HERE now is Darrel Then. Before, Then was just a student in Buffalo University, New York. Now, Then tries to fit into his lifestyle the maxim “with great power comes great responsibility”.
Being the head of the family’s franchisee business, many millennials will also wish they can be given the opportunity to run their own business. Nevertheless, the 24-year-old manager feels running such business is becoming a juggernaut of a task.
“It comes with a price,” the Filipino-Singaporean youth told the BusinessMirror. “Instead of partying, traveling or clubbing, I am here managing the businesses. Whenever people would tell me I am a privileged individual, I also tell them that you should be gracious with what you have. They should also realize that it [managing a business] does not come free,” he said in a recent interview in Makati City.
As a result, Then carries a face slightly older than his chronological age. But he says regret is a distant emotion. Although there are trade-offs, such as lack of relaxation, Then argues one must know how to sort his own priorities in life. He maintains a cautious optimism attitude in running the business to ensure the business enterprise remains on the right track.
He emphasizes that a business leader must always maintain a positive outlook to ensure good harmony among workers and partners.
Gut feel
THE Then family became the first official franchisee of Teresita’s. The whole family was there when they opened in 2014 their first restaurant at Festival Mall in South Manila. A year later, the family opened a bigger branch at a shopping center in Parañaque City. To sustain the operation of their franchise and bear the cost of logistics, they opened another store at another shopping center in Bacoor, Cavite, last year.
“Eventually, our first [store] evolved from a kiosk to a stall in the food court,” Then said.
Then credits half of the success in the expansion of the business to a management style that he describes as 80-percent calculated and 20-percent gut feel. Nevertheless, Then said there are times an individual needs to find a balance depending upon what a situation requires.
“Being able to identify what is the best thing should always be on top mind.” Still, he credits the opportunity of meeting different people at various stages of life for the lessons that he applies to the business.
“I was also lucky to learn a lot from other people coming from different walks of life from other countries,” Then explained. “That exposure would help me succeed. We have to maximize our connection with other people.”
Capampangan cuisine
THEN recalls he was quite frustrated when the family’s previous business franchise flopped. He added it was a very expensive learning experience, but he and the family remained unfazed.
The root of the collapse of the business was the franchisors’ lack of management skills and concern for the individual franchisees, according to documents provided by Then.
But like the phoenix, the Then family recovered from the debacle and applied for a franchise in Teresita’s. Ryan Razon, president of Teresita’s and his brother Paolo, helped the Then family during its fledgling years. The Capampangan cuisine being served by Teresita’s made it easier for the Then family to partner with the Razons.
Then said he has grand plans for the Teresita’s brand. He plans to expand overseas, as long as the franchise owners support it.
Then, whose mother hails from Pampanga, wants to promote that Capampangan cuisine has a very rich tradition, and the province has more to offer than tocino.
Having spent a big number of years growing up in Pampanga, Then developed his standard and taste for food.
Then said he plans to introduce Capampangan cuisine to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations region.
“In five years we want to build Teresita’s as a place where clients would be happy after they spend for their meals,” he explained.
“Five years down the road, I would like to be remembered as the guy who built the Teresita’s brand,” said Then, a magna cum laude entrepreneur at Handelaar Corp. in 2014. “I want a place where it has a homey feeling and home-made food, affordable prices and a better ambiance for the clients while we’re serving Capampangan cuisine.”
Running itself
THEN has also expanded the business by venturing into the distribution of Handelar wines in the Philippines. He said this is a way of broadening his option in building the company.
“I want to establish a business that can run itself and can cover a wide range of markets,” Then explained. “You have to continue looking for new opportunities. If you stop, they will not come.”
As a millennial, Then is aware of the important role of technology in managing the business. He currently hired a computer-science student from the University of the Philippines Diliman to develop a software that can analyze reports of Teresita’s operations in a short span of time.
“Sometimes you have to identify the things [that] need the application of technology,” he said. “You must also know the right technology.”
Then is a believer in empowerment and the power to delegate, because the human factor is a major element in the company’s growth. Another important facet of management is to show compassion to the people, because it can earn their respect and loyalty.
He does not believe in micromanaging, because this deprives the staff to harness their potential and capability. “Giving a reason or purpose for working together, in my opinion, is what can make anything you do in life succeed or fail.”
By having a purpose, Then said it allows an individual to help solve the problems.
“I love to train people and develop their potential and maximize the opportunity by learning the skills under my tutelage.”