The CEO Magazine Asia - February 2018

What’s the best piece of advice you
could give to someone aspiring to be
a CEO or business entrepreneur?
Don’t be discouraged by or afraid of failures
and challenges. Failures are part of the
journey towards success, because what you
learn from those failures is usually an
important part of the equation in running a
successful business.
I would also encourage them to read
inspirational books written by famous authors
and business gurus, but only after they realise
that success involves a process, and that
process involves time and effort.

I understand that reading inspirational
books is something you enjoy doing
when you have some spare time.
Yes, absolutely. I enjoy reading biographies of
famous people, especially successful business
people with multibillion-dollar business
empires, and understanding what they have
been through, their failures, before attaining
success. I usually find very helpful insights

that can provide me a lot of lessons, not just

in business but in life outside work as well.

It’s good to learn from your mistakes, but it’s

much more prudent to be learning from the

mistakes of others.

You mentioned earlier about not being

afraid of failure. What have you learned

from the times when something might

not have gone as planned?

I’ve learned that waiting for an extended

period to see out an investment decision to

the end is a must. I would say the period

normally ranges from two to five years, but

on average three years. This means, every

time you start a business, there will be times

when the results you’re after will take much

longer. Hence, the virtue of patience really

counts. You cannot realistically expect

enormous profits in your first year of

operation. There are times when you will

incur losses, so you should allow for that

without having to compromise on achieving

other important business goals.

“LCC’s motto, ‘At Home Kita

Digdi,’ is at the heart of its daily

operations. Its collaborations

with Unilever always make sure

that we provide shoppers the

best experience in all of Bicol.”

• Joseph Santamarina, Area
  Channel Distributor Manager,
  Unilever Philippines

Half page advert

Unilever

Philippines

(1/4pg)

checked 9/1/18

Half page advert

Unilever

Philippines

(1/4pg)