Lifestyle

Billy dela Fuente is well-known to many in the area of professional consumer direct marketing.

Billy is one of the Philippines’ top businessmen and direct marketing specialists along with his wife Josephine. In a significant acknowledgement of his sales accomplishments, he was USANA Health Sciences’ highest income earner in the Philippines from 2013 to 2019 and its youngest “Million Dollar Club” member globally.

His 13-year-old business, XTRM 1-11 (pronounced “Extreme One Eleven”), operates in eight nations: the United States, Germany, Canada, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Italy.

Billy is a mentor, a role model, and an inspiration to many people. He is a salesman and an entrepreneur at heart. He sees the professionalization of direct marketing as a way for Filipino businesspeople to make the most of their talents and not merely as a corporate sales strategy for more product distribution.

A rebel, a waiter, and an engineering student

The third among the four siblings, Billy’s father was an entrepreneur who made money selling chemical supplies. This business meant that the Dela Fuentes were constantly moving across the country. Billy hopped from one school to another until college when he entered the chemical engineering program at the University of Santos Tomas.

While in college, Billy witnessed the downfall of his father’s business and how it affected his life severely. As the family went bankrupt, he was asked to stop his school for the time being to focus on selling soft drinks. But Billy rebelled; he packed up his things and left home, angry with the unwelcome detour of their fortunes.

“It was a difficult period in my life to be alone, broke, hungry, and trying to keep up with my academics. I remember being in debt with almost everyone I knew, and I even sold my SIM card for 50 pesos just to have something to eat on one particular day,” recalls Billy.

He found work as a waiter at Red Ribbon. It was then that he discovered his love for selling and interacting with people. He was so good at upselling cakes that he was frequently rewarded at the end of his shift. He was made a cashier as a result. He eventually left waiting tables as a working student and discovered modeling, a career which he soon realized was not for him.

Having married Josephine in 2009, they found success in direct selling and made it into a partnership that blossomed over the years while tending to 4 growing children. Billy became the Philippines’ first 2-star diamond director (and eventually its first 10-star diamond director). His successive climb eventually reached Asia Pacific; for four years from 2011, he was among the 25 fastest-growing direct sellers in the region. For 2 consecutive years, Billy was also awarded as part of USANA’s Fortune 25, a recognition reserved to top global income earners. He was the first Filipino to be included in this group.

His laurels continued to arrive: In 2017, Billy was awarded by ANCE with its People’s Choice Rising Star Global Best Male Award, and, the year after, he received the Most Outstanding Trainor in the Philippines award from the Junior Chambers International. In the U.S. Billy received the USANA True Health Ambassador Award, a recognition of associates who support USANA’s True Health Foundation through charity, service, and promotion.

“Earning money is different from managing money,” he shares. “You have to know both to achieve your personal ambitions.”

Lifelong learning & paying it forward.

An important ingredient to Billy’s success is his ability to form a great team. Having founded XTRM 1-11 in 2010, he, Josephine, and his core group of leaders expanded the organization internationally to nearly 400,000 associates, and at one point he became the top enroller in Asia Pacific by sponsoring the most number of new direct associates.

Billy’s personality and outlook have made him a popular inspirational speaker, giving 60 talks each year before the pandemic. This record included speaking engagements in Mexico for 15,000 people and South Korea for 10,000 listeners.

He inspires people by going beyond selling, helping them understand purpose and how to make sense of their careers and personal lives. “Everyone has the potential to succeed. The challenge is how to turn that potential energy into kinetic energy,” he says.

He founded and invested in several businesses, including Infinitemedia Corporation, a digital marketing agency and House of Bilao, a restaurant in Pasig; he invested in Xpense, an IT company that provided automatic delivery systems for SMEs; and he was a franchise store owner of a Technomarine shop in Uptown BGC. While these businesses were significantly affected by the pandemic, Billy understands that one learns more from failing than they do from winning. He used these lessons to drive XTRM 1-11 further.

“People often ask me: ‘How do you become driven?’ I acknowledge it can be difficult to push oneself. We are often drawn to settle and take the short route. One should learn or find out about their “Deep Why”. There will be a lot of tests and hardships ahead, but when you know the things that will push you to do greater things in life, you will become unstoppable.”

“Successful people are disciplined. They become winners through consistency,” he shares.

Billy hopes to mentor up to a million colleagues, both directly and through the mentees he has been training for more than 15 years. Billy, who is only 40 years old, is moving quickly while helping others.

On July 11, 2023, SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SM Prime) and Citicore Renewable Energy Company (CREC) agreed to work together to promote renewable energy.

