Financial Adviser: 5 Business Lessons Everyone Can Learn from Ramon ‘RJ’ Jacinto, Founder and Chairman of the RJ Group of Companies

Ramon “RJ” Jacinto is one of the country’s most recognizable names in music, but his career extends far beyond the stage. Over more than six decades, he has built businesses across broadcasting, entertainment, restaurants, retail and musical instruments.

Jacinto grew up in a family already involved in business. His grandfather, Dr. Nicanor Jacinto, was involved in banking, while his father, Fernando P. Jacinto, built businesses in the steel industry. The family’s business interests included Iligan Integrated Steel Mills, the country’s first integrated steel mill and, at one point, the largest of its kind in Southeast Asia.

Growing up around these businesses gave Jacinto early exposure to entrepreneurship. But even as the family business became an important part of his career, Jacinto was already building something of his own.

After graduating with honors in Economics from Ateneo de Manila University, Jacinto joined the family steel business. By the age of 27, he had become a senior vice president of Iligan Integrated Steel Mills, with about 3,000 people under his responsibility.

But business was only one side of Jacinto’s life. Music remained a constant influence and would become the foundation for several businesses associated with the RJ name. His interests would eventually lead him into other businesses beyond steel.

Today, Jacinto is founder and chairman of the RJ Group of Companies, whose businesses span much of the music and entertainment ecosystem, from radio and television to live entertainment, recording, music education and musical instruments. Its businesses include RJ Guitar Center, Rajah Broadcasting Network, Jacinto Color Steel, RJ Productions, RJ Bistro, RJ TV, RJ Academy of Music and RJ Recording Studios.

How did Jacinto build businesses across such different fields while keeping music at the center of many of his ventures? What lessons can entrepreneurs learn from the successes and risks he encountered along the way?

Here are five business lessons everyone can learn from Ramon “RJ” Jacinto, founder and chairman of the RJ Group of Companies:

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Successful businesses do not always begin with an idea for a product. Sometimes they begin by noticing what people are not getting from the existing market. Entrepreneurs who recognize that unmet need can create something more relevant and valuable.

Business opportunities often emerge when existing players fail to fully serve what customers want. Identifying these gaps gives a business a reason to exist beyond simply copying what competitors already offer. By solving an overlooked problem or serving an underserved customer, a business can offer something different.

Jacinto did not identify the opportunity through formal market research. He was part of the audience that existing radio stations were serving poorly. His own experience with music helped him understand what young listeners wanted.

This gave him an advantage entrepreneurs sometimes overlook: proximity to the customer. Because he belonged to the same generation as his intended listeners, he could recognize dissatisfaction that an established broadcaster might not have considered important.

His classmates' reactions also provided an informal form of customer validation. From his early experience performing to bringing home new records from the United States, he could observe directly what excited people his age.

He identified that the real problem was limited choice. Entrepreneurs often find opportunities not because a product is completely unavailable, but because the existing way of delivering it leaves customers poorly served.

Jacinto also recognized another weakness in the market. He found that popular American records could take about a year to reach Philippine listeners. Instead of accepting that delay, he created his own supply channel. He bought records during trips to the United States and relied on friends there to obtain new releases. This allowed him to put new music on air much sooner.

Innovation does not always require inventing a new product. Sometimes the innovation is reducing the time between what customers want and when they can get it.

Jacinto also knew his target market. Instead of trying to appeal to everyone, he built the station around young listeners, with music and DJs who reflected their tastes. Even his Ateneo classmates became DJs, which gave the station a close connection to the audience it wanted to reach.

Jacinto also did not wait until he had all the resources in place. He started the station in his parents’ backyard and initially leased a frequency. Only later did he obtain his own franchise and frequency. His experience shows that entrepreneurs can test whether an idea attracts an audience before they commit to the infrastructure needed to expand it.

In modern startup language, the backyard station was almost a proof of concept. He found a way to deliver the value first rather than wait until everything was in place.

