Growing a retail business from a single store to 20 branches is a major achievement. But as a business expands, the systems that worked in the beginning don't always scale with it.

For the first 15 branches of our retail business in the Philippines, everything was done manually. Sales, monitoring, and records were all handled on paper. As the company continued to grow, it became clear that this approach was no longer sustainable.

That realization led us to look for a digital solution that could simplify our operations without creating new barriers for our employees. After exploring different platforms, we found Loyverse. Its simplicity, affordability, and ability to work across multiple locations helped us transition from paper-based operations to a system that now supports a network of 20 branches.

 

What is your business about, and how did you get started?

We are a retail business primarily focused on fast-moving consumer goods. We started with just one branch and gradually expanded our operations. It took us around eight years to reach 20 branches across Nueva Ecija in the Philippines.

For our first 15 branches, our operations were completely manual. Everything was written and monitored on paper.

As we started to scale, we realized that this approach was no longer sustainable. Monitoring and auditing multiple branches became increasingly difficult, so we began exploring ways to digitize and automate our operations.

That was when we started looking for a platform that could support us as we continued to grow.

 

How did you find Loyverse?

Interestingly, we found Loyverse through ChatGPT.

We were searching for possible solutions, and ChatGPT gave us several options to explore. We looked into the different companies one by one and studied how each system could be integrated into our operations and how difficult it would be to migrate our existing processes.

Among the solutions we evaluated, Loyverse seemed to be the easiest platform to migrate to.

Cost was also an important consideration. Some enterprise solutions required a significant upfront investment and annual subscription commitments, which would have been too expensive for us.

When I tried Loyverse and saw the export options and the data available in the Back Office, I immediately felt that it could work for our business.

Which Loyverse features have been the most useful for managing multiple branches?

One of the first things we appreciated was how easy Loyverse was to deploy.

The hardware requirements were also very accessible. You can use a phone or an Android device with relatively modest specifications. We didn't need to make a large investment in specialized or expensive hardware just to get started.

The user interface was another major advantage. Some members of our sales team aren't particularly tech-savvy, but they were still able to learn how to use the system. That simplicity made onboarding much faster.

In fact, when we adopted Loyverse, we already had 15 branches. We were able to fully transition all 15 branches in about one month.

Another feature I really value is cloud visibility. Even when I'm away from the office or somewhere else, I can check how our branches are performing at the end of the day.

For a business operating multiple locations, having that visibility is extremely useful. At the same time, Loyverse remains affordable for small and medium-sized businesses.

 

Which Loyverse subscriptions do you use?

We decided to unlock the features that support our operations because we saw how they work together as part of the overall system.

We use features such as Employee Management and sales reporting with extended data history. Having these tools integrated into the same platform helps us manage the business more effectively as we continue operating across multiple branches.

Why did you decide to become an entrepreneur?

Before starting the business, I worked in the corporate world. After being laid off from my previous job, I had to decide whether I wanted to pursue another corporate career or try building something of my own.

Since I had experience in sales, I decided to give entrepreneurship a chance.

We started very simply, selling eggs and cooking oil. We bought our inventory directly from farms and oil refineries and then sold those products within our local community.

Then COVID-19 happened.

People weren't able to go to supermarkets as easily, so they began purchasing more of their everyday necessities from stores within their communities. That's when our business really started to take off.

We saw that there was an opportunity to scale the concept, so we began opening small branches in different communities. Instead of customers having to travel to supermarkets or public markets for household essentials, we positioned our stores closer to where they lived.

That approach eventually helped us grow from our original business into the 20-branch operation we have today.

 

What advice would you give to someone who wants to start their own business?

My advice is to first focus on something you believe you can be good at and give it 100%.

Try to maximize the potential of that business before you start exploring completely different businesses or activities. Become very good at what you're already doing first.

I would also encourage entrepreneurs to take advantage of AI and the technology available to them.

AI played an important role in our own digital transformation. It helped me discover Loyverse in the first place, and I also used ChatGPT while learning how to structure and set up our database.

Although the Loyverse interface itself is simple, preparing and organizing a database for a business with many branches still requires careful work. I spent about a month studying and preparing everything before I was able to complete the setup.

Having AI available to answer questions and help me work through that process made a significant difference.

So my advice to other entrepreneurs is simple: focus on your business, maximize its potential, and use the technology available to help you grow.

 

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