Sam Verzosa built his reputation as one of the Philippines’ most prominent young entrepreneurs through the rise of Frontrow International, one of the country’s largest direct-selling companies in the health and beauty market.
Through bold marketing and a fast-growing network of distributors, he helped transform Frontrow from a small startup into a national brand while promoting entrepreneurship as a pathway for many Filipinos seeking new income opportunities.
Born and raised in Sampaloc, Manila, Verzosa grew up in a modest household where financial struggles shaped his early ambition to succeed. Determined to pursue higher education, he entered the University of the Philippines Diliman and earned a degree in civil engineering.
While preparing for the engineering board examinations, Verzosa became involved in the direct-selling industry. The experience exposed him to the potential of network-based entrepreneurship, where income could be built through sales and leadership rather than traditional employment.
When the company he was working with eventually shut down, Verzosa saw an opportunity to start his own direct-selling business. In 2009, together with entrepreneur and film producer RS Francisco, he co-founded Frontrow International, a company that sells health and beauty products.
Frontrow quickly gained attention through aggressive marketing and celebrity endorsements, which helped the brand expand rapidly across the country within a few years.
As the business grew, the company expanded to Filipino communities overseas. The success of Frontrow allowed Verzosa to diversify into other ventures, including automotive distribution, luxury retail, and real estate investments.
Today, Verzosa continues to build businesses while pursuing philanthropic and social initiatives. From his beginnings in Sampaloc to becoming the co-founder of a billion-peso enterprise, his journey shows how entrepreneurship can create opportunities when ambition and persistence come together.
How did Verzosa manage to build a fast-growing direct-selling company that attracted millions of distributors and expanded beyond the Philippines? What personal experiences and entrepreneurial principles allowed him to turn a modest beginning into a platform that promised both business opportunity and social impact?
Here are the five business lessons every entrepreneur can learn from Sam Versoza, co-founder and CEO of Frontrow International:
1. Know how to create opportunities instead of waiting for them
Many professions provide stability, but they rarely allow income to grow rapidly unless you move up the hierarchy over many years. By creating opportunities, through entrepreneurship, side businesses, or new ventures, you gain the ability to expand your earning potential beyond the limits of a paycheck.
In a traditional job, compensation is often limited by annual salary budget. Even high performers may see slow income growth because organizations follow structured pay systems. Creating opportunities outside that structure removes the ceiling on how much you can earn.
Many talents remain underutilized in traditional jobs. Skills like selling, teaching, or designing may not translate into higher pay within a corporate role. Creating opportunities allows these abilities to generate additional income through entrepreneurship or other ventures.
When individuals take initiative to build something of their own, they learn new skills. These experiences expand their capabilities far beyond what many traditional roles require.
When Verzosa graduated from UP Diliman, he initially followed the usual path of applying for corporate jobs. But when he saw that the salary was only too low, he realized the limits of that path. Instead of staying in that structure, he moved into a different economic system.
In traditional employment, income usually grows slowly through promotions and years of service. In direct selling and entrepreneurship, earnings can grow faster because they depend on performance and market demand. By choosing a performance-based environment, Verzosa moved from a fixed income structure to one where effort could directly increase his earnings.
Another way Verzosa created opportunities was by turning experiences that others might see as disadvantages into strengths. Growing up in Sampaloc and describing himself as “laki sa kalye,” he learned how to read people, build relationships, and adapt quickly by turning his street-learned instincts into valuable business skills. These skills may not be valued in corporate jobs, but they are essential in sales and entrepreneurship.
Versoza’s approach to learning sales also played a key role. Instead of treating it as a casual job, he studied it seriously. Like athletes or musicians who train through constant practice, he treated selling as a skill to master. Over time, his ability improved and his success rate increased.
“My parents are both from the province. My father is Ilocano, and my mother is from Mindanao, Bisaya. Typical story of a taga probinsya—they studied in Manila. They met here while studying in the University Belt sa Manila. That’s why I was born in Sampaloc.
