From Failure to Success: The entrepreneurial journey of Albert and Ice

The Manila Times

From Failure to Success: The entrepreneurial journey of Albert and Ice  Albert Angeles and his wife, Ice, have overcome numerous obstacles on their path to success as entrepreneurs. Albert's early struggles, from growing up with a mother working overseas to facing multiple setbacks in his career, shaped his determination to succeed in the business world. After failed attempts at setting up boutique stores in shopping malls, Albert found hope in Ice's venture into selling frozen meat products. This initial success inspired them to expand their business by creating hamburger patties for resale, a venture that proved to be lucrative. Albert's innovative spirit led him to introduce multi-colored buns, further setting their products apart in the market. Today, Albert and Ice are thriving as business owners, providing opportunities for others to start their own ventures.  Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe   Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net   Subscribe to Business Franchise Guru: https://www.youtube.com/@BusinessFranchiseGuru   Follow us:  Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook  Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram  Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter  DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion    Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital  Sign up to our newsletters: https://tmt.ph/newsletters  Check out our Podcasts:  Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify  Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts  Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic  Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer  Stitcher: https://tmt.ph/stitcher Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein   #TheManilaTimes  #philippines #entrepreneur

Transcript

00:00The Business Mentor Talks is vlog by no other, Armando Butz Bartolome, in cooperation with

00:14the Manila Times.

00:15It aims to bring to life and recognize entrepreneurs who constantly strive to create a living for

00:21the community as well.

00:51Welcome to the Business Mentor Talks with Butz Bartolome.

01:15I'm Armando Butz Bartolome and I'm bringing to you a very good interview with an entrepreneur.

01:26You know, on Sundays, it's good to discuss and analyze what we should study or probably

01:38reflect, especially in the world of entrepreneurship or business.

01:44So today, we have a guest, a man who will really touch your hearts because he has made a breakthrough

01:57in his career and in his business.

02:00So let's not wait any longer and let's introduce Mr. Albert Angeles.

02:07Albert, good Sunday to you.

02:09How are you?

02:11Good morning to all of our viewers, sir Butz. Thank you for having me here.

02:18Yeah. So Albert, what I'm telling you and what you've been through, I know it's like a soap opera.

02:28Your story is like a soap opera. But let's not make our viewers cry, but rather inspire them.

02:39So what really started you, Albert? How did you start your career?

02:49What have you been through, Albert?

02:52I grew up in a poor family. I was the son of an OFW.

03:02As the son of an OFW, I grew up in poverty.

03:08So I saw how hard it is to be poor.

03:13So as a child at that time, just like them, I dreamed that the day would come when I would be like the successful people I saw.

03:26That's what I put in my mind that until now, I should reach that.

03:32That's what I put in my mind when I was young.

03:36In other words, Albert, this became your guide that I cannot be born poor. I cannot be poor.

03:48Why is that true? You said that, especially the children of OFWs, life is not easy, right Albert?

03:58When you grow up, is this your parents or your father or your mother is an OFW?

04:05My mother. It's really hard, especially when you're young. You have no one to guide you.

04:11When it comes to school, when it comes to your assignments, when you need moral support, you don't have anyone to guide you.

04:24So it's really hard.

04:26How many years were you separated from your mother?

04:30My mother was in Singapore for more than 10 years.

04:3810 years. Okay. How many times did your mother go home?

04:44Once a year. Sometimes not, sometimes once a year.

04:49It's really hard because she's a BH in another country.

04:54So you went through what our OFWs go through, being separated from their loved ones.

05:06But you didn't give up in that situation. In other words, you went up and you forced yourself to go up.

05:17That became your driving force, right Albert?

05:20Yes, sir.

05:21So what I did was, like other employees, I went from being a regular insurance agent,

05:36and then I became a service crew. That's what I did.

05:46Then I became a machine operator for amusement parks.

05:50Then, of course, my goal was that every time I go in, I have a stepping stone.

05:56In other words, I level up.

05:59So when our call center closed, I dreamed of going to another call center.

