In the Oscar-nominated A Field of Dreams, the character played by Kevin Costner kepthearing these words: “If you will build, they will come.”
Although Andrew de Jesus Dorego had seen the movie,he never thought that he would be following the advice when he set hisconvenience store in the middle of nowhere in General Santos City. Today, his foresight had paid off.
From P3,000 per day, the sales of his store is nowP40,000 daily. And it is increasing eachday. Only 22 years old, he is touted tobe one of the successful youngest businessmen in the tuna capital of thecountry.
Andrew grew up in Koronadal, South Cotabato, theeldest of two siblings (the youngest is Chad) of Anecito and Dolores Dorego. But his parents have a business (gasolinestations) in General Santos City. At onetime, he was driving around Mabuhay Road, where a business building wasconstructed. There were no stores butthe area was surrounded by residential homes, hospitals, and resorts.
He told his parents that he wanted to put his ownbusiness there. His parents supportedhis plan but some people who saw the site persuaded him against the idea. But the more people rejected his insights, themore he wanted to pursue it.
“As an entrepreneur, you have to have your owndecisions in life,” he says. “There aresome hard decisions to make in life to your dream into reality. When they didn’t like my idea, I wasn’tdisheartened. In fact, I wanted to proveto them that they were wrong and I was doing the right decision.”
Following his own instincts and picking up some ofthe best advices from his parents, he opened his convenient store in that outof nowhere road and called it Choices.
“I named it Choices because from the name itself,costumers will already give an idea that we have the widest variety of productsto choose from,” Andrew explains, adding that he wants Choices to be “the topof the mind” brand of convenience stores in General Santos City.
In fact, he dreams that one day, Choices would bethe leading convenience store chain not only in the city but in the wholeregion of Southern Mindanao. “The dream may be farfetched, but slowly andsurely, it will come to pass,” he says.
For now, he is secured that the business is doinggreat. It is open 24 hours a day. “It’searning profit and more people are coming to the place,” he says. “It is becoming more popular.”
His convenience store will serve as his thesis forhis business entrepreneurship course at the Entrepreneur School of Asia inLibis, Quezon City. “I took up thecourse because I want it,” he points out. “It was not my parents who decided what kind of course I need totake. I want to have my own business andto help the community by creating jobs. Negosyo na talaga ‘yung gusto ko!”
And it was his parents, too, who serve as hisinspiration. “They are my idols,” headmits. “Our family started from scratchand yet now, because of hard work and sheer determination, malayo na narating nila.”
Andrew also credits his parents of what he isnow. “My parents trained me well to beready in life when I was growing up,” he says. “They used to tell that they everything will come to pass, includingthem.”
As the eldest, his parents allowed him to work inthe gasoline station and its nearby convenience store. “They taught me that life was not just aboutenjoyment but also work,” he says.
At the convenience store, he learned a lot from sellingto talking to the customers. He alsolearned how to display the products. Hewas only in grade six at that time. “From that time on, it made me realized asto what I wanted to be when I grow up,” he says.
To him, working in his parents business was fun andnot work. “Aside from helping myparents, I also get what I wanted like ice cream, chips, and biscuits, amongothers. As a sort of compensation, I wasgiven a big allowance.”
More than just work and fun, he got the knack ofbusiness. “I learned so many things fromit like selling products and how to intermingle with people. I also learned to say, ‘Thank you sir orma’am. Please come back again.’”
Today, Andrew has gone a long, long way. From a little kid enjoying life in Koronadal(where he experienced what life was way back then) to a debonair young man (whohas a bright future ahead of him).
If he were an animal, Andrew compares himself to alion. “I want to be the best of all,” hesays. “I can see myself as a lion,because I am strong, independent, and responsible. ‘Di ba,lion is the king of the jungle? That’swith my Choices, too. I want to see itas the number one convenience store in General Santos City.”
Looking at the future positively, Andrew seeshimself ten years from now as a successful entrepreneur having differentbusiness ventures. “I always look at a positiveoutlook in life, no matter what happen,” he says.
His words of wisdom when it comes to business: “Startearly as possible; you’ll enjoy life when you retire early. Positive, perseverance,and prayer are the three factors of becoming successful in life and I willalways follow these factors.”
