchising.
Innovation, financial literacy
Apart from featuring entrepreneurs, PMC also tapped the leading e-wallet GCash to champion Techpreneur within its community.
“GCash representatives also conducted a brief talk to educate the participants about essential financial concepts, empowering them to make informed decisions especially when it comes to managing their business finances,” PMC said in a press release.
PMC plans to bring the Techpreneur festival to other parts of the country to reach more small and medium businesses. Techpreneur is an on-ground event happening at Power Mac Center or The Loop stores.
For business owners to join, PMC only requires entrepreneurs to present supporting documents, including their Business Permit, Tax Registration, or PEZA Certificate. ASP