The Success of MICS
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These are Mr. Tony Santos and Mrs. Maria Isabel Catis Santos, a Pandacan couple who were featured in Business section of Inquirer just recently.
They used to have a bakery “along a busy road in Manila’s Pandacan area” (as Inquirer put it) but had to close it due to human resource problems. Where was this bakery?
Anyway, after they shut down their shop, they were still receiving orders from neighbors. And they wanted “puto“. Eventually, their new venture got bigger and they were receiving orders from Visayas and Mindanao. And this happened when the couple realized the potential of the business and after they took a “targeted” classified ads. It is called MARKETING.
The business expanded, and the couple added new mixes, like “kutsinta” and other Filipino delicacies. Consequently, they were getting invites from different places to conduct free cooking demonstrations. This allowed their business network to expand more rapidly. Reason why the business obtained a name: MICS, initials of Tony’s wife - Maria Isabel Catis Santos.
The point is you have to market your product to potential customers. TARGETED MARKETING is one of the key ingredients to a successful business. So for those who are planning to start a business, read the Santos’s story on Inquirer, you’ll pick up good lessons about marketing, hard-work, and success.
And to Mr. and Mrs. Santos (if by any chance you landed on this post), maybe you could give us some samples of your delicious puto and other kakanin. 
—–
News and photo source: Inquirer.net
Malapit na pala Buling-buling! 
HAPPY NEW YEAR
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:32 am
talagang super famous at bonggang-bongga ang delicacies nila…para na rin namin silang pamilya, kasi laging present ang produkto sa lahat ng special gatherings ng angkan namin… long live mang tony and his family… salamat sa pagshare ng inyong talent at nabubusog nyo ang madla
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:23 am
saan ba nakakabili ng podukto nila?
pwede ba libre mo na lang kmi volleymav?
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:26 pm
we used to operate “Say Yes To ISABEL Cakes & Pastries” along Laura St. near opposite Flerida St. in the early ’80s.our business scheme attracted many enterprising families from different parts of the country, as far as Laoag in Ilocos Norte and down from Cagayan de Oro. We have made good friends of these business associates and that relationship goes beyond making money…to fostering nationalism.the one sorry experience though of many of our visitors here in Pandacan is when they are overly charged by tricycle drivers…after they get a lousy tour of the area when the drivers seemingly appear not knowing our address!they come the next time, but wiser than before; I even fetch them from Liwasang Balagtas to make sure they get a pleasant welcome and that they will continue to do buasiness with us.we will not only send you samples of our top selling cooked products, we invite also your subscribers to a FREE cooking demo and business orientation…just give us a call at 564-9031 or 564-2759. See you soon!btwy, we are also supporting the Buling-Buling sa Sto. Niño ng Pandacan come January 17, 2009.
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:27 pm
wow! free demo!
come one, come all! lets all help the buling-buling a feast for all!!
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:59 pm
Thanks for stopping by Mang Tony! Aasahan po namin yang free samples and demo! :P
By the way, we can add your business in our directory section, just give us a photo of your place, exact address, and contact numbers (phone, fax, website, email). Ipo-post po namin ang MICS.
Thanks and hope to hear from you again!
Here’s the link for Buling-Buling 2009.
Regards to Aling Mai!
September 24th, 2008 at 11:18 am
sir tony, thanks for sharing your story. naway marami pa kayong ma-inspire sa buhay at negosyo.
hmm…the tricycle drivers´ story sounds very familiar…for sure pinalagpas lang un ng mga bisita nyo, sobrang gusto pumunta sa lugar nyo hehehe.
September 28th, 2008 at 11:56 am
How about “Archive for ADB” instead of B.A.D., i.e., areas, development, & business. Medyo negative ang dating ng B.A.D…..siuggestion lang naman.
September 28th, 2008 at 10:02 pm
Noted, Mang Tony.
Nagmi-meeting din po ang group for the improvement of the site (categories, layout, etc..)
October 2nd, 2008 at 7:49 am
Hi volleymav,
Salamat! Sino’ng angkan ba ‘yan at nang mabisita ka namin minsan…:)
October 2nd, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Saan kaya namin pwedeng ipadala ang cooked samples para sa inyo, kiko & company?
October 3rd, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Uy salamat po Mang Tony, ngayon pa lang natatakam na ako…
October 3rd, 2008 at 3:26 pm
JayZ, Kiko, & company: eh wala pa din kayo ipinada dalang address kung saan dadalhin ang kakanin!
October 3rd, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Kiko, guys, pag-usapan natin to bukas… baka magbago pa isip ni Mang Tony.
October 3rd, 2008 at 4:12 pm
sige na nga, sacrifice muna ako, sa bahay muna nmin pra walang away
October 3rd, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Cooked samples? Parang interested ako jan, haha!
October 3rd, 2008 at 9:55 pm
@Mang Tony, sige, email po namin sa inyo kung san ipadadala.
@Amor, malapit ata sa inyo sina Mang Tony eh.
