Know Your Financials

Entrepreneurship entails some element of creativity and vision. But in order for you to move within this vision, you have to deal with the exact science of managing your financials. In order for you to grow or expand, you need to invest at something. In order for you to invest, you need to have cash. In order to have cash you have to check your sources: If your business is currently earning already, then you manage your costs and save your cash for your future investments. If you are only starting a business yet, you have two sources: (1) From your own cash savings either from employment or practice of a profession and; (2) From borrowing.

It is not wrong to borrow and actually advantageous if you know the mechanics of borrowing. What is that mechanics? That you have to pay an annual cost and you have to return the money lent to you at some point in your business. Knowing these simple mechanics help you plan well in allocating a portion of your cash to pay off these loans. Going back on the concept of borrowing or leverage and how it helps a company. Imagine putting up a business with resource requirements of 100 pesos. This resources can generate revenues of 150 pesos and income of 10 pesos. The return 10/100 on your investment is 10% way better than how the market is performing today which is at (6-8%) and way way better than putting it in a savings account which only give you .5%-1.5% interest income. Now imagine if your 70 pesos (not 100) can achieve a business which generate revenues of 150 pesos and income of 10 pesos. The return on your investment is a whopping 14%. Now you’ll wonder how your 70 pesos can afford to have a business that can generate 150 pesos of revenue requiring 100 pesos of resources? The answer is the borrowing of 30 pesos (100-70). Here now you see that by using other people’s money, you can optimize the return on your investment. But this borrowing also comes with a risk if you cannot pay it. The lesson then is that before you borrow, you should ensure that your business model can generate enough cash flows to service this debt throughout this life.

Another point in leveraging is its cost lower than the cost if you invest using your funds. We know most things comes with a cost and it only makes sense if you prefer to go with an option with the least cost. Cost of debt is cheaper than cost of equity, you know why. Current corporate debt right now in the market ranges from 6% to 8% and your equity? How do you get the cost of your equity, it is very subjective. Imagine yourself having money, if instead of outing it in your business you decide to put it in the market which currently or forecasted in the near term to earn 7.5%, this means it is only logical for you to at least demand a return of 7.5%. But wait aside from inputting these alternative investment opportunity in the calculation of the cost of your equity had you decide to put your money in the business, you should also think of other compensation for the risk of tying your money with the business. Risk of business not going well, Risk of not having the opportunity to put your money in other business that would boom, etc. etc. Thus it only makes sense that your cost of equity could be around 9-17% by factoring other risk factors. Thus comparing cost of debt of 8% with cost of equity of lets say 14%. Cost of debt is cheaper.

In summary in running a business, you need to source funds, put it in resources that would generate revenues that could give you returns above the cost of sourcing that funds in the first place and the cycle continues. First determine your leverage (this is also managing the cost of your funds), then when you have resources in place with the funds you have, implement your business model to generate revenues above the amount of resources you invested. In order to produce income you have to manage the costs that will eat up these revenues. Only then you achieve a satisfactory return. Thus the key is 3 activities: (1)Manage cost of funds (2) Manage asset utilization (3) Manage cost of operations.

Mr. LLOYD ABRIA LUNA: Pambansang Inspirasyon ng Pilipinas

What made you decide to start your own business?

Interestingly, I didn't think about it then, it was not planned on purpose.  I knew exactly what my skills are at that time.  It just so happened that there was a disagreement between me and my boss, which why I left my job. When I left, I was just trying to make ends meet by providing training and motivational speeches from Php 1,500 to 3,000 as allowance since that was my expertise working for the government back in 2003-2004.  I could not go back to employment since I think it was a very restricted environment for me to maximize my creativity with someone always looking over your shoulder.

So by then did you feel that there's something else for you?

I just had to survive back then... there was no plan in mind but to earn and survive until such time I asked myself: how do I take it from there?  Then I remember my mentor Dr. John Ayudtu once advised me that if I want to earn, I would need to contribute something.  Once you start contributing, then you will start earning, as simple as that.  So if I were to contribute, what can I give?

Is there where you decided to start writing?

