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Last
term, students of the
Entrepreneurs
School of Asia (ESA) had a grand time in the heart of
the economic dragon, China. Not that the business
immersion program in ESA’s
Hangzhou
campus has been without the rigors of university life.
But for students who had a first-hand experience of
actually living in China to learn about the business
environment, the stay was one exhilarating adventure of
learning and discovery.
In a
world where knowledge has become the most important
currency, ESA has recognized that there are a few things
that cannot be overlooked.
The
China phenomenon, for one, is a perfect example. To
successfully do business in China, mere information is
not enough. Rather, an in-depth understanding of the
workings of business, culture and local practices, among
others, are needed for one to blaze through the
competition.
For
Vivienne Tan, the visionary behind the school, ESA will
be the seedbed that will help produce “Asia’s global
entrepreneurs.” Better known as tycoon Lucio Tan’s
daughter, Tan is also chairman of the school, which
first opened its doors in 1999 as the country’s first
international college. In the past years, the school has
evolved to become Asia’s first college entirely focused
on entrepreneurship, with colleges in the Philippines
and China.
ESA aims
“to develop the entrepreneurial mindset” among its
students, going beyond mere rhetoric and grand plans.
For the past years, ESA has invested heavily to ensure
that the school provides innovative programs and a
learning environment for the country’s next generation
of entrepreneurs.
“We have
always been firm advocates of entrepreneurship,” says
Tan. “Even before entrepreneurship became a buzzword,
our institution has been developing the model
environment to nurture, develop and inspire young people
to be entrepreneurs.” The school, she points out, “was
conceptualized from the very beginning as a school made
by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs.”
True to
its pioneering spirit, ESA offers a business and
Mandarin combination course in China where students
learn the rudiments of doing business in the country.
Likewise, it is the only Philippine school that allows
its students to automatically progress, without having
to take any entrance examinations, to a master’s program
in its partner institutions abroad. ESA counts among its
partners the University of Portsmouth, Oxford Brookes
University, Northumbria University and European Business
School in the UK, Northwest Polytechnic University in
the US and Curtin University of Technology in Australia.
Just as
its pretty chairman does not fit the mold of the
traditional schoolmarm, so does ESA refuse to conform to
the usual expectations of what a school should be. Its
Libis campus sits within an industrial enclave,
sandwiched between warehouses. The campus itself is a
converted warehouse with an unfinished look, the cold,
gray walls punctuated by playful splashes of color,
glass and metal here and there.
“When we
were planning the campus, I wanted a design that would
reflect the school’s out-of-the-box culture,” Tan says.
Eschewing box-like structures that most schools go by,
she says that a school’s “whole look and feel should
induce creativity and innovation. I want something where
students can feel at ease to mingle, network, and be at
home.”
Indeed,
ESA has a small, friendly community. Its students,
mostly coming from entrepreneurial families, make up
this close-knit circle, where many end up either
starting a new enterprise for themselves, taking over
the family business or partnering with other ESA
students.
Unlike
other schools where students are more interested in
school activities or the coolest gadget, ESA students
are more interested in what each one is doing. “Ano’ng
raket mo?” (“raket” not coming with its usual shady
connotation) has become such a popular opening line and
has probably given birth to more businesses than can be
imagined. The school is a melting pot of ideas. Students
openly discuss new business concepts and share
experiences with their classmates, whether in or out of
the classroom.
This
pervasive entrepreneurial culture is one that Tan is
particularly proud of. She is always happy to see how
freshmen—newbies who make a quick about-turn when she
meets them in the corridors—blossom into confident
upperclassmen who have no qualms about engaging her in
casual conversation
“We
focus on applied learning,” explains Tan. “We provide a
conducive environment that would transform their
creative concept into a sustainable business. We don’t
confine our students to the walls of their classroom.
Instead, we encourage them to make the world their
classroom.”
As a
requirement for graduation, students are supposed to
start their own business or introduce major, strategic
improvements to an existing one. To handhold students
through this, ESA has put in place a strong mentorship
program.
Alongside the focus on the business is the attention
placed on the personal development of the students
themselves with the goal of “improving their sense of
self-belief and confidence.” ESA’s mentors tell its
students not what to think but how to think.
“We
don’t tell them what specific steps they have to take,”
says Tan. “Instead, we focus on opening up their minds
so they can look at the situation from varied points of
view before deciding on their own. There is never one
answer or one solution in business—it’s one gray
sphere.”
Tirelessly, ESA’s mentors encourage their students to go
beyond themselves, to discover their potential, and to
move forward at their own pace.
Tan
herself always tells the students to ask all the
questions they can ask while they are still in school,
and not to be afraid to make mistakes.
“The
school is an entrepreneur’s lab. It’s OK to experiment
and make mistakes here [in school]; at least the
lecturers and mentors can always support the students
and encourage them to try again. I believe that making
mistakes is part of the entrepreneurial journey; it is
part of the formation and should be viewed not as
failure but as a learning opportunity,” she says.
Beyond
the lessons, ESA imbues its programs with greater
meaning through its commitment to “social
entrepreneurship.”
Explains
Tan: “To be truly successful, one must go beyond
achieving personal success by contributing and creating
a positive impact on society. This would mean a strong
sense of social responsibility anchored on a strong
sense of values.”
She
stresses: “We always tell our students they need not get
jobs, they should create the jobs.”
Not
surprisingly, ESA’s motto is “Entrepreneurs for
Society.” Recognizing business as a tool to fight
poverty, it unceasingly reminds its students to see
beyond the profits their businesses can generate. They
are also immersed in the realities of doing business in
a poverty-stricken country, and are reminded of their
responsibilities to society. Programs that would allow
the students to experience firsthand working with the
less fortunate sectors of society are incorporated into
the program, such as an immersion program with Gawad
Kalinga. Along with the school, they also provide
business consultation to the urban poor as a
prerequisite for the latter to avail themselves of
microfinancing from the government.
“In
2002, we launched our pioneering program, which is BS
Entrepreneurship. In 2006, we had our first BS
Entrepreneurship graduates. They have already
contributed to society by creating jobs and value, even
before they graduated. More than providing our students
an education and a degree, helping them become socially
responsible entrepreneurs that create jobs and
opportunities is our way of directly and indirectly
contributing to society,” Tan says.
Of
course, Tan admits she derives equal fulfillment in
seeing her students develop into entrepreneurs ready to
take on the world. She treasures words of thanks from
students who acknowledge how she and the school have
helped them, and still keeps a handwritten note from a
student who singled her out for contributing to his
growth.
“Once
you ignite something in them, they just expand their
horizons and keep on going,” she says. “It’s all very
inspiring.”
It is
not surprising, then, that she “just fell in love” with
her new role as an educator, with a 2006 TOYM Award for
Business Education and Entrepreneurship tucked under her
belt. Just as she has helped transform many a young
student, ESA has helped transform her in more ways than
one.
Certainly, Tan has come a long way from her days as a
techie in San Francisco and a fashion entrepreneur in
Los Angeles. Tan today stands as the muse of young
global entrepreneurs ready to conquer not just Asia, but
the world.
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