FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance MGT1101 - Leadership and Decision Making FIRST SEMESTER FINAL REQUIREMENT Name of the Selected Organization: Frontrow Enterprise Philippines Incorporated Name of the Business Leader: Sir. Ricardo V. Elon Jr. FEUters: De Jesus, Aaronn Albert M. Fuentes, Hope Janfei Carrissa Dominique Lumbao, Jenelle M. Nerpio, Nathaniel P. Peñaflor, Javerick Shawn S. San Juan, John Paul M. Simangan, Aliya Margaritt A. Section 5 Date of Submission: November 12, 2021 FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance Overview /Name of the Business A. Business Name and Form of Ownership and Business Frontrow is a Multi-Level Marketing Company, also known as Networking, with a partnership form of ownership. Sam Verzosa and Raymond Francisco founded the company. According to Mr. Elon, the meaning behind the company name, Frontrow, is to show their consumers and competitors that they are the ones in front and the leader of the industry. This intention is also shown in the company's logo, which looks like the fast-forward icon, but with the company's official color, red and black. When asked why they chose this as their logo, Mr. Elon said that this is the company's way of showing how they want to affect the lives of their distributors. As a company, they aim to speed up their distributors' success through their "effective, high-quality, and award-winning health and beauty products." Frontrow has now lived up to its name because it has already achieved being the "fastest growing Filipino owned multi-level marketing company." With now having over 800,000 active distributors. B. Job Position of the Hand-Picked Leader Mr. Ricardo V. Elon, Jr. is an active Frontrow Business Distributor. C. Organization’s Mission “To create a radically positive change in people’s lives.” D. Organization’s Vision “Our vision is to improve how people look, feel and live, through our potent and safe to use health and beauty products, as we dominate the direct sales industry all over the World.” 1 FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance Company Address and Contact Details A. Company address The company of Frontrow International is located in UNIT 101, Zenith Bldg., 1468 Quezon Avenue South Triangle, Quezon City. B. Contact details Email: info@frontrow.ph Cellphone number: 0906-229-8176 Date of Virtual or Online Interview Our group conducted our virtual interview on November 7, 2021, at 10:00 p.m. with Mr. Elon. Our group and Mr. Elon agreed on this time and date as it is the most preferable time for him because it is the only time that he is vacant. Our group is just lucky that we are able to have an appointment with him despite his busy schedule. Before conducting the interview, we asked for his permission to record the interview and to use some of his personal information in our final paper. Our group interview with Mr. Elon lasted approximately 30 minutes. 2 FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance Resume of Person Interviewed Ricardo Villaluna Elon Jr. 96 East Drive St. Marikina Heights, Marikina City 09157480784 ricardo.elonjr29@gmail.com Objective Highly-motivated individual looking to fill a position that suits my knowledge and skills and want to find a company that I can grow with as I will give my best effort to achieve their goals. Skills and Attributes Effectively identify and resolve problems using available resources. Strong organizational skills and keen attention to details. Flexible, Team Player and Hardworking. Educational Background Tertiary Eulogio "Amang" Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology (EARIST) Sta.Mesa, Manila Bachelor of Science in Electronics Engineering 2013-2018 Secondary Marikina Heights High School Champaca St. Marikina Heights 3 FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance 2009 - 2013 Award: Best in Digital Electronic Primary Kapitan Moy Elementary School Champaca St. Marikina Heights 2002 – 2009 Work Experience Internship (2018) PTV-4 (People’s Television Inc.) Visayas Ave, Diliman, Quezon City, 1128 Metro Manila Service Crew (2014) McDonalds Marikina Heights, Marikina City. Personal Information Birth Date : June, 29 1996 Place of Birth : Marikina Marital Status : Single Nationality : Filipino Gender : Male Height : 5’10ft Weight : 75kg 4 FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance Character Reference Jayant Boy D. Perez Junior Communications Equipment Operator ABS-CBN 0905-473-4888 I hereby certify that the information above was true and correct to the best of my knowledge. Ricardo V. Elon Jr. Applicant 5 FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance Questionnaire Template 1. Engaging in business entails a lot of investments in terms of money, time, and sacrifices. And despite of all these investments, still many have failed in their business ventures. Based on your personal observation as a businessperson, it is a reality that not everyone is destined to be a successful entrepreneur? Agree or disagree? Please explain. 2. As a business leader, do you ensure that you are leading your people effectively amidst the pandemic? Yes, or no? 3. Do you do regular planning for your business? _____ YES _____ NO (Please explain) 4. Do you see pandemic as an opportunity for your business or do you see it as hindrance? Why? 5. What are the most effective strategies you have developed so far to help your business or company grow? 6. As a business leader, how do you encourage your employees to boost their morale and performance? 7. As a business owner, how do you create a vision for your business? What are the measures in order for you to determine the future of the firm? 8. How do you create a business transparency to your employees, investors and consumers? 