“I got interested in music when I was in Grade 7 in Ateneo,” Jacinto says. “I can’t forget this: we were waiting for our teacher. It was about 2 p.m. Eh ang ingay-ingay ng mga estudyante kasi wala yung teacher, so what I did was I went to the podium and pretended I was Little Richard. You know Little Richard? In 1956 or ’57, he pioneered yung ‘I'm going to tell Aunt Mary about Uncle John.’ So what I did was I pretended, ‘Okay, pare, I'm going to tell Aunt Mary about Uncle John.’ Yung mga kaklase ko natuwa. I said, ‘Hey, I like this ah.’ People are happy. I said, okay ‘to. That’s when I caught the bug. I didn’t have a band yet. I was in Grade 7. I was 11.

“When I was in fourth year high school, I had a very famous band called RJ and the Riots. We had an album and it became a hit. I was only 15 years old. At that time,  our album was mostly instrumentals eh. And then yung second album ko in 1960. I was already about 16 years old, dumating ang Beatles, mga Beach Boys. So I started singing. In that album kumakanta na ako. We had a lot of fans and at that time, I raised a lot of funds, even for Ateneo. My father didn’t want me to accept payments so I didn’t charge them.

“And then the radio station, you know, it was fun. At that time, there were about, I don’t know, maybe six or seven stations, no? AM stations, and they were all ruled by payola. I don’t know if all of them, but most of them. Payola was like bribing the DJ to play a particular song in radio. The record companies, even in America, would release a record, and they would pay them monthly to play that record.

“All the radio stations had the same thing, so I said, ‘This is not acceptable to me. My God, why? Why are they doing this?’ To me, it was a crime, really kasi limited masyado yung choice ng tao. I wanted to fight payola. Totoo yon.

“So I started setting up a radio station in my parents’ backyard in New Manila. I was in third year college. I think I was 18 years old at that time and my classmates were the DJs from Ateneo. I was studying in Ateneo. So I put it in the backyard of my dad’s house and also a recording studio. It was the first multi-track studio in Asia, you know. So I had that. And then I broadcast from there, and it became a hit. I called it the first teenage station serving the teenage nation. Because at that time maraming teenager eh. Baby boom eh.

“Before kasi, it took about a year before a hit in America would come here, so what I did was I made it almost instant. I imported the records. May mga kaibigan akong bumibili don. And then I would go to the States often, so I entered the record store. This pipsqueak teenager buys about $500 worth of records. The manager ends up carrying my box.

“And then when I would come home, enjoy na mga kaklase ko. ‘Wow, bagong-bago ito.’ We’d break it over the air. My God, it’s so good. We were the first ones who played the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Eric Clapton, and all that. We really became cutting edge.

“When I was running the radio station, I had to first lease a frequency, and then two years after, I was able to get a franchise on my own. I went to Congress. And the congressman said, ‘What are you doing here?’ I said ‘Could you sign my petition for a franchise?’ ‘Wait, you’re the son of Don Fernando Jacinto, right?’ I said ‘Yeah, but I’m doing it on my own.’ So nakakuha ako ng franchise, and then eventually, I was able to get the frequency. So we started like that. That station became known as DZRJ and was run by Ateneans.

“A little twist here, many years later, DZRJ, at the time of the revolution, was used by Enrile after Veritas was bombed. He used our AM to call on people to come to EDSA. It was called Radyo Bandido. That’s how one rock and roll station was able to change the course of the Philippine history that started as a backyard station.”

Businesses rarely operate under the same conditions forever. Markets change, unexpected events occur and opportunities can disappear. Entrepreneurs who adapt can respond to these changes rather than remain tied to what worked in the past.

Adaptability may require a change in industry, strategy or even the scale of the business. Entrepreneurs who adjust to new circumstances can pursue opportunities that may not have existed under their original plans. Sometimes that also means putting aside past success and being willing to start small again.

Jacinto did not allow his previous position to define what he was willing to do. He had held senior positions in banking and steel and had about 3,000 people under him at a young age. When those circumstances disappeared, he did not insist that his next venture had to be equally large or prestigious.

He was willing to start small just to survive. Entrepreneurs sometimes have to separate their identity from the size or status of what they previously managed. Starting smaller is not necessarily a step backward when circumstances have fundamentally changed.

