2nd generation enhances family business

The Manila Times

2nd generation enhances family business   The story of Shrimpy Elly is a true testament to the power of family and entrepreneurship. What began as a hobby for the mother of two brothers, Mikey 20  and MJ 19, has blossomed into a thriving business that has captured the hearts of seafood lovers everywhere. The brothers recognized the potential in their mother's culinary skills and saw an opportunity to take their family business to the next level. With their innovative approach and passion for seafood, they have successfully transformed Shrimpy Elly into a household name. Central to their success is their signature sauce, "Sauce Pa Lang Ulam Na", which has become a sensation among customers. This delicious concoction has set them apart from their competitors and has solidified their position in the market as a top choice for seafood lovers.  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    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.

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

01:15Maganda yung interview natin.

01:17It's a family business, and yet it's now being managed by two brothers, no?

01:23Sabi nga natin, the first generation starts a business, and the second generation enhances

01:28the business, no?

01:30So without further ado, let me introduce to you the brothers, MJ and Mikey.

01:36Mikey, who will be talking to you first, not according to age, guys.

01:41Okay?

01:42Sige.

01:43Sige.

01:44Sino magsasilit na?

01:45Okay, Mikey, you be the first one.

01:46Introduce yourself, Mikey.

01:47Hi, po.

01:48And hello, everybody.

01:49I'm Mikey.

01:50I'm the son, and along with my brother, we're the second generation people that are managing

02:00the Shrimpielli franchise, po.

02:03Okay.

02:04Very good.

02:05Nice.

02:06Nice.

02:07So how did you guys start the Shrimpielli?

02:10Tell me the story in a short form, okay?

02:14How did you manage?

02:15MJ, how did...

02:16Introduce yourself first.

02:17Yeah.

02:18Okay.

02:19I am MJ.

02:20I am the younger brother of Mikey, and we are both the second generation owners of Shrimpielli.

02:26And I must assume that you are both handsome as equal, right?

02:29So your equality is over there, right?

02:33So you both are very, very young.

02:36How old are you, Mikey, if you don't mind?

02:40Oh, I'm 20 this year, and my brother's 19, po.

02:46Wow.

02:4719 and 20.

02:48Nako.

02:49Baka maging heart drop tayo dito sa vlog na ito, hindi na Shrimpielli pag-uusapan natin

02:53dito.

02:54So, are you still studying, Mikey and MJ?

02:59Yes, po.

03:00Both of us are still in our university.

03:02We're both studying at De La Salle University, and we are studying in the...

03:06Oh, Animo.

03:07Animo.

03:08Yeah, Animo.

03:09Yeah, Animo.

03:10Okay.

03:11Yeah.

03:12Okay.

03:13We're both computer science majors, po.

03:14Yeah.

03:15Yeah.

03:16We decided that it would be also helpful for our family if we also decided to run Shrimpielli

03:20alongside them.

03:22Okay.

03:23And so, tell us now the story.

03:26How did Shrimpielli begin?

03:28What's the origin?

03:29So, any one of you?

03:32When it comes to Shrimpielli, po, we first started it as my mom, as she's traveling around.

03:38She's always liked to start businesses and stuff, po.

03:41And when she was younger, she's always been in love with seafood and all, po.

03:46And so, when I first heard her talk about Shrimpielli, it was all about how do we start

03:53our family business that's a restaurant where she can start cooking the food that she likes

03:57eating.

03:58And so, that's where the first Shrimpielli started, and that's how we came up with the

04:02idea, po.

04:03So, tell me, MJ, was it really easy now to be managing now, be part of the second generation

04:09with your mom and the two of you?

04:12How is it?

04:13Is it a liberal discussion?

04:14In terms of my parents, so, as second generation managers of our business, we didn't have to

04:21go through as much hardship and struggle as our parents did.

04:23They already set up the foundation for us to manage the business, and all we have to

04:27do is build on that foundation, po.

04:29We just have to keep building and building and making it better than it was before.

04:33So, as second generation owners of the business, we don't really have as much struggle and

04:38hardship in building the business as our parents did, but we face new and new challenges

04:42every day, especially regarding new problems that arise that our parents did not have before.

