Financial Adviser: 5 Business Lessons Everyone Can Learn from Jose Mari Chan

Few Filipino artists have managed to become part of the country's cultural fabric the way Jose Mari Chan has. For more than five decades, his songs have provided the soundtrack to countless Filipino love stories and Christmas celebrations.

While many know him as the voice behind some of the country's most beloved ballads and Christmas classics, Chan's story extends far beyond music. He is also a businessman who successfully balanced entrepreneurship with a lifelong passion for songwriting.

Born in Iloilo City, Chan grew up in a family involved in the sugar industry. His father, Antonio Chan, was a successful businessman who built a thriving sugar enterprise in Negros Occidental. From an early age, Chan was exposed to the discipline, responsibility, and work ethic required to run a business.

Although he would eventually become one of the country's most recognizable singers and composers, Chan's first path was not intended to be in entertainment. Following his father's advice, he pursued a degree in Economics at Ateneo de Manila University, graduating in 1967.

Even while studying, he continued to nurture his passion for music and songwriting, a pursuit that would later produce timeless hits such as "Beautiful Girl," "Can We Just Stop and Talk a While," "Please Be Careful with My Heart," and "Constant Change." He would later record “Christmas in Our Hearts,” one of the best-selling and most enduring Christmas albums in Philippine music history.

As his music career gained momentum, Chan remained actively involved in the family business. Unlike many artists who devoted themselves entirely to entertainment, he helped oversee the family's sugar milling, sugar refining, and sugar trading operations. Beyond the sugar industry, he also diversified into real estate development and built residential communities.

Today, Jose Mari Chan is recognized not only for his contributions to Philippine music but also for the successful business career he built alongside it. His accomplishments in both fields have earned him respect in business and the arts.

How did Jose Mari Chan manage to build a career that flourished in both business and music? What principles allowed him to remain a beloved figure for more than fifty years while creating songs that continue to resonate across generations?

Here are five business lessons everyone can learn from Jose Mari Chan:

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A career provides financial security and opportunities for growth, while a passion brings purpose, creativity, and personal fulfillment. Rather than choosing between the two, many successful people find ways to pursue both.

Building both a career and a passion can expand a person's options in the future. As careers and interests change, people with different skills and experiences are often better prepared to respond to change and pursue new paths.

What is interesting about Chan's story is that his father did not try to suppress his passion for music, even though he clearly preferred that his son join the family business. Instead, he focused on building capability and discipline first, while allowing his son's passion to develop on its own.

Rather than rely on instruction, Chan's father used immersion. Every summer, Chan worked in the business. He gained exposure to different departments, learned operations firsthand, and assumed greater responsibilities over time. The process was incremental and allowed him to learn the business from the ground up.

At the same time, Chan continued to pursue music. Even while he spent his summers in the sugar business, he performed at school events and composed songs. During college, he gained recognition in the local music scene.

Yet his father did not react by pulling him away from music. Instead, he focused on helping Chan develop the skills, discipline, and work ethic needed to succeed regardless of where his musical ambitions ultimately led him.

His father's approach extended beyond the workplace. When Chan graduated from Ateneo in 1967, he received a round-the-world trip that took him across Asia, North America, and Europe for nearly two and a half months.

The trip reflected his father's desire to broaden his son's perspective before he entered the family business full-time. What stood out, however, was that Chan traveled alone.

In many wealthy families, children are often sheltered and closely supervised. Chan's father took a different approach. By allowing his son to spend two and a half months in multiple countries on his own, he gave him an opportunity to develop self-reliance, confidence, and sound judgment.

The experience served as a lesson in independence. Before he entrusted his son with greater responsibilities in the family business, Chan's father first allowed him to experience the world on his own.

“My father ne ver finished school,” Chan says. “He was born into a poor family in China, and in order to survive, someone suggested that he come to the Philippines to look for work. The idea was that he would earn money and eventually return to China. But he never did. He came here, worked hard, settled down, got married, and raised a family.

“My father had started the sugar business in Iloilo by buying sugar from planters in bulk and then selling it by the kilo or by the kaban. It was a very simple business. That's how we started.