06:06Even though I was only in my third year of college.

06:10What they charge for that is a four-year course.

06:14But I told myself, if they can afford it, I can afford it too.

06:18So I went in, I applied for a call center, for a 13 call center, and then for a 14, that's where I got hired.

06:26So from the time I got hired, it wasn't easy for me to compete with those who were able to finish their studies.

06:35But at that time, I told myself, if they can afford it, I can afford it too.

06:41So whatever they can do, I really insisted that I should do more.

06:49So that's what I did.

06:51I didn't leave it to myself why I'm doing this for the sake of my family.

06:59That's where the why comes in.

07:01It should be important that you know why you're doing something.

07:05Even if it's hard for you, you will continue to fight and pursue your dreams.

07:12So in other words, Albert, you always have, as others say, fire under their belly.

07:20In other words, you have fire that burns you.

07:25Hey Albert, don't be lazy. Hey Albert, don't be lazy.

07:31In other words, it's good that you're starting something.

07:36First of all, 13 call centers.

07:38It's really tiring.

07:40You go to all of them and they reject you or call you.

07:43I'm sure you've experienced that they will give you a call, the usual tagline of people.

07:51But you counted, 13, 13.

07:56It really hit me.

07:58The most painful part for me is when people see you and judge you,

08:05when they criticize you that your dreams are too high.

08:09It's like you can't do that.

08:15Then you laugh, especially your friends.

08:18So that was the challenge for me.

08:21I said I will prove to them that I can do it.

08:24Exactly. That's great.

08:27So in other words, even those who reject you,

08:30it's okay, it's okay.

08:32You're not being noticed.

08:35Because you're saying, why are they judging you or shaping your life?

08:44You have your own life.

08:46That's your goal.

08:50Albert, what right do you have to shape my life?

08:54I have my own life.

08:56Those are the good things.

08:57That's a good quote, Albert.

08:59So there, you started.

09:02When did you become a businessman?

09:04When did you jump into being an employee?

09:08And when did Albert become a businessman?

09:11How was that?

09:12Actually, that was the best part for me before I started doing business.

09:19When I was in the call center, from being an agent until I reached my highest position,

09:25I told myself that I can't replace my boss.

09:29So what I did was, I put up my own business.

09:33When I started doing business, I thought that if I jumped into it, it would be okay.

09:39So that was the biggest mistake I made.

09:42Before I jumped into the business world, I didn't study it.

09:46So from that, I had a lot of failures.

09:50But those failures were not a barrier for me to end my career or to achieve my dreams.

09:56So like what happened to me before, I kept on continuing.

10:01That's why I said, consistency is the key.

10:04So I just kept on going.

10:06Until the time came when I said,

10:10you don't just need skills, you also need to study the business.

10:19So when I started studying business, that's when it all started.

10:25When I started studying business, that's when I realized that this is okay,

10:31that I'm doing this, that I'm studying.

10:34After that, I learned a lot from people like Raymond, my mentor,

10:38and also from my friends who are my business partners.

10:42Like I said, if you want to reach the sun, you need to be with those people.

10:51So you are the average of the five persons that you are with.

10:56So that's the path that I'm taking right now.

10:59So what was the first business that you did, Albert?

11:02Actually, there are a lot.

11:04I did all of them.

11:06So the first business that I did was selling food,

11:14I sold shoes, clothes, bags, almost everything.

11:22Cellphone accessories.

11:24And all of those failed.

11:27Before the pandemic, I had a boutique shop in a mall.

11:34So I have eight stores in the mall.

11:38Then during the pandemic, that was the most difficult thing that happened to me.

11:44I went bankrupt because my stores were closed in the mall.

11:50Because my stores were closed in the mall,

11:54I was forced to pay monthly.

12:00That's where I lost everything until all of our savings became negative.

12:07I lost everything until I was in debt.

12:11That's when I reached that point.

12:14But Albert, here's the thing. Your heart is beating fast.

12:18In other words, you have a wife, Ais.

12:22How does it feel to have a wife in the midst of trials and tribulations?