So practically, they started from nothing and worked their way up. While I was growing up, laki akong kalye, from the streets. Early on, I learned about life. Nakita ko kaagad yung kahirapan. Nakita ko yung hirap ng buhay, tapos dun ako natuto.
You know, you learn from school, but sa street you learn also. Kasi nandun lahat ng mga matitibay. Nandun lahat ng magugulang, nandun lahat ng mga bully. You get tough.
So don ako tumibay at dun ako natutong dumiskarte. Kasi ang mga kasama ko dun hindi na bata eh. Kasama mo mga tambay. Mga nag-iinuman. Mga sira-ulo, napasama ako sa kung saan-saang mga grupo. So early on in life, nakita ko na yung realidad ng buhay. So I was not parang yung mga karamihan ngayon na medyo sheltered. Taong labas ako, tambay ako ng labas. Basketball, laro, sugal.
Ang first na kinita ko, sa totoo lang, sa shooting eh—basketball. I mean, diba before kanto-kanto? May mga court tayo sa streets. Ngayon kasi bihira na. So laging may shooting noon. So una kong kinita, kasi parang may nagtanong eh, ano daw una kong hustle? Sabi ko shooting. Ako pinaka bata, kalaban ko matatanda. Lima-limang piso, bente-bente. Anyway, doon ako kumita. That’s my first love, basketball. I was always sa labas, morning, tanghali, hanggang gabi.
So when I was growing up, yan yung first love ko. Tapos yun sana pangarap ko sir. But my parents told me na wala kaming papamana sayo anak. Papamana lang namin sayo eh pag-aaral mo. Ginapang nila yon eh para mapag-aral ako sa kahit papano na mapasok ako sa private school.”Versoza says
“That struck something inside of me, na parang oh no lagot na. Eh pa-graduate na ako ng high school eh. Ano mangyayari? Anong mangyayari sa akin? Saan ako mapupunta nito? Parang I needed to get serious. Kasi medyo, happy go lucky lang ako non eh. Diba tambay lang ako sa labas eh.
So kinabahan na ako. Sabi ko patay, hindi naman ako ganon katangkaran. Tapos parang hindi naman ako pang-basketball. So binitawan ko yun. I studied hard. Talagang dinedicate ko sarili ko. Nag-sacrifice ako. Kinalimutan ko muna yung mga barkada hanggang I graduated valedictorian. I graduated top of my class.
After that, wala nga kaming pang tuition. So I needed to be a scholar. So nag-aral agad ako para mapasok ako sa UP. Wala akong ibang option, kasi wala akong pambayad sa mga ibang mamahaling university. So ginoal kong maging scholar sa UP.
Hanggang naging scholar ako. I graduated as a civil engineer from UP Diliman. Kasi sabi ng tatay ko, kasi engineer din yung tatay ko. Sabi niya yan daw magpapayaman sa akin. As being an engineer, you get to solve problems etc, etc. And I loved it also hanggang naging engineer ako.
But when I graduated, trinay kong mag-apply just like all my classmates, gaya-gaya eh. Pagka-graduate mo, apply ka. Padala ka ng mga resume mo sa saang-saang company. One time nung nag-apply ako nakita ko yung sweldo. Parang P7000 a month? Sabi ko pano ako mabubuhay nito? At pano ko aasenso? So sabi ko parang hindi yata ako para dito. 2004 yun eh.
Tapos may nag-invite sakin sa direct selling na kaklase ko dati. Tapos nakita ko, lakas nila kumita. Eh sabi ko, kung ganito ang kinikita niya, eh ako yung pinakamatalino sa batch namin eh, kung kumikita siya ng P100,000 to P200,000 a week, almost a million a month, tapos ako yung pinakamatalino? Mas kaya ko ‘to. Yan ang basis ko.
So sabi ko kung kaya niya kaya ko ‘to. Yung nalaman eto ng tatay ko, galit na galit. Araw-araw minumura ako ng tatay ko. Nag-engineer ka pa. Nag-UP ka pa, tapos ngayon taga-benta ka lang ganyan-ganyan. Minamaliit nya ako.
