14 mottos to inspire startups in the Philippines from local entrepreneurs

The official Department of Tourism motto is “It’s more fun in the Philippines.” The motto, while catchy, may arguably portray the country to outsiders as a place where you go to have fun – not where you go to build a company, as so many entrepreneurs here are in fact doing.

Photo courtesy of the It’s more fun in the Philippines Facebook page.

With that in mind, I posed this question to 16 of the very best entrepreneurs, tech enthusiasts, and thought leaders in the Philippines: If you were given the reins to spearhead a campaign to promote entrepreneurship in the country, one that perhaps appealed to both locals and foreigners, what would you use as your motto and why?

Here are their answers:

“Start here, scale here with a global outlook from the beginning”

Paul V. Rivera, CEO and co-founder of Kalibrr

The Philippines should be on the radar of every global entrepreneur or startup. You can cost-effectively scale your entire operation in the Philippines from engineering, design, and customer service while at the same time charging customers global prices for your services. Many of the most successful global startups are already doing this. However, I think rather than scaling after you’ve started, I think they should start here, scale here with a global outlook from the beginning.

“Back and front, we are both offices”

Clayton Wood, managing partner and marketing director of TrueLogic Online Solutions

I’m seeing a very large change in the Philippines labor force go from being mostly back office work to also becoming a popular choice for front office work. In my industry alone, the most respected leaders in the world are from the Philippines.

The Philippines is becoming one of the top startup destinations. Entrepreneurs can come here and get economical, high-grade teams of people to execute ideas. You probably even like the same basketball teams.

“Philippines is where ROI doesn’t only mean cash”

Au Soriano, CEO and co-founder of Pinoytravel

Philippines is where the journey of an entrepreneur presents so many opportunities to enrich other people’s lives by creating jobs that restore their dignity, give hope, and most importantly, set examples that they can emulate in their own journey.

“It’s more meaningful in the Philippines”

Gabriel la Ó, editor and co-founder of Pacifiqa

Entrepreneurship here offers the opportunity to not simply make money, but also the chance to greatly impact lives of millions of Filipinos. Startup innovations in more developed nations might mean more convenience or time saved; here it can actually mean lives saved. In almost all sectors — financial, education, agriculture, etc. — there are still huge opportunities to truly revolutionize the way things are done. It might also apply to other developing nations, but in the Philippines, it can be fun, meaningful, and profitable.

“The Philippines: an emerging market, a rising nation”

Chino Atilano, founder and CEO of Time Free Innovations

“7107 islands, with room to grow” #RoomToGrowPH

“Philippine entrepreneurship: It’s only natural”

“Empowered and connected nation: your partner in innovation”

“Innovation for impact”

“#ItsMorePeopleInThePhilippines”

“Changing the world, one Pinoy startup at a time”

“Asia’s premier online playground”

“Philippines is where the Filipino is not just behind the scenes”

“Create the future with an ecosystem of innovative, empathetic, and socially-driven entrepreneurs”