Entrepreneurship is often associated with business schools, professional mentors, and structured corporate careers. But for many Filipino entrepreneurs, the earliest lessons about business come from a much more personal place: the family.
For Rubby Lugtu, chairman and co-founder of Asialink Finance, his entrepreneurial mindset was shaped long before he entered the finance industry. The foundation was built at home through the influence of a strict father who believed strongly in independence and real-world learning.
“My dad was sobrang strikto,” Lugtu recalls. “He taught me how to be independent.”
That discipline became the starting point of his exposure to business. Instead of shielding his son from responsibility, Lugtu’s father regularly involved him in entrepreneurial ventures.
“In a way, parang I got it from him to be a businessman,” he says.
Whenever Lugtu’s father came across a potential business opportunity, he would immediately involve his son in executing it.
“Pag meron siyang maisip na business, he would tell me, ‘Why don’t you try this business? We’re going into it.’”
But the approach was far from theoretical. Lugtu was expected to do the work.
“Ako yung leg man nya.”
Learning business by doing
Being the “leg man” meant Lugtu was responsible for the operational side of the ventures his father initiated. Instead of simply observing, he was tasked with making things happen—meeting people, setting up arrangements, and ensuring that the business actually ran.
This form of training reflects a common pattern among entrepreneurs who grow up in business-oriented families. Rather than receiving formal instruction, they learn by participating directly in real transactions and decisions.
For Lugtu, this experience exposed him early to one of the industries that would eventually define his career: lending.
At one point, his father came across an opportunity involving loans to teachers.
“One time, he said, ‘Rob, I stumbled into this guy. He offered me this business with teachers. Yung pautang sa teacher parang maganda, sali tayo.’”
Once again, Lugtu was asked to carry out the work.
“So that was our business then. As a leg man, ako yung nagtuloy nun. Ako yung nagtayo, not just as his assistant.”
The experience introduced him to the mechanics of financing—working with borrowers, managing lending relationships, and understanding the flow of money.
Independence over instruction
Despite involving his son in business activities, Lugtu’s father rarely provided detailed instructions.
Instead, he preferred a hands-off approach that forced Lugtu to figure things out on his own.
“Bahala ka, aralin mo,” Lugtu recalls his father telling him.
This style of mentorship may appear harsh, but it instilled an important entrepreneurial trait: self-reliance.
Without step-by-step guidance, Lugtu had to learn how to solve problems independently, evaluate opportunities, and make decisions under uncertainty. These are precisely the skills entrepreneurs rely on when navigating unfamiliar markets.
The approach also reflected a belief that business skills cannot be fully taught in theory—they must be developed through experience.
The early seeds of a financing career
Through these early ventures, Lugtu gradually became familiar with the world of lending and financing.
Although the business he helped run involved several partners, including his father’s acquaintances, the operational experience left a lasting impression on him.
Even after his father eventually decided to exit the partnership, the lessons remained.
What began as an assignment from a strict parent had quietly planted the seeds of Lugtu’s future career in finance.
Years later, those experiences would contribute to the creation of Asialink Finance, which would grow into one of the Philippines’ established non-bank lending institutions.
The power of family mentorship
Lugtu’s story illustrates a broader pattern seen among many Filipino entrepreneurs. While formal education and professional training are valuable, some of the most enduring business lessons come from family mentorship.
Parents who involve their children in business often pass down not just technical knowledge but also attitudes toward risk, responsibility, and independence.
In Lugtu’s case, his father’s strict approach forced him to develop confidence and resilience early on.
What seemed like simple assignments at the time—acting as the “leg man” in small ventures—eventually became the foundation of a lifelong career in finance and entrepreneurship.
For Lugtu, the lesson was clear: sometimes the most effective training does not come from formal instruction, but from being given responsibility and being told to figure things out on your own.