So I wanted to prove to him na hindi, I’m gonna be successful here. I’m gonna be the best. I told you, kung yung kaklase ko kumikita ng ganon, mas magaling ako dyan. Sabi ko kung kaya nya, kaya ko rin. Sabi ko kailangan ko lang gawin kung ano mga ginawa nila.
Dun pumasok yung, siguro yung experience ko sa streets. Yung pakikisama ko sa tao, yung experience ko sa UP life. Lahat yun, hindi mo matututunan sa school. These are social skills, these are diskarte.
So inaral ko yung negosyo. Inaral ko bakit siya magaling? Anong ginagawa niya? Anong sinasabi niya? Basically, I learned the skills—observing, recording, writing. Everything that I hear, kung may something na magandang sinabi mo, I write it. I record it—dati may recorder pa eh. I record it, pinapakinggan ko sa gabi. I write it down, I transcribe, hanggang gumaling ako ng gumaling. Pina-practice ko siya, pinagpa-practisan ko yung sa bunso kong kapatid.
Dati wala pang laptop eh, wala pang presentation, puro handwritten. That’s why gumaling ako ako mag-present. I did that for almost two years. Morning, afternoon, hanggang gabi ng madaling araw yun ang nasa utak ko. When you do things every day and progress and improve, you really become the best at your craft. Everyday, everyday. Nakikinig ako sa mga iba ibang magagaling na speaker. Wala pa kasing YouTube noon eh. That’s the only way I could learn.
Yung nag-umpisa ako, ang dami kong rejection eh. Maraming rejection but okay lang, kasi sa sampu meron ka naman mabibentang tatlo, apat, pero nung gumaling na ako, ang average ko na eight out of ten. Sobrang gumaling ako magsalita.
Alam mo, after a few months, I became a top earner at the Millionaire’s Club. Yung mga unang malaking kinita ko, binigay ko sa nanay at tatay ko. Ang pinakamalaking tseke ko, na nasa hundred thousands, nung one time kumita ako ng P140,000 a week. Pag-uwi ko, nilapag ko yung isang daan libo sa kanya, ‘Papa sayo ‘to. Tapos yung mama eto sa kanya’. Tuwang-tuwa sila. Sabi ng tatay ko, ‘eh kung ganito ba naman eh, ok na’.”Versoza adds
2. Know how to turn personal experiences into a business idea
When a business idea comes from personal experience, it usually starts with a real problem the person has faced. This gives the entrepreneur a clearer understanding of what people need and what solutions they are willing to pay for. Instead of guessing what the market wants, the idea comes from firsthand knowledge of real demand.
This personal knowledge also makes it easier to explain the value of the product or service. Because the entrepreneur understands the problem directly, he can communicate the benefits more naturally and convincingly to customers, partners, or investors.
Many startups fail because founders build solutions for problems they do not fully understand. When an idea comes from personal experience, the entrepreneur already knows the problem exists and that people actively seek solutions. This increases the chances that the business will attract early users or customers.
Verzosa’s early ventures followed a pattern: he paid attention to activities he was already part of and turned them into business opportunities. His Internet café, for example, came from observing the rapid rise of gaming culture at the time. By opening a café with fifty computers and running it for long hours, he positioned himself within a growing trend.
Another key element in his journey was how he reused capital from one venture to start another. Income from direct selling funded the Internet café, which then produced steady daily cash flow. This allowed him to expand to Makati and later explore other businesses in Sampaloc. His exposure to different communities helped him identify practical demand in the market. Instead of focusing on a single business, he treated everyday observations as signals of where money was already flowing.
His exposure to nightlife later became another unexpected source of business insight. Because he frequently went out and developed connections in club environment, this led him to become a business partner in a nightclub.
The turning point that led to Frontrow came from a personal experience. His nightlife lifestyle began to affect his health and appearance. Because he was health conscious, he searched for products that could help him detox and recover, which led him to glutathione.
This experience revealed strong demand. When he saw how expensive the product was, he realized that many consumers were willing to pay for it. Instead of creating a new product, he saw the opportunity in distributing an existing one.