04:49So, the concept of Shrimpielli, how would you, I'll be showing pictures along the way

04:55as you talk, but how is the reception of people of having Shrimpielli in your town?

05:03It's a nice place for families to get together and bond over seafood, especially that seafood

05:08is a massive part of the Filipino diet, po, whether it's fish or shrimp, and dining together

05:15and food has always been a way for the Filipino to get together.

05:22I remember days with my family where we go to different restaurants, and that's our bonding

05:26experience, and that's something that I feel like a lot of Filipinos have the same experience.

05:32So that's the inspiration, I guess, for Shrimpielli as well.

05:37So, it's like you're trying to aim for a family bonding, you know, or any time with friends, right?

05:44And seeing the caricature of Shrimpielli, okay, it looks like she's always smiling,

05:51okay, making the fun, you know, creating that fun.

05:54Just like us, po.

05:57So that's one thing, no?

06:00Now, how do you, in terms of the competition, you know, the competitiveness of Shrimpielli,

06:06and there are a lot of competitors in the field, how would you say the unique selling

06:12proposition of Shrimpielli would be?

06:15I think when it comes to Shrimpielli, usually when you see a lot of, like, these, when you

06:22see a lot of these seafood restaurants, po, usually, like, you know, the art, the style

06:26of it is more like, you know, if you know in Manila, there's like restaurants that are

06:33like seafood-related, and usually their style is like, you know, artsy and very, you know,

06:40stylistic, po.

06:41For Shrimpielli, we're more down to the core, po, to the foundations of family, and how

06:47do we have that sort of, like, how do we make sure that the family experience is prioritized,

06:54po.

06:55And that's how we want to make Shrimpielli, po, where this is fun for not just the younger

06:59generation but the older, and it's a way for them to, you know, come together.

07:04Correct.

07:04But for your, the people, your contemporaries, how would this now appeal?

07:09I mean, you guys are now managing, you're now the bus drivers, how would this now look

07:17to your contemporaries, the same age, for example?

07:21I think, po, in terms of versus our contemporaries, po, what we have an edge over is our sauce,

07:27it's something that's very much, like, we believe.

07:31I've been around, po, and I've been to different of our contemporaries, po, and nothing beats

07:35the sauce here, po.

07:37And I think that's how we go about our things here, po.

07:42Yeah, in fact, I understand that you even registered the name.

07:47Is it true, MJ?

07:49Yes, po.

07:50So, when we made the, when we're trying to make a business, we also have the catchphrase,

07:55So, meaning that the sauce is to die for here.

08:01Okay.

08:01So, it's not the shrimp or the seafood, but actually the sauce, no?

08:10How did you discover that?

08:11I mean, was it by accident or you really purposely focused on that sauce?

08:17It was a lot of trial and error on the part of my mom, my family.

08:21So, I remember days when my mom would keep on altering and letting us taste new recipes

08:27for her shrimps and her seafood.

08:29And one day, it just clicked.

08:31It just clicked that this is it.

08:32This is the sauce that we want to sell.

08:34This is the sauce that we want to let others taste and bond with each other with.

08:40So, was it easy being part of the experiment, MJ or Mikey?

08:45You know, it's hard to eat so much tasty food.

08:49So, your mom would always say, try this, MJ, try this, Mikey.

08:54And I guess you are all, you know, objectively giving your feedback, right?

09:00Yes, mom.

09:01So, where are you taking now Shrimpielli?

09:04You started in a nice place called Calgayan de Oro, CDO for many.

09:12Where are the, where will be the direction of Shrimpielli?

09:15What will be the next scenario?

09:19In the next three or five years, what would be the direction?

09:22We're hoping to take the Shrimpielli brand nationwide.

09:26The plan is that this should be a household name as well.

09:30When people think seafood, they think Shrimpielli, po.

09:33Okay.

09:34And where will be the next immediate locations that you're eyeing?

09:39That you are now, I'm sure a lot of people are now, yeah.

09:44When we're looking at like franchises, po.

09:46The easiest way to go about it for franchises, I believe that those who live in areas like,

09:52that are coastal, like Iligan, maybe, or like Gensan, places that have a lot of like access

10:00to the sea and have a lot of people that want to eat seafood.

