For nine years now, this entrepreneur has been leading not one, but two of the country’s fastest-growing networking communities. In doing so, he has brought opportunities to the seven-million-strong army of networkers under his wing — many of whom mirror his journey from being a tricycle driver to the head of his own company.
By Hermes Joy Tunac
Even before Lorenzo “Lorenz” Rellosa introduced Telepreneur Corp. (TPC) to Filipinos in 2012, the company’s 54-year-old president and CEO has never been shy to share with the world his humble beginnings.
At the young age of 18, Rellosa got married to his then girlfriend Annie. Back then, he shared with us that his life didn’t have any direction at all. Six months into their marriage, he started working as a tricycle driver before thinking of becoming an overseas Filipino worker (OFW). He soon joined the ranks of the country’s OFWs, working abroad for several years, before finally deciding to go back home and strike out on his own.
In the process, he became a salesman of sorts, selling all kinds of products to provide for his family. He also became a stall-owner at a nearby marketplace. But the job that ultimately inspired Rellosa to dream big was when he became the personal driver of a string of CEOs and executives, who were leading some of the country’s biggest companies.
“I was a driver of executives from Asian Hospital and Medical Center, Intel Philippines and a sister company of Unilab,” Rellosa reminisces. “During the times that I drove for them, I thought to myself that I couldn’t be like this forever. I also want to be a CEO someday.”
A little over 10 years ago, Rellosa was just a dreamer. After more than 20 years of doing all sorts of jobs, he finally dared to map out a concept he had in mind. He did his homework, laid the groundwork, persevered, and, most importantly, believed in himself. The result? He now has two companies under his name—TPC and Lueur Lauren International Corp. (LLIC).
Start-up
A proud 100-percent Filipino-owned company, TPC is reportedly one of the fastest-growing and most promising multi-level marketing (MLM) companies in terms of network load in the country.
Their proposition is simple. Members are given a chance to operate their own self-loading platform to sell prepaid load to subscribers from almost all telecommunication networks in the country. Thanks to the TPC business model, members also enjoy a lower rate for these products. This translates to lower capital and higher room for profit margins.
“We have the most efficient and fastest E-loading system in the business,” Rellosa, a father of four, proudly says. Combining unique compensation plans with a superb IT system, TPC claims to be one of the most generous networking companies in the country today. TPC will also celebrate its ninth anniversary on Aug. 24, which also coincides with Rellosa’s birthday.
From the very beginning, Rellosa already believed that his idea would eventually succeed. But a successful entrepreneurial venture is never linear. More often than not, it also has its fair share of ups and downs, triumphs and losses, twists and turns, friendships and falling-outs. Six months after TPC was born, three of Rellosa’s business partners gave up on him just when he needed their support the most.
“The most challenging phase of opening up a business is during its first six to 12 months,” he says. “During the first six months, when our ROI was little to none, my friends quit on me.” But Rellosa remained steadfast and refused to give up on what he had started. “If I quit, what is next for me? Also, I’ve set my mind that I only have one option and that is to push through with my TPC business no matter what. Plus, I don’t want to go back to being a driver of a CEO when I can be a president myself,” he explains.
During some of the lowest moments of Rellosa’s budding career as an entrepreneur, he realized that God is still good. For one, an unseen hand gave him the right people who soon nudged him to carry on. “I would be lying to you if I say that I never thought of quitting. But when I’m surrounded by positive people, I’m instantly motivated to carry on and adapt,” he expresses. “Kapag napagod ka, ipahinga mo lang. Bukas ng umaga, buhay na naman ang pangarap. (When you get tired, just take a rest. When morning comes, your dreams continue to live on).
Building a company, according to Rellosa, involves experiencing so many birth pains because it’s during this period that you’ll also learn that not all people close to you will support you 100 percent. “That’s why you have to be brave. To be successful, your courage needs to be sufficient. You may have all the money and equipment to start your venture, but if you’re not brave enough to take the risk, you’ll never reach the finish line,” the now seasoned CEO expounds.
Rellosa may have lost three business partners along the way, but in the end, he got more than what he had initially asked for: seven million members (and counting) who now make up his networking empire. Ordinary people with dreams of their own who have put their full trust in Rellosa.
Skincare first
Thanks to TPC’s phenomenal success, it expanded nine years later by branching out and opening another sister company dubbed as LLIC, another multi-level marketing and direct-selling venture focused on health, wellness and beauty. With products created by Pro You Cosmetics Inc., one of South Korea’s most reputable and well-known skincare product manufacturers, LLIC has positioned itself as an up-and-coming beauty and wellness company in the Philippines.
“LLIC’s premium Korean skincare and beauty products have an enormous appeal to Filipinos because our kababayans’ (fellow Filipinos’) curiosity and interest on Korean culture have grown during the last several years—from their food, K-pop music, K-dramas and, of course, their beauty products,” Rellosa, also lovingly called “Daddy Pres” by TPC and LLIC’s growing legion of members, explains.
Among LLIC’s bestselling products are BB Cream, Cleansing Foam, Collagen Essence White & Wrinkle Sheet Mask, White & Wrinkle Spot Cream, Intense Whitening Cream and Intense Whitening Toner. Apart from the Philippines, LLIC has international distributors in Canada, Kuwait, the United States, Taiwan, Dubai, Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Italy, the United Kingdom, China, Oman, France, The United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Switzerland, Qatar, Monaco and the Cayman Islands.
This year, LLIC launched the Body Shape Slimming Gel, another Korean-made beauty product, which claims to reduce the appearance of skin imperfections by supposedly strengthening skin cells and regenerating skin tissues.
Strength in numbers
Despite the ongoing threats of the pandemic, TPC and LLIC see significant growth in business in terms of the increasing number of members. In 2020, TPC’s membership grew by 40 percent compared to the previous year. In that same year, during TPC’s eighth founding anniversary, the company rolled out its biggest incentives to its members, as well as the early release of its employees’ 13th-month pay last May.
Because of TPC and LLIC’s continued success and growing number of members, Rellosa is oblivious to negative and unfounded comments that networking is a scam. “You can’t blame other people who think networking is a scam because the business model gets really abused sometimes. Unfortunately, those who are legitimate also get dragged down,” he laments. But TPC and LLIC have track record and numbers on its side. Instead of losing sleep over bashers, the businessman would rather further grow and spread prosperity among its members.
While he had previously decided that he should be retired and living the good life at 47, life brought him to a different direction. Seven years after his self-imposed retirement had lapsed, Rellosa now has a new goal: to keep on reaching out to more Filipinos, motivating and inspiring them to work hard in order to fulfill their dreams. “I’m blessed to be a blessing. So, as long as I can, I’ll use my success story to influence and inspire more Filipinos to dream big and reach their goals,” he concludes.
