For those who are retired or planning to make that transition soon, an ideal goal would be turning one’s hard-earned savings into a lucrative retirement income.
One such accomplishment is made by Maria Teresa Teodoro of Bacolod City, a 54-year-old businesswoman who has successfully mapped out her retirement plan by making the smart investment choice through 7-Eleven.
While the ultimate bucket list for most early retirees includes seeking new life experiences like traveling and vacationing, Teodoro found her lifelong thrill by seizing the opportunity to manage her own convenience store.
“My cousin, Felix Yulo, who owns two 7-Eleven franchise stores in Manila, recommended us to join in. Since it is new to my area, I knew that it would be an interesting commodity for my potential consumers,” she said.
“Since 7-Eleven is an international
chain and has been in business for a long time now, I knew that it is a promising business opportunity. It is stable and risks will surely be at a minimum,” she added.
More important, the convenience store also reflects her interest, strength and length of career experience. Prior to 7-Eleven, Teodoro, a BS Business Management graduate of Ateneo de Manila University, is also a franchisee of Casa Ilongga, a long-running mall-based food retail chain, since 1998.
“Having a business management degree and also being in another food franchise in the past was definitely an advantage. 7-Eleven’s exclusive licensor in the country, Philippine Seven Corp. (PSC), leveraged my knowledge and readiness further by providing a two-week classroom and in-store training,” she remarked.
Teodoro opened her first 7-Eleven convenience store in 1132 Luxur Hotel, along Lacson-Magsaysay Street in October 2013, followed by another one in Bago City, along Araneta-
General Luna Street in July 2014.
As a hands-on store manager, Teodoro admits encountering challenges which she positively takes as part of the learning process. “Of course, we also had stressful moments during the early operations, unforeseen problems, such as technical difficulties. But with the dependable support from PSC, the store team was able to address these effectively. When we opened our doors during the Masskara Festival in 2013, customers came in droves. Same thing happened when we opened the Bago store. People kept on coming back, thus, we still maintain healthy
customer traffic,” she enthused.
Teodoro, proud of successfully running her franchise stores since 2013, plans to continue doing so in the near future as she aims to grow the business further. “I believe my investment is secure and I’m lucky to have two of the best locations here in Bacolod. I’m grateful to have made the right choice as my convenience store franchise business has been personally and financially rewarding,” she noted.
“I’m happy because business is still doing good. If given a chance, I’m looking at applying for another franchise for one of the nearby towns. I believe that as long as you are hands on, fully committed and confident about the business, 7-Eleven is a good and solid investment,” she added.
To date, Teodoro’s 7-Eleven stores are among the 26 fastest-growing franchise outlets in Negros Occidental. Expanding strategically across various locations in the country, 7-Eleven remains the most trusted and undisputed convenience store chain leader in its category.
Excitedly looking forward as she continues a job that she greatly enjoys, Teodoro has this advice to say to aspiring franchisees: “It’s never too late to set new goals. Retirement doesn’t have to mean totally leaving a successful career. Just like me, they can still be enterprising retirees. Focus on how to capitalize on their experience and choose a business that’s reliable, continuously growing, and well established like 7-Eleven to give you the best investment return,” she concluded.
With demonstrated global success, 7-Eleven’s franchise package offers suitable franchise partners a unique opportunity to benefit from a proven system and ongoing support. Apart from one-month preparatory training, partners are lent with assistance, especially at the first crucial stages of operational transition, from supervising, basic HR coaching, to sales monitoring.
Aside from a world-renowned name and highly successful franchise system, the convenience store chain’s effective marketing techniques were built on years of successful global operations. 7-Eleven’s franchise package is committed in providing partners the best client servicing for them to develop into effective, well-rounded business managers.