THE previous two phases of Universal Motors Corp.’s (UMC’s) “Ur Van Ur Business (UVUB)” program gave OFWs (overseas Filipino workers), entrepreneurs and microentrepreneurs the opportunity to help themselves by supplementing their current income via the use of the Nissan Urvan. UMC’s (through UVUB) presented its versatile 14- to 18-seater van as a gateway to creating a self-liquidating mobile business venture in a bevy of ways, be it an ambulance, delivery van, shuttle service, school bus, mobile kusina or rental service.

But UMC believes that launch of its UVUB program and its subsequent second phase (“Ipadala Mo, Negosyo [Bring Business]”) is just short-term. Helping those who availed themselves of the UVUB program in the long term is its ultimate goal, and UMC recently did just that by launching the UVUB’s third phase. 

Business for the long run. UMC senior vice president for marketing Elizabeth Lee gives a speech about the Ur Van Ur Business’ third phase, a bevy of training sessions for business long-term growth known collectively as the Asenso Negosyo Academy.

Business for the long run

Known better as the “Asenso Negosyo Academy (ANA),” it is designed to teach Urvan recipients and existing clients how to best use the Nissan Urvan to their advantage, and to the further advancement of their business endeavors. “Our underlying principle of making a difference in other people’s lives can be realized by continuing on growing the program to help even more people as we go along.

Education seems the natural follow through for us to help, in our little way, husband the businesses, which the entrepreneurs already started, using our Urvans. We want them to succeed, for the long-term. For those who already have some business savvy coupled with guts to start a business, why not bring to them the knowledge to sustain and grow their business?” said UMC senior vice president for marketing Elizabeth H. Lee.

The objective of ANA is to give entrepreneurs the tools that they can use so that their businesses can succeed year in and year out. Helping them build a good foundation is the key to their long-term success, and this includes not only teaching them the professional knowledge, but also the values formation that would guide them in sustaining their chosen business. This will be accomplished through a series of classes, starting March 17.

Urvan buyers under the UVUB program now have the privilege to take the Entrepreneurship Program for a nominal fee. Selected classes will be taught by Prof. Eduardo A. Morato Jr., founder and guru of the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) Master in Entrepreneurship program, and Center for Community Transformation Credit Cooperative (CCT, a Christian development organization that promotes holistic transformation through the provision of community-based, integrated and sustainable programs and services) president Ruth Callanta.

The “academy” consists of four courses—1) The Entrepreneurial Mindset, which teaches self-mastery and enables the entrepreneur to face the challenges of a business and the competition surrounding it; 2) Creating A Personal Vision, which trains the entrepreneur in developing perspective and articulating his personal vision, from which he will angle his business strategy; 3) An introduction to marketing; and 4) An introduction to financial management. The last two courses teach the functional areas of a business, such as applying the 4P’s of marketing and drafting various financial statements—fundamentals that if neglected, will result in failure.

For UMC, UVUB has become a crusade. And with expected success to an unexpected degree, there’s no turning back. UMC is committed to UVUB’s continued expansion, and as more Filipino lives are changed for the better, as Urvan clients continue to progress, UMC is with them every step of the way.

“In the end, no amount of study and training can ensure success; it all depends on the person. However, we try to provide our clients with the tools. We’re no longer in the business of just ‘selling vehicles, we’re now in the business of making a difference in other people’s lives. Selling vehicles is merely a ‘vessel’ by which this can be accomplished. We are in this for the long haul. To our customers, we say, ‘We measure our success by how much we contribute to yours’,” said Ms. Lee.

THE danger of petroleum resources running out in the next decade or so gave auto manufacturers the opportunity to push products that can travel the farthest with the least consumed fuel. Hybrids, diesel-powered four-wheelers and alternative fuel-powered vehicles aside, these fuel-sippers have generated the most interest among consumers for obvious reasons.

THE recent signing of the biofuels law has boosted the morale, not to mention the earning capacity of one of the smaller players in the oil industry.

IT was very alarming to see that recent news of another vehicle that came tumbling down from one of the elevated highways.

THE previous two phases of Universal Motors Corp.’s (UMC’s) “Ur Van Ur Business (UVUB)” program gave OFWs (overseas Filipino workers), entrepreneurs and microentrepreneurs the opportunity to help themselves by supplementing their current income via the use of the Nissan Urvan. UMC’s (through UVUB) presented its versatile 14- to 18-seater van as a gateway to creating a self-liquidating mobile business venture in a bevy of ways, be it an ambulance, delivery van, shuttle service, school bus, mobile kusina or rental service.

AFTER happily announcing its achievement of a Triple Crown victory, Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. (TMPC) introduced a new and innovative vehicle that will surely strengthen its leadership in the market.