10:04Alternatively, po, we could also target places that don't have a lot of seafood,

10:08for those who don't have access to that.

10:10Those are the kinds of places that we're kind of eyeing.

10:13Good, good.

10:14So, what about the sources of your seafood?

10:19Would that be part of, you know, assisting the franchisees, for example?

10:28Could you repeat that last question?

10:29Yeah, about the sources of your, where will be the sources of your seafood?

10:36Like, for example, if you open-

10:37We strive to maintain the freshness of our seafood, po.

10:40So, when we're trying to source our supplies, we try to look for the most quality

10:48and fresh seafood as possible.

10:51Okay, that's very good, no?

10:53Because remember, seafood is not seafood unless it's fresh, no?

10:59If it's frozen, it loses its taste, right?

11:03It loses.

11:04So, what kind of ambience that they are now projecting?

11:07I could see a lot of caricatures, you know.

11:11Is this part of the ambience that you're going to create with the other franchise?

11:16Yes, po.

11:17The ambience we're trying to project with the Shrimpielli brand is something of family,

11:21something that's chill, a place where a family can get together and dine and relax,

11:26eating good food, eating with their hands, po.

11:29Oh, I like that.

11:30I like that, MJ.

11:32Eating with their hands, you know?

11:33Eating with their hands, po.

11:34Getting close, getting to have a relationship with the food.

11:37And with each other.

11:39All right.

11:40So, what are your qualifications that you're looking now for people who want to franchise

11:46Shrimpielli?

11:48Did you have a set of criteria or people, the profile that you're looking for?

11:55Well, first of all, we're looking for people who like seafood, no?

11:59We don't want someone who doesn't like seafood to be the one running Shrimpielli, no?

12:03But in seriousness, we're looking for those who have the ambition to try and do something that

12:10wants to grow themselves.

12:12Someone who's really in love with seafood and wants to build themselves and have ambitions

12:16to make that their mission, po.

12:19That's the kind of people that we're looking for to grow the business, po.

12:22Those who are willing to put in the work to make sure that everyone else also enjoys seafood, po.

12:30Correct.

12:30So, are there any projections that you're looking at?

12:33The number of stores, X number of years?

12:38Well, we're hoping to have at least like within the next 10 years or so,

12:43maybe a hundred something, maybe a couple in Metro Manila or one of these days, po.

12:49Okay.

12:49We like to keep our ambitions high, po.

12:51Make sure that we must achieve our goals.

12:54So, you'd like to have a big, hairy, audacious goals, huh?

12:57Be hag.

12:59Okay.

12:59I'm sure you studied that in LaSalle, right?

13:01Big dreams, po.

13:02Being hag, right?

13:05So, again, are there any...

13:08I just like you to give me some takeaways for young people like you, 19 and 20 years old,

13:17who may want to be part of their family business.

13:20What are the five takeaways that you can share?

13:23I think when it comes to takeaways for young people, it's always to build...

13:28First of all, since we're talking about five takeaways, po,

13:31it's always on focusing, first of all, on yourself.

13:35You always have to make sure that you're doing the best to improve yourself,

13:40learning new things every day.

13:43Another one would be, po, to always keep yourself educated

13:46and always know what's going on around you, po.

13:48And then three is always to keep an open mind.

13:52Sometimes you can't find an opportunity,

13:54so you have to make it as easy as possible for not to let that opportunity reach you, po.

13:58All in all, I believe that the most important aspect is to be passionate,

14:03to work hard, and to never give up.

14:06All right.

14:07So, are you taking this...

14:09Do you have any plans in the pipeline of taking this to the United States?

14:15Yeah, of course.

14:16When it comes to having dreams of international stuff,

14:19you have stuff like Jolly People or these Filipino-owned businesses

14:23that are thriving in the U.S.,

14:25and we want to be along those people, po.

14:27All right.

14:27Wow.

14:28That's the spirit.

14:30But there are other people who will say,

14:32yeah, I'd like to take part of the family business,

14:36but my parents don't like me to join.

14:38How would be the strategy for people who want to join?

14:45For people like that, to convince their parents?

