To be a millionaire is everybody’s dream. Who wouldn’t want to live comfortably not having a single worry about financial matters, right? But it seems like only a few out of millions of Filipinos get their wishes granted. You might ask, has Aladdin’s magical lamp lost its power? But whether you believe it not, most business empires’ tales of success did not come true with a wave of a magic wand or in just a snap of genie’s fingers.

Yes, their stories might be compared to that of Cinderella’s, a rags-to-riches plot of success, but unlike this fairytale, top businesses’ story of triumph did not happen overnight or past midnight.

Look at sari-sari stores ubiquitous on every street and corner in the Philippines. Many of the country’s biggest companies started that small… so small that they often compare their humble beginnings to the tales of Cinderella. Only that, in the context of business, they will tell you that their hard work forms a huge part of their success.

So, if you’re planning to put up your own business someday, let these stories inspire you.

1 Ice cream parlor to PH’s biggest food chain

When you were a kid, a visit to Jollibee was the greatest reward you can achieve. But just like the other businesses on this list, Jollibee did not start as the successful fast food chain that it is now. It all began in 1975 as an ice cream parlor franchises in Cubao, Quezon City. However, the owner realized that most of his customers want to eat something to fill their stomachs before having the cold treats that he sells. So the owner, Tony Tan Caktiong’ then diversified his food by adding burgers and fried chicken that eventually placed Jollibee on the map.

Even here in the UAE, one can count on multiple Jollibee’s being around, ready to serve you a Yumburger, ChickenJoy, or your own personal favorite. According to the official Jollibee website, in less than 10 years, in 1984, Jollibee reached the 500 million peso sales milestone. Another 5 years later in 1989, Jollibee accomplished another amazing feat – reaching the 1 billion peso sales mark – making it the first fast-food chain in the Philippines to do so.

Jollibee has indeed revolutionized the fast food industry in the Philippines. Today, this fast food chain satisfies the appetites of Filipinos all over the world with over 1,000 stores worldwide.

2 Mail cargo to 4-star airlines

Philippine Airlines is one of the oldest airlines in Asia operating under its original name. But before it became flag carrier of the Philippines, it first started providing mail, cargo and passenger service particularly in the island of Luzon.

In 1941, Philippine Airlines was founded by a group of businessmen. Then later that same year, the Philippine government invested in PAL, paving the way for the airline’s nationalization. In 1946, PAL made an incredible milestone as it became the first Asian airline to cross the Pacific. The following year, PAL earned the distinction of being the first airline in Southeast Asia to fly to Europe as it flew to Rome and Madrid.

As the years passed by, PAL continued to extend their international services by flying Filipinos to their destinations safe and sound.

3 Small store to PH’s largest bookstore

Every start of school year, National Book Store (NBS) is perhaps the most popular go-to place for students. With 128 branches all over the Philippines, who would have thought that this big school supply and reading material store started off as a small store in 1942.

With only P200, National Book Store was established by married couple Jose and Socorro Ramos in Avenida, Rizal. However, in the early years of NBS’ establishment, the couple struggled as their store was burned down during the war, and got ruined by a typhoon.

Fast forward to the early 2000’s, Socorro or Nanay Coring, as many call her, won the Entrepreneur of the Year from Ernst and Young. They also established the National Book Store Foundation, Inc., and launched the NBS Website.

In recent years, they have launched many collaborations, held many events for readers, received many recognitions from award-giving bodies, and is now considered as the country’s largest bookstore.

4 Shoe store in Binondo to the most successful chain of malls in PH

This story is perhaps one of the most popular and most narrated rags-to-riches stories in the Philippine business world. Before SM became the country’s biggest shopping mall and retail center, Henry Sy, owner of SM, was born to a poor family in China. As per its website, the mall was founded as a shoe store by Henry Sy, Sr., in October 1958 in downtown Manila.

Sy, who is known as the visionary of Philippine retail because of his innovations in the industry, thought of establishing a chain of shoe stores with a store layout and merchandising concepts never before tried in the Philippines.

The success of the shoe store led to its expansion as a full line store, and the first SM Department Store opened in downtown Manila in 1972. With its exciting merchandise mix, world-class interiors, one-stop shopping convenience, and service, SM has become part of the lives of many Filipinos. Today, it has 32 branches strategically located around Metro Manila and key cities around the country.

DID YOU KNOW?

In the beginning of August 1979, PAL began carrying Filipino contract workers to the Middle East with the introduction of services to Bahrain. In 1982, DC-10 service was introduced to Dhahran in a major breakthrough for PAL in the Middle East Filipino labor market, and Dubai was added to the Middle East route.