9. As the owner of the business, how would you describe your company’s success so far? 10. If you have a piece of advice to someone just starting out a business, what would it be? 6 FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance Transcript of the Interview Lumbao: Good evening, Mr. Ric Elon Jr.! Before we begin with our interview, let me first share a brief introduction. We named our group the "FEUters," as in "future," because as a first-year Bachelor of Science in Accountancy students of the Tamaraw community, we are known as the brave ones, implying that we can overcome adversity in order to build and achieve a brighter future." We have gathered here tonight to have an in-depth conversation with you as the final requirement of our Leadership and Decision Making course, which may also help us prepare for the corporate world. So, I think we should not waste any time. Let us begin! By the way sir, I am asking with your permission if we are allowed to record our session tonight? Mr. Ric Elon: Thumbs up. Lumbao: Okay. Good evening again, Mr. Ric Elon Jr! I hope you’re doing great. Can you share first a brief introduction about yourself before we get to the main highlight of this interview? Mr. Ric Elon: Okay. By the way, thank you for inviting me here. I’m so grateful na napili niyo ‘ko na interview-hin dito. And I’m Ric Elon, Jr. I’m engineer by profession, graduate po ako ng Electronics and Communication Engineering and right after ko grumaduate hindi na ako nag, hindi ko na ginawa yung career ko and nakita ko *inaudible* then yun. I’m doing, siguro familiar naman kayo sa MLM, di’ba? Sa… Mas kilala natin siya na Networking pero ngayon Multi-Level Marketing na siya and ang kagandahan dito, and so nice, ang ganda. Maganda ang kitaan din dito sa negosyo namin. So, okay na ba ‘yun? Or… ‘Yan, ayun lang ang sa’kin. Siguro… nods. Simangan: Nice to meet you, Mr. Elon! We all know that engaging in business entails a lot of investments in terms of money, time, and sacrifices. And despite of all these investments many have still failed in their business ventures. For our first question, based on your personal observation as a businessperson, is it a reality that not everyone is destined to be a successful entrepreneur? Agree or disagree? And please explain your answer. Mr. Ric Elon: Disagree. Every one of us, each… Every one of us, dito, sa ating zoom, mga tao na nandito, lahat tayo is destined to be successful. ‘Diba? Why, bakit maraming nagffail sa business? 7 FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance Because they give up. ‘Diba? Alam niyo yun? Sa school, ‘diba? ‘Pag nagmimistake tayo, we consider us as a failure. Tama? ‘Pag nakakuha tayo ng 5, ay, sa FEU ata 5 ‘yung pinakamataas and 1 ‘yung fail. Tama ba ako? Then, sa’min kasi ‘pag 5 ka ibig sabihin ah failure ka, bagsak ka, pero sa in real life, in the business, if you take a failure, ‘diba ‘pag nag-fail ka kailangan mong mahalin eh. ‘Diba? Ayun yung dahilan kung bakit maraming hindi nagiging successful na entrepreneur kasi hindi nila tinetake yung failure is a part of success. ‘Diba? Ayun ang kagandahan dito sa business dapat pag nagfifail ka, failure after failure and after failure and after failure, kailangan maaccept mo. Maaccept mo and then take an action. Prove mo. ‘Diba? Sometimes ‘pag hindi tayo makalipad sa business natin, hindi makalipad yung business natin, or pagiging entrepreneur natin, kailangan nating tumakbo na lang. ‘Pag hindi tayo makatakbo, then walk. And if we can’t walk, then crawl. Gumapang ka. But kailangan mo pa rin, keep moving. Kailangan mo pa ring magforward and labanan, kailangan patunayan mo rin sa sarili mo na gusto mo talagang maging successful. Then, siguro okay na yung sagot ko. Pero ano eh, ‘pag sumagot kasi ako medyo mas mahaba pa talaga and okay lang ba sa inyo na, para mas maexplain ko nang mas mabuti, Taglish talaga ako. ‘Diba? I’m not fluent in English. ‘Diba, kagaya ni Ma’am Jenelle na medyo, nanose bleed talaga ako, pero ‘pag kumakausap talaga ako sa tao ‘diba para mas masagot ko nang maayos, magtatagalog ako. ‘Diba, kung okay lang, okay lang ba sa inyo yun? Peñaflor: Yes, sir. Okay lang po. Mr. Ric Elon: Ayan. So, ‘yun. And sa’kin. Then, siguro okay na yung una kong sagot. De Jesus: Thank you for that wonderful answer, Mr. Ric. For this question you do not need to explain why. As a business leader, do you ensure that you are leading your people effectively amidst the pandemic? Mr. Ric Elon: Based sa observation ko, I am confident that I am serving my employees sa abot ng aking makakaya. Lumbao: Wow, I wish I am confident as you po Sir. Okay, let’s proceed to the third question which is, do you do regular planning for your business? Why? Mr. Ric Elon: ‘Yan. Syempre. ‘Yun. Yes. We are… do regular planning. Even sarili ko pinaplanuhan ko every day. ‘Diba? Kasi if you plan… if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Ibig 8 FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance sabihin ‘pag hindi ka nag-plano sigurado babagsak ka. ‘Diba? Ang isang bagay na gusto mong target-in kailangan may plano ka. ‘Yung isang building na itatayo, may plano yan. Before yan itayo, ‘di naman yan, o gusto ko nang building, tayo na agad. Hindi. ‘Diba? Kailangan may plano yan. ‘Diba? Para maging…maging successful yung business, kailangan may plano ka, ‘diba katulad ng isang building na mataas, na magiging maganda, kailangan mo muna yan hukayin, planuhin kung pano yung pag-hukay do’n. ‘Diba? Ang sa’kin, kailangan mo talaga ng regular planning sa… sa negosyo mo. Kasi ‘pag walang plano, magffail ka talaga. Peñaflor: Yes, sir. Like ano sir, parang hagdan. We need step by step para, if you want something maaachieve natin siya. Mr. Ric Elon: Yes. Peñaflor: Then, proceed na ako sir sa next question po. We know sir, about the pandemic most of the businesses and company failed in this time of the pandemic. But for you sir, do you see the pandemic as opportunity for your business or do you see it as hindrance? Mr. Ric Elon: Ang sa’kin, first of all, let me know… gusto ko lang malaman niyo na yung business naming is health and beauty products. Ibig sabihin, pampa-ganda, pampa-healthy. Ayun yung products na meron kami. And this pandemic, ‘diba, sobrang grateful and sobrang thankful ko na, alam mo ‘yun, maraming nawalan nga, sabi ko nga kanina, maraming nalungkot, nawalan ng pag-asa, pero dapat isa ka do’n sa mga taong, kung ano yung problema dapat ikaw yung unang unang tao na makakapag-isip ng solusyon. Ako ginrab ko yung opportunity, nung merong pandemic. Kasi, bakit? ‘Yung, since ‘yung health and beauty products ‘yung ano namin, makakatulong ‘to. Inisip ko kung pano makakatulong sa tao, kung paano makakapag-boost ng immune system nila, paano… Marami ding Pilipino na kasi na kahit pandemic gustong gumanda eh. ‘Diba? Sa’kin naging, alam mo yun, imbes na matakot ako, nagpa-ganda pa sila sa loob ng bahay nila, nagpa-puti, ‘diba? Pero ang sa’kin, sobrang ganda ng nangyari sa’min nung pandemic. Bakit? Nag-boost yung sales namin. Dati, minsan 10K lang, pero nung pandemic, umabot kami ng almost 300,000 sales, 500,000 sales. Sobrang laki din talaga. Depende na lang sa mindset ng isang tao, kung pa’no mo, alam mo yun, kung iggrab ba nila yung opportunity, na nagkaron, or hindi. Pero sa’kin, nung nagkaron ng pandemic, syempre