“He seeks an entry level job to get experience,
but he can’t get an entry level job without experience.”
College Humor tackles young adults looking to move into the workforce.
(*The end is a little NSFW)
Watch here.
“If Zen Riddles Were For Millenials.”“If Zen Riddles Were For Millenials.” Born after 1980? You’ll understand.
Posted by CollegeHumor on Saturday, May 23, 2015
As part of a new series on this blog [Retail / Restaurant Executive] we will be interviewing restaurant and retail executives from all over the world to gain insight and perspective into how they make their decisions, grow their businesses and deal with challenges.
Today is Andrew Masigan, owner of The Advent Manila Hospitality Group in the Philippines.
Q. When and why did you start Advent?
I guess you can say that Advent is a reincarnated company. Advent was the name of my first company, just after finishing my Masters program. Back then, it was a sole proprietorship that served as the company behind my first fast food chain, Dimsum ‘n Dumplings. Soon enough, the company grew to a point where it didn’t make sense to pay personal income tax rates for my business profits. I then decided to retire it. In its place, Prime Pacific Corp. was put together as the corporate entity of Dimsum ‘n Dumplings. Fast forward to 2010 and Prime Pacific Corp. was acquired by another firm. I was done with the food business…or so I thought.
The thing with the food business is that, difficult as it is, it is so damn gratifying. It is a business that feeds your mind, soul (through creativity) and stomach, all in one go. Its true what they say — once a foodie, always a foodie.
In 2011, we decided to venture into the restaurant business all over again, this time, making a strong push for Filipino cuisine. The idea was to come up with a Filipino restaurant that was high-end in very sense, debunking the notion that Filipino food was “pedestrian” or suited only for the home.
We launched XO46 Heritage Bistro later that year. It is an advocacy-driven brand whose purpose is to bring forward the best of Filipino cuisine while being an instrument to preserve our vanishing food heritage (no thanks to the influx of fusion cuisine).
XO46 was incorporated under the Advent Manila Hospitality Group. This is our company today. So in a sense, Advent has come full circle.
Q. What is your background? (restaurants? or you figured it out as you went?)
I am somewhat of a strange mutt. I am an economist by training…politics is my interest…the hospitality industry is where my expertise lie.
This strange mix is the reason why I am a restaurateur, a business and political columnist for the Manila Bulletin, a tv host (The Business Examiner) and a consultant to the Department of Science & Technology.
At the heart of it all is my passion to be an instrument to nation building, whether through business, politics or media. I guess you can say that this is what unifies everything that I’m into.
Q. How many locations do you have in the Philippines?
Dimsum ‘N Dumplings peaked at 88 stores, although most were kiosk outlets.
Our restaurant group today consist of 14 stores, with two more under construction and due to open before year-end.
Q. How do you choose a location?
Pretty much the same way most restaurateurs do.
We consider foot traffic, the profile of customers, the merchant mix and the competitive environment.
Q. Will you ever take a sub-par location, if it is in an area you want to be in? or will you wait for the right spot?
I would rather wait for the right spot. If there is anything I’ve learned being in this business for 2 decades — its that, “the bottom line” is the bottom line! In other words, if a site is not going to make money…lets not waste our time.
Q. How big is a standard location? What have you learned about location size?
XO46 works with spaces ranging from 120 sqm to 240 sqm.
Q. Does a corner location matter?
It’s a plus but not a deal breaker.
Q. Are malls better? or street level locations?
Good question. It really depends.
The value that the malls give is that it is a destination on its own; it has inherent foot traffic (assuming the mall is not a dud); security is more or less assured; and your brand gets to ride on the image of the mall and the surrounding merchants.
On the downside, mall spaces are relatively expensive to rent, they limit your operating hours and give you restrictions on your product offerings and store design.
The advantages of street locations are the disadvantage of malls, and vice versa.
Q. At what point did the number of locations change how the business is run? I have been told, 1 or 2 locations is ok, but 3+ requires a different management approach, systems, procedures, etc. What was the tipping point for you?
Fortunately, I know the business well enough that I can still manage our stores with relative personal involvement.
The trick is to put the important systems in place – I’m referring to systems relating to operations, HR and accounting & control.
Beyond 20 stores, the emphasis shifts from personal management & creativity to professionalization. In other words, the efficiency your company’s chain-of-command largely determines how well your stores operate. In addition, logistical issues migrate to the forefront of your business concerns.
Q. Anything you would like to add?
The integration of ASEAN come Jan 1, 2016 will change the industry.
