It’s been a rough year for everyone. A lot of business owners are experiencing massive hurdles during this pandemic.
It’s true that starting a new business sounds a crazy idea for most of us, but not for Kapuso actor David Licauco.
He may look like a typical millennial, but David already has several businesses to his name. He owns a Turks franchise, a Lucky Bunny milk tea outlet in Valenzuela, and an Alpha Fitness Club along Taft Avenue, Manila, and Sobra Comfort Filipino Food, a food-delivery service.
The chinito heartthrob maintains a positive disposition when it comes to managing his own business. In fact, he’s just launched his fifth business—As Nature Intended (asnatureintended.ph)—an online one-stop-shop for everything you need to sustain a holistic lifestyle—and this endeavor was realized while he, and the rest of us, was in quarantine.
The online shop offers a diverse selection of various brands of guilt-free food, skincare products, nutraceuticals/sports supplements, workout/athletic gear, and even wine.
“We established As Nature Intended as a one-stop-shop for everything healthy. We wanted to start a community that debunks the misconception that healthy living as a very intimidating concept. We want to promote the perspective that being healthy shouldn’t hurt our wallets and bank accounts,” the 25-year-old actor said in a statement sent to Manila Standard Entertainment.
“At its core, it really stemmed from my passion for health and working out, and helping people achieve a healthier lifestyle, starting with my family and circle of friends. After generously offering such advice, I figured it’s high time to set up a shop that covers all aspects of health and wellness—fuss-free and convenient,” he carried on talking about his inspiration in creating the brand.
Like most recent businesses that showed the resilience of the Filipino entrepreneur during times of crisis, David admits that the idea for the project started out during the lockdown, and came into fruition after exhaustive brainstorming sessions. He enlisted high school friend Alec Chua as operations manager and tasked himself with handling sales and marketing.
As with most online services, As Nature Intended relies on its core group of delivery service providers. He elaborated, “Our main come-on is to promote same-day delivery for Metro Manila first, but we will also be working on provincial shipping soon.”
Given the lingering threat of the deadly pandemic, David feels that it’s not yet feasible to set-up a main physical store for walk-in customers. He pointed out, “We want to focus on convenience and safety. That’s why ANI is really built and designed for contactless delivery, with our online page and developing app. Right now, our main headquarters and warehouse is situated in Quezon City, which is just minutes away from where I live.”
Listening to David expound on his new company’s long-term vision, one can clearly see that his intentions are not solely profit-motivated.
“Our main goal is not just to sell goods and services. We want to promote a concept—that being healthy is not a taxing undertaking. It should be something that you enjoy and not feel overwhelmed by. Ultimately, if we develop that perspective through even just one consumer, we know we did a good job,” he expounded.
Equally just as important to David is creating a platform where local brands can prosper and flourish as they all get a much-needed marketing boost through ANI’s strategic online presence.
Even more admirable is David’s empathy for colleagues, friends, and other companies severely affected by the current COVID-driven recession. He says, “As we evolve to become a more sustainable brand, we would want to take on that responsibility to give assistance to those impacted by the crisis.”