His partnership with RS Francisco helped turn the idea into a larger business. Verzosa brought sales experience, while Francisco contributed expertise in advertising and brand building. Their combined strengths allowed the business to grow beyond their initial network.
“At that time, nauso yung Internet cafe. So I opened my first Internet cafe, which was called SamVer sa Manila, actually boundary ng Quezon City. So medyo may kasikatan yon eh. May mga Philippine team kami na nagdo-Dota. I don’t know if you remember those times. Sobrang lakas nung time na yon. We had 50 computers, then nag-expand pa ako sa Makati. That’s how it started.
Tapos yung earnings ko from mga direct selling dati, napunta dun sa business. Yun ang kumikita everyday. Kasi imagine 50 computers, 60 pesos per hour times mga 15 hours. That’s what you earn per day.
So madali akong nakapag-expand sa Makati sa may South Avenue, which I called South Hub. Tapos dun ko na natutunan yung mga painvest-invest. Kasi syempre nung time na yun ang alam kong business ikaw lahat. Tapos natutunan ko pwede ka palang mag-pool ng funds with your friends, so nag-pool ako ng funds with everyone.
Tapos nauso rin yung mga water refilling station before. Napunta ako sa laundry, napunta kami sa hardware. This is all in Sampaloc. So we opened all these businesses hanggang napunta na naman ako ako sa club. Kasi I’m always out eh. I love partying, I love the lifestyle. Hip-hop kami eh.”Versoza says
“So I started going out. I met a lot of friends, para akong nakapag-network sa mga clubs. So naging parang high spender ako. Naging suki ako sa iba’t ibang clubs.
Hanggang nayaya akong maging part ng isang club. Kasi sabi nila ito kailangan nating maging partner. I was 25 then. Tapos nagtayo kami ng very first super club namin sa Quezon City. 2008 yon eh.
So ayun, I met a lot of people. Alam mo yung network ko kasi, you know, yung people close to clubs. Mga may pera, halo-halo lang. Businessman, politician, underground… diba? O kaya normal na mga gago. Halo-halo eh, so maaga akong na-expose sa mga ganong lifestyle.
Hanggang one time nayaya naman ako ng mga dati kong kasamahan sa direct selling na magtayo ng network marketing company. Lumapit yung mga tao namin, guys sabi nung mga dati naming tao, sana magtayo kayo kasi ang pangit ng tingin ng mga tao sa network marketing sa Pilipinas. Nagsasara na at may stigma.
Kasi nung nagkaroon ako ng club, ang nangyari napunta ako sa unhealthy lifestyle. Madalas drinking, tapos bago pa ko umuwi you eat a lot, so sa totoo lang tumaba ako. Naging unhealthy, naging haggard yung itsura ko.
Eh I was also very conscious. Ganon ako eh. I was health conscious. So I was looking for products that will make me pampa-detox, pampa-sleep, yung may cleansing. So naghanap ako. Ang uso noon ay yung mga injectable glutathione. Pampaputi yun eh, but that’s the side effect. It’s really a master antioxidant that cleanses your liver, kidneys, and your whole body.
So I took that, tapos sabi ko bakit ang mahal-mahal nito? Sabi ko what if ako na lang magbenta? Maybe that’s the entrepreneur in me. Sabi ko bakit ako nagbabayad ng ganito kamahal? Kaya ko namang ibenta ‘to? I’m a salesman eh.
Diba sabi ko nga doon ako nag-start. Selling mga stuffs, direct selling. So we researched kung saan yung mga produktong ‘to. Tapos may naging ka-partner kami, nakuha namin sa US. Kasi sabi namin what will set you apart? Eh alam mo naman mga Pilipino gusto yung imported, gusto quality. So kami na ang nag-distribute. That’s when we started Frontrow. Me and my partner, si RS Francisco started Frontrow in 2009. Dalawa kami.
Magaling yung partner ko. He’s into advertising kaya maganda yung combination namin. I’m on the business side, siya yung sa creative side. So yung combination namin swak na swak. He’s a creative director. He’s a director of commercials. All the big products that you see on TV, siya nag-direct eh. Ka-org ko siya before sa UP.