Jacinto adjusted the kinds of ventures he pursued. He moved from capital-intensive industries such as steel to smaller ventures that he could realistically operate with the resources available to him.

He also learned to appreciate simpler business models. Retail provided immediate cash from sales and reduced the need to deal with receivables. His experience showed him the advantages of simpler cash flow and fewer collection problems, especially when he had to operate at a much smaller scale.

“And then, of course, after I graduated, I started working for our bank and our steel mill kasi what I was doing parang school project lang, walang sweldo,” he says. “My dad and my grandfather founded Security Bank. As a matter of fact, my grandfather also founded Philippine Bank of Commerce, the first Filipino private bank, with the Cojuangcos. They were our partners. My grandfather was the chairman, Dr. Nicanor Jacinto. He was a pioneer in banking here.

“So anyway, at Security Bank, I became vice president. I also became vice president of Jacinto Steel, which made roofing. At that time, we dominated the roofing business together with Puyat Steel.

“And then Jacinto Steel won the bidding for a fully integrated steel mill. We bought the NASSCO facilities, National Shipyards and Steel Corporation. So we bought the land there in Iligan, 124 hectares, because it was near Marawi, which was the power source. And it had a deep-water pier so that ships, ocean-going vessels, could dock and load the steel. So we pioneered that. As a matter of fact, we were ahead of South Korea. I had about 3,000 people under me at a very young age. I think I was only 27 years old. We were doing the steel integration at that time when Martial Law was declared.

“It ended there, and we were exiled. The government took over. Eh, hindi nila tinapos yung integration. I lived in New York, Hawaii, and Europe for 14 and a half years. I came back after the revolution.

“When we were exiled, my family put up Japanese restaurants in New York. We got a franchise from a company in Japan to open ramen restaurants. It was just a small business, ganon lang, just to survive, but I had some businesses in San Francisco. I bought a little company distributing German food, and then German coffee. I’ve always been a retailer, para sa akin nobody can argue with cash eh. Walang receivables, so I loved it. I loved to create the ads and all that. Then in Hawaii, we also had a retail business called Job Lot. It was big in New York, so we got the franchise in Hawaii. We pioneered the discount store there in Hawaii. And then, I would also buy the most dilapidated property in the best area, and then repair it and sell it.

“During those times, I was mostly at home. I would record songs. When I was in San Francisco, that’s when I wrote my song ‘Muli’ in 1977, without knowing that it would become a hit. I recorded it in San Francisco and sent the disc to Manila. 45 RPM pa yon. The radio stations would play it, and it became a hit, but they didn’t buy the record.

“I kept creating songs and all that. May albums ako but not all my originals. Maybe I’ve done about, I don’t know, maybe about 80, 90 songs. If you search RJ now at Spotify, I have a lot of albums there. A lot of them are also covers. For example, Kundiman. I made Kundiman into a rock ’n’ roll instrumental. I have three Kundiman albums.”

Entering a market early can give entrepreneurs time to establish their position before competitors recognize the opportunity. Early movers can build brand recognition, understand customers and gain experience while the market is still developing.

Being early also comes with greater risk because demand may not develop as expected. The advantage comes not simply from being first, but from recognizing where the market may be headed and acting before the opportunity becomes obvious to everyone else.

Jacinto looked at where the market was going. His approach to UHF shows an important first-mover instinct. At a time when VHF and antennas still defined television in the Philippines, he was already interested in UHF because of what he had seen abroad.

Pioneers often make decisions based not only on current demand but also on how technology and consumer behavior may develop. They accept that the market may not yet be mature because waiting for an opportunity to become obvious usually means other competitors have already seen it as well.

Jacinto was willing to enter before the business model was proven locally. He saw potential in Home TV Shopping before it became an established part of the market.

He was also willing to build a market from the ground up. With Pinoy Wrestling, he had to put the pieces together himself, from building the ring to recruiting and training performers. His experience shows that pioneers sometimes have to create the capabilities they need when these are not yet available in the market.

