MANILA, Philippines – What’s the secret to a successful business? Most books will tell you that it’s having a huge capital, finding the right location, targeting the right market, or creating attractive advertisements.

Yes, these are essential factors to consider but for a business to thrive and stay for the long haul, it must have the most important secret ingredient of all – purpose.

This is what our speakers, Jourdan Sebastian, CEO of Taclob, and Raf Dionisio, Co-founder of The Circle Hostel, shared with us during the #WhatsNext workshop held last November 11.

Jourdan and Raf are both owners of successful businesses with a purpose. (READ: #WhatsNext: How ‘telling good stories’ can lead to business success)

For the participants, this piece of advice helped them identify the kind of business they would happily wake up on Mondays for.

One of them is Kristina Aiza Tan. She originally wanted to expand her family’s private resort business by building some of her own. But after hearing from Jourdan, she realized that what she wants to do instead is to sell eco-friendly utensils, plates, and other disposables that are usually packed for trips to a resort.

“At our resorts, we’ve always encouraged our visitors to bring their own plates and utensils to minimize waste,” said Kristina. “Now, I know that what I really want to do is to help protect the environment.”

While for some, this nugget of wisdom validated the kind of business they’re already in.

Paolo Tomacruz and Job Corpuz (and Danaraye Torres) are a couple of college students who started a t-shirt business called ‘Magiting’. It aims to promote Baybayin, a form of Filipino writing that’s now being forgotten.

“We take so much pride in other things like Manny Pacquiao. Why not take pride in something we can also be proud of like our old way of writing,” said Job.

What started as a school project is now a profitable business that has earned six-figure worth of revenues. But for them, this is just a bonus.

“It’s not about the money we’re making but our passion to promote the Filipino culture,” said Paolo.

Like Paolo and Job, Palou Abustan also wants to succeed in the business she’s in to achieve a bigger goal.

Palou is a certified personalities trainer and a virtuous project facilitator. She helps companies to establish a culture of character and trains people to become a better version of themselves.

“My dream is to help the Philippines become a first world country,” said Palou.

She’s been working as a consultant for five years now. Many things kept her from turning this gig into a legitimate business including bad experiences in previous attempts at building an enterprise, and when she had to take care of her sick husband.

But these challenges and hardships are what’s pushing her right now to take the next step. First, by attending this #WhatsNext workshop.

“To be honest, I’m not yet ready. But masyado nang matagal,” said Palou.

Palou knows that by trying her luck in building an enterprise once more, she’ll be able to get the funding needed to influence more companies and institutions, especially schools. “I want to show my children the way to lead.”

Through Rappler’s #WhatsNext program, we want to help people like Kristine, Paulo, Job, and Palou realize their passion and dreams, and give them that needed nudge to get their long overdue plans off the ground.

We can help you, too. If you are passionate about cooking, healthy living, and helping the environment, watch out for our upcoming #WhatsNext cooking workshop with Holy Carabao on December 9 and make healthy food straight from a farm in Laguna.

For more information, visit https://rappler.com/brandrap/whatsnext. – Rappler.com

We would like to thank Starbucks Philippines, Poke Poke, and CDM for being part of this #WhatsNext workshop.