How a college dropout built Philippine’s biggest cosmetic brand

DIOCELDO Sy was 21 years old when he decided to stop school. At that time, he was a senior student taking a management program. He performed well in class but always thought it was not his cup of tea. He preferred doing business — a thing he was exposed to since he was 7 years old — to reading books. He would often say that only when you are able to use what you have learned from books would you wish you had read more.

As a young man, he would wake up as early as 4:30 AM. His grandfather would tell him — “A day’s planning is done in the morning”. Fifty-three years after — he still follows the same routine. He would remind us of a Chinese Proverb —The early bird catches the worm. Indeed, even a clumsy bird, which flies first, gets to the forest earlier.

His road to success was not easy. One year after he decided to quit school, his grandfather’s business filed for bankruptcy. He had nowhere to go. Not a single company would hire him. They told him — he was not good enough. He had no other option but to be his own boss.

Deo knew this was a possibility. Henry Sy, Sr. — a man he met by accident in a coffee shop who would eventually become his mentor — cautioned him about it the day before he left school “Without a degree — you will never be employed.”

At 22 years old, he had no diploma, no capital, and barely enough connections. He almost gave up but decided to give himself few more years. After all, no flower stays red for 100 days.

For the next two years, he would sell one thing after the other — in- cluding PBA tickets — to save capital. But during such time, he kept his eyes wide open and faithful to his dream. When he saw an opportunity to provide Filipino women with affordable make up at at time when such was considered a luxury item — he started Ever Bilena with four people and a capital of 150k.

Now, Ever Bilena has grown to be Philippine’s biggest cosmetic brand. Asked what made the difference, Deo would say reputation and a good name.

If he failed to pay the credit line, which John Gokongwei helped him secure, Ever Bilena would have never been able to expand to its current size. Reputation, he would often remind us, is more important than the last thousand in our pocket. It is easier to earn money lost than bounce back from a tarnished name.

Thirty five years ago, Dioceldo Sy, a man I regard as mentor and whose values I personally admire, couldn’t afford a seat in a basketball game. Now, he owns Blackwater — one of the 12 franchised teams in the Philippine Basketball Association.

Indeed, a long march starts from a single step.