Published on Manila Bulletin
by Brian Tenorio
The driving force behind Tenorium Inc., Brian Tenorio has made going beyond borders and thinking outside the box his lifestyle. The Fil-Am's long list of achievements include topping the Filipino Harvard-alumni-sponsored “Battle of the Business Plan” competition, and reaching the semi-finalist level at the Harvard Business School 2005 Entepreneurial Idol, while also being one of the winners of the 2007 Dutch Business in Development Challenge, and the 2006 Junior Chamber International Creative Young Entepreneur awards. Branching out from shoes, he now also designs jewelry and caskets (yes, you heard it right; Tenorio is the first to venture into designer caskets).
He describes his current experience in design management course in Pratt Institute in New York as “a humbling experience,” though he nevertheless has reaped more insight on how to run his company. “Design management is [just] a 15-year-old program,” he says, “but I think it’s one of the best in the whole world because of the technique—it’s not just about the technical design skills. We don’t have classes about rendering, fabric or soles. It’s about negotiations, international relations, finance, accounting and principles, business law and decision making—everything you need to become a designer who can manage a firm.”
“Go for it, no fear”
Before Tenorio hit it big, however, he literally sold his wares on his knees. During his “shoe soirees,” made popular via e-mail blasts among avid shoe shoppers in Metro Manila, Tenorio did the fittings himself. He was also one of the first who sold his merchandise online.
But the setbacks in establishing his business didn’t stem from his unorthodox marketing methods, but from politicking inside the shoe industry. “I faced a lot of intriga in the shoe industry when I was starting,” he says. “I was very new and I already joined one of the first few trade shows. The government and other funders spent for 10 companies. It was my first time as a designer, and as an entrepreneur, to experience some form of politicking and maybe corruption, not in government, but with the leadership of that federation.
“The other thing was about the trickiness of business partnerships. I’d like to stress this though: it’s not always your fault if you’re not doing well with a business partner. It might be because things are going at a different pace, or because you look at things differently. I also realized that Filipinos could be very effective bosses, but maybe not so good at partnerships.”
Hurdling those setbacks, Tenorio continued to move forward. “Tenorium, Inc. (the company that handles his shoe, casket, and jewelry lines)’s business model is very interesting because I was coming from not having anything to lose, and once you come from that place where you have nothing to be afraid of, you can try things that have never been done before. At some point, that became our philosophy on how we did things—‘It’s never been done, we shall try it then.’ Go for it, no fear. If people talk about it, that’s great, if not, it’s fine. And so far, it worked very well for us.”
With “Only Superlatives” as his motto in Tenorium, he’s made an active decision to manufacture on home ground in Marikina, an endeavor that many have tried but few have succeeded at, what with cheaper sourcing from China, and the Filipino’s love for imported and branded stuff. Tenorio admits it wasn’t the easiest decision to make—but one that’s paid off quite well.
“Initially, it was good, but after a while, with the budget, I thought, oh my gosh, napasubo ako. I had to follow through because I had people depending on me for their work, for their employment. So the only thing to do was to improve the craft.” This has resulted in footwear that can go, no pun intended, toe-to-toe with more renowned brands. “That was one thing that made me feel really good. Plus the fact that my employees have been fiercely loyal—many people have tried to pirate them, but they’ve stuck with me.”
Expanding Industries
With his background, it’s not surprising how much faith Tenorio has in the creative assets of an organization. “It’s about identifying and allocating them,” he says. “I think creative assets are not just about the trademark, the fashion, or the designs of the organization, but also how it does things, the way it thinks. A good example of a company with a creative asset is Apple. Apple’s design qualities are very intact. Wikipedia is also a good example with regard to the way it’s maintained itself as a true organization.”
There are other things that you could also identify and develop, he adds, “And once you have done that, you’ll have an advantage.” You’ll reap the full benefits of those advantages when you “No. 1, reduce cost; no. 2, maximize profit; no. 3, meet the practical needs of your staff,” he explains.
“[Meeting] their practical needs is important because you create happiness in an organization. It becomes more sustainable for the future. And the concerns become more about the people. The bottom line is: people, planet and profit.”
Now, Tenorium’s business model has not only expanded over different industries—shoes, jewelry, caskets—but “is looking for industries that are already good at what they do, and injecting more designs, for them to become more competitive. I think the Philippines has that, except that we don’t know how to maneuver and manage our industries.”
And what new industries does Tenorio have his eye on now? “I’m excited about a furniture and perfume line,” he replies. He already has a name for the latter: Adobo.
“One of my dreams this year is to have a perfume line. Among the scents I want to make [revolves around a concept I call] Adobo, which is a very nice, savory, human scent. The business model behind that will bring extra value through design, and with that I don’t just mean beautifying the product, but improving the quality and the marketing.”
The Next Step
For the next decade, Tenorio believes, Filipino designers should focus on making the country more relevant in the design field. “You don’t want to be known [as a country] because of a few people like Manny Pacquiao and Corazon Aquino. Not that it’s bad, but there’s nothing very visible, or at least, visibly acknowledged in the Western world about us. Sometimes I feel like Nepal even has a more exotic feel to it than the Philippines, and will probably have more tourists than Manila. So I think the goal is how to be more relevant.