I was in SM Manila internalizing deeply on what my purpose was then I thought that since the area was full of students and they may have a lot of questions... what if I try to give them the answers and they in turn would pay me for it? But what would the questions they ask that they would be willing to pay for?  The question that prevailed during my brainstorming was... "Is there a job waiting for you?"  And this became my first manuscript.

What do you think made this book so successful?

There are so many books that provide career advice and how to look for a good job but what sets my book apart is my advice on how to make the jobs or opportunities look for you.  

Is this where you started LloydLuna Publishing?

Actually, I started this publishing company because no one would want to publish my book. And you cannot publish a book without an entity backing it up.

What do you feel made your business so successful?

I didn't look around on how he could fit with a certain type of business to start but rather I knew what capabilities I have and value I can provide to people and move from there.  The key is not to buy opportunities, you create them. 

If you had to do it all over again, would you do anything differently?

Not a single thing... I would do the same thing all over again because these experiences, this journey made me who I am today.  If it were not for all of those struggles, I probably would not be here today.

Do you think now is the best time for Filipinos to start entrepreneurship?

I think the best time was yesterday to be honest.  Everyday is a new opportunity to start something new... whether it's starting a business or a new career path.  This is also the best time to start venturing given the economic situation in the West and it this point in history may never repeat itself.  If you wait for the economy to be better then it may be too late because everybody will be in position.

What type of business do you feel is trending and good to start up?

You should know what you want before you start a business... don't go for what's hot or what's trending.  "Walang usong negosyo"... You are not going to with the fad or what’s popular... they will always lose steam. This seems cliché but you have to start something that you feel strongly about within your heart.  If you enjoy what you're doing, it won't matter whether the business you're in is either "in" or "out."

What advice would you give aspiring entrepreneurs?

The best advice I could give is to be yourself.  By knowing yourself, you will be able to determine what type of business you can start in contributing to the society.  Having capital is not enough and won't help give the direction by knowing yourself.  You also need to think twice on what you want to achieve by doing this; monetary success should not be your end in mind but rather fulfilment you get out of what you're doing.

About the entrepreneur:

Name: Lloyd Abria Luna

Name of business: Lloyd Luna Communications and Consulting Services

No. of brands/companies: 4 

Nature of business: Personal Development

Industry: Service

Mr. GIOVANNI CHENG: Investing in Japanese Balls, From Gadget Store to Takoyaki Griller

1. Tell us about Octoboy

I had planned to open a restaurant in 2007 but I am not yet certain what food to serve, so I opted to start small with low risk investment and partnered with a friend in acquiring an existing bar / restaurant of a common friend.

I had a year long trial period to see if I wanted to pursue this venture further. Then an idea came after dining in a Japanese restaurant in Makati. The resturant was serving takoyaki balls and I got fascinated with how it was being cooked in a griller.  Then I told my self I want to have my own takoyaki griller.  Then the idea grew from griller to a restaurant.

2. How long has it taken to set up your restaurant business?

The concept to open a restaurant started around 5 years ago, I looked at a number of places in Quezon City. First choice was in Banawe, just a few blocks away from where I reside.

Then I made my own research on how takoyaki balls are made.  Then the trial cooking began and perfecting the recipe became the focus.  The process can be daunting, however, I have a good team and despite some setbacks, we are on our way to the final juncture. No doubt about it, it is exciting, yet stressful too.  Each and every day I find I am motivated with new and challenging goals with something new to learn every step of the way.

I found the most important issue was to find people who you can trust and who can advise you on the industry from their own experiences. They in turn will recommend the team you will need to enable you to start this concept.  I was lucky enough to meet experienced chefs and food consultants.  They helped me out in adding more dishes in the menu..

There are others too who will play their part; eg. Designer, Contractors and local businesses. They all have their roles of responsibility to ensure the team is complete and liaise with each other from concept to opening day.

3. Most people are afraid to start a business from the ground not to mention to take over a business that doesn’t go that well. What made you believe you could do better? 

I had a positive attitude, I learned it from my very first investment venture in selling gadgets. Running a gadget store may not be as complicated as running a restaurant but the discipline needed for both are somewhat the same. I was very motivated and I believed in myself.  The restaurant had been around for a few years and had been underachieving the previous couple years, but I knew it had a lot of potential.

