With five failed businesses in tow, debts to his dad, and a sprinkle of shame from closing, yet again, what he thought was the startup that would thrive, a small business owner from the Philippines decided to give it one last go.
It was 2010, and after begging his dad to borrow one last time, Ralph Layco gave his imagined business—a hybrid barber shop—one shot.
Fortunately, the tables turned for Ralph and this one became a hit. His brand, Macho Mucho, already has eight branches all over the Philippines, and get this: he’s not even a barber or a stylist. He was actually part of the market. He wanted a barber shop that looked hip and cool and a place where guys can feel good about being seen. Something they will tell their friends about. Somewhere they want to share on social media.
After the success of Macho Mucho, a slew of projects came to Ralph. Leading the thinking chair for Macho Mucho’s brand development, he also developed products for HairFood Co., a natural hair care brand. To date, this brand has more than 30 products that are sold in 11 nationwide branches along with Crown and Glory, a hair regrowth product.
Now don’t get me wrong, Ralph does not only dabble in the hair care industry. He also consults for tourism projects, owns a social entrepreneurship venture, even bags awards that recognize young marketers.
When asked about his inspiration and principles in challenging the difficult, here are a few wise mindset shifts to get by:
- Always choose to see the possibilities. Sometimes what we see is just the face value of things. We fail to see what the other possibilities are. We fail to appreciate it for what it can still be, and then accept it just as it is. If you want to have something extraordinary, first you have to see that there is, indeed, something that’s extraordinary. Then you work the possibilities out, so that you can turn them into a reality. From starting a hair care brand to revamping the look of their city airport, Ralph has always used this mindset.
- Put a lot of heart into your initiatives. In a day of an uber busy entrepreneur—doesn’t matter if you’re just starting out or it was really a crazy week—if you don’t put your heart in what you do, you will easily get tired and lose motivation. Unknown to many, Ralph takes pro-bono side projects and runs a social enterprise (coffee shop) to keep his fire alive. You can do the same too. “Feed your wallet, feed your soul,” as they say.
- Live an enriching life. Truly, you will only keep getting inspiration and motivation if you also live an enriching life. There is no shortcut to this. Travel, reading, spending time with friends and
family, and helping young entrepreneurs thrive are some of the things that Ralph does to vary his experiences and keep his ideas coming. - With failure, you decide what your rock bottom is. He used to own an events company, a magazine company, other retail investments, and even an online startup. But Ralph refused to believe that he had a “rock bottom”. Or, when he kept going, he decided he was done with it, and he was never going back. So remember, even when you are faced with failure, you still have a choice on how to see it.
- Push your luck; there is no ceiling. Now, along with thinking that you decide what your rock bottom is, one should also keep stacking up the wins and feel good while at it. When you feel like you’re getting great momentum, stay more and more motivated, stay more inspired, and act right away! Aside from joining contests, gracing speaking engagements, and assisting in tourism project, slowing down is not in Ralph’s vocabulary.
Although Ralph Layco is clearly a rising star among entrepreneurs in the Philippines, the name is here to stay. You’ll be seeing more of Ralph in the coming months since he is geared up to launch something that will get more millennials going into reaching their full potential and taking action on their dreams.
The question is, are you ready to challenge the difficult?
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Originally published at goodmenproject.com