This sounds cliché, but the most significant role of Filipino entrepreneurs, come hell or high waters or COVID-19, has remained the same: Entrepreneurship is geared towards nation building.

This is how Sherill Quintana, one of the country’s most successful entrepreneurs and president of the Philippine Franchise Association (PFA), summed up how entrepreneurs responded and lived up to their role in this time of prolonged pandemic that displaced millions of Filipinos, themselves included.

“We have to work together to continue create businesses, generate and preserve jobs for the Filipino people because the most significant role of Filipino entrepreneurs is geared towards nation building,” said Sherill.

As an entrepreneur in the midst of crisis, Sherill pointed out that their role has always been to continue operating while protecting the safety of their workers.

All entrepreneurs especially the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are overburdened with the tasks of keeping their businesses afloat to keep their employees employed and families survive. As such, they are helping in the recovery of the nation’s economy.

On the second year into this crisis, the sector is already crying helplessly bereft of a good measure of government reliefs and tax subsidies, it is not surprising that most dive into the pits of bankruptcy.

Despite that, entrepreneurs prevailed and held on to that cliché of nation building.

“When we continue to close our businesses albeit temporarily with the lockdowns, we are not enabling our businesses,” she reasoned.

How did they survive? While top most is the employees safety and of their families, entrepreneurs had to carry the burden of costs of operations, releasing advances while they were at home before they were able to reopen.

Entrepreneurs implemented new work set ups so they can safely continue operations. Some subsidized the living quarters of workers near the office, and safety and health protocols strictly implemented at work space.

Private sector partnerships also worked. They procured vaccines and their employees are now vaccinated.

One thing more, Sherill said, entrepreneurs need to rally their teams to continue embracing the company culture steadily so that they won’t lose fortitude in these trying times. “We had to make an inventory of our resources including the employees’ tasks and capabilities, and re training them to be more nimble. With the meager revenues and resources left, we plowed back and even ventured to create new opportunities for business so that we can provide work continuously,” she said.

Another thing that entrepreneurs must embrace is knowing their supply chain works, a delay in this area would lead to an even bigger catastrophe.

Instead of being too aggressive, one needs to embrace bootstrapping - plowing back resources, money and manpower where it will give back more. “A lean mean machine is called for during this time,” she said.

COVID-19 is just one crisis, there could be others. But, in all crises, great opportunities also abound. Therefore, she urged entrepreneurs to be wide awake and mindful of the dynamics happening around in the market space.

By now, Filipino entrepreneurs know that the key to survival is working together and work collaboratively with as much partners they can muster. “That is only possible with building relationships along the way,” she said. As entrepreneurs, Sherill said that integrity preceeds them in any of their transactions.

“Amidst all the noises around, the internal voice we have sets the tone for us to believe and move forward that we can,” she said.