Tapos we were the top 1 and top 2 sellers of our old company. So sabi ko maganda na yung samahan namin. Naging magkaibigan na po kami talaga. We got the trust of each other. He’s also health conscious.
Nung nagka-club na nga ako sabi niya, “Sam ano ka ba? Alagaan mo sarili mo, nakaka-haggard yan” So he started doing the injectables. Hanggang sabi ko tayo na lang kaya magbenta nito? So we started this group, yung Frontrow, which is direct selling, network marketing.
Sabi ko kung magtatayo kami ni RS, ipapakita namin na yung direct selling, network marketing, when done right, can be a lucrative business that can change people’s lives. So yun ang ginawa namin. Mga sampu lang siguro kami nung nag-umpisa. Lahat homegrown” Versoza adds
3. Know how to turn strategic branding into market visibility
Strong public recognition accelerates customer acquisition. When a brand becomes widely known, people do not need lengthy explanations before trying the product. Awareness already exists, so marketing becomes more efficient. Instead of convincing consumers that the brand is legitimate, the company can focus on communicating benefits and expanding distribution.
Mass recognition also strengthens a brand’s competitive position. In crowded markets, many companies may offer similar products, but the brand people remember first often captures more customers. Strong visibility also makes it harder for new competitors to enter because they must spend time and money to achieve the same recognition.
A well-known brand also increases long-term business value. Strong recognition allows companies to charge better prices, attract partners, and expand into new markets more easily. Over time, the brand becomes a strategic asset that supports sustained growth.
Verzosa’s approach to branding began with distribution and social proof. Instead of relying on commercials or celebrity endorsements at the start, he used network marketing to spread the product through people.
Each distributor acted not only as a seller but also as a promoter of the brand. As more individuals recommended the product to friends and acquaintances, the brand gained credibility through personal testimony.
When Verzosa shifted the product from injectable treatments to capsule supplements, he made the business easier to scale. Injectable products required physical administration and limited distribution, while capsules could be shipped and sold more easily. This allowed the brand to expand beyond local markets and reach customers abroad.
Verzosa also strengthened the brand by creating a line of products instead of offering only one. The Luxxe series included supplements for detox, weight loss, anti-aging, and immunity. By addressing common health and appearance concerns, the brand appealed to a wider audience and increased its market visibility.
Verzosa also helped change how people viewed selling. At the time, network marketing had a negative image in the Philippines, and many people felt embarrassed to sell products. Instead of avoiding this perception, he reframed selling as simply sharing a product people believed in. This shift made more individuals comfortable promoting the brand, which helped the distribution network grow faster.
As the company expanded, Verzosa moved from word-of-mouth promotion to large-scale branding. The brand began working with well-known celebrities. Bringing Floyd Mayweather to the Philippines further boosted the brand’s visibility. These moves show that while early growth can come from personal networks, widespread recognition often requires high-profile marketing that captures public attention.
“Kasi sabi namin what’s the fastest way to distribute this without marketing, without doing traditional marketing like paying endorsers, doing commercials. It’s through ano, word of mouth, which is yun nga meron kami network, so kinalat namin yun. As in first month, second month pa lang sabog na kaagad.
Kaso when we were expanding, sabi namin parang mahirap i-expand ‘to. Kasi we were having orders abroad. Parang mahirap i-scale kasi ang haba ng pila ng mga injectables eh, you know, yung mga nagpapa-inject? Para na nga kaming nag-aano, weird na yung office namin.
Sabi namin we need something na pwede naming ipadala. So ginawa namin siyang capsules. Dun nag-start yung Luxxe White Ultima. Yung Luxxe White series namin, which is yung Luxxe White, Luxxe Slim, Luxxe Renew, Luxxe Protect, kompleto na. Yung Luxxe White, yan yung detoxifying and whitening, which all Filipinos loved at that time until now. Yung Luxxe Slim naman yung pampapayat namin. Yung Luxxe Renew naman anti-aging. Yung Luxxe Protect naman yung immune booster. So kompleto na ‘to.
