Overseas Filipinos miss the comforts of home, and bear the sacrifice of being a stranger in a foreign land and living away from their loved ones all for the sake of providing a better life for their families. This is the same story of Carol Rivera.
Carol had been working for over ten years as a saleslady for Corona Supply Company when, realizing that she was not earning enough, she decided to go to Hong Kong to work as a domestic helper.
“I came to Hong Kong in May 1992. It was difficult for a mother like me to leave behind my children who were still very young then. My eldest was in grade two; the second, also a girl, was in grade one. My son was still a baby then, just over a year old.”
It was a tough decision for her to make, but out of sheer desire to give her family a better life and provide for a good education for her kids, Carol went ahead and left for Hong Kong. “For countless nights I cried myself to sleep because I missed my family. I endured the loneliness, the grueling work, the difficulty of mingling with people from other cultures just so my children would not have to go through the same hardships I went through for lack of money.” While Carol was away, it was her husband who looked after the kids, grateful that he had been a very good father to them.
Carol strived in Hong Kong, even taking on extra work from friends of her British employer, to earn more money and save enough in the hope of starting a business so she could go back to the country and be with her family.
Contemplating what business she would go into, Carol had her sights set on franchising. With no experience in running a business, she said she was confident that franchising was the one for her. “I knew then that franchising was better because I knew I would get the support I needed from the franchisor. A business with a proven track record was another advantage for me,” she added.
And so in March 2002, while Carol was in the country for a vacation, she and her husband opened their first franchise – Crystal Clear Water Store – in Bagong Silang, Caloocan City. “I remember, it was only a single motorcycle that my husband used for delivery. Our son, who was only 12 then, would ride with his father, holding the five-gallon Crystal Clear container in his arms to deliver to the customers. They toiled with that kind of system until we were able to grow the business and bought a van and two tricycles for the deliveries.”
“Just a year after opening our store, my husband asked me to come back home to the country for good since our franchise was doing very well, the profits even exceeding my earnings in Hong Kong.”
Carol added that the returns they made from Crystal Clear also helped her pay off the property in Cavite that she bought while working abroad. Moreover, she was able to expand the business and opened her second Crystal Clear franchise. “I opened my second franchise in Cavite and it is now managed by my eldest daughter who is a Medical Technology graduate.”
Blessings to the Riveras continue to abound as they have acquired another property in Fairview, Quezon City. Carol said that plans to open a third Crystal Clear franchise is also in the works. “I’ll ask my second daughter to manage this one. She finished B.S. Psychology and is taking her Master’s while working. My son is in his last year at San Beda where he’s taking B.S. International Business and Entrepreneurial Management, with plans of attending law school later.”
Carol is thankful that she chose to invest her hard-earned money in a franchise. Recognizing the immense help she got from following the established system that the franchised business provided her, she also credits her success to hard work, determination and faith in God.
“I have kept my faith in God, trusting Him to guide me everyday. With all the blessings He has showered on me and my family, I never failed to thank Him. Crystal Clear made it possible for me to be reunited with my family and give them a much comfortable life. For this, I will forever be thankful.”
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