Enjoying the gains of his Fruitas franchise
Gene Ledesma, banker-turned-entrepreneur, continues to pursue his passion of managing a business and grooming it to become a profitable endeavor.
Years after he retired from the banking industry, Ledesma is in the thick of running a number of franchise outlets of well-known Filipino brands-among Fruitas, Tea-Rex (milk tea), Buco ni Fruitas, Friends Fries and Buco Loco.
Why franchising?
“The fact that these brands have been there for years is already proof to the patronage and loyalty they have built, the quality of the product and service they give, and the soundness of their business structure. These factors take away most of the guesswork and give the franchisee the time to concentrate on managing the business,” he reasons.
Giving businesses sound management has been his field of expertise and gave him the impetus to acquire his own Fruitas franchise. “I’ve been a banker for 25 years and the experience has given me a complete understanding of the formulas that make a product or a business work. For years, it was my job to lend money to various businesses. Of course I should help these businesses make money so I can collect back the loan I extended to them,” explains Ledesma.
Ironically, it was the closing down of a family business that initially inspired him to look at the franchising business more closely. Several family members shelled out money to invest in two franchise acquisitions in 2010. The businesses, established in his native Bacolod, did not perform as well as they expected and soon faced closure. Wanting to help his relatives reclaim their investments, Ledesma somehow felt obligated to try and recover the loss.
Ledesma recounts the gradual but steady rise of his businesses: “I talked to the owner and told him I wanted to have my own franchise of Fruitas. It started with one outlet in SM Fairview. After that I added two more in SM Bicutan. I then looked south and established another branch in Fast Byte in Alabang. From then on, nadagdagan na ng nadagdagan.” Today, apart from the three Fruitas branches, this plucky entrepreneur has added more outlets-five in Zamboanga City, one in Shopwise Sucat and Rockwell, and a newly-opened store in Cabanatuan City.
“To be successful in this kind of business, you have to devote much more of your time, especially since this is a food business. The nature of food presents some specific challenges. First, it has a shelf life so you have to study how much stock you need to have on hand. Since it is consumed, you have to keep a close watch to determine if your inventory matches your sales. You have to do this on a daily basis to make sure that all consumption is accounted for,” he says.
Physical presence is also a must, says Ledesma, because this gives the owner the chance to personally manage the staff. In his case, Ledesma says he has invested time to teach his store personnel the systems he has designed and ingrained in them that their growth depends largely on the growth of the business.
Ledesma says that his relationship with Fruitas, as well as with its other brands, has proven to be a profitable symbiosis. Fruitas, he says, enjoys a clear edge over its competitors. “In as far as fresh fruit shakes and juices are concerned, Fruitas has been there for the longest time. It was the first to offer shakes made from real fruits, prepared right in front of the customer. That gave it its unique appeal. We know fruits are associated with health, and people will want to be healthy by eating or drinking healthy food and beverages,” Ledesma ticks off the brand’s unique selling propositions.
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