Interview of Grace Tolentino from Philippines

Tell us about yourself 

I am Consul Major Grace Tolentino, Chairman and CEO of Boracay Beach Inc. and President of Akamai Holdings Inc. I’m in entrepreneurship, focusing in investments and finance. I’m based in the Philippines but I often travel throughout Asia.

I love building fruitful relationships with investors and clients. I value trust, transparency and consistency when I work with people. I constantly drive for efficiency in my organizations because I’m passionate about progress and results. I have managed to embrace who I am and see my worth. In life, we can impact more lives and make a difference every single day.

I am a Consul General and Chancellor General, United Nation

Intergovernmental Organization, Major and Chief Inspector of UN Police Intergovernmental Organization, Peace Mediator and Chancellor General, International Special Court of Arbitration and Human Rights, Major and Chief Inspector Philippines command, Member, Council of Europe; a Major and Superintendent for Women and Youth Welfare, ASEAN Command, US Federal Police Chaplain International. President, Philippines- India Business Council, Global Chamber of Commerce. Chairman of Finance of Grandeur Message for People Inc., Consultant for Investment and Tourism Royal House of Baloi- Federation of Royal and Noble House Philippines and ASEAN Royal, Senator of World Business Angels Investment Forum, Vice President Economic Relations Management of Apila Ng Bayan Inc. Chairman of Esports and Digital Sports Tourism Commission, Esports World Federation.

Knowing that we are at our best, we get to inspire others to be better everyday.

How many hours a day do you work on average?

I work around 80 hours a week to maintain the business and grow it rapidly.
3. Can you describe/outline your typical day?

I prefer to start my day with coffee, a nutritious meal, and supplements. I start work by responding to emails and messages. This usually takes up my mornings. My lunch is usually light and I take walks to clear my mind and improve my focus. I sometimes take meetings in the morning but usually schedule those in the afternoon.

Before the day ends, I make it a priority to do a daily round up with my team to track progress and updates. Its about making a positive and lasting impact on people’s lives and inspiring them to be best that they can be.

How has being an entrepreneur affected your family life?

I’m still single and I come from a close-knit family. I was actually able to get my family involved in what I do early on. In that sense, being an entrepreneur allows me to manage my time and take responsibility.

You are the only one who can use your ability. It is an awesome responsibility. It’s in your hands. Of all the gifts our Creator give us, surely the gift of choosing the way we are is one of the greatest.

What motivates you?

The lifestyle itself is my motivation. I like completing projects that make an impact. I’m passionate about my work, my team, and our partners. I enjoy the fact that I don’t work a 9 to 5. Though I work longer hours, I enjoy the flexibility and the freedom.

Committed people have goals. Any of us have are ordinary days and ordinary work but we have a choice about how we will do that work excellently. Private practice enhances public performance. Be prepared for change. Invest in yourself. Protect your passion points. You can succeed best and quickest if you help others succeed.

How do you generate new ideas?
I take inspiration from everyone I meet. I believe all people can share new ideas with you. I stay open minded when considering options and opportunities.

This mindset has opened many doors that resulted in successful ventures.
Pay attention to the things you can control, which areas you can influence. When you achieve the sense of balance, your platform will become more effective and influential.

What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear?

Be fearless. Nurture your ecosystem to influence your circles of concern. Concentrate on building quality over quantity. Always be prepared. Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEO’s of our own companies.

How did you come up with the name for your company?

I started in the tourism industry, promoting the island of Boracay. The island itself is already known worldwide and I really love the island. Since my professional identity was already associated with it, I decided to incorporate it as my brand for lifestyle and business.

I simply express my passion and share the reasons why you are who you are and what you do, this clearly make a difference.

How did you raise funding for your venture?

We grew overtime with each successful project. We sold products and services to our customers and slowly built up our capital. As we moved to investments and other ventures, capitals rapidly grow continuously. We continuously develop strategies to grow our market share.

Everyone has story to share. Develop a diverse network and build relationships. Actively seek out information. We focused on growth. We cannot become who we are and what we want to be by remaining what we are. We evolve, we innovate and adjust along the way.

How do you build a successful customer base?

We offer a good value proposition. As I mentioned, being open-minded is important and this allows us to cater and serve the needs of a broad range of possible investors and clients.

