Kwentong Negosyo (Polly Quizon)

The Classic Roast: From Bazaars to Malls!

Lack of capital is not a hindrance in business. Polly Quizon and Denise Owyong proved this statement to be true when they put up The Classic Roast, a business that offers fresh roast ducks.

                       

Starting Small

Polly and Denise started the business with only P 10, 000 capital. They sold roast ducks and duck by products in bazaars. “We’ve been joining weekend gourmet bazaars since March 2010 to test the market. It’s a good strategy to introduce a new product. It’s really affordable. We just pay about P 7, 500 for booth rental, and about P 3, 000 for the flyers and all the other expenses,” shared Polly. But they did not just join any bazaar; they identified their target market along with the participants of bazaars. “Not everybody appreciates roast ducks. The more sophisticated and those who travel are the ones who know about the product. We targeted the bazaars that have this clientele,” says Denise.

They were happy to sell around 2-3 whole ducks at first. Due to their perseverance and hard work, a lot of opportunities opened up to them. In one of the bazaars, they met people who changed the way they do business. “Who would’ve thought that we would meet the president of Rustan’s through a bazaar? We met her at a time na akala namin, hanggang bazaars na lang kami,” Polly happily narrates. From this meeting, The Classic Roast was able to set up a kiosk in the Rustan’s grocery – Rockwell last April 2011.

From 3 whole ducks, they now able sell 15-20 pieces per week. Through innovation and research, they also introduced duck siopao. They sell 980 pieces of duck siopao a week, at a very cheap price of P 45.

Thirsty for More Knowledge

It was also in a bazaar where they learned about 10, 000 Women Business Training Program when a co-participant urged them to enroll. The 10, 000 Women Business Training Program conducts customized business education for women all over the country.

Polly used her learnings from the training in making their business grow. “Basic business principles ang itinuturo sa training. These principles take a different meaning when you have an existing business. You know when to apply the lessons, what you’re doing wrong and what you have to correct,” shares Polly.

Love for Employees

One of the things Polly learned from the training is taking good care of employees. “Part of our business’ growth is attributed to our employees. I learned the right way on how to compensate and motivate our employees, and to be able to share with them our plans and accomplishments,” she adds.

Denise and Polly learned not only to take care of their staff, but to love them as well. In return, their employees put in so much dedication and motivation into the business. “We see everybody as partners – employees, suppliers, customers, landlords. We build personal relationships with them because we are co-owners of this business,” says Polly. That’s why they are also expecting their employees to build personal relationships with their customers. “We always tell our people to know the names of our clients. When they pass by, they greet the clients by their names. It’s hard to remember names, but it’s a personal business. We are having so much fun,” shares Denise.

The combination of their bazaar experiences and additional knowledge from the training brought about growth for the business. The Classic Roast already has two kiosks – one in Rustan’s Rockwell and another in Rustan’s Katipunan. They are about to open a third kiosk in Rustan’s Makati sometime this year.

“We have learned the importance of customer service. We already know that we have a good product. What makes us different is the service that we give to our customers.”

The Classic Roast uses environment-friendly packaging like echo bag, paper bag and starch ware, instead of using plastic and Styrofoam. In this manner, they are helping our mother nature. “It also looks nicer and different. This is a long-term decision.”

Aside from roast duck that you could buy frozen, quarter or half, you can also buy roast duck siopao, duck cuapao, duck adobo flakes with kesong puti, roast duck sisig, roast duck with rice and duck wrap from The Classic Roast.

Denise Owyong and Polly Quizon

The Classic Roast

Rustan’s Supermarket in Rockwell and Katipunan

0917 – 8226400 / 0917 – 5285838

Website: www.theclassicroast.com