BACK in the day, when I was still going to a brick-and-mortar office, many of my purchases, from clothes, home accessories and gifts to loved ones, were made from direct-selling companies.
It was quite convenient, as the sales representative would go to the office, show her catalog of products, and I was able to personally ask questions about the item I was thinking of buying. Also, paying was a breeze as I’d just hand the cash over to the sales rep, or work out a convenient installment payment plan if the tag was somewhat pricey.
A few of the real sales pros would be able to implement a salary-deduction plan for employees of a company, in partnership with the financial officers they’ve built solid relationships with. In this era of instant clicks on shopping web sites, there is a need for direct-selling companies to impart the missing item in our consumption patterns: inter-personal relationships. But it shouldn’t be just any direct-selling firm. These days, I would look for one with real family values and a concern for the environment.
Personal Collection Direct Selling Inc. (PC) has risen from its humble beginnings in 2003 to become one of the leaders in the direct-selling industry. Willie “Jun” Evangelista Jr., son of founder Willie Evangelista Sr., says, “During the early days of PC, we were staying at an old office warehouse in Quezon City. The area was prone to flooding, but it was the only place we could afford to rent back in the day. When the flood would rise and swamp the warehouse, our family would clean it ourselves and save the things that we could still use.”
As early as elementary school, Jun, now chairman of PC’s board of directors, says they would often help out in their father’s office as part of their “OJT,” or on-the-job training. Jun adds that his father wanted him and his siblings to learn the ins and outs of the business, how to run it, and how they could contribute to it. This is why their family values are very perceptible in the company’s vision and mission.
PC’s main thrust is to provide what they call “A Great Life.” The company aims to help millions of Filipinos achieve “a great life” through its growing quality portfolio of home care, health care, baby care, personal care, fragrances, intimate apparel and through providing promising business opportunities through direct selling. Jun, along with his siblings, are anchored to this cause, and very passionate about it.
“Our father wanted us to learn and contribute to the business. But more than being simply asked to join, I really wanted to do my share in growing our business. I’ve always wanted to help realize our business’ purpose,” says Jun in an e-mail exchange with us recently.
This noble cause is driven by one intrinsic principle: humility. Willie would always tell his children to show respect for others, and value everyone who works with the company.
“We recognize that we attract team members who have the same values. A culture built on humility is one we’ve always striven to build—to always listen and be willing to learn, and to always treat people with respect,” explains Jun.
Today, Personal Collection has about 100,000 dealers nationwide. Jun is very active in their sales and marketing efforts, and at the moment he is spearheading their latest campaign: “A Green Life is a Great Life,” an idea that was born from environmental concerns. He learned, for instance, that the Philippines is the third-largest plastic polluter in the world. “We supposedly generate about 2.7 million metric tons of waste every year!” Jun exclaims.
What’s worse, he notes, these plastic waste enters the food chain and affects marine and sea life, along with human health, food safety, and climate change. He has read that by 2050, our oceans would likely have more plastic than fish.
PC has taken this problem very seriously and has decided to switch to fully biodegradable product packaging—a first in the country. Their main objective is to apply and promote practices that will help save the environment in the long run. The vision is to make the world a better and safer place to live for all creatures, one biodegradable container at a time.
“Personal Collection is a company driven by a noble purpose. We share the great life to as many Filipinos as possible. When we started considering environmental responsibility as one of our corporate principles, we thought that adding fully biodegradable solutions to our products could become our biggest contribution to society,” says Jun.
“We have come to a deeper understanding of the devastating impact of plastic waste to our environment. We also recognize that the actions we would take now would have a significant effect on future generations. This is why we have decided to take action now. This is our commitment to the environment and to our communities. There is no turning back.”
Jun avers that biodegradable materials are reusable and recyclable, and in just five to 10 years can decompose and be used for making biogas—a power source for houses and vehicles. That’s a big deal as plastic, which is commonly used by other companies, will take around 1,000 years to start breaking down, making these harmful to the environment.
It’s refreshing that companies such as Personal Collection not only have found success in their business’ performance and durability, but also is ensuring that their original purpose is continuously realized and upheld by future generations.
Image courtesy of PC