Letter of appreciation from a former entrep student

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: J.P. Molina <josepaolomolina@yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, Jun 24, 2013 at 11:31 PM
Subject: Thank you sir

Hi sir,

I didn't want to say this before you gave us our grades because it might send wrong signals. Anyway, I really just want to say thank you for the time and effort you made in teaching us.

There were a lot of moments where I think I had a paradigm change because of our discussions in class. Among one of them is actually "dreaming big" and being "walang hiya". 

Our discussions were very lively and actually provoking. Just the first session gave me the idea that our class was different (it was the first time I had to debate). Plus, this is the only class in AGSB that has a food trip as far as I know.

Up to now, when I dine in restaurants and fast food chains, I observe the people eating, the menu, the layout, the prices, how well trained are the staff, and the general ambiance of the establishment all because of our entrep class.

I hope sir that you find time to teach again because many students will need you to touch their lives as you have done so with us. A lot of my friends whom I share stories of how great our class is got disappointed when they found out you didn't teach this sem.

Anyway sir, I just wanted you to know how much I appreciated our time together as a class. I wish you all the best both in business and your passions. 

I cannot say that our class was easy but I would've preferred our class from other easier classes.

Thank you sir,

JP 

Expression of Gratitude. to Spentrep MBA students

Thanks to you Spentrep Guys.

I am thanking the  guys who stuck out with me the Spentrep Class for the last 15 weeks. 13 guys.

Thanks to Lea and Athens.  Lea must have been bothered by her mother who got pneumonia.  She was great in the Lontoc analysis and led the class very well in the Food Trip.  She is an organizer and leader.

Athens is a full time student but had great early experience in business.  Athens cooks well and prepared great buffet for us last Christmas.  She patiently posted for us your assignment as co blogger.  The thing was maybe her post were all coming in and I had great time deleting the so many excess posting.  Thanks for your diligence and patience.  I am sure she is going to do great with her future  pursuit.

Evan.  I had doubted the survival rate of full time student straight from undegraduate.  Maybe since he is an athlete, and I am partial to athlete, I supported him and supported his efforts.  I did not know he was a great cook.  And he strove hard in class work.  He had great NU 12s and fought hard to defend those that I struck down.  That is being enterprising.

Joseph.He is an MM MBA who cross enrolled and he said he loved the energy of the young guys. What struck me about Joseph was his resourcefulness during the group creativity activity (the dry cooking and menu).  He embodied what entrepreneurship was all about bordering on "madaya" "manlalamang"  He kept on asking for resources from other groups which his group did not have.,. He was a great negotiator too. He was ready to give away any ingredient which other groups did not have.  He had great insights into the cases.  (Sayang sana we had more time for case analysis -  the written case analysis does not give much room for improvement of critical thinking).  He said in the final speech  in the class that the Spentrep rounded up  his MBA education and was apologetic for coming to class late because of his job.

Jaypee  Although he was bothered by a sick father, Jaypee did very well in class when he was present.  He was full of energy and had great leadership.  I think right now his right and left brain are at war.  He wants a secured job but deep inside he is creative and wants to be different.  He is an artist and creative deep inside. He did a stunning and long presentation on Creativity.

Nelle. Manages a large group of hard driving sales director for Avida.  I wonder how she finds time for MBA.  But given the time, she would be Summa Cum Laude in my class.

JP Molina. Our Victoria and accounting guru (although Alvin and Jaypee are accountants too.)  He speaks slowly but very talented.  He was kind enough help enlighten the MBAH student on financial spreadsheet. He was very honest on late.  He led the class in bringing food/treating the class because he came late and/or his phone rang.

Jen Lo and Arlo.  Their names rhyme.  They will make a great couple.

Those are the things I remembered about the class members during the short time we were together 3 hours at most.  Not much time to know you better.  Thanks to all, and excuse to those I did not mention

SENTREP Case Analysis – Entrep Families in Asia – Lea Olegario

SENTREP Case Analysis – Entrep Families in Asia – Lea Olegario

Situation

The case is a discussion of how three families in Asia – Thai, Malay, and Indonesian – were able to grow their businesses in different ways. Their approaches on business development were varying but all of them became very successful. It will start with one person or a couple of members in the family coming up with a business. Some of the family members will then join and help out in managing the business/es. Each will have a role and may contribute new business ideas or a development to the original.

Problem

The concern is how to develop the business of the families, manage it, and keep the business in the coming years.

Alternatives

Some strategies that the families have done are

1.       Adding similar businesses and change the shops according to the target market. This is especially true for the Thai family involved in the food business.

2.       Adding complementing businesses to the existing business. This was done by both the Thai and the Indonesian families. The Thai family added ingredient-producing businesses for its bakeshops and restaurants. The Indonesian family added spare parts and other businesses related to automobiles to complement and be able to handle on its own the repair of its fleet.

3.       Adding any other business that may work. This was how the Malaysian family worked. Whatever opportunity came their way, the family would venture in it. They sell then other that they can no longer handle.