Although Andrew de Jesus Dorego had seen the movie,he never thought that he would be following the advice when he set hisconvenience store in the middle of nowhere in General Santos City. Today, his foresight had paid off.
From P3,000 per day, the sales of his store is nowP40,000 daily. And it is increasing eachday. Only 22 years old, he is touted tobe one of the successful youngest businessmen in the tuna capital of thecountry.
Andrew grew up in Koronadal, South Cotabato, theeldest of two siblings (the youngest is Chad) of Anecito and Dolores Dorego. But his parents have a business (gasolinestations) in General Santos City. At onetime, he was driving around Mabuhay Road, where a business building wasconstructed. There were no stores butthe area was surrounded by residential homes, hospitals, and resorts.
He told his parents that he wanted to put his ownbusiness there. His parents supportedhis plan but some people who saw the site persuaded him against the idea. But the more people rejected his insights, themore he wanted to pursue it.
“As an entrepreneur, you have to have your owndecisions in life,” he says. “There aresome hard decisions to make in life to your dream into reality. When they didn’t like my idea, I wasn’tdisheartened. In fact, I wanted to proveto them that they were wrong and I was doing the right decision.”
Following his own instincts and picking up some ofthe best advices from his parents, he opened his convenient store in that outof nowhere road and called it Choices.
“I named it Choices because from the name itself,costumers will already give an idea that we have the widest variety of productsto choose from,” Andrew explains, adding that he wants Choices to be “the topof the mind” brand of convenience stores in General Santos City.
In fact, he dreams that one day, Choices would bethe leading convenience store chain not only in the city but in the wholeregion of Southern Mindanao. “The dream may be farfetched, but slowly andsurely, it will come to pass,” he says.
For now, he is secured that the business is doinggreat. It is open 24 hours a day. “It’searning profit and more people are coming to the place,” he says. “It is becoming more popular.”
His convenience store will serve as his thesis forhis business entrepreneurship course at the Entrepreneur School of Asia inLibis, Quezon City. “I took up thecourse because I want it,” he points out. “It was not my parents who decided what kind of course I need totake. I want to have my own business andto help the community by creating jobs. Negosyo na talaga ‘yung gusto ko!”
And it was his parents, too, who serve as hisinspiration. “They are my idols,” headmits. “Our family started from scratchand yet now, because of hard work and sheer determination, malayo na narating nila.”
Andrew also credits his parents of what he isnow. “My parents trained me well to beready in life when I was growing up,” he says. “They used to tell that they everything will come to pass, includingthem.”
As the eldest, his parents allowed him to work inthe gasoline station and its nearby convenience store. “They taught me that life was not just aboutenjoyment but also work,” he says.
At the convenience store, he learned a lot from sellingto talking to the customers. He alsolearned how to display the products. Hewas only in grade six at that time. “From that time on, it made me realized asto what I wanted to be when I grow up,” he says.
To him, working in his parents business was fun andnot work. “Aside from helping myparents, I also get what I wanted like ice cream, chips, and biscuits, amongothers. As a sort of compensation, I wasgiven a big allowance.”
More than just work and fun, he got the knack ofbusiness. “I learned so many things fromit like selling products and how to intermingle with people. I also learned to say, ‘Thank you sir orma’am. Please come back again.’”
Today, Andrew has gone a long, long way. From a little kid enjoying life in Koronadal(where he experienced what life was way back then) to a debonair young man (whohas a bright future ahead of him).
If he were an animal, Andrew compares himself to alion. “I want to be the best of all,” hesays. “I can see myself as a lion,because I am strong, independent, and responsible. ‘Di ba,lion is the king of the jungle? That’swith my Choices, too. I want to see itas the number one convenience store in General Santos City.”
Looking at the future positively, Andrew seeshimself ten years from now as a successful entrepreneur having differentbusiness ventures. “I always look at a positiveoutlook in life, no matter what happen,” he says.
His words of wisdom when it comes to business: “Startearly as possible; you’ll enjoy life when you retire early. Positive, perseverance,and prayer are the three factors of becoming successful in life and I willalways follow these factors.”
