Corporate man finds niche advising family businesses

He helps families grow their wealth and businesses.

That is  Virgilio “Nonoy” G. Espeleta’s forte with his consultancy  firm that specializes in developing small family businesses into professional organizations.

Espeleta, who owns Famcor Franchise Management and Executive Development Corp., set up his  company in 2007, offering a unique service in Cebu.

Before that, he was the president and chief operations officer of Julie’s Franchise Corp., a family-owned bakeshop of the Gandioncos   of Cebu that grew into a national chain.

“I have already been with several family businesses and observed that each of them is  similar one way or another with the same problems. That’s where I can come in and help them,” said Espeleta, who has eight  clients in his current portfolio.

He coined his company name  from the words family and corporation.

His journey in  setting up his business and finding his niche market took almost two decades to realize.

But he never stopped believing that he could have his own business and be his own boss.

setbacks

There were setbacks along the way.

His  first business venture, a   trading company, failed to take off when the global economy  was badly hit after the 2001 World Trade Center attack and the Asian economic crisis.

He had to close the company  after two years  of operation.

“That failure was difficult for me but I considered it  very expensive tuition for a learning experience,” he said.

“It’s ironic because I never paid a single centavo on tuition for my bachelor and master’s degree. And later I was to pay  very expensive tuition but still I looked at it as an experience I can use,” he said.

He then did  consultancy work  for family-owned companies  in Cebu and later was invited to join Julie’s Corp. on a full-time basis.

“I joined them eventually that same year as the president and chief operations officer,” he said.

Espeleta applied all his knowledge and skills to help steering the company to new heights.

“I thought this was yet a small company that I can grow, put in all my learnings about professionalizing the business, marketing operations, finance and merchandising. It was during that time that Julie’s started to grow from less than 300 outlets  to over 600,” he said.

His success in Julie’s helped him  realize  his strength lies in helping small family corporations  become bigger.

In 2007, Espeleta set up Famcor. He officially launched it and accepted clients only last year.

He has a team of five  helping him with  projects in Bohol, Leyte and Manila.

Espeleta had come  a long way from his  dreams as a teenager in Getafe, Bohol province.  He  first wanted to become a priest and a military man.

Priest

“As a young boy I was often laughed at by friends because I wanted to be a priest. Sometimes i’d get some unblessed ostiya (Mass wafers used in communion). After service in  Mass as an altar boy, I would  gather other kids in our neighborhood and pretend to celebrate Mass  with me acting as the priest,” he said.

He later was active in boy scouting and thought  of joining the military when he grew up.

He attended high school in Divine Word College, which is now Holy Name University in Tagbilaran City, Bohol.

There he saw an entirely different community from where he grew up.

“The city was bigger and had very active trading activities, which  inspired me to become a businessman when I grew up. That dream was  in my heart until I reached college.”

Espeleta moved to Cebu to attend college.

“First, I wanted to enter the  seminary but my elder brother was already there. I also tried joining the PMA (Philippine Military Academy) but I had problems with my teeth then  and they had  strict standards so I ended up enrolling in an engineering course,” he said.

Espeleta, the fifth of eight children, didn’t want  his schooling to be a burden to the family so he  applied for a scholarship with   the Department of Science and Technology.

He was given three options for courses to take— chemical engineering, mechanical and electrical engineering.

“I chose chemical engineering because I thought it would give me better options for business someday,” he said.

After he graduated and ranked 9th place in the Chemical Engineering Board Exam, the Philippine Associated Smelting and Refining Corp. (Pasar) hired him as a pioneer engineer for the firm’s copper smelting plant in Isabel, Leyte province, in  1982.

He spent seven years with the company then  went back to school as a Management Education scholar at the Asian Institute of Management from 1989 to 1991.

first job

“My first job right after finishing my master’s degree was a project management job with Landco then later I was promoted as real estate marketing property administration  management and business development,” he said.

He  later worked for San Miguel Corp. to handle La Tondeña Distillers Inc. in Mandaue City in 1992 as plant manager.

He  moved up the ranks in 1995 to become the director of sales and operations for the Visayas and Mindanao.

In 2000, after working in various companies, he set up his trading business, which he shut down in 2002.

With his new company and new niche market, Espeleta has another take on his new direction.

“I   failed once in business.  Doing business is always a risk and your failures now will also help shape your success in the future. All you have to do is keep believing and always have  determination,” Espeleta said.