'Trial And Error, Really': Dingdong Dantes Shares Business Lessons

Dingdong Dantes has learned—and continues to learn—the ins and outs of running businesses. His experiences come from both successful ventures and even those that didn't turn out as expected.

- By Nathalie M. Tomada

The actor-producer is venturing into the food industry next, recently announcing that on his sixth year as Mesa's brand endorser, he's taking on a bigger role by becoming a business partner in the popular restaurant chain's 88th branch. Mesa is aiming to hit 100 stores this year.

Dingdong said he's looking for a location, ideally near to the school of his children with wife Marian Rivera.

Contrasting it with his other business pursuits, he said what makes this different is that he didn't build it from the ground up.

"This one is different; it's not something I started myself, so in a way, I entered as a franchisee. We can see that other stores have been successful, so that's an advantage for me. The business is doing well, and at the same time, it's being managed by super trustworthy people—people of integrity—not just in the food industry but in other ventures as well. The Dee family is different. I know that I'm in the right hands, I'm with the right partners. That alone makes me feel secure," he said in a recent interview.

While partnering with the resto marks his largest venture in the food industry in terms of scale, Dingdong has also tried his hand in other industries, like transport. He admitted that not all experiences have been smooth.

"May mga bad stories din, trial and error talaga (There have been bad stories too—it's really trial and error)," he said.