12:27What are the things that you experienced, Ais and Albert,

12:34as husband and business partner?

12:37What did you learn from that?

12:40Actually, it's good to have a business partner.

12:44Of course, that was a big part of my life.

12:48During the pandemic, we were in debt.

12:54That's when I got sick. I had anxiety.

12:59It reached the point where I wanted to end my life

13:03because I didn't know how to pay all of my debts at that time.

13:09Because for me, integrity is very important.

13:13So, I told myself, I asked my wife,

13:17Mom, if I die now, can you take care of my children?

13:26She said no.

13:28At that time, I thought about it because she wasn't in business.

13:32I was the only one in business at that time.

13:35What I did was, I involved her in business.

13:41We became a tandem in business.

13:46What she did, I told her,

13:48sell frozen food online, even for a kilo.

13:54So that she can learn how to do business.

13:57When she started, at first, it was a bit difficult.

14:03But when it was successful, her business exploded

14:06because of the strength of frozen food.

14:08So, our outcome was good.

14:11And then, when I saw that it was good,

14:15I had nothing else to do but to help her.

14:18Because, I told you, almost at that time,

14:21I thought I was going to die.

14:24But at that time, I told the Lord,

14:26It's up to you.

14:27He was good because he guided us.

14:30He was the reason why we survived.

14:34So, I almost forgot about my plan.

14:37Until my schedule became busy,

14:41I helped her in business.

14:43That's when our business started,

14:45which is the Mommy Ice Food Corporation.

14:48So, we entered Mommy Ice.

14:53At first, we were just a retailer.

14:56And then, when we were selling online,

15:00we said, you can't be good at everything.

15:03So, we chose one, which is the burger patty.

15:06Because we saw in our data

15:09that the burger patty was the one that stepped up for us.

15:13So, we focused on the burger patty.

15:16And then, what we did,

15:18as I said earlier, it's consistent with the cake.

15:21It was just continuous until we noticed that there were a lot of people eating it.

15:26Until we started trending online,

15:29which is when our business, Mommy Ice Burgers, exploded.

15:34Because, as I said, you should have your own unique product.

15:40So, it's not just the patty.

15:42Our clients are looking for burgers.

15:45So, what we did, we also manufactured bread,

15:49which is different colors of burgers,

15:51the big burgers.

15:53That's where Mommy Ice really exploded

15:56until we got to know each other.

15:58That's how our story went.

16:00You know, your story is beautiful.

16:02It started with a kilo of frozen.

16:04Then, that's the key for you to change your mind and have a life.

16:11That's your plan.

16:14There's still hope.

16:16It's not the end of the world.

16:18As we said, it's not over yet.

16:21The boxing is not over yet, as some people say.

16:26There are still last two minutes in basketball.

16:31The score changed.

16:33Your life changed because of Ice.

16:38Ice became your mentee.

16:41In other words, if you can see the path, Albert,

16:47you became Ice's mentor.

16:51Yes.

16:52Ice played a big part in what happened.

16:57If he wasn't there, I wouldn't know what happened to me.

17:00He became the key for us.

17:05That's why we became Mommy Ice.

17:08I did that business in case whatever happens to me during the pandemic,

17:15I can leave something for my children and my wife.

17:20What I did is what will survive me for my problems.

17:26What happened to you is beautiful.

17:28In other words, you're the one who's supplying,

17:32we're showing the pictures of your burgers, different kinds of burgers.

17:37Why did you focus on burgers to create a business for a business?

17:44That's what Ice said.

17:46You created a business for other people to do business.

17:50In other words, B2B.

17:52You manufactured, you studied, you studied.

17:56Different kinds of burgers.

17:58What were the burgers that you developed?

18:02That's what we did.

18:04As I said, I studied business.

18:08We thought that the best business is the providing business.

18:15So we focused on our colleagues that we also want to help

18:21to provide their income during the pandemic.

18:26That's where our concept of selling burgers to our colleagues came from.

18:35We studied different kinds of burgers and different colors.