“I also think our major strength is—and I shall quote Lisa Lampanelli, which might be weird because she’s a comedian—that Filipinos are the Swiss Army knives of minorities. It’s true because we can be in an area with black people, and be like the blacks too; when with the Chinese, even if we’re not fully Chinese, we eat pansit, noodles, etc. In my class, for example, which is very multinational, I am probably one of the best presenters because my accent is adaptable, very understandable. I think it’s something we can rely on.”
To achieve this goal, he suggests, Filipino designers and artisans need to be clear on their priorities. “I think in the Philippines, we can make anything we want. There just needs to be some understanding of what is important and what the priorities are. This is another cliché, but also it’s probably true—if you don’t understand how you are, what you’re good at, and who you will be to everyone else, then there will be no understanding.”
“Go for it, no fear”
Before Tenorio hit it big, however, he literally sold his wares on his knees. During his “shoe soirees,” made popular via e-mail blasts among avid shoe shoppers in Metro Manila, Tenorio did the fittings himself. He was also one of the first who sold his merchandise online.
But the setbacks in establishing his business didn’t stem from his unorthodox marketing methods, but from politicking inside the shoe industry. “I faced a lot of intriga in the shoe industry when I was starting,” he says. “I was very new and I already joined one of the first few trade shows. The government and other funders spent for 10 companies. It was my first time as a designer, and as an entrepreneur, to experience some form of politicking and maybe corruption, not in government, but with the leadership of that federation.
“The other thing was about the trickiness of business partnerships. I’d like to stress this though: it’s not always your fault if you’re not doing well with a business partner. It might be because things are going at a different pace, or because you look at things differently. I also realized that Filipinos could be very effective bosses, but maybe not so good at partnerships.”
Hurdling those setbacks, Tenorio continued to move forward. “Tenorium, Inc. (the company that handles his shoe, casket, and jewelry lines)’s business model is very interesting because I was coming from not having anything to lose, and once you come from that place where you have nothing to be afraid of, you can try things that have never been done before. At some point, that became our philosophy on how we did things—‘It’s never been done, we shall try it then.’ Go for it, no fear. If people talk about it, that’s great, if not, it’s fine. And so far, it worked very well for us.”
With “Only Superlatives” as his motto in Tenorium, he’s made an active decision to manufacture on home ground in Marikina, an endeavor that many have tried but few have succeeded at, what with cheaper sourcing from China, and the Filipino’s love for imported and branded stuff. Tenorio admits it wasn’t the easiest decision to make—but one that’s paid off quite well.
“Initially, it was good, but after a while, with the budget, I thought, oh my gosh, napasubo ako. I had to follow through because I had people depending on me for their work, for their employment. So the only thing to do was to improve the craft.” This has resulted in footwear that can go, no pun intended, toe-to-toe with more renowned brands. “That was one thing that made me feel really good. Plus the fact that my employees have been fiercely loyal—many people have tried to pirate them, but they’ve stuck with me.”
Expanding Industries
With his background, it’s not surprising how much faith Tenorio has in the creative assets of an organization. “It’s about identifying and allocating them,” he says. “I think creative assets are not just about the trademark, the fashion, or the designs of the organization, but also how it does things, the way it thinks. A good example of a company with a creative asset is Apple. Apple’s design qualities are very intact. Wikipedia is also a good example with regard to the way it’s maintained itself as a true organization.”
There are other things that you could also identify and develop, he adds, “And once you have done that, you’ll have an advantage.” You’ll reap the full benefits of those advantages when you “No. 1, reduce cost; no. 2, maximize profit; no. 3, meet the practical needs of your staff,” he explains.
“[Meeting] their practical needs is important because you create happiness in an organization. It becomes more sustainable for the future. And the concerns become more about the people. The bottom line is: people, planet and profit.”
Now, Tenorium’s business model has not only expanded over different industries—shoes, jewelry, caskets—but “is looking for industries that are already good at what they do, and injecting more designs, for them to become more competitive. I think the Philippines has that, except that we don’t know how to maneuver and manage our industries.”
And what new industries does Tenorio have his eye on now? “I’m excited about a furniture and perfume line,” he replies. He already has a name for the latter: Adobo.
“One of my dreams this year is to have a perfume line. Among the scents I want to make [revolves around a concept I call] Adobo, which is a very nice, savory, human scent. The business model behind that will bring extra value through design, and with that I don’t just mean beautifying the product, but improving the quality and the marketing.”
The Next Step
For the next decade, Tenorio believes, Filipino designers should focus on making the country more relevant in the design field. “You don’t want to be known [as a country] because of a few people like Manny Pacquiao and Corazon Aquino. Not that it’s bad, but there’s nothing very visible, or at least, visibly acknowledged in the Western world about us. Sometimes I feel like Nepal even has a more exotic feel to it than the Philippines, and will probably have more tourists than Manila. So I think the goal is how to be more relevant.
“I also think our major strength is—and I shall quote Lisa Lampanelli, which might be weird because she’s a comedian—that Filipinos are the Swiss Army knives of minorities. It’s true because we can be in an area with black people, and be like the blacks too; when with the Chinese, even if we’re not fully Chinese, we eat pansit, noodles, etc. In my class, for example, which is very multinational, I am probably one of the best presenters because my accent is adaptable, very understandable. I think it’s something we can rely on.”
To achieve this goal, he suggests, Filipino designers and artisans need to be clear on their priorities. “I think in the Philippines, we can make anything we want. There just needs to be some understanding of what is important and what the priorities are. This is another cliché, but also it’s probably true—if you don’t understand how you are, what you’re good at, and who you will be to everyone else, then there will be no understanding.”
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