DERMCLINIC President and founder Dr. Vinson Pineda, 79, still possesses the spirit of a warrior ready to compete on the business battlefield. Perhaps inspired by the great Roman leader Julius Caesar’s maxim “fortune favors the bold,” the energetic and vibrant dermatologist believes it is important for an entrepreneur to have an intrepid mind-set to withstand the competition.
“To be ahead of your competitors, you have to be bold and aggressive. With this kind of mind-set, I believe the battle is half won. Having a defeatist attitude will just bring you grief and agony,” said Pineda, president and chairman of the Dermatology Institute Foundation of the Philippines, in a recent interview in his office in Makati City.
Pineda acknowledges competition is a fact of life in the wellness and other businesses. As far as Dermclinic is concerned, Pineda tells his managers to introduce innovative ideas and services, as well as aggressive marketing campaigns and deploy trained specialists in every branch. By coming out with these measures, Pineda said Dermclinic has developed the “stamina” to stand up against its competitors.
Regarded as the Father of Philippine Dermatology, Pineda started his first Dermclinic in 1971 on a trifling commercial space in front of the University of Santo Tomas in Manila. Later, when his reputation as a top dermatologist became widespread, he opened another branch at the Capitol Medical Center in Quezon City to accommodate the growing demand for his services.
At present, Dermclinic has 16 branches operating from Metro Manila to Pampanga.
Pineda pursues a healthy lifestyle through daily exercise, a balanced diet, reading and praying. Adequate rest is also important.
“I am a believer in the Latin saying mens sana in corpore sano [a sound mind in a sound body],” said Pineda, whose daily routine consists of engaging in a one-hour workout in his private gym by lifting light weights with his security personnel in the morning before going to work. When he has the time, he jogs in the evening, with his driver and security around the village where he lives, for one hour. “I always bring my driver and security in my physical-fitness programs so they can also be physically fit.”
Pineda supplements his physical regimen by practicing eating habits which include fish, fruits and vegetables. He also stresses the importance of having an eight-hour sleep to enable the body and mind to have a complete rest.
“I am now more conscious of eating sweets, such as chocolates,” Pineda chuckled.
For his mental exercise, Pineda reads a lot of books about biographies of great men, philosophy and history and watches documentaries, news on the cable channels and National Geographic.
“I avoid reading books dwelling on the negatives because it gives me a negative outlook,” he said.
On the spiritual side, Pineda stresses the importance of communicating with the Lord because this gives an individual peace and joy.
“It involves reading the Bible and doing good things to people,” he said. “I also meditate, so the alpha wave of the brain can develop serenity and calmness.”
Pineda is also the senior pastor of MM Light of the World Christian Ministries. He has 16 pastors under his tutelage in spreading the word of God. By acting as their patron, Pineda handles all their needs. Nevertheless, he is satisfied with this spiritual task.
“You find peace, joy and success when you are committed to the Lord,” he said.
Pineda looks forward becoming an octogenarian in 2016. “I feel great turning 80 next year. Through God’s love, I have retained my vitality to watch Dermclinic succeed and continue to grow.”