
Armando Bartolome Everybody wants a brighter future for their families. This is the reason why some of our kababayans choose to work abroad. However, there is another option. I met a Filipino couple in Dubai, who used to be overseas Filipino workers but are now entrepreneurs. They are Josef and Lilian Marquez, who are the proud owners of Caffé Nativo in Tagaytay. Both Josef and Lilian used to work in Dubai for a company named Caffe Nero. However, they worked at different stores. They met at a big event at Dubai and needless to say, it was the start of their life together. Read Related Story: Secrets of Successful Chinoy Entrepreneurs After a few months, they decided to move in together and talked about starting their own business. They got inspired after seeing many Filipinos running their own small shops at Karama, a popular shopping district in Dubai. Lilian was 8 months pregnant then and was working as a manager-in-training, while Josef worked as a supervisor. It was a struggle for them, and in 2015 they finally decided to come back home to the Philippines with their modest savings. They had a lot of plans, but putting up their own café was not one of them. Both of them decided to continue their studies at the Adventist University of the Philippines and took up Business Management. Read Related Story: 7 Sacrifices Successful Entrepreneurs Make Today for Financial Freedom Tomorrow It was Josef’s mother who suggested they set up a café, Read More …