4.       Multiplication was done by increasing the number of branches in great amount as in the case of the Thai family. The Indonesian family who owns the Blue Bird fleet multiplied in an even increasing manner.

5.       The management of the businesses was divided in different ways, the Thai family divided according to functions, The Malaysian family divided their businesses according to industry, and the Indonesian family into lines of businesses.

Decision

 Although all families were able to accumulate immense wealth due to their businesses, their ways were different. They were doing the same strategies of growing their businesses but the application and the details vary. Of all three, the Thai family seems to have got it together; there are a lot of branches, complementing businesses, independence of each family member on their own business, and involvement of the entire family in growing the food business.

Action Analysis

The Thai family was able to reach a big market, increase profitability by creating complementing businesses, and even provide each member significant contribution in the business in differing ways like handling Finances, handling restaurants, handling bakeshops, etc. The matriarch was also able to hold things together and the family was able to pass the love for the business to the entire family and to the next generation. They involved the help of professionals but still kept the main control of the business within the family.

The other families have some indications that it may actually not survive the next years or that management of this may no longer be with the family later on. For the Malaysian family, this seems to be very evident as the heirs do not seem to be very interested in the businesses. Also, the businesses are so varied that they cannot really study one in-depth to be able to grow each one and develop it. Hence, they resorted to selling some of their businesses. The rest of the family does not seem to be involved in the business. In the same way, the Indonesian family is facing the same thing in that the children of the matriarch are not very much involved. Another thing is that if all children will get involved, there are limited business lines to divide to the children to divide amongst them such that they will not be stepping on each other’s toes. This has to be addressed by the matriarch or else she will always need to be there to look after the business and the family.

The Thai family was able to get the balance in all these and the members even show great enthusiasm to be involved in the business, which is a great indication that the business may still survive the generations to come.

Red Crab Group - Case Analysis - Alvin Bilolo Spentrep

THE RED CRAB GROUP: Developing Multi-Brand Restaurant Concepts - Alvin Bilolo

Situation Analysis

It is thus very evident that the red crab group grew successfully as time goes by. From the small beginnings of a restaurant in Clark, Pampanga that caters food to high-end casino players and ‘high rollers,’ they are now conquering the market with different restaurant concepts lying in one goal and mission – to be known as a seafood restaurant. The concept and determination of Raymond Magdaluyo to be known as such and not just Filipino or Asian restaurant drives the group of company into a huge success. There are a lot of factors that contributes to where the company is right now and those factors are worth evaluating and studying for.

Problem Analysis

Like any other businesses, the Red Crab group undergoes a lot of challenges and difficulties while the operation of their business in on-going. They have started several restaurants without studying their market first. They haven’t position their business in the market. There is indeed a problem on positioning and knowing the target market. One factor that could contribute to their instant success in their early stage of development is that food industry is actually booming in the Philippines. Whenever there are new restaurants in town, a lot of people are willing to try it to see if it is good. The challenge is on how to retain your market and find ways to sustain and let your business fully grow.

Raymond himself acknowledges that he needs to position his restaurant first. It is indeed true for any businesses. There are a lot of things that should be considered while starting/opening and running a business. Raymond admits that he lacks market research and this somehow contributes to the decline in sales of his restaurant for a while. The good thing is that he was able to identify his lapses quickly and find alternatives and solutions to address them.

Alternative Generation

Raymond tried repositioning his restaurants. As an entrepreneur, it is true that we need to know first how we want to be branded in the market. In a simpler parlance, we must really know who we are first before we market ourselves. We need to know our vision and mission. In this case, they wanted to be branded as a ‘crab and seafood restaurant.’ This is a challenge for the company since they can easily be associated as a Filipino or Asian restaurant, but with their moves, they have proven and let the people see that they are a ‘crab and seafood restaurant.’

Another move that the company did is to give what their clients wanted. For the Greenbelt 3, they conceptualized a new seafood restaurant fitted with the place. For Rockwell, they made a mixture of Asian seafood cuisines since it is the demand of the place. This is a good strategy though they really need to do a sort of research to cater the need of the crowd. This greatly affects their success since they give what the market needs. In business, you should either give what your market needs or tempt them to like what you are offering them.

The restaurant also emphasize that they are not just selling crabs, rather they are selling experience. It is worthy to note that people patronize your restaurant not just because they love your products but also because they have a satisfying experience with what you are offering.

They also did an extensive product development and market research to create a great menu for each restaurant that they have. This is a very important thing to do when we are having our business. We should never stop innovation. There must always be something new for the market. Our customers should be surprised with what we can offer them – an extraordinary service for very valuable customers.

Another important thing is the price positioning. As we define our market, we must also evaluate the prices of our products/services fitted for our market. This is true for the Red Crab group since they have different concepts and different prices which depend on the market where their restaurants are situated.

Decision Analysis

All alternatives enumerated above are helpful for the growth and success of Red Crab group. But above all else, I believe that the key factor to success of their business, and any other businesses, is that everyone should know what their vision or mission is. Every owner and even employee should live and act within their vision and mission. They should be moving forward in one vision. They should know who they are and reposition their business based on this accordingly. If vision and mission is clear, I believe the rest of the strategies will follow.

