HP, Inc. Phils. holds first ‘entreHPreneur lab’

Committed to empowering Filipino small and medium businesses (SMBs), HP, Inc. Philippines held its first “entreHPreneur Lab,” a business innovation talk, on August 24, 2017 featuring some of the movers and shakers in the SMB industry. Under the tech giant’s entreHPreneur campaign, the lab aims to equip entrepreneurs with adaptive, secure, and collaborative business solutions.

HP believes that SMBs need to constantly innovate and adapt to the changes in the technological landscape. The first session of the Lab focuses on the theme “Digitizing the Brick and Mortar” to share insights on how digital advancements shape Filipino businesses and lives. The entreHPreneur Lab brings together Mercato Centrale co-founder RJ Ledesma, La Union Surf School managing director Jeff Ortega, KMC Savills managing director Michael McCollough, and JeepNeed executive director Shaina Tantuico. While coming from different fields, the speakers attest to the digital age’s power over market trends, business development, and customer experience.

Ledesma focused on disruptive innovations, those that create new market and value networks to displace existing ones. Drawing from personal experience with Mercato Centrale, the entrepreneur shared that the weekend market was once a disruptor in the food and beverage industry. Now, Mercato faces new challengers – food parks. With technology making competition tougher, grit, he said, is crucial to an entrepreneur’s success. Harnessing social media platforms (serving Instagram-worthy dishes, for example) spells the difference between SMBs that take flight or crash and burn. With the emerging millennial market, Ledesma believed that success is likely for businesses that capture the minds and hearts of digital natives.

On the other hand, Ortega depended heavily on social media for marketing and advertising. Technology, he said, takes them out from the “Jurassic age” of conducting business. Currently, the school enjoys a solid stream of firsttime and veteran clientele, thanks to a steady online presence. Through social media, the tourism entrepreneur receives bookings and inquiries, addresses customer feedback, and taps into larger markets. The school also expedites its transactions with cashless payment methods. Ortega’s efforts keep local tourism afloat and provide jobs for locals.

Even the real estate market is responding to the digital age. McCollough revealed that buyers prefer searching for properties online. Customers find photos, virtual tours, and interactive maps helpful in assessing their potential purchases. The managing director of KMC Savills also pointed out that millennials comprise the largest group of new homebuyers in 2017, at 66%. For McCollough, if a huge industry such as real estate is adapting to the technology-driven market, SMBs must make adjustments, too. Recounting his experience with start-ups, McCollough reiterated that the right office spaces and equipment are essential for growth.

Lastly, Tantuico looked at the transformative power of digital education. The founder and executive director of JeepNeed Tiny Labs focused on the struggles teachers in the country face. She cited that, on average, a teacher works for 12-16 hours, allotting 3-5 hours for lesson plans. This forces educators to rely on traditional and inefficient teaching methods. Tantuico leads her team in improving science education through hands-on activities, both online and offline.

Still, US efforts to overhaul the North American Free Trade Agreement and a trade deal with South Korea are still under way. While Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party remained in power in last month’s German election, an anti-immigrant party gained a toehold in the nation’s parliament, underscoring the backlash against globalization in rich economies. (Bloomberg)