18:42That's a good story because before we got those different colors of bread,

18:49I broke 17 sacks of flour.

18:53How many sacks?

18:5417 sacks.

18:58You're a little expensive.

19:00I mean trial and error.

19:01Trial and error.

19:0217 sacks.

19:04How many kilos per sack?

19:0725.

19:08My wife told me that time.

19:11She said to me,

19:14what are you doing?

19:16Instead of making a profit, we're losing money.

19:18Of course, my passion is there.

19:21I just kept going.

19:25That's what I'm saying.

19:26If your passion for business is there and what you're doing is there,

19:31whatever happens, you will continue to do it.

19:35Why did you think of having different colored buns?

19:39Why?

19:40What entered your creativity, Albert?

19:43In business, you can't…

19:47There should be something unique when you do business.

19:52There should be a wow factor.

19:55At that time, I thought of a regular burger with a simple color of bread.

20:00But I told myself that I won't be noticed by people

20:03or I won't be bought by people if this is my burger,

20:07the boring, usual, typical burger.

20:10So what I did is I thought of something unique,

20:13which is having different colored bread.

20:18So I made different colored bread to be noticed.

20:23What was the impact when you introduced it to the market, to the sellers?

20:27What was the impact?

20:29At first, they didn't notice it,

20:33but I told them to keep doing it.

20:36When they saw that it was unique and they were happy with it,

20:41they said that it's a Spongebob burger.

20:43That's where our burger came from.

20:46Of course, it's not over yet.

20:48People need to see something new.

20:51You need to be creative in business.

20:53That's really it.

20:55What I did, aside from the different colors,

20:58I also made different sizes.

21:01There's bite size, there's platter size,

21:05the big burger that looks like a pizza.

21:07And then the regular sizes,

21:09those are the adjustments I made during that time.

21:13So in other words, Albert,

21:15it's like those who are watching us,

21:17who are thinking of doing business,

21:19I will only hire Albert and Mommy Ice Food

21:22because they have different kinds of burgers,

21:26and they have different colored and different sizes of buns.

21:30In other words, all they have to do is sell.

21:34You are the support behind.

21:38They don't need to experiment anymore

21:40because the business is already there.

21:42You will sell and create a good customer service.

21:48It's like Mommy Ice is multiplying.

21:52Yes sir.

21:54What they will do is,

21:56since we already learned that,

21:58all they have to do is sell.

22:00Sell the products so they can earn.

22:03That's all.

22:05As I said, everything is already thought of.

22:07All you have to do is copy that,

22:11study the business a little,

22:14and then the most crucial thing is to sell.

22:18That's all.

22:20Correct, correct, correct.

22:22Wow, your story is so beautiful, Albert.

22:24It's like there's no end.

22:26Albert and Ice went through,

22:31again, everything has a purpose.

22:35If you really look back,

22:37when you were still a child of an OFW,

22:42there's always a purpose.

22:45There's a why, not the end.

22:49There's always a why and a how.

22:52That's what we're saying.

22:54You and Ice are always in seminars.

23:00Aren't you tired of learning, Albert?

23:06Knowledge is never-ending.

23:10We should continue to learn.

23:13It's like a knife.

23:17You should always be sharp.

23:19That's what we're hoping for.

23:20Our brains are the same.

23:22We should always hope.

23:24One more thing,

23:26we should have a circle of people

23:28who can join us.

23:31They're very important,

23:33like our CCCI, ICSB.

23:37I also have different groups

23:40that are involved in business.

23:42Everyone is unique.

23:44I have knowledge that they don't know.

23:47They have knowledge that I don't know.

23:49Once we combine our knowledge,

23:52it makes us perfect.

23:54So that we can be more successful.

23:58Correct.

23:59I heard that you're also giving talks, Albert.

24:03You were invited to give a speech.

24:06It's like a testimonial

24:09that poverty can't be poor

24:12until it's poor.

24:14In other words,

24:15you're coming out

24:17and sharing your story.

24:20Not just for yourself,

24:22but also for people like you,

24:25who might be losing their lives.