4. You had the money and took over the first restaurant. What where the next steps for say the first half a year? Getting new staff? Improving the location? Better marketing? 

The first steps were to improve the menu, replace the staff, improve on guest service and the accuracy of orders, and market the fact that the location is under new ownership to get customers to come back in and try the restaurant again.

5. What are the things that make a great place to eat? 

The most important things about a great restaurant are friendly, quick service, quality food, and a pleasant atmosphere. We have all of those at Octoboy.

6. After a while you opened 2 more locations. I bet that this required even more work, so how did you manage time between the 3 locations? 

At first it was difficult to manage my time.  When I take over a new location, I like to spend most of my time there to make sure everything is running smoothly and properly.  But now I have achieved a good balance between the three locations.

7. And still talking about time, did you still have time for family and social life? 

The first year I had two locations was a busy year, but after a while I was able to manage my time better and I was able to work a little less, making more time for my personal life.

8. How important is to keep a good balance between the personal life and business? 

It is very important to have a good balance between your personal life and business.  You need to have some time away from work to regain your focus.  When I took over my third location, I worked too much and started to get drained so I had to learn to balance my time between business and personal.

9. And what is the best thing you could eat? 

The best thing to eat at Octoboy are Takoyaki balls and Okonomiyaki (Japanese pizza).  

How did you overcome the “fear of entrepreneurship”? People are usually afraid to start on their own. 

I get that question a lot and I always tell people it was positive thinking and believing in myself.

I bet that the first months you still questioned yourself: will this work? Am I doing the right things? Or not? 

I was extremely nervous during those first few months.  I tried not to doubt myself and stayed positive.  Each location I acquired posed new doubts, but I just continued to do my best and work hard each day.

What was the turning point when you knew you did it? 

I don’t believe I’m there yet.  The fear that something could happen and that I could lose everything is still part of my motivation.  Some people start slacking a little bit when they start thinking they’ve made it, so I just keep working hard.

What could go wrong in this business? What are the most sensible areas? 

A lot can go wrong with any business, especially the food business.  There is a lot of competition out there and new restaurants are always opening up so sales are a major focus.

Any plans for the future that you would like to share? 

I'm always open to the possibility of expanding more. Last month we just opened our fourth branch in NLEX Bulacan.

We are now offering our food carts to franchising. The business model is not yet perfect but we are getting there.

About the entrepreneur:

Name: Giovanni Cheng
Age: 35 years old

Name of business: Octoboy Food Express / Octoboy Food Cart

No. of branches: 4

Nature of business: Restaurant

Industry: Food

Initial investment: 3.8M (Restaurant) / 500K (Food cart)

Payback period: 24 months

For reservations and deliveries, please contact and visit them at:

Octoboy Tomas Morato - (02) 9902367 / 186 Tomas Morato Corner Scout De Guia, QC

Octoboy Banawe - (02) 9987579 / 670 Banawe Street, Sienna, Quezon City

Octoboy Eastwood - level 4 Eastwood Mall, Libis, Quezon City

Octoboy NLEX - Shell Station, NLEX, Balagtas Bulacan

Mr. JOHANNES KEVIN GO: Investing in Franchising, From Carton Boxes to Spa Business

Our first feature is about a young entrepreneur, who found success in franchising a spa brand known for its Thai body and Swedish massages.  Hopefully this will help those interested understand the spa business and its profitability through the owner’s experiences. Meet Mr. Johannes Kevin Go.

1. What was your first step in starting your business?

I know people who started business spontaneously - without business plan, market analysis etc. But we, my wife and a friend, didn’t want to run that risk as it could lead to failure – thus a waste of time and finances. I have my experience in selling carton boxes and Spa business has become more and more popular.

So after visiting a couple of Nuat Thai branches, we immediately inquired about franchising – checked the necessary investment, projection and performances of current franchisees.  It’s a good business.