Given the impending borderless trading conditions within the region, we will see the best restaurants groups from each of the 10 economies “invade” other territories, jockeying for a piece of their market.
I would like XO46 to be on the offensive, not on the defensive, in this new environment. After all, the time is right for Filipino cuisine to be exported, don’t you think?
Want to read more from our executive contributors, check out Eileen Grey, owner of The Picture Company in the Philippines.
Our newest video for Singapore Restaurants and Retailer’s looking to learn more about our time, attendance, roster and payroll platform. What do you think the video? Let us know in the comments below. (PayrollHero.sg)
(30 seconds)
PayrollHero Singapore:
– PayrollHero is eligible for Singapore’s Spring Innovation & Capability Voucher (ICV) – Integrated Solutions (IS) (more details)
– Check out our Singapore specific website at PayrollHero.sg
We moved over from HipChat to Slack a while back and have quite enjoyed the change. While the two products seem similar from the outside, there is something about Slack that is awesome. We use it for everything. It has cut down our internal emails, we have opened channels to deal with our contractors & partners and we have automated a ton of functionality through it.
For example, when a visitor comes to our website and fills in one of the led forms, the information from that form shows up in a few places so that it can be actioned immediately.
To the right is an example of what I’m referring to. Erlich comes to our website, fills in the lead form and sits back for our team to get in touch.
From there, the data from the lead form goes straight into our PipelineDeals account so that we have a record of the lead and can keep track of all interactions involved with it.
PipelineDeals also sends a message to our main email so that we are notified via email of the new lead.
We also have PipelineDeals tied into Zapier which pushes that data into the BD room of our Slack account. This notifies the whole team of the new lead so that anyone outside of the business development team is aware of what is happening on the lead front.
Now the lead is being followed up with by our business development team, the whole PayrollHero team is aware of the new lead (or volume of leads) and if a conversation needs to happen, it will take place within Slack. Simple, but effective use of automation to keep us transparent and on top of our game.
Our others uses of Slack:
– Once a leave request is approved it goes from PayrollHero directly into Slack (via Travel Schedules channel)
– We have city specific channels so that we can talk about what is happening within that city for teammates currently there (Singapore, Manila, Whistler, Vancouver)
– We have contractor channels so that our contracts can interact directly with our team
– There is a reading list channel for shared articles of interest (used to be emailed, now shared there)
– Each department has a channel (BD, marketing, csh, dev, finance, etc)
There is much more happening through our Slack account but this gives you a good idea of how we use it.
How do you use Slack? Any tips for us? Let us know in the comments below.
As part of a new series on this blog [Retail / Restaurant Executive] we will be interviewing restaurant and retail executives from all over the world to gain insight and perspective into how they make their decisions, grow their businesses and deal with challenges.
First up is Eileen Grey, owner of The Picture Company in the Philippines.
Q. When and why did you start The Picture Company?
A. In 2002, I was a new mom to 2 little boys and I wanted every moment frozen in time through photos. My search led me to dark photo studios. The photographers did not enjoy interacting with my babies to capture precious moments for me and my family. Within 6 months of that search, we opened our first “home” in The Podium Mall in the Philippines. We made a studio where kids and moms can feel at home, not just with the surroundings but with their personal photographers as well. Bright studios were put up, colored backgrounds, lots of play and fun. Our aim was to create magic in our studios everyday. Today, we continue to love what we do. We love babies and we love creating keepsakes for your family. The Picture Company has grown but we still keep it personal – just like the first day we opened our doors more than a decade ago.
Q. What is your background? (retail? or you figured it out as you went?)
A. My background is hotel management. I figured it out with the help of EO members that served as my mentors.
Q. How many locations do you have in the Philippines?
A. We have 9 locations across the Philippines. (The Podium Mall, Greenbelt 5, Power Plant Mall, Alabang Town Center, Glorietta 4, C1 Bonifacio High Street Central, Shangri-la Plaza and Ayala Center Cebu)
Q. How do you choose a location for The Picture Company?
A. We look for malls that appreciate our product. Locations that have a lot of foot traffic for families and strollers.
Q. Will you ever take a sub-par location, if it is in an area you want to be in? or will you wait for the right spot?
A. We will always wait for the right spot. Our business is a weekend business (when the parents can go to the malls) and we have limited number of hours to do business (we can take maximum of 8 sessions a day for only 2 days a week), it is too risky to take a sub par location.
Q. How big is a Picture Company location? What have you learned about store size?
A. Our stores range from 36m2 to 120m2. In the beginning, we kept getting a bigger space to accommodate strollers and nannies and extended family, but we realised that when the store is big, it also lacks coziness. More attention is given to the customer when the space is just right. Another thing we need to consider is the malls have doubled and tripled their rental rates.