Ang matindi noon baligtad, mas marami pang lalaki. Kasi wala kang ligtas eh. Everyone, sino bang gustong pumangit, tumaba, at tumanda? At maging unhealthy? Everyone wants to look good, slim, young, and healthy. So covered na namin lahat eh.
Nag-expand pa kami hanggang abroad, sa Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Hong Kong, Singapore. Yung mga distributors namin, it started with 20,000, 30,000 and at that time umabot ng mga more than 2 million. Kasi nga, ano siya word of mouth eh. Parang ‘uy, parang you look good? Ang kinis ng mukha mo anong ginagamit mo? Ganon lang kasimple yun. I-try mo ‘to pare ko.’ We call them distributors.”Versoza says
“Also, we became the gold standard sa direct selling network marketing. Kami na yung ginaya ng iba. Kumbaga kami na yung naging template ngayon. Kasi before there was a stigma eh. Nakakahiyang magbenta, diba? Ayaw ng tao ng ganon. But now, tignan mo. Everyone’s selling in TikTok or in social media. Kami nagsimula nyan, sabi ko nga. Sabi ko sa mga tao ko ‘bat mo ikakahiya wala ka namang ginagawang masama?
Lumaki kami eh. You know Frontrow didn’t just grow. We really became a household name. All the big names in the Philippines—name it. Kathryn Bernardo, Daniel Padilla, James Reid. Lahat po yan. Pia Wurtzbach, Catriona Gray, Vice Ganda, Sharon Cuneta, Regine Velasquez, Kuya Will. Sa sobrang dami na kasi hindi ko na maalala yung iba, hanggang sa napunta na kami sa Korea, Momoland, mga Korean K-pop superstars na rin at Korean novela superstar, tapos dinala namin si Mayweather here.
Everywhere nilagay namin sa mga buses, billboards. Anywhere you can see us. Frontrow was everywhere. Everyone wanted to be part of Frontrow. The brand that we built talaga is super laki. Dun nga ako nakilala eh, kasi nga nakita nila si Mayweather nabigla talaga sila. Almost everyone. So yun na, naging template siya. That’s part of marketing eh, you know that.
You put of course a budget for marketing, but you know diba you remember? Until now you remember, Mayweather? That’s how many years ago? But you still remember. Kami yung unang nagdala sa kanya dito. So medyo na-elevate namin yung pangalan namin, which became the standard for most of the brands right now.” Versoza adds
4. Know how to build a business by developing people
When a company depends only on one person to make decisions, growth becomes limited. By developing leaders within the organization, responsibilities and influence spread across many individuals. This allows the business to expand faster because more people are capable of driving results.
Leadership development also increases motivation and commitment within the organization. When people see a path to leadership, they become more invested in the success of the business. Instead of acting only as employees or distributors, they begin to see themselves as partners in its growth.
Leaders also multiply effort. One person can only manage a limited number of tasks, but when leaders train and guide their own teams, the organization can grow faster. Each leader develops new members that allow the business to expand through multiple layers instead of relying on one individual.
In direct selling, products can easily be copied and competitors can quickly enter the market. What is harder to replicate is a strong network of motivated people who know how to sell, recruit, and lead others.
Verzosa recognized this early and treated leadership development as the foundation of the business. Instead of assuming distributors would succeed on their own, he focused on constant training.
This approach reflects how network-based businesses grow. Expansion does not rely only on central management but on decentralized leadership. By teaching people how to communicate and influence others, Verzosa created many leaders within the organization.
Versoza’s strategy also linked economic opportunity with personal growth. Training included not only sales skills but also personality development and relationship building. For many participants, the business offered more than income because it helped them gain confidence and expand their networks.
“Kaming dalawa po ng partner ko ang gumawa ng brand name. I want to be in front eh, always. Diba sino ba mga nasa front? Front row, A-list. Saka we want a strong name. Hindi basta-basta.
Actually true story nyan, when we were together ng partner ko. I wanted to make a modeling agency, when I was young. Sabi niya, sabi niya sa akin. Alam mo magandang pangalan Frontrow. Tinandaan ko yun, pero hindi na nangyari yun. Fast forward how many years later.
