Image from gadgetsmagazine
Rio Dela Cruz has earned himself the title of The Running Entrepreneur simply because his passion was solely on running. Even at an early age, he saw himself running and his passion drove him to heights he could never imagine. He was so persistent in running that he didn’t mind running barefoot – a feat that most of the runners in his school couldn’t match. When he tried out for the varsity, he was chosen over by two other people but when the chosen ones weren’t able to attend trainings, he insisted that he should be on the team. The very first race he joined, he ran barefoot and got first place.
“My main goal was to
finish my education, so I kept running, running and running. And because of
running I got accepted into the University of the Philippines. I finished
Bachelor of Science in Physical Education.”
When asked about how
he juggled running and studying at the same time, he recalled that he woke up
in the early hours of the morning to run then sleep again for a few more hours
before class then at the end of the day, he would hit the sack early.
“When I joined my
first race in UAAP, I was able to finish second and was able to get the Rookie
of the Year award. During my second year, I established the record in the UAAP
10-kilometer [run]. In my third year, I won three gold medals from three
events,” Rio recalled.
After he graduated
from UP, he got a job at Manila Water Company. he resigned after a few days
because he got a sponsorship for the first race he organized. His race was
sponsored by Sta Lucia Realty with an amount of Php120,000.
The very first run he
organized attracted 1,888 runners and recalled organizing it as a one-man army
of his running company called Runrio. He recalled delivering running jerseys
with his motorcycle and manned the registration tables in different locations.
Today, Runrio has 35 employees and organizes 80% of the runs held in Metro
Manila. Late last year, he hosted the Run for Pasig River which also earned a
spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for most people in a foot race.
“My goal is to sustain
running in the Philippines… to give proper equipment, training and education to
runners,” he declared.
Coach Rio's five key
lessons on success
1. Know how to sell
and brand yourself.
2. Innovate and create
good client experience.
3. Apply past
experience and lessons learned.
4. Plan ahead of time
then check implementation.
5. Manage failure and
accept glitches with humility.
P.S. To those doing the 52 Week Money Challenge and 52 Week Money Challenge Version 2, it is Week 24 already! Did you deposit the next amount yet?
P.P.S Want to know more about investing, savings, stock market and more, check out my reference here. You can download free ebooks and resources too.