wala tayong, bawal lumabas. Tama ba ako? 9 FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance Bawal lumabas pero yung mga, yung mga nagmomotor, ‘diba yung mga nagmomotor nakakalabas sila eh. Ang ginawa ko nag-hire ako ng mga riders kung saan nag-tiwala din ako sa kanila. Pero, alam mo yun, dahil nga pandemic mas mataas yung rate nila. Good-good situation. ‘Diba? Tama, good situation kasi makakatulong ako sa kanila, tapos magkakaroon sila ng income, tapos magkakaroon din ako ng income. Kaya sobrang ganda talaga ng nangyari samin during pandemic. Even now, ‘diba? Nararamdaman pa rin natin yung pandemic, pero, ‘diba sobrang dere-deretso pa rin yung business namin. So… Fuentes: So, question number five, sir. What are the most effective strategies you have developed so far to help your business company grow? Mr. Ric Elon: ‘Yun. First of all, ang kailangan ma-develop mo dito na strategy is kailangan maging positive mindset mo talaga eh. Positive thinking, ‘diba? Kailangan ‘pag mag-iisip ka ng isang bagay, positibo. Kasi always remember, negative mind will not give you a positive life. Lagi kong sinasabi sa mga grupo ko na strategy namin, kailangan before ka mag, before ka gumawa ng negosyo, kailangan yung mindset mo, positive na ka agad. Kasi ‘di mo magagawa yung isang magandang bagay ‘pag negative yung iniisip mo. And every day, ito naging effective sa’min ‘to na strategy ‘kong ginagawa, every day, smile ka. Be grateful kung ano meron ka ngayon. And then isipin mo, kung ano yung bagay na ginawa mo kahapon. Be better. Kailangan kung ano yung mga ginawa mo kahapon, dapat lampasan mo. Kung may mali kang nagawa, step backward. Two step backwards, then move forward. Para, alam mo yun, ‘pag may nakita kang mali kahapon ‘di mo na uulitin ngayon. Analyze mo lang lagi yung mga bagay na ginawa mo para mag-improve ka. And pilitin mo, mag-improve ka every day. Kahit 1% lang, every day. Kasi pag minultiply mo yan, into 365 days, or per year, it goes to 365%. And ang naging strategy namin dito is more on online talaga. Pinasok naming yung business namin online. Then, ‘yun. Ayun yung pinasok naming ngayong pandemic din. To grow. ‘Diba? Kasi ‘pag di mo pinasok yung company mo or yung business mo sa online ngayon, patay siya. Ibig sabihin, lalangawin kung tawagin ng mga businessowner. Fuentes: I agree, sir. Kasi ‘diba, kahit pandemic dapat tuloy-tuloy pa rin yung unique plans mo. So, makaka-move on ka. And one mistake can’t define you so yung mistakes na yun dapat gawin mong motivation para mas mag-improve lagi yung personality mo and yung mindset mo sa 10 FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance business plan mo. And after that question; as a business leader, how do you encourage your employees to boost their morale and performance? Mr. Ric Elon: ‘Yun. Sakin, hindi ko sila tinatawag na employees, part pa rin sila ng business, partner ang tawagan naming kasi employees kasi yung mga binabayaran, para magkaron ng salary. Samin naman business partner ang tawagan naming kasi katuwang namin sila sa pag-gawa ng negosyo. Para maboost sila, para mas maging effective sila, yung performance nila, ang ginagawa namin talaga, sabi ko nga kanina, walk the talk. Kung ano yung dapat sinasabi mo, dapat ginagawa mo din sa kanila. Pinapakita mo sa kanila, dapat ikaw yung mag-silbing, alam mo yun, susundan nila, kung ano yung ginagawa mo, kung nagiging maganda yung takbo ng negosyo mo, susundan nila. Pero, always compliment. Kung ano yung magagandang bagay na ginagawa nila. Dapat hindi makakalimutan ng isang negosyante na, alam mo yun, sabihin mo “ang galing naman ng ginawa mo” ‘diba, kahit alam mo naman na yun, purihin mo pa rin. Kasi, alam mo yun, pag pinupuri mo ang isang tao, mas ginagalingan nila eh. Alam mo sa mga establishments, sa mga malalaking company, binibigyan nila ng certificate or ng mga awards, ‘diba kahit walang cash. ‘Yung employee, alam mo yun, sobrang saya nila, sobrang mas gagalingan pa nila. Katulad din dapat sa business natin, ‘di dapat kinakalimutan na icompliment sila o lagyan sila ng award kung kailangan talaga ng award nila. Ganun. Kailangan mo ipakita sa kanila na sobrang ganda ng ginawa nila. Kasi pag ginawa mo yun, pag naramdaman ka ng tao, na mahalaga sila sayo o nakakatulong sila sa negosyo, mas gagalingan pa nila. Then, ayun yung sakin talaga. Number one, mahalin mo yung mga taong nakakasama mo sa business. Mahalin mo sila, di lang as ano eh, di lang as employee. Mahalin mo sila bilang pamilya. Kasi sila yung tumutulong sayo para mag-grow yung company mo eh. Sila yung taong tumutulong sayo, para kunin mo yung success mo rin dito. ‘Diba? And, ‘yun. Nerpio: Thank you for the great answer, Sir Ric. And for our seventh question; as a business leader, how do you create a vision for your business? What are the measures in order for you to determine the future of the firm? Mr. Ric Elon: ‘Yun. Sakin, unang una yung vision, kung paano ako mag-create ng vision, kailangan muna, bigyan mo muna sila kung bakit nila gagawin yung isang bagay. Kailangan meron silang purpose. And ang ginagawa ko, kasi yung vision na meron ako gusto kong ipakita sa kanila 11 FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance pero and hirap. Kung meron nga lang, kung pwede ko lang ibigay yung mata ko para sa kanila, alam mo yun, sa business na ‘to, na pwede silang umunlad, pwede silang kumita ng malaki, pwedeng mag-bago yung buhay nila. ‘Diba? Mahirap yun kung, alam mo yun, hindi nila alam yung purpose kung bakit nila gagawin yung negosyo. ‘Diba? Kung bakit sila nasa negosyo. Sakin ang ginagawa ko muna, lagi kong pinapaisip sa kanila nung bata sila, yung childhood nila. “Ano bang gusto mo nung bata ka?” Nung bata ako gusto ko Lamborghini, gusto ko Ferrari, tama? Yung Ferrari, gusto ko yung red. Pero nung tumanda na, nung nagkaroon na nung ano, nung binatana na gusto ko na yung motor. ‘Diba? Nung medyo matanda na, gusto ko na bike. ‘Diba? Nagbabago yung pananaw kasi finifit na lang nila sa kinikita nila. Tama? Nagbabago yung, alam mo yun, lumiliit yung pangarap nila pero ang gusto kong pinapakita kong vision, maging bata ka. Maging bata ka na may pangarap, na walang hanggan yung pangarap mo. Na walang hanggan yung, alam mo yun, gusto mong maging, before gusto mong maging superhero eh. ‘Diba? Sa sobrang gigil mo sa vision mo, ayan lagi kong pinapaintindi sa kanila, na maging bata sila mag-isip. Mangarap ulit sila. Buhayin nila yung pangarap nila. Kasi kung hindi nila gagawin yun, mag-iistay sila doon. Minsan sasabihin na lang nila, ang pangarap ko makapag-tapos