MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: JAN MICHAEL UY
Member’s Spotlight is something that the EO APAC Bridge Marcomms team has wanted to do for a long time. When we look at the roster of members or meet them at events, we constantly walk away going, “Wow, that person is impressive.” We’ve been thinking about the best way to highlight them, and we hope these interviews give you a glimpse of how accomplished, courageous, driven, and most of all, how real they are. To add a novel dimension to this, we also generated the questions off ChatGPT, with a very detailed prompt. Come say hi to this member if you see them at an upcoming event or retreat, and most of all, enjoy the read!
– Trixie & Chelsea, MarComms co-chairs, FY 22/23
Member Spotlight: April 2023
Jan has been an EO member for almost 7 years now, and is active in both the Philippines South and APAC Bridge chapters. Most people who meet Jan for the first time will have his charisma, joy, and depth of sharing impressed upon them – through this interview, we witness his journey over the years and see a lot more of that trademark energy that he carries!
Can you tell me about the moment when you first had the idea for your business? What inspired you to start it?
Our packaging business began as a side hustle started by my father. However, after I was retrenched from my job as a Flight Steward at Philippine Airlines in 1998, I joined him as a partner. Initially, I lacked the passion to run the business since I came from a so-called “glamorous” job. It wasn't until customers began seeking me out that I realized I had something of value and importance in the company. This made me recognize the potential of the business, and I began to take it more seriously.
What values and principles guide your business decisions?
The guiding principles that I learned from my father at the start of our business were integrity and frugality. We just plowed back all our profits for growth and for the first few years, I didn't draw any salary.
Today, my decisions are now guided by the principles of doing the right thing, always finding a better way, and giving joy to others where we can.
What has been the most challenging obstacle you've faced as an entrepreneur and how did you overcome it?
Not having difficult conversations with my father early into the business made it difficult for us to move as a unit as we didn’t understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses. It created a mix of emotional challenges and I had to eventually come to terms with many of the self-limiting beliefs I had, such as not being good enough, and needing to be recognized and appreciated.
EO was a big stepping stone for me in that it led me to develop more self-awareness and self-mastery. Understanding myself better was the first step to nurturing a better relationship with my father.
Can you talk about a time when you made a difficult decision that ultimately led to success for your business?
During the pandemic, my father had to step down due to his health condition. I was left to decide on my own and one of the most difficult and best decisions I made was to start focusing on building my leadership team. I did this by focusing on their growth and trusting them with more autonomy. For example, I haven’t gone back to my office to work for a whole day since the pandemic started. I've been meeting them through Level10 meetings since then. This initiative led me to focus on what I do best, which is to focus on being the visionary and building our company culture.
How do you stay motivated when things don't go as planned?
I believe in abundance, and that we already innately have all the resources we need to cope with difficult situations that we may face. Over the years, I’ve also taught myself to be better at accepting when things don’t go my way. These have helped me move forward and focus on the next step. It's empowering.
Can you share a specific example of a successful project or accomplishment you're particularly proud of?
My wife and I started a restaurant passion project in 2009. We had a long learning curve, and many months ended in losses or breakevens. After closing two concepts in the span of 7 years, we gave one last shot and applied all the learnings we had from our previous failures. Thus, Cucina Higala was born, a modern FIlipino concept restaurant that specializes in “Mindanao Heritage Cuisine”. For this concept, we’ve won multiple awards from the city and have also been the #1 spot on TripAdvisor for several years now. The fact that this was created from lots of blood and tears makes this one of the business achievements I’m proudest of!
What are your long-term goals for your business and how do you plan to achieve them?
I plan to grow and expand my businesses through inclusive growth. I want to be able to incentivize the business unit heads and team with profit sharing so that everyone gets a share of the success.
We are currently starting to implement a coaching culture which I’m passionate about and confident that it will help my team achieve greater heights!
How do you balance your business and personal life?
I am now starting to shift into the mindset of work/life integration rather than just work/life balance where life and business are not two opposing forces to be balanced equally, but instead to be integrated. This concept allows me to focus my energy where it’s needed at the moment and not miss out on important moments in either life or business.
What do you like to do for fun?
I enjoy forest bathing and swimming in the river! It helps me reboot and recharge myself both mentally and physically.
What is your favorite book or movie that you would recommend?
“Discover your True North “- Bill George
“ How to win friends and influence people “ - Dale Carnegie
These books became my foundation which I try to live by. It’s about being authentically consistent in both business and personal life.
What's something interesting about yourself that people might not know?
I used to be a flight steward for Philippine Airlines, could you tell?
If you could have dinner with any person, living or dead, who would it be and why?
If I could have dinner with any person, it would be Dale Carnegie. I would want to personally experience his world-renowned charisma and influence!