Nagkita kami, magtatayo kami. Sabi niya anong magandang pangalan? Sabi ko Frontrow, sabi nya sakin ang ganda nun. Hindi niya alam sa kanya galing, after all these years. Late ko na sinabi sa kanya na galing sa kanya yun. I was siguro the youngest founder of direct selling na company na lumaki sa Pilipinas.
People think magtatayo ka lang ng direct selling, lalaki na sya. Hindi siya ganun eh, it’s the training. Every day training, teaching people how to sell. Personality development, social skills, communication skills, relations ng relations, relations skills—everything. Lahat yan.
So basically we develop people. We develop leaders. That’s why ang tagline namin sa Frontrow before, we are in the business of changing people’s lives. Because we changed a lot of people’s lives like students, housewife, employees, OFW’s. Ang dami naming napauwi at nabagong buhay.”Versoza says
“Lahat po kami, non-stop training. We are in the people business, eh. So we build these people. And these people built our business. Yun ang lagi ko sinasabi. You build your leaders, you build your people and your people will build your business.
People think ang selling is parang hard sell selling. Hindi eh. Kwento mo, parang tanungin kita, anong masarap na kainan doon sa lugar mo? Pag kinwento mo sa akin, hindi mo alam you’re indirectly selling it to me.
So pag ako nagkikwento lang din ng mga bagay. Anong magandang puntahan dyan sa lugar na yan? Anong masarap dyan? Ano yang pantalon mo? Ukay ba yan? Ang ganda nyan ah. So kwento lang eh, kwento mo yung kagandahan.
Kwento mo with enthusiasm. Kwento mo with excitement and most importantly authenticity and sincerity. Kasi people will see it through you kung binobola mo sila. So if you really believe in something, I can feel it sa salita mo pa lang. So yan ang tinuturo ko. Everything that I’ve learned, shinare ko yan sa mga tao until we built an empire, which is the Frontrow.
You know pag maganda yung produkto mo sir, may system ka, and you give an opportunity for them, and you give hope, marami talagang gagawa. Kasi sir alam mo hindi lang naman products yung binebenta namin eh. What we sell is hope. Pag-asa” Versoza adds
5. Know how to turn challenges into motivation for success
Challenges create motivation. When someone is doubted or underestimated, it can trigger a desire to prove that those judgments are wrong. This type of motivation often becomes a powerful driver of achievement because it pushes individuals to work harder.
Success in business or career often involves rejection and setbacks. People who learn to treat challenges as opportunities for improvement become better prepared to handle these pressures. Instead of avoiding difficulty, they begin to see it as part of the path toward success.
Challenges also encourage continuous improvement. When individuals choose difficult tasks, they must constantly upgrade their skills and knowledge to overcome obstacles.
Verzosa’s approach to challenges is that he turns difficulty into motivation to move forward. At several moments in his life, criticism and humiliation did not weaken his confidence. They triggered a competitive response that pushed him to improve himself.
His difficult relationship with his father played an important role in shaping this mindset. The strict discipline and harsh words did not break his confidence. Instead, they strengthened his desire to prove himself. The anger he felt became motivation to succeed and helped shape his strong work ethic.
Another insight is his tendency to choose difficult paths. He sees difficulty as a sign of opportunity. Instead of avoiding obstacles, he treats them as chances for growth. His belief that “the obstacle is the way” reflects this mindset. Challenges are not warnings of risk but signals that something valuable can be achieved.
“Alam mo, sa totoo lang ah medyo magkaaway kami ng tatay ko yung buong career ko noon. Pati nung college ako kasi nga medyo pasaway ako. Mabarkada, umiinom nga ako, gimik ganyan. So nung-uwi ako ng lasing, galing parties galit na galit siya. Laging mura, halos di nga nya ako pinag-aral eh.
Sobrang tough love. Umiiyak ako pumapasok ako sa school kasi ako lang walang baon. Wala akong pang-tuition. Nanay ko yung mga pailalim na tumutulong. Galit na galit ako. Yung galit na yun gave me the inner strength, the motivation to really prove myself that I’m gonna be successful.