Through this collaboration, SM Prime would obtain up to 90 Megawatts (MWac) of its energy needs from CREC’s new Lumbangan Solar Power Plant in Tuy, Batangas. Beginning in the first part of 2024, the long-term agreement will take effect. This is in accordance with the Department of Energy’s Retail Competition and Open Access (RCOA) policies.

This development reinforces CREC and SM Prime’s dedication to the Department of Energy’s aim to increase the Philippines’ share of renewable energy supply to 35% by 2030.

“This partnership marks our strong commitment to providing sustainable operations in our developments nationwide. It is aligned with SM Prime’s target of achieving net zero by the year 2040. SM Prime ensures that its risk-informed investments catalyze sustainable development and positive change in the communities where it operates,” said Mr. John Ong, SM Prime Chief Finance Officer.

The partnership with SM Prime is the latest blue-chip firm partner for CREC, demonstrating the organization’s strong performance and superior customer service.

“We are happy to partner with SM Prime in providing clean and safe renewable energy for their power requirements,” said Mr. Oliver Tan, CREC President. “We believe that their support and trust in us through this partnership reflects our commitment as a renewable energy provider, and we are glad that SM Prime shares in our vision of a sustainable future,” Mr. Tan added.

The SM Foundation, through its Kabalikat Sa Kabuhayan on Sustainable Agriculture Program (KSK-SAP), is in charge of this Urban Farming effort. It aims to enhance the farming community, promote environmental awareness, increase food security, and offer marginalized urban communities chances to earn a living. A thorough program of urban farming methods, product creation, marketing, and fundamental accounting are provided through the KSK-SAP in field schools that are strategically positioned.

Over 260 trainings on sustainable agriculture have been successfully performed by the KSK program, helping a total of 28,550 farmers. Participants in these trainings have been exposed to sustainable farming modules that encourage the development of wholesome, high-quality vegetables and fruits in both rural and urban settings.

The KSK program has successfully conducted over 260 sustainable agricultural trainings, benefiting a total of 28,550 farmers. These trainings have taken place in both rural and urban settings, where participants have been exposed to sustainable farming modules that promote the cultivation of nutritious, high-quality vegetables and fruits.

Partnering with the SM Foundation, SM Supermalls, and SM Markets are the following government agencies; the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, the Department of Science and Technology, the Department of Tourism, and the Quezon City Government. Each government organization and LGU plays a vital role in maintaining the viability of the program, and so that no stone is left unturned in ensuring its success

As an example, the SM Foundation has brought SM Supermalls and SM Markets into the picture so that as these urban farmers successfully harvest, they’re given an opportunity to market and sell their produce at the Sunday Markets that are now being held in several malls across the nation. When the produce reaches a volume that goes beyond this Sunday marketing mechanism, the SM Markets offer other alternatives.

It’s about creating integration and circularity so that a mini-economic ecosystem is realized. After all, it can’t be about teaching them what and how to farm and then leaving them with no outlet with which to monetize this harvest. The SM Foundation creates these strategic partnerships so that true income opportunities become part of the overall scenario.

Who would have imagined that Henry Sy, Sr.’s vision from back in 2007 would be so remarkably prescient in foretelling the growing issues and challenges we now face in agriculture, sustainable food production, food security, and urban development? The SM Foundation is very happy to continue and fulfill this vision and dream.

The creation of a sustainable environment is what SM accomplishes. We continue to achieve key sustainability milestones, from being the first to incorporate renewable energy in mall buildings to putting energy-saving technology into place.

Visit smgreenmovement.com and use the hashtag #SMGreenMovement to pledge your commitment to an eco-friendly lifestyle.

On June 25, 2023, the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office presented SM City San Pablo guard SG Hassan Pasco with a plaque in appreciation of his self-less and brave actions in saving a life during a dire and life-threatening scenario.

During his routine rounds, SG Pasco observed a 74-year-old client having trouble breathing because of something stuck in his throat. Fortunately, the client was saved thanks to the guard’s quick application of the Heimlich procedure (Abdominal Thrusts), which he conducted as a certified first aid rescuer.

With the help of a Certified First Aid Trainer from the Philippine Red Cross, SG Pasco has received training in first aid rescue procedures and routinely attends refresher courses. Every morning before the mall opens, these training sessions are held.

His fast thinking, decisive action, compassion, and unshakable dedication to the preservation of human life, according to the CDRRMO Management Council in San Pablo, Laguna, have had a significant impact on the neighborhood. Additional P10,000 was given to SG Pasco by the local administration office.

Click to watch TV Patrol coverage:

https://www.facebook.com/abscbnNEWS/videos/978308843490631/