EXECUTIVE DECISION

Iwas a very confident 22-year-old. I went to an international high school and graduated top ten percent of my class, with honors and an international baccalaureate diploma. I also got a spot at a highly coveted American university where I double majored in Biology and Math. I came home to the Philippines because I wanted to give back to my country and at that time, I thought I was so cool. My confidence was sky high. I thought I would succeed in anything I chose to do and I also thought anything I touched would turn into gold. Together with some friends, we conceived a product that we felt would be revolutionary, an LGBTQ magazine for the Filipino. It was glossy, had beautifully written narratives, and high-quality photographs. Like any startup, we did everything from layout, photography, packing, delivery, selling, and pitching to potential advertisers. It did well on the newsstands, but the sales associates would often tell us that when customers would ask for the magazine, they would whisper under their breath, “Meron na bang ICON magazine?” They wanted the product, but were afraid to openly ask about it. This was the first red flag. ICON was published quarterly because many of my partners held a day job. Elated and over the moon with our success, we kept producing the magazine. We took out loans from banks to fund the printing and production fees. Our confidence was so high that we didn’t look into our ballooning losses. We failed to factor in taxes, newsstands commissions, delivery fees, and the high interest rates of the financial institution we chose to take out a loan from. After more than two years, we still didn’t have advertisers and we were left with nothing but bad debt. We had to close the business and things took a turn for the worst. Since I was so self assured, I placed my name on the loans we took out and shortly, collection agencies were calling me every single day. It was scary and felt like a nightmare that wouldn’t end. At one point, I even thought I would serve time because I couldn’t pay for our debts. All the money I made went to pay for those loans and after a year, I was able to pay it off completely. After the final payment, I vowed never to get into business ever again. The trauma was far too much. More importantly, the product we conceived was way ahead of its time. For ten years, I became an employee and was happy receiving the pay I was getting from my employer, MEGA magazine. I gave the same dedication and energy I did went I was trying to reach the top in high school. Fortunately, hard work paid off and I’ve reached a good spot in the corporate hierarchy. I’ve also become very comfortable with my finances, but still the fear was there, and I was not about to go into business ever again. Three years ago, two young ladies, Kianna Dy and Majoy Baron, approached me and asked me to their manager. These girls are anything but ordinary, they are the top volleyball athletes in the country. I laughed when they asked me and also rejected the idea. They were persistent for an entire year, until I finally caved. I told myself, and the girls, “If we are going to do this, we have to do it right.” I wanted the company to be registered. I wanted to charge fairly and I wanted to make sure the three of us paid the right taxes on time. Together with my life partners, Richmond and Sophie, Kianna, Majoy, and Kim Fajardo, we set up our company—a talent management and creative agency. It has been three years and we are now a team of eight people and over 30 regular partners. We have doubled our earnings YOY and we couldn’t be happier. What has changed? Apart from being truthful with all of our business partners, I’ve made better decisions for the company now. Decisions that include a small overhead because we don’t need a large space for the work that we do, only good internet. My phobia about business has also changed and I want to thank Kianna and Majoy for bringing back my confidence. In the next phase of MEGA Man, expect narratives and stories of failure and success from entrepreneurs and men who’ve taken risks. Just like MEGA, #MEGAManHasChanged, and this time, we mean business.