“I grew up in Iloilo. My parents and my grandmother, who lived with us, were lovers of music, even though my father was a businessman. My mother played the piano, while my grandmother listened to the radio the whole day. Having come from Cebu, she loved listening to songs and music.

“I was immersed in music while growing up. Perhaps the gift of songwriting was always in me, whether it came from my Chinese or Cebuano roots.

“But it was awakened by my surroundings. My grandmother would listen to the radio and sing. My father would sing in the shower. My mother would play the piano. So I really grew up immersed in music.

“Even when I was in high school, I loved to sing. I would perform in radio programs, and in our Chinese school, we would have this activity every Saturday and I would always volunteer to sing.

“There were no minus-one tracks yet, so I sang a cappella without accompaniment because I never learned to play the piano or the guitar. I could play a few chords, but not very well.

“My father always emphasized the importance of concentrating on my studies. He knew that if I pursued music, I would eventually become a musician. He would tell me, ‘I want you to learn my business.’

“During the summers, I trained in his office. Instead of spending my vacation roaming around, I worked there. During the first few months, I didn't really know what to do. Little by little, people would give me assignments. ‘Do this. ‘Do that.’

“Throughout college, I spent my summers working in the company. I would go to Negros and work in the sugar business. I was exposed to all the departments.

“By the time I worked in his office in Bacolod during my summers, my father had already become a sugar exporter to the United States. He had grown from a simple sugar trader in Iloilo into a major sugar exporter. He was truly gifted, intelligent, hardworking, and determined to make something of himself.

“I never acquired his talent for business and entrepreneurship. He was very different from me, and I recognized that. But he always told me there was no money in music, so I should learn the business.

“During my college years, I continued to sing in what were then very popular combo festivals and music programs at schools such as St. Scholastica, Assumption, and various universities. I was often invited to perform.

“I had already started composing songs. But when you performed at places like the University of Santo Tomas, students didn't know your original songs. So aside from singing my own compositions, I also performed popular songs of the time. In those days, Cliff Richard was very popular, so I would sing Cliff Richard songs. I would perform two songs, and that was it.

“When I was in college, I was a frequent guest at school shows all over Metro Manila. Almost every Saturday, there would be a show somewhere. That was very common at the time. Singing groups and solo performers would be invited, and I was often one of the guests. That was how I was discovered.

“In 1967, a local recording company approached me and said, "We've heard your original songs, and they're very catchy. Would you be interested in recording a single?" It was Orly Ilacad, the partner of Vic del Rosario. So in 1967, I released my very first record. It was called ‘Afterglow.’

“I had graduated from Ateneo in 1967, so that was the same year I entered recording. The flip side of ‘Afterglow’ was a song called ‘Pines,’ inspired by Baguio, a place I had always loved. I composed both songs.

“The record became a minor hit in 1967. After that, I began working for my father. That same year, my father told me, ‘Now that you've graduated from Ateneo, I'm going to give you a graduation gift—an around-the-world trip.’ I traveled alone.

“My first stop was Hong Kong, followed by Taipei, Tokyo, Honolulu, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., New York, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Paris, and London. It was truly an around-the-world trip. I was away for about two to two-and-a-half months.

“After I returned, I began working for my father in Bacolod, Negros, which served as the central buying station for sugar. As you know, Negros was the country's Sugarlandia. More than Panay, it was really Negros.

“I was trained by the people working in the company. I learned how to deal with planters, purchase sugar, and export it to the United States. That was my introduction to the business.”

Change is a constant part of both life and business. New opportunities can emerge unexpectedly, while challenges can disrupt even the best-laid plans. Those who can adapt are often better positioned to move forward and continue growing.

Many people assume that when a major opportunity appears, they must choose between their current path and the new one. Chan took a different approach.

When “Afterglow” and later “Deep in My Heart” became successful, Chan did not leave the family business to pursue music full-time. Likewise, when he got married and took on greater family responsibilities, he did not give up music. Instead, he found a way to pursue both.

His experience shows that adapting to new opportunities does not always mean changing direction. Sometimes it means finding a way to move forward without neglecting existing commitments.

When Chan joined the family business in Makati as an assistant manager, he already had successful records and growing recognition as a singer. Yet he did not assume that his achievements automatically qualified him for a leadership role.

