Do you recognize this drink? Today, it is one of the hottest bottled tea drinks in the Philippines and may be all over Asia. Thanks to Universal Robina Corp. and the 81-year-old tycoon John Gokongwei , Jr.
I received an e-mail recently with an attached speech of John Gokongwei Jr. at the Philippine Ad Congress in November 21, 2007. The speech could be outdated but the author’s story made all the difference.
I used to picture this powerful man as someone who made his fortune from family inheritance or his family’s businesses. But I was really inspired to find out that John Gokongwei, although born with a silver spoon in his mouth, made his way up by hard work, perseverance and mostly courage.
At the age of 13 after his father died, he said everything that he used to enjoy as a son to an elite was lost. He started selling goods like soap, candles and threads in a small stall in a market in Cebu.
He said that his young age gave him an edge against his competitors at the market because he did not tire easily. The pesos he earned from his palengke (market) days were the pesos he used to build his business kingdom today.
"If I can compete with people so much older than me, if I can support my whole family at 15, I can do anything!" Gokongwei said in his speech. And so the rest is history.
Today, Gokongwei and his family own one of the largest economy airlines in the Philippines – the Cebu Pacific. His idea is to see every Filipino to fly so he came up with a low-cost airline.
His philosophy in business: Low cost, great value.
The Gokongweis also own Digitel Mobile Philippines, Inc. or DIGITEL and Sun Cellular. And in 2004, John said they launched C2, “the green tea drink that would change the face of the local beverage industry -- then, a playground of cola companies.”
John Gokongwei’s story is an inspiration to all of us. If we think we can, yes we can. And if we have enough perseverance and determination, we can build our own kingdom.