When Jacinto lost his block-time slot on Channel 9, he decided to set up his own television station. Instead of depending on another network, he built his own platform. Having greater control over how a business reaches its customers can reduce its dependence on other companies. While building your own platform requires more resources, it can also give the business greater control over its future growth.

Jacinto also saw potential in markets that others might have overlooked. When he started RJ Guitars, electronic instruments were popular and foreign brands dominated the guitar market. But he believed guitars still had potential because of their strong connection to Filipino culture and music.

A market that appears weak today can still offer long-term opportunities. Entrepreneurs who look beyond current trends may recognize demand that others have overlooked.

“About four to six months after I returned from the States in March 1986, I set up my club, Bistro RJ, which was a place where you could listen to retro music,” Jacinto says. “And I played there. Dati Pasay Road then we moved to Makati Ave, ang tagal nyan. And then now, in Dusit, we’re going on our 41st year. A lot of people got married because they dated at our place.

“When I got back here, it was natural to expand because a lot of people in the provinces wanted the same thing, our type of music. Ang radio station maybe it reached Tarlac. It’s not like the internet was all over. Line of sight eh. So if you wanted to reach people in other parts of the country, you really had to put up stations in different areas. We expanded to 12 stations in the main cities. Most of them are FM. AM sa Iligan lang.

“We also have UHF TV, free-to-air, like here. In the provinces, we have about five. UHF is free air yon. We are also streaming all over the world. Our TV is carried by Cignal all over the Philippines through direct-to-home satellite, and also by GSAT. So you can receive our TV station across the country, and the cable networks can receive our TV station as well.

“I also started setting up my own thing. I applied for a UHF frequency TV license. Remember, the lower channels, up to Channel 13, VHF yon. Very high frequency eh. And then Channels 14 to 40 or whatever was UHF, ultra high frequency. Clearer but shorter. Kasi when I was living in the States, I knew UHF was the future, so I applied.

“Antenna pa noon, wala pang cable. Anyway, I started home TV shopping here in 1987. I started that because, I knew there was something there that could happen. Home TV shopping lasted about almost six years. But eventually, it was taken over by the bigger guys from abroad. They came here, they released other channels and all that.

“I even started Pinoy Wrestling sa TV. You remember? Ako yong nag pioneer. It’s my crazy mind. Pinag-aralan ko yung concept. We built our own ring. Our own dismantlable ring. And then we started recruiting. The wrestling teacher at IS, International School, nag-recruit siya ng mga stuntman and all that. Trinain niya, from scratch. I still have all the episodes here.

“Si Sgt. Bato was popular. You know, it came to a point that they would invite us to the provinces to stage it in the town plaza. It was funny. I made money, but I lost the time slot. At first, I was leasing time with Channel 9 eh. Block timer ako, but I lost the time slot, so naisip ko, mabuti pa magtayo na kong sarili kong TV station, so nagtayo ako. I set up my own TV station, a small one called RJTV.

“And then in 1988, I founded RJ Guitars. My theory was that the guitar is attached to the Filipino. He uses it for harana. There’s almost a guitar in every Filipino home di ba?  But it wasn’t clicking at that time because the market was dominated by a foreign brand.

“Everything was electronic, electronic drums, synthesizers, so wala ng trabaho yung mga ibang banda eh, sa subic, sa olongapo na lang ang trabaho nila, they had to go abroad. Wala ng night life masyado at saka wala ng market, so I said guitars should sell more than keyboards or pianos. Although we had pianos also growing up in our house, pero you cannot bring the piano eh and make music.

“Sabi ko so may future ito, because at that time, and even when I was starting to play, the guitars were terrible. Very high action, ang tigas, ang hirap pindutin dudugo yung kamay mo. They were not well made.

“So I told myself, you know, I’ll set up a world-class guitar company. I started very small, just selling five guitars a month. I rented a place somewhere, and I started making guitars from scratch. I’m talking about electric guitars. Anyway, to make a long story short, we now have 10 stores, mostly in SM and also in Glorietta.

“We also broke into the export market. We are now exporting directly to customers. Mga 16 countries na nabentahan namin. Our custom handcrafted electric guitars compete with guitars abroad that cost $5,000 to $6,000. We sell ours for less than $2,000.