yung mga anak ko eh. Pangarap ko na lang, ang mga anak ko na lang. Sila na lang bahala sa pangarap ko, mali eh. ‘Diba? Habang buhay pa tayo, meron pa tayong chance na mangarap ulit, na buhayin ulit. ‘Diba? Ayun yung lagi kong pinapakita sa mga business partner ko, na minsan nasa OFW, na may chance pa na makuha yung pangarap nila. Ang sakin, kailangan mo lang din na ipakita sa kanila na may pangarap ka na every day inaattract mo yung isang bagay na balang araw mangyayari din sayo. Yung sakin gusto ko, lagi kong sinasabi sa kanila na balang araw kikita din ako ng milyon. Which is mangyayari na. Balang araw kikita din ako, magkakaroon din ako ng sasakyan. Magkakaron din akong sariling bahay. At higit sa lahat, magkakaroon din ako ng lupa. Ayon, nagkaroon na din ako ng investment. Nangyayari na siya, inaattract ko yung isang bagay. Pano ko sila binibigyan ng vision? At mas maboost sila, kung bakit ba sila gigising sa umaga, ginagawa ko nilalagyan ko sila ng vision board. Kumbaga, yung vision board na yun. ‘diba meron tayong tinatawag na dream board? Ito minsan sa’tin, sa mga kabataan, ‘pag usapang pangarap, ay ano yan “corny mo naman bro”, corny mo naman usapang pangarap. Tama? Pero alam mo, ‘pag yung isang bagay na lagi mong nakikita, na nakapaskil kung san ka lagi nandoon, kasi ako nasa sala namin eh, nandun yung dream board ko. Kung san ako lagi nandoon, kung san ako lagi nagsstay. Bakit? Para alam ko, kung bakit ba ako 12 FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance gigising bukas. Kung bakit ba kailangan kong galingan yung sa business. Kung bakit kailangan ko pang mag-grow. ‘Diba? Kasi kung wala kang nakikitang vision, or minsan kahit sa sulat lang, pero mas maganda yung nakikita mo, para mareremember mo kung bakit ka ba humahatataw o bakit mo ba ginagawa yung negosyo. ‘Diba? Ganun yung pagbibigay samin ng vision. Kailangan meron kang dream board. And, ‘yun. Nerpio: Thank you for that wonderful answer. And for our 8th question; how do you create a business transparency to your business partners, investors, and consumers? Mr. Ric Elon: ‘Yun. Sakin, yung sagot ko lang dito, is more about the consumers. Sa consumers namin, sa mga nag-aavail samin ng products, ang transparency namin dito; unang una, ano ba yung magiging effects ng products namin? Kasi meron yan, merong maging okay sa kanila, merong hindi. Tinatanong ko muna, kung ano ba yung situation niya, kung ano ba yung pangangailangan niya. ‘Diba? Kasi meron kaming products na, meron kaming mga pangpapayat na bawal kung ikaw ay, alam mo yun, acidic ka, ‘diba? Kailangan naming malaman muna yung sitwasyon mo and before namin ibigay yung products na pwede sayo. Ayun yung unang una. Hindi pwede yung benta ka lang ng benta, kita ka lang ng kita. ‘Diba, hindi pepwede eh. Kasi, bakit? ‘Pag ginawa mo ‘yun, company mo din yung masisira eh. ‘Diba? It will backfire. Kailangan kung ano yung problema ng isang tao, isang consumer, dapat alamin mo muna. Kasi it’s not about kita kita eh, ‘diba? About kung pano mo sila matutulungan. ‘Diba? And sa’kin, sa mga investor naman namin, pinapakita naman naming sa kanila kung ga’no kaganda yung business. Yung transparency na pwede nilang kitain, sinasabi din namin. Pinapakita din namin yung mga nangyayari doon sa organization nila, kasi pag nag-avail ka samin ng isang account, yung tinatawag naming account, ay magkakaroon yan ng tao. Pinapakita din namin kung ilang tao na ba ang meron sila o under ng business nila. Ayun yung isa sa mga transparency naming or kasi yung iba dito, yung iba samin, may kita na yung account nila pero hindi pa nila alam na may kita na pala sila. ‘Diba? And kagandahan sa business namin, pwede naming sabihin yun. And ang kagandahan dito sa, ayun nga, sa business namin talaga, sobrang transparency. Kasi lagi kaming nagmemeeting. Lagi kaming may planning. Kung kamusta ba yung ano mo ngayon, magkano ba yung kinita mo ngayon, kasi kung maliit, kailangan nating palakihin. ‘Di kami papayag na maliit lang yan. ‘Diba? Then, okay na ba yung sagot ko? 13 FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance San Juan: Thank you, sir. For question number 9; as the owner of the business, how would you describe your company’s success so far? Mr. Ric Elon: ‘Yun. Sakin, titignan ko pa lang yung sa business namin, siguro nasa 10% pa lang. Yes, very low. Kasi hindi pa ‘to ‘yung, hindi ko pa nakukuha yung pangarap ko eh. Hindi ko pa nakukuha yung gusto kong marating. Ang sakin kasi, ang meaning of success “success is not success without successor.” Ibig sabihin, ‘pag wala pa akong natututunang tao na maging successful din, maging kagaya ko din, ayun yung meaning ng success. Yung makatulong ka din, na magkaroon ka ng kakayahan na makatulong sa ibang tao na maging successful din. That’s the meaning of success para sa’kin. Then, ‘yun. Lumbao: Okay, now let’s proceed to the last question which is, if you have a piece of advice to someone just starting out a business, what would it be? Mr. Ric Elon: Pardon me? Lumbao: If you have a piece of advice to someone just starting out a business, what would it be? Mr. Ric Elon: Start now, kailangan mong simulan. Sa’kin dito, ang advice ko lang sa kanila, ‘diba, hindi mo kailangan maging magaling, kailangan mo lang simulan para gumaling ka. ‘Diba? And kailangan ‘pag sinimulan mo ‘to, ‘wag kang hihinto dahil napagod ka, huminto ka pag tapos na. Then, ang sa’kin, isa pa, advice ko lang din, kailangan magkaron ka ng attitude. Alam naman natin yung attitude ‘diba? Yung attitude, hindi yun nakadepende sa pagiging mabuti lang. ‘Diba? Nakadepende ‘to sa sitwasyon, kung nagiging mahirap ba yung business mo or nahihirapan ka sa business mo dapat meron kang attitude na manggigil ka, na mas gagalingan mo pa next time. Mas mag-iimprove ka pa. Dapat meron kang attitude na hindi ka dapat nagpapa-pigil. Dapat meron kang attitude na hindi mo hinahayaan yung mga tao mo, o yung mga tao na nasa paligid mo, na nirereject ka ninenegative ka na hindi magsusuccess yung negosyo mo, dapat hindi ka nagpapaapekto sa mga tao na ganun. And ang sakin, kailangan, ano lang eh, kailangan every day ibuhos mo. Kung gusto mo maging successful yung business mo, ibuhos mo lahat ng effort mo. Mas aralin mo yung negosyo mo. Mas galingan mo pa. Kasi ‘pag alam mo yung isang negosyo, na binibigay mo ang lahat, binibigyan mo ng puso sa negosyo mo, wala eh, dere deretso na siya eh. And ang sakin, para mas maging madali ang negosyo mo, matuto ka sa pagkakamali ng iba. 14 FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance ‘Diba? Kasi ‘pag alam