Instead, he took the time to learn from the managers who had remained with the company and understand the business more deeply. He recognized that success in one field did not guarantee success in another.

The declaration of Martial Law presented a very different kind of challenge. Unlike the opportunities and decisions Chan had faced earlier, this was something beyond his control.

The family's sugar business, which had taken decades to build, was severely affected when the government took control of the sugar industry. Rather than dwell on what they had lost, Chan's family looked for alternatives. His father proposed relocating to New York, where he had relationships with sugar refiners.

The move involved significant risk. Chan had a growing music career, a young family, and an established life in the Philippines. Yet he understood that circumstances had changed. When his father asked him to move to New York, he obeyed.

Rather than resist the change, Chan accepted the challenge and started over in a new environment. His willingness to do so allowed him to move forward despite the uncertainty that lay ahead.

“When I released my first record, ‘Afterglow,’ it became a minor hit, not a monster hit, but enough to attract the attention of a larger recording company, Dyna Records, which was owned by James Dy,” he says.

“James Dy invited me to his office in Raon and asked if he could hear more of my songs. I gave him a cassette containing my compositions, and he selected about 12 songs. He said, ‘I want to produce an LP—a long-playing record.’ He eventually produced an album called Deep in My Heart. That album became a major hit for me.

“While ‘Afterglow’ introduced me to the public, Deep in My Heart became the record that truly established my music career. Then, in 1970, I got married. I met my wife in 1966, and I courted her while we were dating. At the time, I was working in Bacolod, but every weekend I would fly to Manila to see my future wife. Then, on Sunday night, I would fly back to Bacolod because that was where I worked.

“We got married in 1970. At that time, my father told me, ‘Now that you're married, you cannot focus on music anymore. You have to concentrate on the business so that you can build a future for the children you will have.’

“It made sense. Music was a hobby. There was no money in it. So we got married in 1970. My wife, who graduated from Assumption, had worked for about six months as a missionary teacher in Osaka.

“When she told the nuns that she was going home to get married, they said, ‘That's too bad because you're doing a good job here. Would you consider coming back to Japan after you get married? Perhaps you and your husband could work here as teachers.’

“She brought the idea to me, and I thought it was a good one. So I asked my father's permission. My father said, ‘You're starting a family and you're going to be a teacher? What about my business? I'm not getting any younger.’

“But I told him, ‘It's only for a year, Pa.’ He allowed me. So we moved to Osaka and worked as missionary teachers in an Assumption school. We taught Japanese students and even organized a dramatic society where we produced an English-language play, which I directed.

“We made many friends in Japan. But then my wife became pregnant, so we had to return home. The nuns said, ‘Sayang.’ We stayed there for only about seven months.

“When we returned to the Philippines and my wife gave birth, we had already established a Makati office. We were still in the sugar business, exporting sugar to the United States. I started as an assistant manager.

“Since I had been away in Japan, it would not have been fair for me to immediately take over. I had to learn from the managers in our Makati office and understand what they had been doing.

“I went back to work for my father. But I could never abandon music because it was a gift that God had given me. I couldn't stop. So I began writing songs for other singers such as Tirso Cruz III and Nora Aunor.

“Then Lino Brocka approached me and said, ‘I'm making a movie. Would you like to write the theme song?’ So I wrote the theme song for one of his films, Cadena de Amor in 1971. After that, I wrote songs for other films directed by Celso Ad. Castillo and many other directors.

“Lea Productions was one of the major film producers at the time, so I wrote several movie themes for Filipino films starring actors such as Hilda Koronel, all while continuing to work in the sugar business.

“Then Martial Law was declared. My father was invited to Camp Crame and was detained there for two nights, even though he was not a criminal. It was part of the government's move to take control of the sugar trade and the sugar industry. Overnight, our business disappeared. It was my father's only business.

“So he asked, ‘What do we do now? I still have to support the family.’ Then he suggested, ‘Why don't we try our luck in the United States? I know the sugar refiners there.’ I obeyed.

“In 1975, my wife, our three children, and I moved to New York. My father bought a house for us in a good neighborhood.”

When family members are given leadership positions solely because of their surname, employees may question whether they truly deserve the role. Over time, this can make it more difficult to earn respect and gain the support needed to lead effectively.