Mukhang magugustuhan ni Sean ang mga kakanin.
October 4th, 2008 at 8:19 am
Mga kaibigan, alam ba ninyo na dahil nabasa ng mga taga ABS-CBN Foundation ang istorya ng MICS sa PDInquirer ay tumawag sila sa amin at inaanyayahan akong maging resource person sa kanilang livelihood projects? Nagschedule sila ng appointment sa susunod na linggo para pag-usapan ang detalye. Sana ay may malaki akong maitulong at maiambag sa kanilang panukala para sa ikabubuti ng kanilang mga beneficiaries; at sa ngalan ng Pandacan malamang na tanggapin ko ang paanyaya.
Mang TONY
October 4th, 2008 at 8:37 am
magandang balita yan ah. sana nga marami pa matulungan nyo Mang Tony, sa hanapbuhay at inspirasyon sa pamayanan
October 4th, 2008 at 11:39 am
dapat e meron rin tyong interview column ng abs-cbn kay Mang Tony dito para mabasa rin ng mga kababayan nating nasa ibang bansa.
ang alam ko kc e nakakaabot ito sa America at hanggang Denmark at New Zealand! Nababasa nila ito at pwede ring makatulong ito sa kanila.
Sana po ay huwag kayong magsawa Mang Tony sa pagtulong sa kapwa at pagbahagi ng inyong mga kaalaman.
October 5th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
B.R.E.A.D. is definitely better than B.A.D.! Congrats to you guys! A very good job done.
October 5th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
Thanks Mang Tony! We knew you’ll like it!
Credit goes to Andres for his creative acronym-making skills! 
October 5th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXPlGKbB1SA
We just uploaded the procedure in making Puto Especial in YouTube, at the above link, for those interested to find out how to make money from their kitchen starting with minimal capital. View it and be convinced!
October 5th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
nice find Kiko!
October 6th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
Mang Tony,
May picture po ba kayo ng front ng office nyo so we can officially add MICS commodities, Inc to our directory. We’ll also use your youtube clip, btw.
October 6th, 2008 at 11:52 pm
Hintay lang kayo sa litrato ng harap ng aking tahanan at tindahan at opisina, baka matapos ang isang linggo; kasi nagpapagawa pa ako ng mural sa harapan ng aking pader na may kinalaman…a basta, makikita na lang ninyo. may natuklasan kasi akong isang talino sa pagguhit at pagpinta na isang karaniwang manggagawa at ibig ko din siyang bigyan ng pagkakataon na maipamalas ang kanyang angking talento.
Btwy, instead of native kakanin, we believe you should try a younger type of choco craze: the choco crinkles…it is slowly but surely gaining popularity in our outlets and hopefully will become one of our best sellers soon. You are free to send somebody to pick up your trial pack anytime this week per address I have given to Jay.
But you may still have the kakanin next time!
October 9th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
With all due respect to Ms. Chupsie Medina, feature writer of Business Friday of Inquirer.net, ours is not a story of “a mix of luck but of blessings and fullfilment of the Lord’s design in our lives. For only after we did accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior that the course of our lives moved away from darkness to light, from failure to success, from mediocre to distinguished! Thus, for those who wish to be victorious, not only successful, make God the center of your lifestyle; and as our battle cry has it, “Kapag Diyos ang inuna, Buhay ay laging sagana”.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:17 am
JayZ: One week ago we baked some crinkles for your group and we thought you will pick them up; we brought them yesterday at St. Clare hoping to find Andres for our weekly accu session but he was not around. So we are almost tempted to give these away to some interested other parties…of course with your consent naman!
October 15th, 2008 at 8:04 am
@ Mang Tony: dumating rin po ako nung sabado, na huli nga lang po ako ng dating
. kakausapin ko na lang po ang mga kasamahan ko para kami na po ang magsadya sa bahay niyo kung inyong papahintulutan, o kaya e tawagan muna nmin po kayo para sa takdang panahon ng ating pagkikitang lahat. maraming salamat po!
October 20th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
@ Mang Tony: salamat po sa pinadala ninyo kay andres na crinkles. Ngayon ko po napatunayan na masarap talaga ang gawa ninyo.
tamang-tama yung lasa, hindi nakakasawa. salamat po ulit.
October 20th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
salamat po marami!
October 20th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
mang tony, ok sa alright ung crinkles, wa ako say!
2 thumbs up!
wag nga pala kayo magsasawa
October 20th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
Naku JayZ, Miyong, at Andres: Naisahan namin kayo! More than one week na after nabake yung crinkles, nainip na nga kakaintay sa inyo. Huwag kayong mag-alala, yung aming puto espesyal (na naka-upload sa youtube) kailangang makain ninyo a day after naluto yun. Kaya pag yun ang sked, wag kayong patay-patay sa pagpik-up! Maraming salamat din sa inyo. . . MAI at TONY
October 20th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
mang tony! hindi po halata
sabagay, sanay sikmura namin dyan. sa pandacan pa, ung mga handa mula noche buena, umaabot ng pyiesta…hahaha.