mo, itong taong ‘to nagkamali na to doon eh, ‘diba, nagkamali na siya doon sa bagay na yon, ‘wag mo nang ulitin. Kasi katangahan na lang yun, pag alam mo na at inulit mo pa. Mali na nga eh, gagawin mo pa. Ang sakin, matuto ka din sa pagkakamali ng iba. ‘Diba? And, ano lang eh, ‘wag ka lang din matakot na simulan yung negosyo. ‘Diba? Kasi mostly of the people, sinasabi nila “ayokong mag-negosyo kasi, bakit? Baka ma… baka mabankrupt. Baka hindi maggrow.” Hindi ka pa nga nagsisimula. ‘Diba? ‘Di mo pa nga sinisimulan yung negosyo mo puro negative na agad yung pumapasok sa utak mo. Kailangan pag magsisimula ka ng negosyo, i-set mo muna yung sarili mo into positive. ‘Diba, be positive in life. ‘Wag lang sa covid, ha. ‘Diba, sobrang sarap na maging positive sa buhay. ‘Diba? Kahit alam mo yung nangyayaring masama, even sobrang negative na ng mundo, ‘diba, mga away-away nang ano, nang mga kulay kulay ngayon. ‘Diba? Kailangan positive ka pa rin. Focus ka lang dun sa goal mo, pero walang iwanan pamilya, ha? ‘Wag kayong mang-iiwan ng pamilya. Depende kasi ‘yun eh, depende yun sa term na ginagamit eh. Siguro nagka-mali lang si ano. Sakin pag yung pamilya mo, negative din, yung parang hind kan nga tinutulungan, sinisiraan pa yung negosyo mo. Sakin, ‘wag mo iwan. Gawin mo itong, booster ba. ‘Diba? Gawin mong inspirasyon. ‘Wag mong patunayan sa kanila na mali sila, patunayan mo na tama ka. Na yung negosyo mo, magiging successful balang araw. So, ‘yun lang sakin. ‘Diba. I’m Ric Elon, Jr. Maraming maraming salamat, siguro, tapos na ba? Or meron pa kayong another question? Lumbao: Grabe, sir. Our conversation with you was jam-packed with lessons and motivations. It would greatly assist us in becoming excellent leaders in the future. And of course, we want to cherish this moment, so I’m asking everyone to keep their cameras ready for documentation. De Jesus: Everyone, smile. 1, 2, 3… Thank you po! Peñaflor: It was a pleasure talking with you, sir! There was a lot of learnings and lessons in life. De Jesus: So, before we officially say goodbye to everyone, we'd like to express our gratitude for your warm participation despite your hectic schedule by presenting you with this certificate of appreciation signed by our LDM Professor, Mr. Leonardo F. Cada, Jr. You will receive this certificate via email after the meeting. Thank you and keep safe! 15 FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance Photo Documentation 16 FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance Individual Reflection Paper/Personal Plan A. De Jesus, Aaron Albert As a college student and as an aspiring accountant having dreams and goals is only common, especially if you have the passion for it, but having to succeed in achieving those dreams and career goals in the future is the one thing that's not common and it separates us from the rest. Each of us has our way of achieving certain things that we want and desire in life, it might be impossible at first, but through hard work and dedication, it will be possible, like they say that makes the impossible, possible. This interview that I and my group FEUters conducted, helped a lot in terms of achieving those impossible dreams and goals in the future. It's good for me and my group members to interview someone who is experienced and has knowledge in his or her field of work. This experience has changed my perspective and will be a motivation and reference for my career and goals in the future. Sir Ricardo Elon, the person that we interviewed, shares a lot of knowledge in terms of business since he's a business owner himself of the company called Frontrow Business Distributor. He shares his experience on how to be a successful leader, on how the company can be successful, and on how can I be successful when it comes to being a business leader or owner. One of the topics he discussed was the value of failure in business and profession. According to Sir. Ricardo Elon said that "one of the reasons why a certain business is failing is because the business leader already gave up". All of us can relate when it comes to failure, one of the examples is failure to perfect an exam and it can bring us down. I am afraid of failure, I mean all of us are afraid of it because it means that it is the end of our journey to success, it can also mean that I might not have a second chance in perfecting my failure. Failure can be dangerous as it can be for me, but according to Sir Ricardo Elon, that if I am alive and well, there will be lots of opportunities to fulfill those dreams. It made me realize that having to fail something doesn't mean the end, but a lesson, so that I can move on and make my failure a success, failure can stop me for a while and can bring me down, but not for long because I have a dream to achieve for. Finally, I learned to view my failure as a learning opportunity rather than a setback, Sir Ricardo Elon also said that making failure has a positive effect since it can motivate us to work 17 FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance hard more and more towards our goals in the future. I've also learned that for me to achieve something and be successful is that I need to fail a lot but unintentionally since I can't know what success is unless I've tried it. And lastly, I've learned that having a good mindset will help me move forward towards my goals in the future, failure doesn't define who I am, but success is like Sir Ricardo Elon said: "Success is not a Success without a Successor" meaning that I cannot consider myself successful if I have not yet helped someone succeed in their goals, I can always try and try until I succeed. The knowledge and experience that Sir. Ricardo Elon shared with us is one thing to be inspired for, to be a humble and hard-working leader who not always thinks of himself but also thinks for others. B. Fuentes, Hope Janfaye Carissa Dominique Our interview with Sir. Ric Elon Jr, I got too many knowledge from him and from this requirement of course, first on how to be a business man and business woman and especially how to run a business in a good way that it will grow so much one day! Since we asked him some very informative questions, he answered it sincerely and he shared what he become from then and now, in all words that he said I learned that if you are just getting started in a small business and it’s not growing yet, you should and need to continue that thing, that in the first place we feel that why it’s not growing but instead of thinking of it. We should have more plans and ideas how