“And we can compete. Our products are of the same high quality. Why? Because 10 years ago, I partnered with a Japanese company that had the same vision. They said,
'Why are guitars being made in China and Indonesia? It should be the Philippines. Because of your Spanish heritage, you’ve been making guitars for a long time.'

“But you know, there was nothing here. So they had a very prestigious guitar company in Japan, and they were looking for other countries where labor was more affordable. So instead of going to China, they came to the Philippines. They came to me. I partnered with them. We learned how to produce guitars to their standards. So now we have achieved our goal to be a world-class guitar company.”

A business needs to make money to survive, but profit does not have to be its only purpose. Having a clear purpose can guide entrepreneurs in deciding what businesses to build, how to run them and what value they want to create for customers and society.

Purpose can also create stronger relationships with the people around the business. When employees and customers understand what a business stands for, they may have more reasons to support it beyond the products or services it sells.

Jacinto’s philosophy starts with an idea his father taught him that there is a difference between having money and putting money to productive use. The point was not that profits were unimportant. Rather, once capital had been accumulated, the question became what that capital could create.

For Jacinto, this meant businesses should generate employment and provide something useful to the country. This gave him another way to judge an opportunity beyond its potential financial return. Purpose became part of his investment criteria.

Jacinto also believed that a business should be “based on fun.” Many of his ventures were connected to his personal interests in music, entertainment and broadcasting.

Building a business around something an entrepreneur enjoys can give him a stronger reason to stay committed to it. Jacinto’s long involvement with Bistro RJ is a good example.

Jacinto became an important part of the Bistro RJ experience. Customers came not only for the place and the music, but also to watch him perform. The RJ name eventually expanded across radio, television, guitars, restaurants and entertainment. Jacinto himself became part of the brand, especially through his strong association with music. This helped him carry the RJ name into different businesses.

“I always wanted to start my own businesses, but always, it has to be based on fun,’ he says. “And it has to be a positive force, and have a purpose. Because my father taught me, at that time, when we had the resources we needed, and even before he bid for that steel mill, even before Martial Law pa, in the late ’50s, early ’60s, sabi niya, 'Money is never the end goal, okay? You use your money to generate employment and to develop the country.'

“Because maybe we could buy five banks. But what would you do? You just sign checks? You just sign checks and play golf? No. I mean, use the money to generate employment. That was the philosophy my father taught us. So every time I set up a business, yung meron akong purpose na iba eh. Hindi lang pera. It has to be a positive force and contribute to society. That is our training.

“That’s why, when some forces wanted to take over our steel mill, my father resisted all efforts. When I returned in 1986, I was 41. I had all the energy pa. My father was still alive. He died in 1995.

“My father always said, ‘Do not be lazy.’ He said, ‘Walang masarap na hindi mahirap.’ Yung work ethic tinuruan niya ko. Work ethic, and then always set up a business that will help the country or help people.

“When I started Bistro RJ, I did not think it would last. I didn’t expect to make money, but it turned out to be the best investment. In two nights, I got back my investment, kasi sign lang at saka yung mga sound proofing.

“At one time, I had three Bistro RJ locations, but it was too much because I was playing twice a week. I had to go to Quezon City, play there from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m., jump in my car, change, go to Robinson’s Galleria and play again, and then go to Makati. Sabi ko mamatay ako nito. At that time, every day we had two or three bands, even Sundays, parang dentista yan eh. Personal.

“The people who used to come to Bistro RJ are old now. They bring their children there, and their grandchildren. Pag nag birthday yung lolo ko, three generations are dancing in front of me. The whole family.

“Yung mga radio programs. They grew up at home listening to me. Di ba nung araw ang radyo sa bahay palaging nandon? Ngayon hindi na, computer na. So alam nila yung music ko. Families still listen to me on Sundays. They send me a text. ‘Oh, the whole family is listening.’ Parang event na rin sa kanila.

“I guess the audience starts from about their 40s. Sometimes ha. Kasi marami dyang rock’n’roll enthusiast din na mga bata eh. Guitarist. So 40 to about, I guess, 70. Maybe I will close Bistro RJ when I cannot play anymore.

