David Licauco gives business tips for first-time entrepreneurs

David Licauco isn’t just thriving as an actor—he’s also steadily making his mark as a businessman.

For those who may not know, the 31-year-old actor-entrepreneur currently serves as the CEO of MAD Business Group, which manages his expanding portfolio of food and beverage ventures, including Kuya Korea (Korean comfort food) and Sobra Café (Filipino comfort food).

With his background in business, PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) asked David to share tips for aspiring entrepreneurs who are launching their own start-ups.

The interview took place on December 6, 2025, during his launch as the first-ever ambassador of GSC Inc., a firm specializing in tax, accounting, and business processing services.

DAVID LICAUCO’S BUSINESS TIPS

One key lesson David highlighted is the importance of understanding what you are getting yourself into.

He explained: “Number one, kailangan mo talaga mag-market test. Hindi maaaring tatalon ka lang sa isang negosyo kasi gusto mo… kasi feeling mo magwo-work. Kailangan mo munang i-market test.”

For David, starting small is the smarter approach for any start-up—it allows you to test whether a business can be profitable before going all in.

“It’s better to start small, and obviously, yung goal mo is malaki, but you start small.

“And then from there, nakita mo na nagwo-work, incremental growth naman yun, di ba? So dapat small steps lang to your goal.

“Hindi puwedeng biglaan kasi puwede kang malugi, di ba?”

Another key lesson David shared is the importance of being hands-on and practicing due diligence when running a business.

In his words, “Siguro isa rin is due diligence. Kailangan mong tignan lahat ng nangyayari sa negosyo mo.”

Last—and definitely not least—David’s third piece of advice is to never be afraid to ask questions or seek help and guidance.

Starting a business, he said, is a journey filled with challenges, and many of these hurdles require insight from others.

“Pangatlo, kung kailangan mo ng tulong magtanong ka. Kase, [sa] totoo lang, minsan yung hiya, nauunahan tayo na nun.

“Pero magtanong ka lang, gaya ng ginawa mo ngayon, nagtanong ka lang din naman. Pero trabaho mo kasi ito, e.

“Kung magtanong ka, wala masama doon. And baka… baka may matutunan ka pa. Yun.”

Drawing from his experience, he added, “I feel like kapag nagsisimula kang magnegosyo, you just wanna take the risk. And there’s nothing wrong with that, di ba?

“Kasi dapat naman talaga, kailangan mong tumalon para malaman kung ano yung what’s out there, di ba?

“Pero mas maganda ang calculated risk. Kung mayroong tutulong sa iyo, kung may mag-i-inform sa iyo, then you cut the losses, di ba?

“Kasi ako, napagdaanan ko yun. Nalugi ako sa negosyo, na-scam ako sa negosyo kasi wala akong, again, gaya ng sinabi ko, ako lang mag-isa. Di ba?

“Pero with the help of them, then ma-minimize din yun lahat ng cost. Yung mga talon na yung losses na yun.”

DAVID LICAUCO’S LATEST ENDORSEMENT

Meanwhile, David expressed his gratitude for being named the ambassador of GSC Inc.

According to the company’s website, GSC Inc. is a consulting firm founded by couple Neil and Cath Guiban that provides financial and accounting advisory services and handles both internal and external business process outsourcing.

When asked what convinced him to say yes to the partnership, David mentioned that he genuinely appreciates the company’s mission and vision.

He said: “Yung vision ng kompanyang ito is to help businesses and I feel like ako, hindi rin ako madamot sa mga taong nagtatanong sa akin, kung paano magnegosyo, paano magsimula, sa lahat ng mga interviews ko.

“Going back to Dustin [Yu], di ba, tinuro ko sa kanya lahat. Ayun, it’s nice to be part of this family.”

The Kapuso actor continued, “The first time na sila marinig noon, kung nag-inquire nga sila about the endorsement and immediately, nag-search nga ko sa Google, yung ChatGPT, kung sino sila.

“If you see their track record, the companies that they have helped, makikita mo talaga na maganda yung trajectory, yung growth nung mga negosyo.

“So paminsan, kailangan mo lang naman ng social proof, di ba? Hopefully, matulungan din nila ako.”

When asked why they chose David as their first-ever ambassador, Neil shared that David was their top choice because he embodies the qualities of a smart and strategic businessman.

Neil told the press: “First and foremost, one of our values is to choose the smart choice to grow your business.

“And we can see that, si David is a very good example of a smart businessman talaga.

“At a young age, as you can see, di ba, hindi lahat ng celebrity, nakakapag-negosyo or may lakas ng loob magnegosyo.

“But David is very inspiring kasi talagang nagbibusiness siya while focusing on his career and talaga napaparami niya yung negosyo niya.

“And we’re not just here to partner with him as our ambassador, we want him to be one of the very good example on how GSC can build business, not just business but a celebrity with business. This will be the start.

“Through him, we will show everyone that we can help everyone grow their business, whatever their profession is.”

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