She walks the talk
TV host and business owner looks up to a lot of successful people whose work ethic, status and success in their private lives are incomparable
I’ve always been taught to diversify my investment portfolio. Being in show business, too, for some time, I’m well aware that I won’t always have an acting and hosting job. Therefore, on days I’m not working, I focus on my businesses.”
DESPITE having successfully accomplished a lot of things in her professional life, actress-TV host and business owner Phoebe Walker has no particular name for her role model.
“But I look up to a lot of successful people whose work ethic, status and success in their private life is incomparable,” Walker told The Manila Times.
“Work hard to achieve freedom in life, set priorities and have discipline.”
Walker’s major in college was Business. She took up Bachelor of Arts in European Studies, major in Business and Minor in French Studies at the Ateneo de Manila University.
“I think I am able to apply it into my work and business daily,” she said proudly.
“If I were to study again, it would probably be in film school or interior design.
“I’ve always been taught to diversify my investment portfolio. Being in show business, too, for some time, I’m well aware that I won’t always have an acting and hosting job. Therefore, on days I’m not working, I focus on my businesses.
Silli, a condiment line with two main variants, was Walker’s venture to help maintain her sanity during lockdown.
“The spicy [crunchy chili garlic] and non-spicy [crunchy garlic],” she said.
“I like spicy food, and developing the recipe for Silli was my attempt at recreating a product I bought at a fair once, with my own personal twist.
“Silli is now in its fourth year in business, and I have distributors that I supply to in bulk both locally and in Hong Kong.
“Being in a tropical country, I’ve always loved going to the beach and changing up my swimsuits and beach OOTDs (outfits of the day). I made it a habit of observing what people wear, how they style themselves and enjoyed seeing the trends in beach aesthetics — that ultimately pushed me to launch my own line.
“We are now in year three, about to launch our third collection. We have our online store and three physical locations out of Metro Manila. Currently, I am still looking for more retail partners for the brand.”
Silli is solely and proudly owned by Walker. “I source ingredients, cook, package and ship all my orders myself and make 100 percent of the decisions for the company. There is no guaranteed formula for business, and every day is a learning process.
“There is a certain trial-and-error phase you have to go through to know what works and what doesn’t. Getting feedback from your customers and applying what is constructive also helps the company evolve.
Meanwhile, for Oceans Swimwear, Walker has partnered with her high school best friends, each with their respective departments.
“I focus on production and product development, while my partners focus on legal documents, financials, customer service, inventory and marketing,” Walker granted. “This has also enabled me to do more with my time since we have a good team and trust has already been established.”
In the pandemic, Walker had to hurdle challenges for her businesses.
“A big hurdle, of course, was not being able to meet suppliers and manufacturers,” Walker declared.
“I’m very hands-on with my business, so it was hard because I didn’t want to compromise on quality. Our sales relied heavily on digital marketing and e-commerce.
Since she is also in the limelight as host and actress, Walker opts to prioritize her showbiz career.
“On days I’m not preoccupied, I schedule appointments pertaining to my businesses,” Walker disclosed. “Again, having a strong team with clear delegations really helps with the workload. And for Silli, I set a deadline for myself, so it really boils down to discipline and committing your supposed free time to fulfilling orders.”
More recently, Walker started another company, W Key Pictures, that is into the world of producing and content creation.
“This has been really fun for me, because I get to realize the hardships behind the camera, too,” she maintained. “Being a cinephile plays well into this new undertaking of mine, and I can’t wait to get our first project off the ground.”
Walker is aware of the advantages and disadvantages of being a business owner. “Advantage is I am able to create different streams of income outside my showbiz career and to build something that I can proudly call mine,” she stressed.
“Disadvantage is when your business fails and you lose money, but I just charge it to experience and adapt it in the next things I do.”
Admittedly, Walker has had her fair share of failed business ventures in the past. “I had a T-shirt company, lechon manok business and took a short course in foreign exchange (forex) trading, as well.
“But those ventures proved unfitting to me. Though my first entrepreneurial memory was when I was in grade school. l’d color in my coloring book and sell the pictures to my classmates for P5-P10. I probably earned P50-P80 worth from my colorings.”
Not surprisingly, Walker wanted to be a pop star like Britney Spears when Walker was younger. “But overall, I know it developed my love for performing and acting,” she said.
Before the virus totally disrupted everything around us, Walker visited Tagaytay. “I remember there was smog and ash coming out of Taal [Volcano]. Little did we know a month later, the whole world would be put to a stop.
“I just stayed at home with my mum and sister. My dad was based in Macau at that time, so we literally did not see him for two years.”
If her schedule is devoid of any professional work, Walker finds herself working out. “Sometimes, I cook at home, then I sunbathe. I like to maintain my tan.
“I binge on good films and TV shows. I meet my friends for coffee, or I go out with Rico [Robles]. I am a firm believer of work hard, play hard, too.”
She maintains her bonding moments with her loved ones and keeps quality time with them. “We love to eat, go on holiday and sing videoke,” Walker said.
“I work out, run, swim, read. I also play sports like volleyball and badminton. The true challenge is to keep a balanced and healthy lifestyle.”
Thankfully, Walker is blessed with a very strong support system through her family, friends and (boyfriend) Rico Robles.
“I always feel I have them in my corner, no matter what,” Walker said.
“My dad would say, ‘Don’t strive to be the best, just do your best.’ My mum, on the other hand, brings out the fighter in me. She’d say, ‘Kung kaya nila, mas kaya mo, anak.’”