to be a powerful business, how people will get interested on these things, products, foods and more. And we need to have more interesting reviews and words as a seller so everyone will be interested and smile. In business, we need to be more productive yes, it’s very hard from the start because you don’t when, how, where you will be going to start. But in that, keep your faith and trust to yourself to your business and I swear it will grow even it’s simple but very powerful! And another thing, if our business already grows, we should never forget to feet on the ground because we all are started in a small way, in this blessings we can share to everyone on how we started so they can have motivated, and you lift them up by encouragement. Everything is step by step, we don’t need to rush something we all have to do is to be patient and keep believing, everyone has a purpose, and that purpose are already in your eyes, just keep moving, keep doing and you will know soon that, that’s purpose has a great comes 18 FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance out to your life, to your business and to your personality. Actually now as a Student my fam have a business since I was a little and it’s our one of the Food of Philippines here and it was “Kakanin, Bico, Maja” etc. sometimes it’s not growing especially this time of pandemic, sometimes we are tired but we also keep to motivate ourselves and think another plan for it, and one of my plan on my ambitions is to be a good business man and I will have made it as a restaurant for it or something that people will more interested. And yes, everything is not easy they are hard, but don’t think that’s hard, think always why are you holding on for so long in your dreams. This interview is one of the important thing to me, to us because in their answers they bring too many knowledge for us, on how to interact as an Entrepreneur and what are the positive ways to grow our business. Remember that this is not just a business, but it’s also how to be a good business woman and business man. And also this is part of our community, the more growing it’s the better influencing in our community and business is also about the growth of our country. C. Lumbao, Jenelle It is truly the case that becoming a successful business leader necessitates a lot of hard work and a positive attitude. According to an interview with Mr. Ric Elon Jr., the owner of Frontrow Distributor Business, a business leader should know how to put in a lot of effort into running a business and have a positive outlook on life in which he or she deploys all the negative things as motivation to keep moving forward. Based on my observation, I have witnessed that it is easy to be a business owner, but becoming a business leader is harder. A business leader should be unstoppable at all costs and must learn how to handle different situations. It should also have the ability to encourage its people to continue doing excellent work because I believe that a leader cannot be considered great if he or she does not know how to empathize. During an in-depth conversation with Mr. Ric Eljon Jr., I discovered that I had learned valuable lessons which would bring me farther apart to the corporate world. One of the lessons he taught that I still remember from the many key points he discussed with us was the importance of having an everyday business plan. As someone who aspires to be a business owner someday, I find this information useful because it reminds me of the importance of 19 FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance planning ahead of time for everything I attempt to do. He stated that if a business owner fails to plan, he or she must expect the business to fail or experience a multitude of conflicts. We are all aware that when we plan, we create steps to achieve our goals and have an idea of how we will deal with conflicts when they arise. It denotes that if a business has a concrete business plan, it will encounter the least amount of difficulty. In addition, I learned the importance of being creative, resourceful and goal-oriented, especially during a pandemic. As said by Mr. Elon, he developed his business during the pandemic, and the current crisis did not become a hindrance in achieving the growth of their business. He was able to use the pandemic to help not only himself, but also the people around him. His company was able to provide employment, which is beneficial because, despite the pandemic, there are still people looking for a job to sustain their basic needs. In the future, I foresee that if I will have the ability to think creatively, I will be able to innovate new and unique ideas such as what services and products I should pursue in my business and how I can use them to outperform my competitors. Furthermore, based on how he shared his experiences throughout his business career, I noticed that he has a resourceful attitude, which I learned is significant in business management. In real life, being resourceful entails being able to think critically and adapt to and handle situations. However, in the business world, it is the ability to develop potential solutions in any situation. It also involves having productive thinking that can transform trash into something valuable. "Focus on your goal and keep going." That was how he wanted to remind all those aspiring business owners and leaders because, for him, it is a big part of achieving a success not just in a business but in life as well. Being goal-driven will help us determine what we really want to accomplish, and if we already have a clear set of visions, we will be motivated to keep going no matter what it takes. Thus, I learned from him that we should not be disappointed by all the negative things in the world, but rather use them as encouragement to continue what we have already begun, and we will be unstoppable. In conclusion, the interview with Mr. Eljon made the completion of this requirement easier. Despite the fact that we were given several tasks from other course, I must admit that I enjoyed completing this one because of the knowledge I have obtained, which I can also apply on a daily basis. Moreover, with the help of my group mates, I felt this final requirement 20 FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance weighed lighter because all of them were active and expressed a willingness to accomplish excellent work. And we will not be able to complete this task without the guidance of our professor. He somehow motivates us to rely solely on our