“Yung RJ are my real initials. That’s how I wrote my initials. Ad agency ginawa nilang logo. If I could just find the right partners, I could have developed the RJ Diner. Parang Kenny Rogers.

“A friend told me nga, ‘RJ, hindi mo na alam yung value ng pangalan mo eh. Magtayo ka ng mga merchandise. Sunglasses.’ As a matter of fact may nakita ako na RJ sunglasses being sold.Sayang. I could have done it, but I was doing too much already. Hindi ko na maasikaso.”

Business rarely goes exactly as planned. Markets change, competitors emerge and some ideas will not work. Entrepreneurs who keep learning and trying can use these experiences to improve their decisions and find new opportunities.

Persistence is important because setbacks and difficulties are part of running a business. Curiosity also encourages entrepreneurs to explore new opportunities and improve what they already do. Those who continue to learn and adapt are better prepared to deal with change and keep their businesses relevant.

Jacinto believed that going the extra mile could give him an edge over competitors. Putting in more effort and constantly improving helped him stay competitive even as markets and businesses changed. For him, doing only what was necessary created the risk that others would eventually catch up or do more.

Jacinto accepted that difficulties are part of running a business. His emphasis on persistence and the willingness to endure challenges shows his belief that entrepreneurs should not give up easily when problems arise. Setbacks do not always mean that a business will fail. Entrepreneurs may need to understand what went wrong and make the necessary adjustments.

One of the strongest reasons Jacinto continued to explore new businesses was his curiosity. He did not appear satisfied simply to protect what he had already built. He continued to create and test new concepts. Curiosity can prevent entrepreneurs from becoming too comfortable with past success. Jacinto’s willingness to experiment kept him interested in what could come next.

Jacinto acknowledges that his curiosity could be expensive. He was willing to spend money to test whether an idea would work because he considered experimentation part of entrepreneurship.

Exploring new opportunities requires some willingness to accept uncertainty and risk. Not every experiment will succeed, but even unsuccessful attempts can provide lessons that help entrepreneurs make better decisions in the future

Jacinto could have measured his success against the scale of the businesses his father built. Instead, he chose his own definition of success, based not only on wealth or business size, but also on whether he enjoyed what he was doing and whether it created value for others.

For entrepreneurs, knowing what success means to them can influence the direction they take. It can help them decide how much growth to pursue, which opportunities are worth their time and what they ultimately want to achieve through their businesses.

“One of the lessons I learned in business is always go the extra mile,” Jactinto says. “Go the extra mile because a lot of people will overtake you if you don’t, and persistence. Always treat the person across the table fairly. Even if you beat him, keep your respect intact.

“And then, you really have to want to do what you want to do because there are so many obstacles in business. It’s no joke talaga. Really, ang hirap. When you wake up, there are two things: what you have to do and what you want to do. Di ba?

“I just wanna garden. I just wanna take a picture of you or whatever. You have to do what you want to do also. But you also have to do what you have to do. At saka when you wake up, you just make one decision: Am I happy or not?

“I’ve had many blessings. Of course, I could have become a tycoon like my father. But that’s fine. I already experienced what it was like to be there. I don’t yearn for that anymore. Of course, I’d like to, but I’ve seen many big businessmen who are lonely. And then you’re gonna lose it anyway somewhere along the line. Second or third generation? You’re gonna lose it. Sigurado yon. Hindi pwedeng tumagal masyado yon.

“So I think all of us, of course, have a limited time here on Earth. So whatever you do, it has to also help other people. It has to be positive and contribute to the next generation. Yun ang ma-advice ko sa kanila pero persistence talaga and willingness to suffer.

“The lesson in life is you only harvest what you plant. So it depends on what you want out of life. Kasi maraming mga may mga lupa dyan they’re happy just owning that lot and just waiting for the rent. That’s your choice, but ako, I’d like to keep creating and trying new things. I have a very curious and adventurous mind. And it’s dangerous. Even if I have to spend millions just to see if it works or not, you know. Ganyan ako eh, so luckily, okay pa rin.”

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