BIZ BUZZ: Paco’s dream, nightmare

Francisco “Paco” Magsaysay, the founder of popular specialty ice cream brand Carmen’s Best and head of the family-owned Asian Vision Cable Holdings Inc., was supposed to talk about how to manage chaos during a recent Ted Talk.

But it turned into an example of chaos instead, Magsaysay admits.

He told Biz Buzz that he had always wanted to be featured in one of these popular short talks devoted to “spreading ideas.” So when he was invited to give one, Magsaysay immediately accepted, eager to share his thoughts on “Thriving in Chaos” over seven and a half minutes with attendees at the Tiu Theater in Makati and a global online audience.

Magsaysay quickly realized, however, that the reality of preparing and delivering the talk was far removed from what he thought it would be.

Magsaysay shares that he struggled to memorize his speech and was not entirely comfortable discussing personal experiences as a way to connect more emotionally with the audience.

He did practice extensively but the actual talk on July 3 threw him off. During the actual event, he could not see the teleprompter and he was so tense that he perspired and fogged up his glasses.

“I improvised several times, which affected my delivery. I was halting and sounded unsure, which doubled my anxiety,” he says.

Fortunately, Magsaysay got through his Ted Talk alive, but he has no intention of ever doing it again.

“I did find the experience eye-opening and valuable, particularly the insights provided by the coaches. However, I also realized that this type of event was not for me,” he says. —Tina Arceo-Dumlao

More brews for SM

Don’t be surprised if your nearest SM Store suddenly smells like coffee while you browse for a new outfit.

This is all part of The SM Store and specialty coffee brand The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf’s (CBTL) grand plan to roll out in-store cafes across all 78 SM Store branches in the next two years.

And this will not be an easy feat. Currently, only 25 SM Store branches have CBTL cafes, which just means that the two companies will have to more than triple this in the next two years.

“CBTL has committed to opening cafes in SM Stores based on their global reputation for exceptional customer service,” SM Store executive vice president Dhinno Tiu said. “We choose partners who align with our commitment to enhancing customer experience.”

But that’s not all: CBTL will also offer exclusive discounts to SM Advantage Card holders to “incentivize” customer loyalty.

Bring out those cards and go buy yourself a cup of coffee—and maybe some new shoes. —MEG J. ADONIS INQ