New ventures to invest in

The burgeoning economy has led to a sprouting of new ventures. Below are some new ones that will hopefully last for a long time.

Hungry Juan’s tips for aspiring franchisees

Looking to start your own business? For many aspiring entrepreneurs, franchising is an attractive business option because it affords those looking to be their own boss the security of a proven business model, a framework of support systems and access to well-known brands with a ready following.

But as any grizzled entrepreneur will tell you, in business, there are no shortcuts and no guarantees to success. To make your investment work, you also have to put in a lot of work.

Here are five insightful tips for would-be franchisees from San Miguel Foods, Inc.’s franchising business.

Do something that you love

While it’s good business sense to look at potential returns when considering a possible business venture, many entrepreneurs agree that the best business to get into is the one that is closest to your heart.  If you like baking or cooking, then a franchised food business makes sense.  In business, there are good months, and there are lean months. Whether you love what you’re doing or not will oftentimes determine if you stick to the plan or just give up.  Also, if you love or enjoy what you are doing, you tend to have more ideas on how to grow your business.

Choose your brand carefully

Franchising has become so popular that it has also spawned countless franchised brands.  Which is why it pays to do as much research on you prospective choice.  If possible, talk to other franchisees.  Also, get to know the company and your franchise advisors.  Are they going to be helpful even after you’ve begun operations?  Do they have the capability and willingness to help you grow?  Will they provide you support in terms of marketing or training your staff?  Or are they just after the franchising fee?

Dream big, start small

Consider a business which requires little start-up capital but has good potential return over a set period of time. Starting small can lessen the financial risk. If you don’t have enough personal savings to finance your dream business, you can get a loan from financial institutions or seek out possible partners or investors.  You are likely to be granted a loan and attract financiers if your business is already a proven model.

Build a strong team

When considering a prospective employee, see if his or her personality fits the kind of business you are into. If you are in the service industry, you need to hire employees who have a cheerful disposition and can interact well with customers. Your employees are important in building your business. Keep them happy and boost their morale through training and development, offering perks and incentives, or even just giving them a heightened sense of responsibility.

Create buzz

Creating excitement for your new business need not be expensive. Start by asking your friends for support by trying out your products. Have them spread the word to their friends.  You can also be your own publicist.  Get to know the editors of your local or community publications and send them write-ups about your business. Social media is also a great way to engage your customers.

Partnering with a company that has a proven track record in extending support to its franchisees ensures that you get sufficient exposure to training for both you and your team and shortens the learning curve so that you can focus on things like customer service and day-to-day concerns of running a business.

San Miguel Foods, Inc. (SMFI), a unit of San Miguel Pure Foods Company, Inc., one of the country’s largest food companies, offers franchise opportunities leveraging fresh concepts and well-established, easy-to-operate business models. Among its franchised brand are Hungry Juan, a ready-to-eat business which offers affordable meals and snacks using quality meats from Monterey and poultry from Magnolia Chicken, and San Mig Food Ave, a retail convenience store chain that is an ideal stop over for quick meals. To know more about SMFI’s franchised businesses and investment packages, call: (632) 702-JUAN (5826).

The avenue of fashion retail success

THE OPENING OF its latest premier mall reaffirms SM’s affinity to global brands. But a branch in Valenzuela City offers a reminder of SM’s humble beginning and continuing support for small entrepreneurs with little-known brands who want to make it big.

The aptly called Fashion Avenue in SM Center Valenzuela is a 350-square-meter stretch of shops at the second level. What is unique about the area is its roster of tenants. Instead of the familiar picks and popular brands, casual shoppers and fashionistas alike will discover new finds from a lineup of fringe names in fashion.

“It is a breeding ground for new concept stores,” says SM Center Valenzuela mall manager Hazel Reyes, adding that the Avenue has a total of 17 such stores since it opened in 2009. Instead of the usual dry wall finish common to leased spaces, Fashion Avenue tenants are given a tiled space complete with lighting.

“They only need to put up their sign, and they are ready to go,” Reyes says. “It is their option to construct further and make it look better, but we encourage them to achieve the look of more mainstream tenants.”

The tenants receive sound advice from mall management on a regular basis, helping them make improvements where needed. Some of them have successfully moved up or went “in-line,” which means that they have joined the ranks of regular and more established tenants.

Juana, a fashion brand of women’s outfit, was one of the first Fashion Avenue brands that went on to open a full-fledged store in SM Valenzuela’s second level. Customers were quick to pick up on the newcomer once it transferred.

“At one point we got so crowded that the mall had to assign one security guard for us,” says Juana owner Dimitrius Añasco.

He says their fair reception encouraged him to seek a bigger space that could accommodate more customers. “When a space opened in-line, we grabbed it.”

Another clothing brand, Dalagita, almost took a rain check from SM’s invitation owing to a number of naysayers. “Many discouraged us to open in SM,” says Dalagita co-founder Lorna Malonzo who started the brand out of pure passion for her products. “They said that it is hard to penetrate and there are too many requirements. When we finally decided to open in SM, we had a great start.”

Dalagita opened its first SM store in November 2012. It now has offers in other SM branches and other malls. “We have upcoming shops opening at Fashion Avenue in Muntinlupa and SM Savemore Apalit,” says Lorna. “The level of exposure is different here at SM.”

Lorna says the experience made her appreciate the mall’s presence in the community. “SM Valenzuela gave us a break,” she says.

Delightful palabok courtesy of Palabok Delight

DESPITE its slew of versions, the “pancit palabok” continues to be a big favorite, particularly in potluck parties, family reunions or even during merienda in the office or at home.

