They Did It: Ivy’s Vine Resort

    

August 12, 2008 by Martin  
Filed under Martin

“They Did It” is a new column that will appear on occasion in the Small Business File. Each week the Small Business File addresses some interesting topic related to entrepreneurship or small business management in the Philippines. “They Did It” columns will showcase businesses developed by foreigners and OFW’s and provide insights into why they have proven to be successful right here in the Philippines.

This week is the first “They Did It” column. This inaugural post examines the efforts of a Canadian entrepreneur, who along with his Taiwanese wife, have established a resort on Carabao Island, just 10 minutes ride away from the pristine white sand beach of Boracay.  Trent and Ivy own an English Language School in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and have since added a beach resort in the Philippines to the portfolio of businesses they own or are are involved in.

Name: Trent Widdup and his wife Ivy

From: Canada and Taiwan

Residence: Kaohsiung, Taiwan and Carabao Island, Philippines

Business Name: Ivy’s Vine Resort

Business Description: A full-service beach resort with bar, restaurant and dive shop located in Lanis, Carabao Island. Ivy’s Vine is a 10 minute pump-boat ride from Boat Station 3 on Boracay Island. Carabao Island is fast becoming the quiet alternative to the frenzied developments on Boracay, yet remains only 10 minutes away from the action. At Ivy’s Vine, visitors can go diving, hiking, kiting, caving or sailing when they are not enjoying the beautiful white sand beach. For more information visit: ivysvineresort.com

Q: Can you give our readers here at LiP’s Small Business File some background history about how and why you opened up a resort on Carabao Island?

A: My wife and I were thinking of setting up a place for many years, so we made annual trips to the Philippines.  Taiwan is close (an hour and twenty minute flight from Kaohsiung to Manila), so it seemed like the right choice for us. After four years of travelling to different potential locations throughout the Philippines, we decided on Carabao Island for a number of reasons. Carabao’s proximity to Boracay was a big reason. From our beach, you look directly at Boracay, one of the most popular tourist spots in the whole country. Another reason was that a trustworthy friend of mine had been doing business with our new, local partner for many years. Lastly, the continual investments and improvements in infrastructure to help tourists get to Boracay was also a big benefit as getting to Carabao is easily done from Boracay. When we put together all of the reasons and benefits to developing our resort in Carabao, we felt the opportunity was there and we took a chance.

Q: What aspects of running a resort do you like the most? How about the least?

A: What I like best about running a resort is meeting people from around the globe. They all provide their unique insights on life and the future of mother earth. The least attractive part in running a resort is finding the right personnel. Having a local partner with family wanting jobs at the resort but perhaps not all the qualifications needed can make the selection process difficult at times.

Q: What are your keys to success thus far?

A: I think the main key to success when running a resort is customer satisfaction. The internet is a great advertising tool and having a good web page is important, but word of mouth and repeat customers are also important keys to prolonged success. Most people who visit us have only a limited time for their vacation, so if you provide them with a memorable experience it will only help to increase your future customer base.

Q: What are your biggest challenges in running a resort?

A: For us the biggest challenge is getting supplies to out resort and keeping our prices competetive. We strive to provide the best possible product at an affordable price.

Q: What are your future plans for the resort?

A: There are always plans for the resort. Every year we like to see improvement in some aspect of what we are doing. There is always constant upkeep, but incremental improvements give us optimism that business and life at the beach will keep getting better and easier in the future.

I would like to thank Trent and Ivy for providing us with some insights into what it is like to run a successful resort here in the Philippines. Future “They Did It” columns will showcase other individuals and their businesses and hopefully provide encouragement to others by demonstrating that running a small business in the Philippines is not only possible, but can be rewarding as well!

About the Author:  Martin is a Canadian who has been living is Asia for the past 12 years. He previously worked in Taiwan, the Philippines, and Singapore prior to launching his small business in the Philippines in 2002. In addition to being involved in his own successful small business venture, Martin also delivers guest lectures at different colleges and universities in the Philippines on topics related to entrepreneurship and small business development. With the ‘Small Business File’, Martin hopes to provide some ideas on and insights into the potentials and pitfalls associated with being a non-Filipino entrepreneur in the Philippines.