By Sam Christopher Lim
‘What sets the next generation apart is their ambition and purpose.”
With these words, the Philippine Franchise Association (PFA) started its search for the next generation franchise leaders in 2015, and has culminated with two Filipinos being recognized as the Next Generation (NextGen) Global Franchise Leaders.
In a franchise convention attended by over 3,000 delegates from around the world, Hans Yao, owner and president of the Paper Stone, and Joseph Calata, owner and CEO of Calata Corp., were both recognized during the International Franchise Association Franchise Convention in San Antonio, Texas, on February 20.
Each winner was flown into the US to rub shoulders with top CEO’s and executives of the franchise world and participate in a franchise acceleration program that will help both companies grow locally and internationally.
With over 100 stores, Joseph Calata’s agri-retail franchise aims to upgrade and professionalize the agri-retail industry and provide farmers with lower cost materials, and better knowledge of how to maximize their yield. With professional agriculture technicians visiting various provinces and a call center that can answer any questions about the product and the business, the agri-based franchise aims to be “be the 7-11 of the agri-retail industry,” Calata said in his pitch to franchise leaders and venture capitalists from around the world.
Hans Yao and the Paper Stone franchise, on the other hand, aims to bring back the joy and beauty into writing. “Remember the days when we actually wrote on notebooks, and collected pictures and memorabilia in a scrapbook?” he asks the audience as he presents the brand. The Paper Stone won the global award for its efforts in targeting millennials with constantly changing designs, a strong social-media presence and keen understanding of the youth market. With over 50 percent of Filipinos under 24, the Paper Stone has already grown to nine stores in less than a year, and aims to reach 100 stores in just five years.
As for advice to would-be franchisors, Hans mentioned that “you must first learn to love your business to effectively franchise and manage it.” Joseph recommended to franchise owners and leaders that “as the leader, it is important to have the entire organization on board (with the shift to franchise business model), from senior leaders down to the sales and operations teams.”
With a strong franchise program developed by professionals and a franchise market that continues to grow, both entrepreneurs continue to use the power of franchising to grow their businesses using other people’s time, money and people. And both entrepreneurs have once again proven that the Filipino entrepreneurs have what it takes to make it big in the global franchise stage.