By contrast, those who demonstrate their abilities through hard work and results often gain greater credibility because people recognize that their position was earned rather than inherited.

Rather than place his son in a comfortable position within the family business, Chan's father challenged him to prove himself. Instead of giving him a managerial role in the Philippines, he sent him halfway around the world to help build a sugar trading operation in New York. More importantly, he expected Chan to learn much of the business on his own.

Chan had to learn how to negotiate with suppliers, arrange shipping, manage logistics, and compete against established American companies.

Although Chan admitted that their eleven years in New York were not exceptionally profitable, his father never appeared to view the period as a failure. Instead, he viewed it as an investment in his son's development. During those years, Chan gained firsthand experience in international trading, negotiation, logistics, and business operations.

By the time Chan returned to the Philippines, he had already spent more than a decade building those skills. It was only then that his father entrusted him with the leadership of a sugar mill.

“The next question was where we would source our sugar,” he says. “My father said, ‘Let's go to South America.’ So I traveled to Peru, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Bolivia to buy sugar.

“I would negotiate contracts, charter ships, load the sugar, send it to New York, and sell it to the American refiners we had known since our Philippine days. We stayed in New York for eleven years.

“My father sent me there, and although my Spanish was poor, the suppliers would tell me, ‘Your Spanish is not important. What matters is your price.’

“Whenever I traveled to source sugar, I had to do everything myself. Nobody was going to teach me how to do the business. I had to learn everything on my own. So I bought sugar, negotiated contracts, chartered vessels, and sold to American refiners.

“My father challenged me to do it because, as he said, my English was better than his and I was young. During those years, I had to set aside my music career.

“My father would remind me, ‘You already recorded ‘Afterglow’ in 1967 and ‘Deep in My Heart’ in 1969.’ Then he would add, ‘And in 1972 or 1973, you represented the Philippines in Japan. That was at the Yamaha World Popular Song Festival. I submitted a song called ‘Can We Just Stop and Talk Awhile’ and it was selected as the Philippine entry.

“So I went to Tokyo, Japan, and performed at the Nippon Budokan Hall before an audience of about 10,000 people. I represented the Philippines and sang my song. My father, whom I didn't know was in the audience, flew to Tokyo to watch me perform.

“For him, it was an honor. Even though he always reminded me that there was no money in music and that I should focus on the sugar business, he still came to support me. The song didn't win, but that was alright.

“Anyway, during our years in New York, the real challenge was making money. I knew how to source sugar from Peru, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Bolivia. I would travel there personally to buy sugar.

“Of course, the suppliers would demand a certain price, and I had to meet their terms. Then I would charter ships, transport the sugar to the United States, and sell it to American refiners. The refiners, on the other hand, would try to negotiate lower prices. It was a tough business.

“You were squeezed on both ends. You bought at one price and sold at another, while everyone tried to maximize their own advantage. We competed against major American companies. Looking back, I cannot honestly say that our 11 years in the United States were extremely profitable.

“I got married when I was 25 years old. My father challenged me to succeed on my own. He told me, ‘Do it yourself.’ So I did. I wanted to prove that I could make money.

“Still, I have to admit that I didn't make a fortune during those 11 years in New York. What I gained was experience. Meanwhile, back in the Philippines, my father was looking for other business opportunities.

“Then, in 1979, a sugar mill in Bais, Negros Oriental became available. The owners wanted to give up because government controls made it difficult to make money. My father said, ‘I'll buy it.’ That became his first venture into sugar manufacturing.

“My father assigned that business to my younger brother. The business model was simple. Sugar planters would bring their sugar cane to the mill, where it would be crushed and processed into brown sugar.

“The brown sugar could then be sold directly or further refined and sold to companies such as Pepsi-Cola and Coca-Cola. While my brother managed that operation, I remained in New York.

“Then the 1986 People Power Revolution happened. My father told me, ‘Business in New York is difficult. It's time for you to come home.’ So we returned to the Philippines.

“My father then said, ‘I'm going to buy another sugar mill, and you will run it.’ He purchased Binalbagan-Isabela Sugar Company, or BISCOM, which is the sugar mill I manage today.”