We put great effort in maintaining relationships and open communication with everyone even if were not actively working on a project. We enjoy the process. We do platform leverage is the development of our skill sets, competencies, ad experiences.

How does someone get you excited and willing to commit?

Anyone who is passionate about a venture or project also gets me excited. As an entrepreneur, I only commit my team once we have done our homework on the project viability and return on investments.

I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. The doers are enough and I love every time I see them.

As a serial entrepreneur, how do you see the market is growing in your country?

The Philippine government is promoting a “Build, Build, and Build” program and the country is known as an Asian Rising Tiger economy.

The Filipino workforce is much more resilient than most. Growth never really stopped. We just had setbacks because of the pandemic. Opportunities are up for the taking in real estate, financial services, and information technology. An investor only needs the right idea and the right people to become a strong global player starting from the Philippines.

How do you advertise your product/service?

With the global movement towards virtualization, adjusting our workflow has become more important. We were able to do this because of our team’s versatility. This allows us to not just continue, but to thrive in the changing times. We are now concentrating on virtual platforms to promote our brand. Adaptation of technology plays an important role in innovation.

We also get contacts through introductions. Many of our clients and investors promote our brand because of our good standing. We have built strong relationships with a lot of high quality investors and have a strong portfolio of successful projects and ventures to prove our capacity.

To what do you attribute your success?
Building our reputation and consistency is key. We value strong partnerships and relationships. We also strive for continuous improvement and innovation to stay ahead. It’s not enough to go with trends, but rather create the trends that others follow. Despite the changes, we maintain true to our vision; to be progressive and adapt to new ways of doing business.

Success on our own terms. Fire up your passion, ignite your career and create an interesting life.

What was the reason to start your company?

I simply enjoy what I do. I started the company in order to promote the products and services I learned from resources I gathered over the years.
Becoming a Chairman and CEO meant that I would be able to help even more people as I had a real desire to be better than I was yesterday. I make sure my life is my choice. I work full day and I have a long night and I am ready for more the very next morning. I make sure I craft opportunities in every given situation. This allowed me to develop my goals.

What do you look for in an employee? The most important thing to us is that they fit into our corporate culture!

I always look for a person who has a combination of competence and character. Since we are on the mindset of growth, it is important that this person can create and grow relationships not just with our team but also with clients. This person should also have the ability to quickly learn and adapt to the changing business environment.

What made you choose your current location?

Home is where the heart is and home is where you are strongest. Starting ventures should always be within your circle of competence and resources.
Our focused is in the Philippines at this time as we are very strong in the region and have global investors attracted to our way of doing business and unique value proposition, we make sure every landed transaction benefit the economy of the country and share our success through our corporate social responsibility around the globe.

What kind of Corporation is your business?

The company, Boracay Beach Inc., is strongly positioned in finance, real estate, finance technology, and investments. Years ago we were into travel and tourism.

The brand evolved, we were able to branch out into business centers, developing properties, and real estate investments. We also invest in other lucrative projects.

Akamai Holdings Inc. is a multinational company that is greatly involved in developing properties and have group combined experience in finance, real estate and PPE.

 Do you work locally or internationally?

We have partnerships both domestic and international. We have investment partners and banking partnerships worldwide and our workforce is in Philippines and abroad.

What’s your company’s goals?

We want to be globally recognized as a brand that impacts investments, property developments and financial landscape.

We also want to make sure that our clients and investors are able to achieve their own goals. It’s not just about the company, but about our relationships and partnerships.

What are your responsibilities as the business owner?

I make tough decisions and make sure we are in the right path towards long-term success.

I make sure everyone on the team is not just doing their job but also learning and improving. This is all towards the goal of taking care of our clients and partners as we take care of the company.

Does your company help the community where it is located?

We work with local groups and even the government to make sure that our projects and property development is sustainable. We connect international organizations to our projects to showcase the ease of doing business, ease of finance and ease quality of living.

Have you ever turned down a client?

I exhaust all viable options and resources to make arrangements for every potential client that we encounter.

If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting out, what would it be?

Be true to yourself and play to your strengths. There is no single way to become a success and everyone must find their own path. Learn your own abilities and leverage them.

 

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