October 20th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
mang tony! hindi po halata
sabagay, sanay sikmura namin dyan. sa pandacan pa, ung mga handa mula noche buena, umaabot ng pyiesta…hahaha. salamat po ulit
October 20th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
mang tony, wla nman po sa tagal ng paggawa o nung nagawa eh, nasa lasa pa rin magkakatalo at ang masasabi ko ay… hep! hep! hooooraaaaay!
wag po kayong magsasawa sa kaka-sample
October 20th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
Mang Tony, ako po ay dehado sa aking mga kasamahan dahil wala po ako sa Pandacan. Pwede ho ba mag-sample ang aking ka-pamilya?
Kung okay lang po ay sasabihan ko sila, para makatikim rin sila (at ako na rin). Sasabihan ko rin sila na kunan ng larawan para-bump itong topic. 
October 31st, 2008 at 10:23 am
Hi po, can I get a sample of your choco craze: the choco crinkles..i want to try this christmas as giveaways and a new taste for my kids…favorite po kasi nila ang crinkle..and thank you po sa lahat ng naitulong nyo sa mga kababayan natin sa pandacan at sa paglinang ng sining. Thanks and God Bless,
October 31st, 2008 at 10:37 am
Dear Marjo,
Thank you for your kind comments. May we invite you to drop by at our Pandacan workshop for your samples of choco crinkles & other kakanin products? We are at 2170 F. Balagtas St., near corner Flerida St, in Pandacan. Our office hours is from 8am to 5pm, Mondays thru Saturdays. And if you are fond of cooking, you may also start making extra income from home using our premixes. You may look for Ging …but if we are around, we will be pleased to meet you!
November 3rd, 2008 at 1:51 am
hi sir tony and mam mai….querry lng po….si mam mai ba naging teacher sa zamora?when i see her picture in this forum..she reminds me one of my teacher there in jzes….tnx
November 3rd, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Dear Archaryan,
We hope seeing Mai’s photo reminds you of good memories in your jzes’ days…nonetheless, she has never taught in any school, though she comes from a family of teachers; but she was once a registered nurse before she settled to become a business partner in MICS. She is from Zamboanga City!
November 3rd, 2008 at 1:22 pm
[...] The Success of MICS - Pandacan couple Mr. Tony Santos and Mrs. Mai Santos were featured in business section of Inquirer.net because of their passion-driven success. [...]
November 3rd, 2008 at 6:04 pm
ryan, mukhang mabait lang si mam mai pero hindi natin sya naging titser sa zamora.
November 5th, 2008 at 2:31 am
hehehe,tnks a lot sir tony,makakatulog na ko nyan ng mahimbing hehhehe,anyway she looks familliar to me,hope i can visit your store and eat some yummy yummy cakes and pastries when i come back,and also meet personally all the staffs of 1011,sori tlga jayz and jojit i cant attend our reunion,anyway pls post your pics here in 1011…sir tony and mam mai…more power and may you make and bake more delicious & healthy cakes for pandacenos for all occassions
November 5th, 2008 at 9:11 am
@mang tony: meron ho ba kayong protein bar? gaya ng mga pang body builder?
November 29th, 2008 at 10:45 am
maligayang kaarawan po Mang Tony….
sana po ay pagpalain pa po kayo ng Maykapal!
November 29th, 2008 at 11:59 pm
maligayang bati po Ginoong Tony Santos!
sana po ay marami pa po kayong matulungang tao sa loob at labas ng Pandacan!
mabuhay po kayo!
December 1st, 2008 at 10:39 am
Naku Andres at Batang Kalye! Maraming salamat sa inyong pagbati, pero pararatingin ko sa bunso kong anak na dalaga iyan. . . siya ang nagdiwang ng kaarawan kasama ang mga kabataan! Sa Agosto pa ang aking birthday . . . wag naman ninyo akong patandain agad! Bukod pa dun, ang kinukumbida ko sa aking kaarawan ay ang mga may kapansanan: bulag, pipi, bingi, pilay, atbp. Maligayang bati sa inyo sa unang Linggo ng Adbiyento!
December 5th, 2008 at 6:50 am
Mga kaibigang Miyong, Kiko, at Andres:Natanggap ba ninyo ang upload na pics ng aming store location?
December 22nd, 2008 at 8:50 am
Maligayang Pasko sa inyong lahat na bumubuo ng pandacan1011.com! Nawa ay magharing lagi sa inyong puso ang mensahe ng pag-ibig, kapayapaan, at kagalingan! Puspusin nawa kayo ng Diyos ng lahat ng pag-papala at biyaya! Maraming, marmaing salamat sa inyong tulong . . . laging nagmamahal sa Diyos at bayan: mang TONY at ate MAI at MICScomm
December 24th, 2008 at 8:50 am
Maraming maraming salamat po Mang Tony and Ms Mai. Malaki rin po ang naitulong nyo sa aming lahat dito sa 1011. May you and your family have a long, happy and healthy christmas and throughout the year.