People often pay more attention to what leaders do than to what they say. Employees, family members, and business partners tend to take cues from a leader's behavior. When leaders demonstrate discipline, integrity, hard work, and commitment, they establish standards that others are more likely to follow.

Actions also help build credibility and trust. Employees are more likely to respect a leader who fulfills responsibilities. When people see that commitment firsthand, they are often more willing to support the organization's goals.

In family businesses, this influence extends to the next generation. Children and future successors often learn values and work habits by observing how their parents conduct themselves on a daily basis.

One way Chan led by example was through personal involvement. Despite his success in music and his other business interests, he continued to visit the sugar mill regularly. His weekly trips to Negros sent a clear message to employees, planters, and managers that the business remained important to him. By showing up consistently, he showed the level of commitment he expected from others.

Another interesting aspect of Chan's leadership is that he did not rely heavily on authority. Instead, he believed people learn through observation. This reflects an understanding that culture is often shaped more by behavior than by rules. Employees who see a leader work hard and stay accountable are more likely to adopt similar habits themselves.

Chan openly admitted that he made mistakes, lost money, and learned many lessons the hard way. Rather than portraying himself as someone who always had the answers, he emphasized that experience was his teacher. This humility likely made it easier for others in the organization to accept mistakes as part of the learning process while still remaining accountable for results.

“When I took over the sugar business, I quickly realized that you had to compete with the surrounding sugar mills,” Chan says. “The sugar industry itself had been shrinking because of land reform. Before, Sugarlandia was dominated by large estates.

“But when land reform was implemented, these estates were broken up into three-hectare parcels and distributed to farmers. Many of them chose not to plant sugar. As a result, productivity declined significantly compared to the past.

“When my father gave me the business, I saw it as a challenge. My main competitor in Negros was this conglomerate group because they also owned sugar mills. We had to compete for the loyalty of the planters. We encouraged them to mill with us and offered better trucking allowances to attract their sugar cane. It’s tough business. You take it one year at a time.

“Some planters left us because our competitor offered them better rates. At the same time, we also had loyal planters who stayed with us. You have to keep competing by offering attractive incentives. Otherwise, they'll go to the competitors.

“Everything I learned, I learned on my own. Experience was my teacher. I've made mistakes too and I lost money. But that's part of life. It's like climbing a tree, falling down, and then climbing back up again. You have to learn from your mistakes. Nobody can learn those lessons for you. All those experiences taught me valuable lessons. If you fall, you have to heal your own wounds.

“I am largely self-taught. That's why I'm very careful today whenever I invest. Before putting money into anything, I think about it thoroughly.

“We have also invested in real estate developments, including projects in Nuvali. One of my sons manages that business. I believe real estate will continue to grow because of population growth and the overcrowding of Metro Manila. People will continue moving outward.

“We partnered with people who shared the same vision that we had. They approached us, and we became partners. I was never really interested in land banking because I preferred to use my capital in the sugar business.

“The sugar business requires significant capital. You need funds to buy sugar from planters and maintain relationships with them. The factories also require constant repairs, modernization, and expansion. Machines break down.

“There are times when operations stop for an entire day because equipment needs to be repaired. I'm not an engineer, so I rely on the people assigned to those responsibilities.

“One of the lessons I learned from managing a business is you have to protect the people who work for your company. You also have to think about their families. Don't scrimp on them. Be generous. If they do a good job, give them good bonuses so they will be happy working for you. So be generous to the people in your organization.

“I go to Negros every week to visit the sugar mill. Every week, I travel to Bacolod. In fact, tomorrow I'm going there again and will stay for two days so that the people can see me. I'm not an absentee manager. I'm not an absentee president.

“You also have to set an example for your children. If they see you being lazy, spending more time on your hobbies than on your work, they will notice that. You also cannot depend too much on others. You have to stay alert because the temptation to steal will always be there.

“Your employees need to know that you are watching so they won't say, ‘Oh, he's only into music. He's just an absentee owner.’ I don't tend to be a nagger. They learn by example. If they see that I don't go to the office, they won't work either. But they know that I go there every day. I go to Bacolod regularly, and they can see that. It's all by example.”

Parents often possess insights that can only be gained through years of responsibility, sacrifice, and overcoming life's challenges. Their perspectives are shaped by lessons learned from both successes and failures.

