Close Menu

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    What's Hot

    They Started as a Barkada Side Hustle—Now They Run a Global Retail Group

    June 4, 2025

    She Builds Frameworks for Growth—So Individuals and Companies Can Scale Together

    June 4, 2025

    She Turned Remote Chaos Into Culture and Coaching—And Her Strategy Paid Off

    June 4, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn
    Financial AdviserFinancial Adviser
    • Home
    • Success
      • Leadership & Growth
      • Entrepreneurship
      • Business Strategy
      • Inspiring Stories
    • Money
      • Investing
      • Personal Finance
      • Wealth Building
      • Financial Planning
    • Work
      • Career Development
      • Workplace Culture
      • Productivity & Efficiency
      • Management & Performance
    • Life
      • Relationships & Family
      • Health & Wellness
      • Mindfulness & Balance
      • Personal Growth
    • Inspiration
      • Vision & Purpose
      • Overcoming Adversity
      • Motivational Stories
      • Mindset & Motivation
    Financial AdviserFinancial Adviser
    Home»Inspiration»Motivational Stories»Dropped Out, Went Broke, Then Went Back—How This CEO Learned the Value of Hard Work
    Motivational Stories

    Dropped Out, Went Broke, Then Went Back—How This CEO Learned the Value of Hard Work

    FinancialAdviser.phFebruary 26, 20252 Mins Read
    Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link

    Isidro “Sid” Consunji wasn’t always set on becoming a business leader. In fact, he nearly didn’t finish school.

    As a student at the University of the Philippines, he found himself bored and unmotivated while studying civil engineering. Eventually, he made a decision that many would consider risky—he dropped out.

    “I stopped second year college eh. I got bored and wala akong ganang mag-aral noon,” he recalls.

    His father, David Consunji, the founder of DMCI Holdings, didn’t pressure him to continue. Instead, he gave him a blunt reality check.

    “My father said, ‘Kung wala kang ganang mag-aral, e di wag ka mag-aral. Wala ka naman matututunan kung wala kang gana,’” he says.

    With no degree and no clear direction, Consunji went to work for the family business, starting in the motor pool division and purchasing department. His job? Buying spare parts and handling maintenance work.

    It wasn’t glamorous, and the low salary hit him hard.

    “When I get my paycheck on a Saturday, by Tuesday night, wala na akong pera,” he says. “So naisip ko, mahirap pala yung mababa sweldo, no good, so I went back to school.”

    Realizing that financial independence required more than just work experience, he returned to UP to finish his engineering degree. After graduating, he took on a bigger challenge—running a logging company.

    “We had a logging company, so I ran that for two years after college,” he shares.

    His entrepreneurial instincts eventually kicked in. He started buying bankrupt logging companies, proving he had the business acumen to turn around struggling operations.

    But in 1981, a tragic accident changed everything. A landslide buried one of DMCI’s barracks in Davao, leading his father to ask him to return to construction.

    “My dad suggested, ‘Why don’t you help out in DMCI?'” he recalls. That moment shifted his career trajectory for good.

    Today, Sid Consunji is the Chairman and CEO of DMCI Holdings, leading one of the biggest construction firms in the Philippines—all because he learned the value of hard work the hard way.

    This article includes quotes from an interview originally published by Esquire Philippines, authored by Henry Ong.

    Loading

    Related

    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link
    Previous ArticleFrom Scrap Metal to a Multimillion-Dollar Business—How Two Founders Built an Empire With No Money
    Next Article Bullied for Her Looks as a Child—Now She Runs One of the Top Beauty Clinics in the Country

    Related Posts

    Motivational Stories

    Why Every Financial Struggle Deserves a Structural Solution—Not Just Advice

    May 7, 2025
    Motivational Stories

    This Financial Planner Had No One to Teach Her About Money—Now She’s Doing It for Others

    April 15, 2025
    Motivational Stories

    Don’t Let Fear Hold You Back—Here’s How to Begin Your Financial Journey

    March 7, 2025
    Add A Comment

    Comments are closed.

    Demo
    Stay In Touch
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn

    Subscribe to Updates

      Get the latest updates from Financial Adviser about financial literacy and business acumen. Subscribe to our mailing list!

      By checking this, you agree to our Data Privacy Consent/Agreement and accept our use of such cookies.
      I agree to the Terms and Conditions

      Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn RSS

      Home

      Sucess

      • Leadership & Growth
      • Entrepreneurship
      • Business Strategy
      • Inspiring Stories

      Money

      • Investing
      • Personal Finance
      • Wealth Building
      • Financial Planning

      Work

      • Career Development
      • Workplace Culture
      • Productivity & Efficiency
      • Leadership & Management

      Life

      • Relationships & Family
      • Health & Wellness
      • Mindfullness & Balance
      • Personal Growth

      Inspiration

      • Vision & Purpose
      • Overcoming Adversity
      • Motivational Stories
      • Mindset & Motivation

      Contact Us

      Subscribe to Updates

        Get the latest updates from Financial Adviser about financial literacy and business acumen. Subscribe to our mailing list!

        By checking this, you agree to our Data Privacy Consent/Agreement and accept our use of such cookies.
        I agree to the Terms and Conditions

        Copyright © 2025 Financial Adviser. All rights reserved.

        • Privacy Policy

        Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

        FINANCIALADVISER.PH USES COOKIES TO ENSURE YOU GET THE BEST EXPERIENCE WHILE BROWSING THE SITE.

        By continued use, you agree to our Data Privacy Consent/Agreement and accept our use of such cookies. For further information, click the link Data Privacy Consent/Agreement.