In this episode of “The Philippine Business Playbook” podcast, Bryan shares his journey as an entrepreneur who successfully grew his business in the Philippines. Through his story, he aims to inspire aspiring entrepreneurs, offering motivation and valuable insights for those navigating the challenges of growing a business overseas.

Becoming a Business Owner

From the very beginning, Bryan had an entrepreneurial spirit. His journey started in childhood, where he exhibited a natural inclination towards business, selling shoes and caring for neighbors’ lawns. 

Later on, he went to college, getting an engineering degree like most of his family. His light bulb moment came when, as a practicing engineer, he had a conversation with a cousin in the same industry and saw through him that engineering work in the Philippines is quite similar to what was being done in the U.S. Seeing the potential of Filipino professionals, he thought of connecting them with U.S. businesses, starting with his family members. Offering his cousin work led to the founding of Tahche. What started as a small business aimed at helping his own family soon grew into a company that connects hundreds of Filipino professionals with businesses in the U.S. and around the globe.

Bryan also shares how his small business rapidly outgrew its initial office spaces, enduring the challenges of small offices and even brownouts. However, his commitment to providing better service to clients led him to continually seek improvement. Today, Tahche operates out of a first-class building in Cebu, equipped with stable internet connections, generator backups, and everything clients could want in an offshore office.

Facing Business Challenges

As with any entrepreneurial journey, Bryan faced numerous challenges in growing Tahche. In the early 2010s, the world was still adjusting to technologies like Skype that made offshoring teams more accessible. Despite these technological hurdles and doubts about the budding offshoring industry, Tahche stood out by upholding honesty as a key value, which helped build trust with clients who were new to this way of working.

The challenges didn’t stop there. During the pandemic, many businesses faced setbacks due to lockdowns. But Tahche faced it strategically, caring for its employees well to keep the business going. Despite incurring additional costs to support employees with hazard pay, free food at the office, shuttles, and more, Tahche saw its biggest growth yet. 

Bryan’s commitment to innovation and his human-centric approach enabled Tahche to not only survive but thrive during these uncertain times.

Growing the Business

In the early days of Tahche, Bryan had to wear multiple hats to run the business. As the company expanded, he recognized the importance of filling his weak spots with the right experts, putting people in the right roles. Learning to delegate was crucial as the organization grew as well. 

Bryan emphasizes the importance of positioning oneself for growth and continuously improving teams to meet changing needs.

Looking into the Future

Tahche’s future is bright, with ongoing expansions happening at its offices in Cebu and Metro Manila. The company is adding an entire new floor to its Cebu location and more workspaces in Metro Manila. 

Bryan also shares an exciting development: Tahche is building an app that will offer users a familiar online recruitment experience, enhanced with improved quality of services. Unlike freelancer platforms, Tahche’s model focuses on full-time recruitment, allowing businesses to build real relationships with offshore and remote employees.

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Bryan’s journey from a small business owner to the CEO of a thriving company in the Philippines goes to show that resilience, innovation, and commitment can truly go a long way. 

Watch the full video for the full story of how Bryan started and grew his business in the Philippines! 

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