Ron Baetiong: From Call Center to Serial Entrepreneur

After hearing so many positive things about the Philippines’ tech ecosystem in a prior episode, I asked Ron Baetiong to come on the show to share his experiences as a serial entrepreneur in the Philippines and what’s changed in the startup ecosystem over the last 10-15 years.

Starting his career off in a Filipino call centre, Ron quickly realised his dreams of buying his mom a house was not realistic. So, he started to pursue entrepreneurship, and after many ups & downs, he was finally able to find success and fulfil his dreams.

Today, Ron is the founder of Podcast Network Asia and the host of the Hustleshare Podcast (the #1 Business Podcast in the Philippines). In this episode, he shares his perspectives on the exciting startup ecosystem in the Philippines and his journey as a serial entrepreneur.

We also chat about Ron’s journey as a podcaster, how podcasting has become a serious business in Southeast Asia (especially in the Philippines & Indonesia) and advice for aspiring podcasters!

Also check out Ron’s new tool to help podcasters save time when editing: https://www.podmachine.co/

Timestamps

If you’re interested in the startup scene in the Philippines, the ecosystem’s biggest names are gathering this March 9 & 10 at Build, the first-ever annual startup festival co-organized by Sinigang Valley and Esquire Philippines. 

Find out more here: https://www.esquiremag.ph/money/movers/build-a-startup-festival-2022-a00203-20220217-lfrm

Episode Topics & Timestamps:

0:00 – Introduction
1:31 – Start of the interview / Ron’s Introduction & entrepreneurial journey
7:25 – Was Ron born to be an entrepreneur or did he stumble across it?
10:55 – Did your family & friends say you were crazy for starting a business?
11:56 – After Ron’s 1st startup failed, why did he keep going and how he eventually found success.
22:07 – How has the podcasting market changed in the Philippines over the last 5 years? What podcast topics do well in Southeast Asia?
27:33 – Why Ron started Podcast Network Asia (PNA). The challenges he came across when he started podcasting. What is PNA?
33:05 – Advice of aspiring podcasters.
36:30 – Why did Ron expand to Indonesia? What are the challenges of expanding internationally? What are Ron’s future plans?
41:55 – How has the Philippine startup ecosystem changed over the last 10-15 years?
45:11 – Is entrepreneurship becoming more popular in the Philippines? Advice for young people interested in entrepreneurship?
49:25 – What’s exciting Ron about the Philippines? Conclusion.