Action Analysis

In this case, Raymond determines their vision and mission which is focused on being the crab and seafood restaurant chain. They have the vision of being the top crab and seafood restaurant chain in the country. This vision and mission drive them to achieve their goals. They improve their industry and set standards that will last for generations. All businesses should thus have a fuel that will push them to do beyond what is expected of them.

PDQ - Kwek Kwek

Hi Sir Jorge,

Here's the embedded code for our PDQ. This is for the Group 3.

<iframe src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/17334410" width="427" height="356" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" style="border:1px solid #CCC;border-width:1px 1px 0;margin-bottom:5px" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen> </iframe> <div style="margin-bottom:5px"> <strong> <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/alvinbilolo/pdq-kwek-kwek" title="PDQ - Kwek Kwek" target="_blank">PDQ - Kwek Kwek</a> </strong> from <strong><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/alvinbilolo" target="_blank">Alvin Bilolo</a></strong> </div>

Thanks and Best Regards,

Alvin Bilolo

PDQ - Kwek Kwek from Alvin Bilolo

Case Analysis - The Red Crab Group - Camille A. Dela Cruz

ENTREP S20

Mr. Jorge Saguinsin

Case Analysis – The Red Crab Group

Camille A. Dela Cruz

I.               Situation Analysis (Relevant Facts)

·       The first restaurant established by Raymond Magdaluyo’s mother and him in Mimosa Pampanga – Red Crab Seafood and Steaks, was very successful despite of no market/ research study.

·       The family of Raymond Magdaluyo adapted the same planning and execution (no market/research study) when they took the opportunity to open a restaurant in Malate.  

·       When the sales significantly declined in the Malate restaurant, it pushed Raymond to do a market research study both in the Alabang and Tomas Morato restaurant. This is to identify who are the customers the restaurant truly caters, to identify what is the real positioning of the restaurant  and to recalibrate his menu to follow his new positioning.

·       Raymond brought his new learning when he was given the opportunity to open a restaurant in Greenbelt 3 – do a market research study before entering into a new venture.

·       The Seafood Club success story was not only because of the food but also because of the experience that comes with it. The restaurant sold its crabs with all the complete paraphernalia.

·       Raymond was again given an opportunity to open a restaurant in Rockwell Power Plant Mall, and he again did a market research study and at the same time used his learning in The Seafood Club, which is not only to sell food but also sell the whole experience. He focused on these four experiences; liberating, enchanting, fulfilling and transformative.

·       His last seafood restaurant concept – The Blackbeard’s Seafood Island, focused on the target market that was identified in the market/research study Raymond did.

·       All of Raymond’s successful restaurants were due to all his learning from his past experiences but also from what he learned in AIM which focusing on a single product, multi concept approach. He focused on seafood but used different restaurant concepts and formats.

·       He also used his most enlightening marketing lesson in AIM, which is the importance of creating his own segment, and to own this segment, he had to define it in finer detail the elements in that segment. He adapted this learning by making all the elements of his restaurants work around the concept/position he has placed.

·       Raymond believed that change is inevitable so he opened up a different restaurant concept which is Heaven N’ Eggs.

II.              Problem Analysis

I believe that the main problem of Raymond was he ventured into the Malate business without doing what was vital and important before starting a business – do a market/research study. The lack of the study reflected on the significant decline of the Red Crab Seafood and Steaks in the month of April. When he started to plan his execution and thoroughly did a market/research study it definitely turnaround the business in Malate, Alabang and Tomas Morato and eventually led to the success stories of his other restaurants. 

III.            Alternatives Generation

Of course there were several alternatives to be done to address the problem Raymond was encountering.

A.     First alternative, he can create a market research study to identify who are the customers the restaurant truly caters, to identify what is the real positioning of the restaurant and to recalibrate his menu to follow his new positioning.

B.     Another alternative is to create a different concept restaurant other than seafood. This concept could be more adaptable to the Malate target market.

IV.            Decision Analysis (Deciding on best alternatives)

In my opinion, it is important to do a market/research study before entering a business venture. The importance of a study is to identify all elements – goal, objectives, concept, positioning, target market, location, pricing strategy, promotion and advertising strategy and staff, needed to identify to create a business that will definitely work and live for a long time. Market/research study is equal to planning and planning is vital to make an execution work perfectly. Planning gives the person a view of the new business as a whole and prepares the entrepreneur for any possible failure. This view provides the entrepreneur to address the seen potential problems and gives him/her to avoid such.

V.              Action Analysis

The decision was definitely the best decision Raymond could have done. In the case, he took time to do a market/research study before his business would fail in Malate. The market researched helped him identify what was wrong in the business. He then created strategies that will help fix and solve the problems of the business, which eventually led to the turnaround of the business. He used the learning in the Malate case and started to plan and create a market study first before venturing into the opportunity presented to him. This led to the other success stories of his businesses.