Guests in The Business Manual’s launch include a prestigious lineup of business personalities, Ambassadors, Consuls, and industry experts.

History was made on December 7, 2022, as The Business Manual brought together the country’s biggest and brightest business leaders in one room. A powerhouse gathering of big names like former Senator and Vista Land & Lifescapes Chairman Manny Villar, Go Negosyo Founder Joey Concepcion, and Lazada CEO Carlos Barrera, among others, the net worth of the guests alone would have collectively hit the trillions!

Set at Old Manila, Peninsula Hotel, the event was the business publication’s first-ever face-to-face launch. Prior to this, The Business Manual held an online launch last November, where it debuted its website and its maiden webzine cover of Globe’s CEO Ernest Cu.

Event Highlights

While foremost an avenue for building connections and growing businesses, The Business Manual’s 2022 event launch was also a chance to debut the brand’s new Editor-in-Chief: RJ Ledesma. A man with just as many titles under his belt, he is known as an entrepreneur, the co-founder of Mercato Centrale, and the founder of the franchise platform Easy Franchise.

“Through [The] Business Manual, I look forward to inspiring our next generation of businessmen by sharing the stories and best practices of our successful Pinoy business managers, entrepreneurs, and startup founders,” he said.

Following the success of its two November cover personalities—Globe CEO Ernest Cu and Paco Magsaysay of Carmen’s Best—the event also see the stage for the unveiling of its December cover personality: RFM Corporation President and Go Negosyo Founder Joey Concepcion.

“Seventeen years ago, we started Go Negosyo with the vision of helping our MSMEs,” he said in his speech. “We wanted to uplift them through mentorship, with the knowledge that, as we do so, we grow that segment of the economy that comprises a majority of the enterprises and generates more than half of the jobs in the country.”

“Thanks to successful businessmen like RJ, who generously give of their time and expertise despite their busy schedules, we continue to give back to the country by mentoring Filipino entrepreneurs,” he added.

Prestigious Guests

True to its nature of being a business publication, The Business Manual’s launch featured a prestigious lineup of guests from different industries. These include established business figures, up-and-coming startup owners, as well as industry experts.

Business Personalities

• Ariel Fermin, President and COO of Max’s Group
• Atty. Paulyne Lazaro-Fermin, The Business Manual Contributor
• Atty. Rocky Chan, President and Co-founder of EnterPH
• Bam Meija, COO of SariSuki
• Bing Limjoco, CEO of Francorp, Inc.
• Brad Geiser, CIO of GeiserMaclang
• Buds Wenceslao, CEO of DM Wenceslao & Associates Inc. (DMWAI)
• Carlo Chen-Delantar, Head of ESG of Gobi Capital Partners
• Carlos Otermin, CEO of Lazada
• Christopher Maglanoc, President of Ayala Malls
• Dr. Elton See Tan, President and CEO of E-Hotels Group
• Emma M. Imperial, President and CEO of Imperial Homes and Chair of Proptech Consortium of the Philippines
• Eric Teng, Founder of RestoPH
• Felix Ang, Founder of CATS Motors and Consul of Slovenia
• Former Senator Manny Villar, Chairman of Vista Land and Lifescapes
• Francis Kong, President of Success Options Inc.
• Gerry Choa, Founder of Pro-Friends
• Graham Coates, Vice President of Megaworld Lifestyle Malls
• Hiyasmin Soyao, Co-founder of Shoppertainment Live
• Joey Concepcion, Founder of GoNegosyo and CEO of RFM Corporation
• John Aguilar and his wife Monica Hipolito-Aguilar, Executive and Co-executive Producers of The Final Pitch
• John-Michael Hilton, President and CEO of Visum Ventures
• Kamela Crisologo Seen, CEO of Plato Wraps
• Kenneth Stern, President of Binance Philippines
• Lana Macapagal, PR Lead for Asia Pacific of Rakuten Viber
• Marvin Tiu Lim, Chief Growth and Development Officer of Mega Global Corporation
• Mica Tan-Cancio and Parker Ong, CEO and Chief Corporate Development Officer of MFT Group of Companies
• Myrna Yao, President and CEO of Richprime Global Inc.
• Nikki Tang, CEO of DMark Beauty & DermAsia
• Nina Cabrera, Founder of Colourette Cosmetics
• Paco Magsaysay, Founder of Carmen’s Best Ice Cream
• Paolo Villar, President and CEO of Vista Land
• Patricio Soyao, Founder of Shoppertainment Live
• Richie Cuna, Owner of Kurimi and Fiorgelato
• Rosemarie Bosch Ong, COO of Wilcon Home Depot and President of the Philippine Retailers Pra Retailers Association
• Enrico “Rikki” Dee, CEO and Founder of Foodee Global Concepts
• Steve Sy, Founder of Great Deals E-Commerce
• Steven Tan, President of SM SuperMalls
• Theresa and Diego Buenaflor, Founders of Ellana Cosmetics
• Vicente Gregorio, President of Shakey’s
• Victor Aliwalas, CEO of Multisys