With traditional and thin pancit noodles topped with heaping servings of shrimp sauce, crushed chicharon, tinapa (smoked fish) bits, fried pork bits and sometimes pusit in some versions, spring onions and slices of hard-boiled egg, the pancit palabok is as common as it gets; however, the tasty ones are quite hard to come by.

“Palabok Delight” is owned by aspiring entrepreneur Analyn Pajes. It started with its first branch along Batasan Road in Quezon City in 2008 and a year later, the SM Fairview branch followed. And then SM City Sta. Mesa, SM City Fairview, SM North EDSA, Filinvest II Road in Quezon and just recently, in Shopwise at the Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City.

“Palabok Delight” has indeed gone a long way from its first humble location along Acacia Street, Northview II in Filinvest II, Quezon City (the next one will open at the Filinvest II clubhouse).

Why palabok? Pajes says she cooks palabok whenever there’s a special occasion until it became a favorite among friends, relatives and neighbors, who were among those who got a first taste of her version of the favorite Pinoy noodle treat. They all urged her to go and make her palabok a full-time business venture.

So after she gave birth and then armed with some capital and her entrepreneurial skills intact, she went into selling her own palabok. “I do everything based on my recipe, which uses special and not artificial ingredients. And I do all the marketing myself.”

Pancit palabok will always be pancit palabok, but this one is quite different. One forkful and the tasty and recognizable shrimp sauce immediately hits the palate (Pajes says the sauce is made from shrimp heads, the crushing of which is all done manually). Of course there’s the usual chicharon, which Pajes buys directly from her trusted supplier in Bulacan, fried pork bits, hard-boiled egg, spring onions and the tinapa bits, which Pajes says are carefully   pulled manually to remove the “tinik” (fish bones).

And considering that a “SOLO” order can be had for only P57, it’s already a good catch to fill a hungry tummy. That’s getting more of the true palabok taste at the price you can afford.

While she’s at it, Pajes also included other favorite Pinoy food fare, which are also her own home-made concoctions. Fave items like “puto pandan” and “dinuguan” have been part of the “Palabok Delight” offerings in all branches. To her delight, all were accepted by the discriminating Pinoy food lovers out there.

Find “Palabok Delight” at the SM City Fairview, SM City Sta. Mesa, SM City North EDSA food courts, 192-C Filinvest II Road, Quezon City and at the ground floor of Shopwise, Araneta Center, Cubao, Quezon City. For bulk orders on special occasions, call 951-5060 or 431-6554 or e mail [email protected].

Sandwich gods bring Quiznos heaven to Manila

The Filipino palate is becoming more open to the adventure of fusion cuisine. No wonder we are seeing dozens of restaurants and fast-food chains entering the country, put up by entrepreneurs with an eye for opportunity and a taste for the new, knowing that they have a good product in their hands.

Enter Quiznos… A sandwich restaurant chain based in Denver, Colorado, USA with some 4,500 sandwich shops all over the world. Established in 1981, it is the second largest sandwich brand in North America. It offers a variety of tasty, toasted sandwiches on the go with a wide selection of fillings to suit every conceivable taste. This is good news for Manila’s mobile set who are forever on the go and have room only for a quick bite and gulp.  With Quiznos, the busy workaholic can now rush from appointment to appointment, with a convenient meal.

Here’s a quick guide to Quiznos’ delicious sandwiches—the Classic line, which features the Classic Italian, Traditional, Chicken Ranch & Swiss, Honey Bacon Club and Classic Sub. The Signature line that offers Chicken Carbonara, BBQ Chicken Melt, Pulled Pork with BBQ Sauce, Honey Mustard Chicken and Meatballs in Marinara Sauce, and the Savory Steak line offering Peppercorn Steak, Double Cheese Cheesesteak, Zesty Grille Steak, French Dip, and Garlic Steak.

For customers with petite appetites, Quiznos has the Sub Sliders—Tuna Melt, Ham & Swiss Melt, Corned Beef, BBQ Pork, and Chicken Bacon Ranch;  and the Flat Breads that come in the Zesty Grille Steak, Tuna Melt, Little Italy, Adobo Pork, and Chicken Bacon Ranch. These sandwiches may be small in size but are big on taste and filling.

And it is not just the fillings.  Quiznos offers a wide selection of breads—Artisan Wheat, Italian White, and Rosemary Parmesan.  And depending on how hungry you are, there’s a selection of sizes to choose from.  From the 5-inch baby-size, to the 8-inch safe-size, to the 11-inch sumo-size sandwiches, there’s one to suit your appetite.

Despite being an international brand, Quiznos has a pulse on local tastes, adjusting some of its fare to suit the Filipino palate. It has paid homage to the favorite Filipino dish, the Adobo, and tweaked it to a handy size to make it more accessible to adobo-loving Pinoys.

Quiznos is launching a franchising program to share its recipe for success with like-minded business people who wish to help spread Quiznos’ sandwich culture to a wider market.  The company has designed a franchise process that is easy and hassle-free.

The Quiznos Philippines franchise team is committed to helping future owners at every step of the way, from site selection to hiring and training of staff, and the all-important resource and finance management. The franchise program also offers extensive operational training, which does not stop even after the store is up and running, and assistance and advice whenever needed.

If you want to give the latest sandwich joint a spin, head on over to the branch nearest you—Alabang Town Center, Bonifacio High Street, Eastwood, Greenbelt 3, Katipunan, or Shangri-la Mall. For other information and franchise inquiries, visit the Quiznos website at https://www.quiznos.com.ph.