Having already faced many of life's risks and setbacks, they can often offer guidance that helps the next generation make better decisions and avoid unnecessary mistakes.

Learning from parents does not mean blindly following every piece of advice. Rather, it means remaining open to the possibility that their guidance may contain insights that are not immediately obvious. In many cases, the true value of their advice only becomes clear years later, after a person has gained enough experience to understand the reasoning behind it.

One of the clearest lessons Chan learned from his father was the importance of self-reliance. When they moved to New York, Chan's father did not accompany him on buying trips to Peru, the Dominican Republic, or other sugar-producing countries. Instead, he expected his son to handle the work himself and report the results at the end of the year.

His father believed that some lessons could only be learned through experience. By trusting Chan with real responsibility, he helped him develop the confidence and judgment needed to succeed on his own.

Another important insight is that Chan's father saw music and business differently. Even after Chan performed at Carnegie Hall and achieved international success, his father continued encouraging him to focus on the sugar business. Many parents would have viewed Carnegie Hall as proof that their child had made it.

His father, however, looked beyond the achievement. Having built a business from humble beginnings, he understood that fame can be temporary, while a successful business can provide stability for many years. He was thinking about long-term security rather than short-term success.

As he grew older, Chan realized that his father's advice was never meant to discourage his music. Instead, his father wanted him to build something stable that he could rely on regardless of what happened to his career as a performer.

Perhaps the most important lesson Chan learned was that a gift and a livelihood are not always the same thing.

He continued writing songs, recording music, and performing around the world. He never gave up music. At the same time, he understood that raising a family required stability and financial security.

Looking back, Chan realized that his father was not asking him to choose between music and business. Music remained a gift that brought him joy, while the sugar business provided the foundation that allowed him to pursue that gift for many years.

“I never had my father's entrepreneurial drive,” he says. “He grew up poor, and that experience motivated him. I grew up with a more comfortable life, so I did not have the same hunger. My father was driven. In New York, he left me on my own. He would say, ‘You take care of this.’

“I would travel to Peru, the Dominican Republic, and other countries by myself. He never came along. He expected me to source the sugar and then report at the end of the year whether I had made money or lost money. I made sure I earned a profit every year.

“An interesting thing happened when my music career became very successful. A concert producer in New York invited me to perform at Carnegie Hall. I never told my father about it, but he eventually found out.

“His American friends told him, ‘Your son is performing at Carnegie Hall and you're not going? That's prestigious.’ So he quietly attended with his friends. I didn't know he was in the audience. After the concert, I saw him backstage.

“He congratulated me and said, ‘You filled Carnegie Hall. You have so many friends.’ I told him, ‘Pa, they're not friends. They're fans. I don't know them personally. They simply like my music.’

Then he said, ‘Now that you've performed at Carnegie Hall, you've reached the top. Don't you think it's time to retire from music?’ I laughed and replied, ‘Pa, this is only a hobby. You don't retire from a hobby.’ So I continued making music. Deep down, he would have preferred that I give it up entirely and focus on the business.

“After Carnegie Hall, I performed in Las Vegas at the Bellagio. Then came ‘Please Be Careful With My Heart’ and many other songs. I also had several television specials and staged concerts in Honolulu, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Montreal, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, Paris, London, and Copenhagen.

“Whenever I told my father that music was just a hobby, he would laugh. He would say, ‘You can make more money in my sugar business.’ My mother was always proud of me. She rarely said it directly, but I could feel it. My mother came from Cebu and had an uncle who was a film director, so perhaps she understood my creative side.

“I knew I would not be able to raise a family and make a good living from music alone. I could see what happened to many stars who were popular in the 1950s. By the 1960s, they were no longer known. Then the stars of the 1960s disappeared in the 1970s.

When my father was telling me ‘Learn my business’ before, he wasn't very rich yet at that time. He was still building his business. I understood the wisdom he was trying to impart.

“Music is really just a hobby. It's a gift that God gave me, the talent to compose and write songs. That's why I'm grateful that my father left me the sugar business.”

Henry Ong, RFP, is an entrepreneur, financial planning advocate and business advisor. Email Henry for business advice [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @henryong888