He makes money painting the sky with his fireworks

In business there is always that risk to take and for a young businessman as Brian Lim, however, it came too soon and with a bang!

Only 10 years into the pyrotechnics business, Brian Lim, chief executive officer of Pyroworks International Inc., faced a major challenge last year when the Cebu city government confiscated and doused water over P3-million worth of his products.

The move was to show that the city government was strict in implementing the banning of sale of firecrackers outside the designate selling area, which is a portion of the South Road Properties.

Until now, he said he had not yet recovered the P3 million he lost from the incident.

He, however, have moved on and see the incident as an investment that helped clarify the difference between firecrackers and pyrotechnic products, which is what Lim’s products were.

“It was because of that incident that lawmakers and executives in our local government found out the difference between the two and realized that the law we have on firecrackers is already obsolete,” he said.

Lim was referring to the Cebu City Council’s passing of an ordinance clearly stating the difference between firecrackers and pyrotechnic products.

According to Lim, pyrotechnic is a specialized fireworks display that makes use of color, lights and sound compared to the traditional firecrackers like the triangle and super lolo, which capitalizes on the loud sounds they create.

At one point, Lim thought of moving the business to other places where the laws on pyrotechnics and firecrackers are more defined like the United States.

“I also asked myself if I am in the right business, but because it was first a passion for me before it became my business, I pulled through and moved on. It was a bad experience for a young businessman like me but I’d rather look at it in a more positive manner,” said Lim.

As a young boy, Lim recalled he would often set up his own fireworks display for their family during holidays and special occasions like birthdays.

“I recalled visiting manufacturers in Mactan when I was still 10 years old and order custom-made fireworks for me that I can use for my private family shows,” said Lim.

The passion eventually grew and evolved into a business for Lim, whose family has always been into the beauty and wellness industry with companies like Salon de Rose and Rose Pharmacy.

“It was a bit odd and different for me to take on the business, but because it was my passion, I pursued and created Pyroworks International Inc. in 2001,” he said. He was only 18 years old when he started the business.

Since then, Lim has made many achievements that placed Cebu in the map for the best fireworks show like his recent holding of the Guinness World Book of Records for launching 125,801 rockets in under 30 seconds on May 8, 2010, during the Cebu Summer Sportsfest held at the SRP.

Lim considers his craft as his own art with the sky serving as a huge canvass for his paintings.

“I choreograph and design the shows like a painter painting beautiful pictures and the night sky is my canvas to tell a fantastic story,” said Lim.

Lim is also the first to introduce “pyromusical” in Cebu where fireworks are synchronized with music like what he did during the SM Pyrofest last year.

“I synchronized the music ‘Time of Your Life’ with the fireworks. This year we will do that again with U2’s ‘Beautiful Day’ on Jan. 14, 2012, in SM City Cebu grounds again for the Pyrofest,” he said.

They are now also selling their products at SM City Cebu where you can buy pyrotechnic products as low as P75 to as much as P9,500, which already have over 100 shots of fireworks colors.

“From Dec. 25 to 27, we will also be doing a ‘Buy 2 Get 1’ promo in our stalls,” said Lim.

After what happened, Lim said he looks at the future with more hope that eventually pyrotechnics industry will grow more and the awareness of people about the product will improve.

For now, Lim said he will continue to paint the skies, continue to introduce more new concepts and shows and continue to reap achievements that will make Cebu known globally for our firework shows.