Business owners received advice, insight from Globe President and CEO

Business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs got valuable insight and business advice from the head of the country’s leading telecommunications company. Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu shared his insights and advice during the launch of a series of free online seminars over Globe myBusiness’ Facebook page. 

The series, called Saludo SME: Para sa Bagong Bukas Business Consultation Caravan, is one of the learning platforms by which Globe myBusiness reaches out and assists local entrepreneurs through various programs and services. Globe myBusiness is the SME arm of Globe Telecom. Joining Cu during the launch was Ayala Corporation chairman and CEO Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, who reiterated the critical role of MSMEs in growing the Philippine economy.

The program to #SupportLocalSMEs was launched via livestream over Facebook last June 24, mentoring participants on subjects such as business continuity and technology, as well as on practical topics such as how to register a business. The series of free seminars will continue until the end of July 2020, including  insights and mentoring from 12 successful SMEs in the food and beverage, hotel, e-commerce, and technology industries. 

The Saludo SME: Para sa Bagong Bukas Business Consultation Caravan comes at a time when several businesses, big and small, struggle to stay open amidst the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, some SMEs have proven themselves to be resilient and even thriving in the time of crisis.

Zobel de Ayala said that the program is timely as it coincides with the United Nations’ celebration of World MSME Day, and the Department of Trade and Industry’s declaration of the second week of July as SME Week. 

MSMEs, Zobel de Ayala said, are critical elements of an economy, pointing out that in the Philippines, MSMEs account for 99.5% of all registered businesses, 63% of employment and 35% of GDP. He added that MSMEs have always been one of the Ayala Group’s most important economic partners, and are vital to the group. 

“What we would like to do is offer help by way of advice and services that help SMEs transform into the new reality. It is in alignment with Globe’s overall mission of making families’ dreams come true, helping businesses flourish, and creating a nation that is admired,” said Cu.

“This long-term goal has driven us to continue to build our network and learn from our own experiences in helping our SMEs by seeing what services we can give to them in a very cost-effective manner similar to what we use,” he continued.

The cloud, Cu said, has democratized technology in that it enables SMEs to access without necessarily incurring large capital expenditure the same platforms and systems used by large enterprises like Globe Telecom. “A lot of SMEs use the same email service as Globe does. You can now store files cost-effectively without owning a huge data center but have all the capabilities when you use Amazon web services, of which Globe is the largest user in the Philippines,” he said.

Cu added that he hopes the current situation will inspire a lot of soul-searching among SMEs in terms of their strategies. “And what better way to do it than this coaching program that we’re starting today together with  one of the foremost entrepreneurial services in the country,” he said.

The Saludo SME: Para sa Bagong Bukas Business Consultation Caravan is being conducted in partnership with Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) Philippines, the local arm of the international organization of more than 14,000 entrepreneurs from over 60 countries, led by EO Philippines president Hanky Lee.

Cognizant of the fact that each entrepreneur’s problem is unique, Cu also made himself available for special one-on-one business consultations with the first five entrepreneurs who signed up and commented during the livestream.

The launch was also timed with the premier of the #SaludoSMEs video featuring Lea Salonga singing “Tomorrow” from the Broadway musical Annie.

Joining Hanky Lee as SME consultants are other Kerwin Tansekiao, managing director of Jimini Foods Group; Gab Perez, founder and president of Privato Hotel Group; Audrey Uy, vice-president of Bizu Patisserie; Atticus King, managing director of Victoria Court; Anton Gonzalez, president and director of Planet Sports, Inc.; Steve Benitez, CEO of Bo’s Coffee; Sheree Gotuaco, CEO of Stylist in Pocket Technologies; Jay Ong, director of Table Group; Ryan Tan, president of Namco Ecommerce; and Carlo Buenaflor, GM of Bigg’s Diner. 

“In keeping with Globe’s commitment to being a trusted partner [of SMEs] I hope that these programs will be relevant. We are here to help you transform to the new realities we are now facing,” Cu said.

For more information on The Saludo SME: Para sa Bagong Bukas Business Consultation Caravan, or to join the free seminars, visit the Globe myBusiness Facebook page at  https://www.facebook.com/globemybusiness., or check out the hashtag #SaludoSMEs and #SupportLocalSMEs.