PLDT SME Nation’s #BeTheBoss Awards announced its winners for 2016 last Friday. Executive Lifestyle was invited to celebrate their excellence in tech innovation and digital integration for business growth!

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The initiative aims to search for the most promising entrepreneurs currently running a Micro, Small to Medium Enterprise (MSME). Included were some of the Philippines’ best young business leaders and game changers who are ready to bring their companies from the Philippines to the world.

This Year’s Winners

Four winners were chosen by a panel of industry leaders, coupled with the public voting of four categories.

The winners bested 600 nominees making them Boss for E-commerce, Boss for Social Media, Boss for Social Responsibility, and Boss for Innovative Solutions. Over 24,000 public votes were cast. The winners were happy to offer helpful advice from personal experience and we know you’ll want to hear it.

Drumroll, please!

Boss for E-Commerce
Rachel Alejandro and Barni Rennebeck – The Sexy Chef

The Sexy Chef came to be when Rachel decided to invest in her sister’s talent in making tasty, healthy meals. Neither of them had any knowledge about business, but Rachel went with her gut.

“Entrepreneurs should invest in a true, unique talent or product that they are passionate about.”

They continue to innovate and grow their business with their mobile-responsive website, which makes it convenient for their customers to pre-order their meals, and healthy lifestyle cookbooks and e-books that are available online.

When asked for tips for those considering starting a company in this day, age and place (PH),  Rachel shared five nuggets of wisdom:

• Invest in true, unique talent or a product that you are passionate about.

• Invest in reliable employees from whom you can learn.

• Learn how to stretch your budget for digital marketing by consulting with experts. Especially if you’re a small company, advertising online may be your most affordable option.

• Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. You lose more when you don’t even try, because if you try something, there is that chance it would work. If it doesn’t, then you at least learn from it.

• Most of the bad things we fear never actually happen, so do business always fully expecting the best possible outcome. It never helped anyone to prepare for the worst. When you’re expecting the worst, guess what? That’s what you will get. Having a positive outlook means you are keeping your mind open to inspiration.

Boss for Social Media
Nadine Fanlo, Jaime Fanlo, and Jill Borja

Craft beer is a new and emerging industry in the Philippines. Pedro Brewcrafters reach out to their fans by making it fun, approachable, and accessible. Obviously they are demolishing their business goals and working smart!

The business was built by first meeting a desire of the nation people, combined with a craft that Nadine, Jaime, and Jill all loved. They shared the moment they decided to start their own company and #betheboss:

“We saw an opportunity to introduce a product that we are passionate about. When we started this business, most of us were working on it part time, but we saw the opportunity for growth and we saw that we needed to devote all of our focus to make sure that it gets to the next level. At that point, we decided to just go for it, and go full on.”

When asked how technology aided in the development of Pedro Brewcrafters and how PLDT’s digital products, services and support their venture, Nadine said:

“With a lean team like ours, technology has allowed us to maximize each person’s capabilities and also allows us to stay connected with our customers through social media. That being said, we need reliable telecom services on a daily basis. PLDT has been our partner of choice to be able to stay connected through mobile, land line, and broadband.”

Boss for Social Responsibility
Hindy Weber and Melanie Go – Holy Carabao

Run by a powerful mother-daughter duo, whose priority is to grow and distribute organic food to Filipino families. Hindy and Melanie are pioneers in growing and selling high-quality local produce that is comparable, if not better, than imported produce.

Holy Carabao’s goal is to help bring poor farmers out of poverty through training, marketing and fair pay.

Their choice of business name alone immediately reveals that their business is unique, but what did Melanie Go believe made them stand out in #BeTheBoss?

“Ironically, it’s because we didn’t start out as a business. We didn’t start out as a boss. We started out as mothers who simply wanted better food we could trust. (Although, aren’t mothers also bosses? #LOL!)

Also, what we do is not just about food. “Peace begins on your plate.” We see our business as a political act. It’s for the holistic health of children, families, the farmers, our country, and our planet.”

Boss for Innovative Solutions
Matthew Cua – Skyeye, Inc.

Skyeye, Inc. was born out of necessity when a group of multidisciplinary students got together to explore the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, in the Philippines. At the time, satellite images were hard and expensive to procure.

Skyeye doesn’t just rely on the latest available technology. They build custom drones to cater to specific requirements. After taking all the data, they process it using a high-powered computer workstation that churns output at record speeds.

It was PLDT SME Nation who hosted the awards, so we couldn’t help but wonder how PLDT aided in the development of Skyeye, to that he said:

“We are a technology-based start-up where technology is the soul and center of our business. Right now, we are using PLDT’s Fiber services to run our business and manage our cloud servers … we use a lot of telecommunication products of PLDT-SMART.”