Kaya yung tatay ko later, lagi niya sinasabi kung hindi kita ginanyan, hindi ka magiging ganyan. Kung hindi kita minuramura, hindi kita pinagsabihan, hindi daw magiging ganito. So I really owe a lot sa tatay ko. It’s called tough love eh.
I always wanted to be the best. Strive ko for excellence. Very competitive ako eh from sports to academics to business. You know, sometimes it works in your favor if you’re very competitive. Kasi that’s what gives you the drive, the passion to be the best.”Versoza says
“Very intrinsic yan sa akin eh. That gave me all the motivation. Baliktad ako eh. The more na dinadown ako, the more na minamaliit ako, lalo kong ginaganahan eh. Alam mo, most of the decisions I made in life ay dahil may nag-ano sa akin. Nung high school ako may nag-down sa akin eh.
Hindi ba may mga position sa classroom. May presidente, vice president. Parang minsan I raised my voice sa class na baka kailangan natin maging ganito? Tapos pinagsabihan ako na parang ‘tumahimik ka nga, escort ka lang eh’ Kasi dati, di ba may escort and muse sa class. Na-nominate kasi ako na escort.
Parang naisip ko, yun lang ba ako, ganun? So anyway, sabi ko ‘ah ganun ha, nag-aral ako. So from pinakamababang section, inakyat ko yun. Tinodo ko yun. Talagang hindi lang yun. I built relationships sa lahat ng teachers ko. I ran for student council and I became student council president.
You know, I took the board exam after a few years pa. You know why? When I graduated, nagpunta nga ako dito sa direct selling eh. So yung nag top na ako sa direct selling, parang nasa sarili ko na mayroon pa ako unfinished business. Hindi pa kasi ako nag-board exam nun eh. So sabi ko, may mga nanlait na naman sakin. Sabi nila ‘Oo, may pera ka nga, pero hindi ka naman board passer. Sayang pinag-aralan mo.’
May isang inuman, may nag-ganyan sa akin. Sabi niya, ‘ok ka na sana pare, kaso hindi ka nag-board eh. Hindi ka engineer’. Alam mo that’s what gives me the motivation eh. After three years na nag graduate ako, nag back to zero ako. Inaral ko ulit.
Alam mo sir, mabait din talaga Diyos sa akin, kasi yung naging study partner ko noon, siya yung nag-top na board. Kasi nakalimutan ko na nga lahat eh. So, kung yan ang naging partner ko sa review, so sure ball pasado nako. Dati kasi wala pa sa internet eh. Kukuha ka ng dyaryo to check. Nung nalaman ng tatay ko na pumasa ako, tuwang-tuwa yung tatay ko.
Kaya pag lalo akong nahihirapan lalo akong ginaganahan. I always choose hard eh. Ang mentality ko until now: the obstacle is the way. Kung nasaan yung mahirap, nandun yung blessing. Kung saan yung mahirap, nandun yung opportunity. So kung nalagpasan mo yun, nandun yung mas magandang buhay. Diba? Sabi nila hard decisions lead to an easy life. Easy decisions lead to a hard life. So that’s what toughened me. That’s what motivated me, and that’s what gave me the discipline to do what I do, and to prove to my father that I didn’t make the wrong decision.
Isa sa mga goal ko is to become the best father for my children. I want them to be proud of me, and yung other goal ko is to change as many lives na pwede ko pong magawa. Kasi I’m given so much, so whatever is given to me, I always share it. As I always say, the true purpose of wealth is to love and to share it with others.
And that’s what I’m doing right now, to be an instrument of whatever God has given me. Kasi wala naman tayo madadala sa mundong eto eh. Diba? So kung ano man meron ako, itutulong at ibibigay ko. And that’s what I did, from the pandemic, Tutok to Win, sa TV show ko, sa Dear SV, hanggang naging congressman ako, hanggang ngayon tumakbo ako sa Manila. I gave everything na pinag-ipunan ko.” Versoza adds
