PH Embassy in Madrid Hosts Franchising, Entrepreneurship Seminar

Ambassador to Madrid Philippe J. Lhuillier discusses business opportunities with members of the Filipino community. (Madrid PE photo)

MADRID 08 May 2019 – In line with the Embassy’s economic diplomacy program, the Philippine Embassy in Madrid, in partnership with the Philippine Franchise Association (PFA), conducted a franchising and entrepreneurship seminar for the Filipino community in Spain, entitled “Franchise Investment Opportunities in the Philippines,” at the Hotel Miguel Angel in Madrid on 07 April 2019.

In his opening remarks, Philippine Ambassador to Spain Philippe J. Lhuillier noted the great interest in entrepreneurship shown by the Filipino community and underscored the importance of making smart, productive investments.

Ambassador Lhuillier offered his own career as a businessman and highlighted the numerous positive contributions of private enterprise to the Philippine economy. He exhorted the Filipino community to find worthwhile business opportunities in which to invest their money, as opposed to the conventional consumption-based remittance model.

The featured speakers at the event included PFA president and The FoodAsia Group president and chief executive officer (CEO) Richard Sanz, and PFA Chairman and Fruit Magic and Pure Nectar president and CEOA lan Escalona.

Mr. Sanz presented general tips on entrepreneurship and basic financial management and investment options, while describing his personal story of building his own business in his mid-twenties. He then presented the numerous advantages that franchising has in comparison to starting one’s own enterprise from the ground up.

Dr. Escalona followed on from Mr. Sanz’s talk and went into greater detail on franchising, with advice on how to look for the proper products or services to promote, how to avoid common scams, the challenges and benefits that one could expect as a franchisee, and the best ways to foster a long-lasting relationship with one’s brand owner.

The speakers then fielded questions from the audience during the open forum segment. This was followed by a mentoring session for nine participants who had registered in advance, with each participant receiving 15 minutes of one-on-one advising session with Ambassador Lhuillier, Mr. Sanz, or Dr. Escalona. END

Ambassador Lhuillier advises a participant on her entrepreneurship ideas and shares his private sector experience. (Madrid PE photo)

PFA Chairman Alan Escalona presents the advantages of franchising to the participants of the seminar. (Madrid PE photo)

PFA President Richard Sanz provides some recommendations to a prospective entrepreneur during the one-on-one consultation. (Madrid PE photo)

For more information, visit  www.madripe.dfa.gov.ph, www.philembassymadrid.com or https://www.facebook.com/PHinSpain/.