After sealing the deal with the franchisor, we started rolling out the business.  Firstly, we’ve chosen a place with lower rate of competition. Everybody knows that this business expands and grows very fast. In a spa with good location, one may count over 50 spa visits per night. The first step was to find finances and place for it. I must admit that great advantage of this sphere is that any place would do. Most people are tired of constant fast-moving life. We are ready to provide relaxation for them.

2. How did you arrange financing?

Well, actually we already have some experience in economic affairs. I assigned my wife to regulate finances during the first 6 months until we fully understood the system. We invested heavily on construction. The interior design and equipment cost nearly Php 1.8 million. Our first expenses included personnel salary, rent, equipment amortization, cost value, etc. They were partly covered within a year. Later each procedure brought pure income.

3. Who is your target market?

Nowadays target market of spa business is rather wide. When starting a business it’s very important to understand marketing. One should know needs of target customers and try to fulfill them. Our spa is intended for busy people, tired of smog and contaminated city. Everybody needs relaxation. Our target market consists of people who care about relaxation after a whole days work. People struggle against stress and constant tiredness. Massage spas provide positive emotions and effective mood.

4. Did you do any primary or secondary research?

As I have mentioned, we didn’t have much experience in this sphere. But we were young, initiative and ambitious, and looked for any opportunity to start a business. Spa sphere was already developed. That’s why we used secondary research. We listened to what our franchisor told us. We likewise read online articles and followed the example of successful entrepreneurs that we know.

5. If you had it to do all over again, would you do anything differently? What mistakes did you make?

I must admit we surely made few mistakes, as nothing can be done perfectly. We had some problems during the first month of operations. Therapists leaving us.  Numerous customer complaints. I think we were lucky and if I had to do it all over again, I’d probably change almost nothing.

6. How large a part does creativity play in your business?

Creative work, innovations and initiative ideas are of great importance, especially for spa business. Nowadays more and more people get involved in this sphere. It creates high competition. That’s why it’s necessary to have unique approach not to be like others. New equipment and professional staff are always valuable.

7. What portion of gross sales do you spend on advertising?

We’ve been using wide range of advertisements which turn out to be not so expensive. We actually try to establish personal contacts with valuable clients. But generally advertising expenses are paid back very soon, because more and more people come to our spa. A successful entrepreneur never stops improving the advertising system, no matter how much it would cost.

8. What makes your business unique?

I think customers should decide what distinguishes our branches among other Nuat Thai spas. We help to improve people’s well being, get rid of tiredness and stress. What’s unique? Well, may be a combination of clean massage areas and consistent quality massages. We are maintaining a wide range of procedures catering to different client needs.  The music that we play are carefully chosen.  We see to it that our linens are kept clean at any given time and day.

9. How did you write your Business Plan?

Spa-enterprise needs special approach. There’s no stereotype in writing a plan for spa business. One should develop it individually. At first we thought of economic side (amount of investments, expenses and profits). It was important to plan target marketing and the necessity of maintaning a good relationship with our franshisor and suppliers. In addition, the business location, staff, strategies, and opportunities to promote ought to be taken into account.

10. Are gross profits all you expected them to be?

Before starting a business it’s always necessary to think over profitability. In order to define general income one should take into account profitability of each expansion in particular. Our spa is gradually expanding. We just opened three new branches in the last 10 months.  For every branch we are introducing more conveniences for clients. It naturally reflects in general gross profit. For a growing business our profits are quite satisfying, but we try to arrange work more efficiently.

11. Anything else you would like me to know about your company?

I think our company has wide perspectives for future and is beyond comparison. Having learnt so much about spa-business, I hope you’ve got interested in it, understood its structure, positive and negative sides.

About the entrepreneur:

Name: Johannes Kevin Go
Age: 34 years old

Name of business: Nuat Thai

No. of branches: 4

Nature of business: Spa

Industry: Service

Initial investment: 2M per branch

Payback period: 24 months (First branch)

For inquiries and reservations, please contact them at:

Nuat Thai Libis - (02) 4775004 / 09238190480
Nuat Thai Pioneer - (02) 5848139 / 09428086828
Nuat Thai Banawe - 09428286828
Nuat Thai Examiner - 09434904247