work because that is how he believes in our intelligence. Nevertheless, I would like to reiterate the morals that I have gained throughout the interview and the process of accomplishing this task. Whatever life throws at us; we must not allow it to overpower our ability. We must always give our absolute best, and no matter how many times we fail, we should never give up in order to arrive at our desired destination. D. Nerpio, Nathaniel Interviewing a person who had a huge part in a certain business had a lot of information and motivation to learn in business field. Getting knowledge about how to handle a business and be a professional is important and useful lesson in our lives. Mr. Ricardo V. Elon, Jr. is a Frontrow business distributor in his company. He’s the one that our group decided to interview because we knew we will learn a lot of things in business field to him. Mr. Elon is a graduate of electronics and communication engineering however; he didn’t do his career but he joined in Frontrow which is a networking company where he shows his passion to earn more money. During the interview, he answered all of our questions about handling a business, handling of employees or leadership and he gives us some advices that we could use if we start a business. The most remarkable answer he gave to us is if we’re about to start a business we should have a plan about it and know what are the goals or what we’re aiming for the betterment of the business. In addition, when we asked him about if everyone is destined to be a successful entrepreneur, and he answered us that he believes everyone is destined to be a successful, it is all about us if we do the hard-work no matter how slow our progress is but if we work hard for it, we will achieve it on our phase. Hearing those words makes me motivated and I learned what is the true purpose of the business and a leader. Those answers we get from him is very remarkable and meaningful that leads me to a realization that business is not an easy task. It is all about your hard-work and progress. It is not a race and we will achieve our dreams in our own phase. However, we should 21 FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance always have a plan for ourselves and business. Having a small or big goals for your business is necessary because it gives us direction to our plans and leads us to achieving it and leads us to become a successful entrepreneur. E. Peñaflor, Javerick Shawn As a student having dreams and goals is only natural and common, but achieving those dreams and goals is the one thing that is not common and separates us. We all have our own way to achieve certain things that we want and desire. This interview that I and my group conducted helped a lot in terms of achieving those dreams and goals. Interviewing someone that is professional and excels in his/her field of work is something that is beneficial for me as well as my groupmates. This experience is an eye-opener for me and will serve as a guide and motivation for my future career goals. Sir Ricardo Elon, the person that we interview shares a lot of knowledge in terms of business, he shares how to be a successful leader, how the company can be successful, how can I be successful, etc. One of those things that he shared is how failure is important in business and career. According to Elon (2021), “we need to love our failure”. As a college student, I am afraid of failure because it can mean to me as the end of the journey of my future career and dreams, and I might not have a second chance, or another shot to achieve those dreams. Failure can be fatal for me, but according to Sir Ricardo (2021), there is always a chance to achieve those dreams as long as I am alive and well. It made me realize that I can always try until I achieve my dreams and the things I wanted. Even if there is no opportunity for me to achieve my dreams, I can just create my own opportunity. I won’t let failure to stop me from achieving my dreams. Sir Ricardo also helps to influence the way I think. I am a negative thinker person and I always thought of things to have a negative effect on me and my environment, or I am the one to cause negative on myself and to my environment. Sir Ricardo stated that we always need to think positively to attract positive. His positive attitude and thinking led him to be successful in his field of work. Because of that, I learned to think positively, I started to think that my actions will have a great benefit someday and that I won’t fail, but if I fail, I will think of it as 22 FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance a lesson. Negative (-) is just a part of positive (+), and every negative or failure that comes will also lead to positive outcomes. In conclusion, I learned how to think of my failure as a lesson and not as a negative effect. I learned that in order for me to achieve something and be successful, I need to fail a lot because I cannot know what success means if I haven’t failed. That failure doesn’t mean a thing if I just accept it, learn from it, move on, and keep moving forward. I also learned that thinking positively can boost my confidence to achieve more and that I can do more. That I can be whatever I want if I just think positively just like a child thinking of his dreams. F. San Juan, John Paul Our team recently held an interview with Mr. Ricardo Elon, who is a business distributer of Frontrow. Frontrow business is a multi-level marketing firm that sells health, beauty and wellness products such as soap, lotion, pills, etc. that can help you with whitening your skin, smoothness of your skin, help loosen your body fats, and many more. Many countries use Frontrow and the membership is over one million. Frontrow’s member are recruiting more member and giving them opportunities to also make money for their needs. We appreciate all the message that Mr. Ricardo Elon shares with us and my personal reflections on his message was when he says “As a leader, dapat inaaral mo din ang sarili mong negosyo”. Yes, I agree with Mr. Elon, because if you don’t know all the effects, possibilities, weakness of your business, it will probably will fail, or the consumers of your business will have a problem like in their usage, mental health, or physical health. Mr. Elon also said that “Yung mga bagay na gusto mong gawin, dapat may plano ka”. I also agree with this because you can’t make a shortcut and get a success. Even though you succeed with no plan, after the accomplishment, there’s will be no growth and