14:47Because some parents would have that notion,

14:49oh, you're still young.

14:50Study, study.

14:52You know?

14:52What would be the strategy?

14:59The strategy is to start slow.

15:01Slowly work yourself and make yourself someone that your parents can rely on.

15:06So you slowly work yourself into the business.

15:07For us, we started by working in the kitchen, cleaning the businesses,

15:12and then slowly our parents opened up to us taking care of the business,

15:16and then eventually they put more and more responsibilities on our shoulders,

15:19and eventually here we are now.

15:20We're managing alongside them.

15:22So you're really the CEO or COO,

15:26a child of the owner in the real sense, right?

15:29I mean, you really deserve it, right?

15:31Because you really start from the bottom and then working your way up.

15:34You have to understand the fundamentals

15:37because there are also values that your parents probably have started,

15:41and you want to carry it on for the next so many years, correct?

15:46All right.

15:47So yeah, I really love interviewing you guys

15:50because you are probably my first time to interview a second generation

15:55because most of the time I interview the first generation.

15:58But again, this might be a good inspiration for a lot of young people watching us.

16:05Okay.

16:05So where can they get in touch with CMPLE

16:09if ever they are interested, Mikey?

16:14There's a lot of ways to reach out to Shrimpy Ellies.

16:17Most of those information is stored in our Facebook page,

16:20and there's a lot of links there,

16:21whether it's to message the Shrimpy Ellies,

16:24or I believe there are phone numbers there as well that you can...

16:29Especially on MessengerPod,

16:30there's a way to message the people through the Facebook page.

16:34Well, the way I see it,

16:36after this interview, you might get flooded with a lot of inquiries.

16:40And luck might be really on your side of spreading and putting up in different parts,

16:48especially the nearby, you know, the Batuan, the Valencia, Bukidnon, the Davao.

16:55This might be the immediate source where you can really spread out.

17:00And hopefully, I'm sure there'll be some clamor for you to bring in

17:05through Metro Manila, all right?

17:09So tell me, is Shrimpy Ellie really...

17:12Is it air-conditioned?

17:13Because some people could say,

17:14oh, this might be hot, just like what we're experiencing right now, right?

17:19Is it hot, or it's really part of the ambiance that you create no air-conditioned?

17:26There will probably be...

17:27We're planning on having an air-conditioned park here in Shrimpy Ellies.

17:30But, you know, for the most part,

17:32the Philippines, it's part of the ambiance to be,

17:34you know, outside in nature and being able to experience it.

17:38Unfortunately, yes, it is hot these days.

17:42But we're trying our best to, you know, fight the heat away.

17:46Right.

17:47So you can't control the temperature.

17:50The best way to fight the heat is to eat more and enjoy being a part of Shrimpy Ellie, right?

17:56So that might be good.

17:57So again, without further ado, I really want to congratulate you guys

18:02and keep on that spirit of bringing Shrimpy Ellie.

18:07Make Shrimpy Ellie smile in different parts,

18:11because she really is an adorable icon, no?

18:16So we hope to see more icons of Shrimpy Ellie dotting the different parts of Visayas and Mindanao

18:21and also Metro Manila.

18:23And again, maganda yung ginawa ninyo, kasi Instagramable yan, diba?

18:29I'm sure a lot of people would want to be part of that,

18:32just like you guys now, people are saying.

18:34And of course, I hope they don't want to request na,

18:37we want to have the icon of these brothers as part of the Instagramable.

18:42Baka sabihin na, pwede ba si Mikey at si MGB inilagay yung muka nila between the Shrimpy Ellie?

18:51Baka maraming magkaroon kayo ng fans, diba?

18:54So yeah.

18:56Okay.

18:56So guys, keep on throttling that.

18:59And again, bring that success all over and make your parents proud.

19:05And let's bring the flag of the Filipino businesses over to other parts of the world, right?

19:13Okay.

19:14Again, thank you very much for this opportunity, guys.

19:20This is such a colorful interview, you know, and two brothers managing it.

19:26Okay.

19:26So thank you.

19:27Thank you very much.

19:28Bye-bye.

19:29Bye-bye.

19:29Bye-bye, Paul.

19:30Thank you.

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