Q. Does a corner location matter for The Picture Company?
A. No. Of course good foot traffic is important but it doesn’t necessarily have to be a corner store.
Q. Are malls better? or street level locations?
A. We were successful in locations like Podium and Rockwell where clients expressed they feel safe. So when we first went street level like Bonifacio High Street, we were taking a chance. It turned out okay. A little warm and exposed to the weather changes like rain. More dirt comes in which isn’t friendly for a baby environment but it worked.
Q. At what point did the number of stores change how the business is run? I have been told, 1 or 2 stores is ok, but 3+ requires a different management approach, systems, procedures, etc. What was the tipping point for The Picture Company?
A. You are very correct! It was very personal and mom and pop until 3 stores. And then I had to consider personnel, training, back office space, production, logistics, etc.
Q. Anything you would like to add?
A. I wish we could locate The Picture Company in more spaces but new malls sprouting up (or the ones renovating) are creating bigger spaces and bringing up rent because of the international brands coming in. I wish they would always make spaces for the Filipino retailers so we have character in our malls and not look like every other mall with the same big brands. We also need to help the Filipino retailers thrive in their own country. I think the fight for all these brands to enter the malls is making every mall look alike and not offer anything new for its customers.
– Thanks to Eileen for participating!
Would you like to be profiles in our Retail Executive series. Reach out by commenting on this blog post or emailing support at payrollhero .com.
Are you interested in learning more about PayrollHero? Our payroll software is live in the Philippines and Singapore and our Time & Attendance solution is used all over the world.
In Singapore, there a government fund call the CPF of The Central Provident Fund. It is a social security system that enables working Singaporeans and Permanent Residents (PR) to set aside funds for later in life. It also has a healthcare, home ownership, family protection and asset enhancement portion.
How does the CPF system work?
Both employees and employers make monthly CPF contributions. These contributions go into three accounts:
As Singaporeans live longer, there is a need for a reliable stream of income to meet living expenses. Statistics have shown that today, 1 in 3 Singaporeans aged 65 is going to live to age 80 and 1 in 2 is going to live to age 90 and beyond.
To learn more about CPF check out their website.
We are holding another event at our office in the Ocean Financial Centre at Raffles Place in Singapore on May 14th 2015. At this free event you will learn about the pitfalls of manual time and attendance systems, how PayrollHero can help and the amazing business intelligence that can be delivered to your iPhone in real time.
The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, RedMart, BGC and many others are happy clients… come learn why they and many others subscribe to PayrollHero for their time, attendance, scheduling, HR and payroll needs.
A quick recap of restaurant news from around the world. See anything interesting that we missed? Let us know in the comments below.
Wendy’s fast food chain believed to have shut down all outlets in Singapore (source)
Chipotle is going to stop using GMOs in its food (Source)
The American chain Applebee’s is coming to the Philippines (Source)
McDonald’s is apparently planning to close hundreds of stores (Source)
And of course, if you are looking for restaurant recommendations from the PayrollHero team within walking distance of our offices… Here is where we suggest for Fort Bonifacio, Philippines, Singapore and Whistler, Canada.
“May 1 is known as Labor Day and is a public holiday in the Philippines. On this day, labor organizations and unions hold protests in major cities. On May 1, 1903, during theAmerican colonial period the Union Obrera Democratica Filipina (Filipino Democratic Labor Union) held a 100,000-person[52] rally in front of the Malacañan Palace demanding workers’ economic rights and Philippine independence.[citation needed] Ten years later, the first official[by whom?] celebration was held on May 1, 1913 when 36 labor unions convened for a congress in Manila.[52] On May 1, 2001, a mass demonstration occurred near Malacañang Palace known as EDSA 3 or May 1 Riots.” *wikipedia
We are holding another free event in Singapore where you will learn about the costs and challenges involved with traditional time keeping methods as well as see how PayrollHero is designed to not only streamline your HR operations but add some fun into them as well.
In this session you will learn;
– How you can gather Customer Feedback using a time and attendance tool
– Gather Applicants using a time and attendance tool
– Built company culture
– Digitize your HR departments so that all employee records are online in a safe and secure manner
– Get access to real time business intelligence from your data so that you can make better decisions.
With PayrollHero, you can be a super hero of an HR/Payroll Manager!
Register here to attend.
Did you know PayrollHero can qualify for Singapore’s Spring Innovation & Capability Voucher (ICV) – Integrated Solutions (IS). (Read More)