experience, succeeding with no plan is pure luck, getting lucky and having no experience and lessons will lead you to failure eventually. For me, you need to build strong foundation and make a quality process to get a high chance to succeed. In addition, I can also say that it depends in the person if he will get the opportunity and it’s her/his choice to give up. The message that struck me so hard that Mr. Elon said in our interview is “Before you plan or enter a business, you need first to set your mind to positive”. This message is absolutely true, because if your mind is thinking of negative 23 FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance whenever you notice something that is off, will lead you to getting upset or changing your plan consecutively. Being positive thinking, understandable, and having a broad perspective will fix your problem and confusion. Lastly, I appreciate this message that Mr. Elon said in the interview. “Ano ba yung magiging epekto ng produkto na aming ibebenta”. This message is smart because it’s true that your priority is the quality of your products, the satisfaction of your consumers, and the safety or assurance of your consumers to use your products. I salute Mr. Elon, because in my perspective, he is a good business leader. He has a very good vision, mission, and core values in the world of business. Mr. Elon is the good role model especially to those who will enter the business. There are right ways to enter and manage a business, you need to open your mind in every way because some business is a gamble, but choosing a right business with passion will increase your chance to get your business successful. G. Simangan, Aliya Margaritt “Everyone is destined to be successful. People only fail because they give up.” – Mr. Ricardo V. Elon, Jr. Our chosen interviewee was Mr. Ricardo V. Elon, Jr., and he is a Frontrow Business Distributor. He finished his Electronics and Communication Engineer studies but chose not to pursue a career in the engineering track. Upon graduating, he decided to enter the Multi-Level Marketing world, also known as Networking through Frontrow. He has already achieved a significant number of sales throughout his career. We chose him as our interviewee because of his displayed leadership and decision-making skills in running his business. He said that he could achieve all of his accomplishments thanks to his positive mindset in every situation. There are many learning moments during our interview that will significantly contribute to my leadership and decision-making skills. However, one of the highlights for me was the phrase, “in order to be an effective leader, you should always look at things in a positive light.” This stood out for me because personally, when life throws inconveniences along my way, I tend to let that affect my mood and mindset to the point that I can no longer give my all to whatever I am doing. The second is “Walk the talk; a leader should always lead by example.” This is my ideal definition of being a leader. I believe that a leader should not only assign 24 FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance work to other people. A true leader inspires his or her employees by performing with them in order to achieve their goals. Next is “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” This is such an interesting take on planning in order to attain success or a goal. As a student, I am used to the happy-go-lucky mindset, which does not include planning. After the interview, I decided that I should include planning in my routine as it will significantly help me finish tasks more efficiently. Lastly, the phrase “a negative mind will not give you a positive life” also stood out during the interview. Mr. Elon is preaching about how a positive attitude helped him overcome all the challenges involved in running a business. I have always dreamed of a successful career, and after the interview, I realized that when I am faced with challenges, I always tend to shut down, and I also tend to look at these challenges negatively. In order for me to achieve a positive life, I must start looking at things more positively. My father always told me that having a positive mindset is the first step in achieving something. Seeing that in Mr. Elon’s attitude towards handling his business makes me confident that I, too, can achieve greater things in life. The interview experience with Mr. Elon has been very enlightening. Hearing about his experiences in handling his business and all the people in it inspires me to achieve my goals. What amazes me the most is his mindset. It seems that he can always see the positive in every situation, even the pandemic. That made him push his business into a raging success no matter the challenges. The learnings I picked up from Mr. Elon will help me in my personal and student situations as I will be ready to face every challenge with a positive mindset. I believe that this positive mindset will make me focus more on my tasks and that it will be able to bring out the best in me in whatever situation. 25 FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance Acknowledgment FEUters would like to show our appreciation and gratitude for the help and support of Frontrow Business Distributor, Mr. Ricardo V. Elon, Jr. by participating in our interview about his knowledge in leadership and business despite his hectic schedule. We are grateful for his valuable answers, advices, effort, knowledge and suggestions about our interview. Our team are overwhelmed and grateful for acknowledging our consultation and giving his time to participate and sharing his ideas for us to learn more and have knowledge about leadership and business someday. We appreciate his contribution for making this study and interview possible. 26 FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance References Elon, Jr., R. (n.d.). Frontrow Enterprise Philippines Incorporated. Frontrow International. Retrieved November 12, 2021, from https://frontrowofficial.com/ 27 FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance Appendix/Appendices Leadership and Decision-Making Approval form Group Member Names: Section: Section 5 Date: November 4, 2021 De Jesus, Aaron Albert Fuentes, Hope Janfaye Carissa Dominique Lumbao, Jenelle Nerpio, Nathaniel Penaflor, Javerick Shawn Simangan, Aliya Margaritt Leader Names 1. Ric Elon Jr. Position Business owner Submitted by: Jenelle M. Lumbao Organization/Business Frontrow Business Distributor Approved by: (SGD) Prof. Leonardo F. Cada, Jr. 28