Exciting Rewards For Hardworking Entrepreneurs

These #BeTheBoss winners will be flown to Silicon Valley in San Francisco next year for a once-in-a-lifetime learning opportunity with the top tech companies in the world. During their visit, the winners will have the opportunity to meet top Filipinos in tech companies such as Google, Twitter, and top startup funder Y Combinator.

Apart from the learning voyage, each winner will receive a BIZ Kit from PLDT SME Nation, which includes a phone, a laptop, and a tablet.

Mitch Locsin, PLDT Vice President and SME Nation Head said, “Today, entrepreneurs are not just mere businessmen. They are a new age of platform changers who continuously innovate the game of entrepreneurship. Technology changes the mindset and platform of creative thinking and communication. It cultivates an environment to exponentially create more opportunities for entrepreneurs.”

PLDT Group Chairman, Manuel V. Pangilinan said, “There has to be a change in our mindset in the country [the Philippines]. Our education system needs to be more science oriented. More recognition must be given to scientific achievements. That’s what made Silicon Valley what it is, because of the intellectual incubation nurtured by Stanford University.”

He added, “Our entrepreneurs need to be exposed to what is out there. We need to look beyond the domestic setting and apply our solutions to the global market. Competition is not just here in the country, it’s around the world.”

I had a chance to interview Mr Locsin after the event and the question I put to him was this:

“From the point of view of Nation Building, I see a lot of Filipinos coming back to the Philippines now from abroad. When looking at the entrepreneurial ecosystem, everyone looks to Silicon Valley – not just the Philippines but the world – in terms of being aspirational. What can we do right here, to build our ecosystem for the entrepreneurs of the future?”

What do you think? I invite you to comment below!

Watch this space for a video of the interview, coming soon.

The Sexy Chef

www.thesexychef.ph

www.facebook.com/thesexychef

Pedro Brewcrafters

www.pedrobrewcrafters.com

www.facebook.com/pedrobrewcrafters

Holy Carabao

www.holycarabao.com

www.facebook.com/holycarabao

Skyeye, Inc.

www.skyeyeproject.com

www.skyeyeph.com

Since its founding in 2008, PLDT SME Nation has been providing entrepreneurs with technologies suited for their businesses, offering broadband and mobility solutions to a more sophisticated entreprise level that helps gear towards the future. The company is committed to serving Filipino entrepreneurs by giving them increased access, all tailored to meet the needs of enterprises of all sizes. With a wide array of technology tools and solutions dedicated to take MSMEs to the next level.

This article was written by Amber Valencia. 

_{Image Credit:
Featured Image:
AVP and Head of Community Engagement and Marketing Communication Gabby Cui, PLDT VP and Head of SME Nation Mitch Locsin, Boss for Innovative Solutions Matthew Cua of Skyeye, Boss for E-Commerce Barni Rennebeck of The Sexy Chef, Bosses for Social Responsibility Melanie Go and Hindy Weber with PLDT Group Chair Manuel V. Pangilinan (center), Bosses for Social Media Jill Borja, Nadine Fanlo, and Jaime Fanlo joined by Rappler CEO Maria Ressa, and PLDT EVP and Head of Enterprise International and Carrier Business Eric R. Alberto.}

The Sexy Chef Image:
Rachel Alejandro and Barni Rennebeck, The Sexy Chef
(SECOND FROM LEFT) Barni Rennebeck of The Sexy Chef proudly claims the title of 2016 Boss for E-Commerce.

Pedro Brewcrafters Image:
Jill Borja, Nadine Fanlo and Jaime Fanlo, Pedro Brewcrafters
PLDT VP and Head of SME Nation Mitch Locsin, Jill Borja and Nadine Fanlo of Pedro Brewcrafters, Rappler CEO Maria Ressa, Jaime Fanlo of Pedro Brewcrafters, Media5 President Chot Reyes, and PLDT EVP and Head of Enterprise International and Carrier Business Eric Alberto.

Holy Carabao Image:
Melanie Go and Hindy Weber, Holy Carabao
(CENTER) Hindy Weber and Melanie Go of Holy Carabao are hailed the 2016 Boss for Social Responsibility.

Skyeye, Inc. Image:
Matthew Cua, Skyeye, Inc.
(CENTER) Matthew Cua of Skyeye, Inc. the first Boss for Innovative Solutions.

Group Image:
AVP and Head of Community Engagement and Marketing Communication Gabby Cui, PLDT VP and Head of SME Nation Mitch Locsin, PLDT Group Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, Rappler CEO Maria Ressa, PLDT EVP and Head of Enterprise International and Carrier Business Eric R. Alberto, BBZ Chairman and CEO Luigi Nuñez, and Media5 President Chot Reyes.

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