24:29But you,

24:31your life has a chapter.

24:34So anyway, Albert,

24:36before we end,

24:37what are the three things

24:39that our viewers should remember?

24:41What are the takeaways

24:43that they should remember

24:45that you can advise to our viewers?

24:49First of all,

24:51the Bible says,

24:55Seek first the kingdom of God

24:57and His righteousness,

24:59and everything will be added to you.

25:01This verse is very meaningful to me

25:03because when I lost everything,

25:06at that time,

25:09I didn't just call Him.

25:12When I called Him,

25:15that's when the skyrocket of my life started.

25:19I just called Him

25:21and everything will follow.

25:23It's up to Him.

25:25That's the number one.

25:26You should know

25:27that you should always come to Him.

25:29Whenever you need something or not,

25:32at least you should have a God you know.

25:34And then number two,

25:35of course,

25:37life is really hard.

25:39It's really hard.

25:41But as long as there's passion,

25:43in what you're doing,

25:45for sure,

25:46no matter how hard it is,

25:47no matter what problem you're facing,

25:49you'll continue to be successful.

25:53And lastly,

25:55you should continue to learn.

25:58You keep on learning.

26:00You keep on learning different things.

26:02You need to come out of your comfort zone.

26:05Because that comfort zone,

26:07if you're just there,

26:09you'll get stagnant.

26:10You won't learn anything.

26:12Unlike,

26:13when you come out of your comfort zone,

26:15what will happen to you

26:16is that your information

26:19or knowledge will become broad.

26:21That will be your source

26:24towards the success

26:26that you want to achieve.

26:29Wow.

26:30That's a big impact.

26:32In other words,

26:34I think our viewers

26:37will watch this vlog again and again.

26:39And because it's full,

26:41the insights we got

26:43were very deep.

26:45In other words,

26:46Albert is speaking from the heart,

26:48not from the mind.

26:50Right?

26:51In other words,

26:52it's from the heart.

26:54It's also a national experience.

26:56Yes, it's from the heart.

26:58It's not artificial

27:01or adulterated.

27:03Right?

27:04So, again,

27:06thank you so much, Albert.

27:08Again,

27:10and again,

27:11in your business,

27:12I'm sure your being God-centered

27:16has really created you

27:18an immense energy.

27:20Right?

27:21In times of trials,

27:24there's still hope.

27:26Or they say,

27:27there's always a light

27:29at the end of the tunnel.

27:31Right?

27:32It's not just a story,

27:34it's a movie.

27:36This is a real experience

27:38that you're seeing.

27:40Alright?

27:41So, again,

27:42thank you so much, Albert.

27:43And regards to ICE.

27:45And really,

27:46I hope to see

27:48Mommy ICE Foods

27:50creating more and more relevance

27:53to a lot of people.

27:55Especially,

27:57creating business

27:58for people who want to be in business.

28:00Right?

28:01So,

28:02how can they contact you?

28:04That's probably it.

28:05I'm sure

28:06now,

28:07they're thinking,

28:08how can I contact this mother,

28:10Albert?

28:11How can I contact her?

28:14To those who are interested

28:15and looking for

28:17extra income,

28:19what's good now,

28:20we are offering

28:21a retailer program.

28:23So, they can contact us

28:25on our FB page,

28:27Mommy ICE Online Kitchen.

28:30So, they can see

28:31all of our products,

28:33our feedback

28:34from our customers,

28:35and also the

28:37reviews of our clients

28:39that we have already contacted.

28:40Or they can also contact us

28:42by calling 0927-406-7582.

28:50So,

28:51it's up to you now.

28:53Albert has already

28:55weakened the platform.

28:57It's up to you now,

28:59friends,

29:00viewers,

29:01to reach out.

29:02In other words,

29:03Albert can still test

29:05your business.

29:06So,

29:07that's it.

29:08That's enough.

29:09Again,

29:10thank you very much, Albert.

29:12Thank you very much.

29:13More profit to you.

29:16Thank you very much.

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