Notable Leaders, Ambassadors, and Consuls

• Antonio de Souza, Ambassador of Brazil
• Brian Poe Llamanzares, Chief of Staff to Senator Grace Poe
• Dot Bangayan Lee, wife of the Commissioner of the SEC
• Fortune Aleta Ledesma, Consul General of Monaco to the Philippines
• George Barcelon, Consul of Moldova and the President of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI)
• Hoang Huy Chung, Ambassador of Vietnam
• Joannis Pediotis, Ambassador of Greece
• Jaypee Morales, President of the Association of Filipino Franchisers
• Kelvin Lester Lee, Commissioner of the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC)
• Mahesh Mirpuri, former President of the Entrepreneurs Organization Philippines
• Marife Zamora, former President Management Association of the Philippines and former Managing Director of Convergys
• MaryKay Carlson, Ambassador of the United States of America
• Marielle Geraedts, Ambassador of the Netherlands
• Maria Agnes Huibonhoa, Consul of Gambia
• Ordonez Marcela, Ambassador of Colombia
• Retired Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban
• Rex Daryanani, Chairman of the Indian Chamber of Commerce
• Sultan a Dimasangkay ko Ranao Tomas Reyes Pastor
• Vanessa Pastor-Ledesma, Consul of Montenegro

“I was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from the business, start-up, socio-civic and diplomatic or consular community during the launch of The Business Manual,” Ledesma said. “It has been almost three years since we have been able to mount an intimate and powerhouse gathering like this, so it was re-invigorating to experience a room filled with the energy of business people connecting, re-connecting, and networking in the spirit of entrepreneurship.”

“I am certain a lot of great new business ideas and connections were generated during that launch, and this is the same sort of energy we want to create moving forward with The Business Manual from our articles and interviews along with our upcoming events, projects, and awards,” he added.

“We are more than honored to be graced with the presence and support of industry leaders from the Philippines and around the world. I hope that this platform will serve as a bridge for budding entrepreneurs and experts towards one common goal of business success,” said One Mega Group’s CEO Archie Carrasco.

The Business Manual: Inform, Involve, and Inspire

As the newest title to join the prestigious lineup of publishing company One Mega Group, The Business Manual is a melting pot of all things business. What’s more, it is the country’s first online subscription-based business website, which will provide not only a platform for business minds to come together but also everything there is to know about business.

From success stories to thought pieces and testimonials, business discoveries, career advice, entrepreneurial endeavors, how-tos, news, and more, The Business Manual seeks to redefine the business scene with the 3 i’s:

• Inform: provide up-to-date, relevant, and exclusive business, lifestyle, and industry news in a way that is understandable to the audience.
• Involve: encourage learning by asking the experts themselves. The Business Manual will feature content from a wide variety of business experts, thought leaders, and influential figures.
• Inspire: feature up-and-coming businesses and business owners through comprehensive, thought-out, and well-written content that seeks to inspire others to do the same in order to speak to an aspirational audience.

“I understand firsthand the value of having someone give you your ‘big break’—to teach you the skills that you need and introduce you to the right people in order for you to succeed in business,” Carrasco said. “I am where I am today and I have seen many of my dreams come to fruition because once upon a time, Ms. Sari [Yap] saw my potential, took me under her wing, and gave me my life-changing break.”

“This is why we established The Business Manual: I want to pay it forward and help Filipinos who have a brilliant business idea, but may not know how to execute it, or entrepreneurs who don’t know the right people to help take their business to the next level,” he ended.