Women at the Helm - Planters Development Bank

Achiever of the Year 2012 atthe Business Achievementand Recognition Awards. Herbusiness partner Atty. Ungabwas named Business Achieverof the Year 2012 also by BARAin the individual category.The woman behind thebusinessBut who is Janet Altamarinoreally? Perhaps a lookback into her beginnings isnecessary to shed light on herbusiness' success.A graduate of MassCommunication from St.Theresa’s College in Cebu,Janet begun as a PLDTemployee, later trying herluck in another industrywhere she held a managerialposition which prepared herfor a much bigger role.She wears several hatssimultaneously—as mother,boss, mentor, colleague,and friend. Amazinglyhowever, in spite of all theroles mentioned, she stillmanages to make time foreach one. Janet puts it simply“...it’s just a matter of timemanagement. Time shouldbe spent wisely so that you’llhave time for everythingincluding yourself no matterhow much work you have todo in a day.”A business of this scale withoffices remotely locatedfrom each other ideally callsfor delegation, but Janetpreferred manning thebusiness herself. Every twoweeks, she flies back andforth between Cebu andManila immersing herself inUltimate Visa’s day-to-dayactivities and make's sure thatshe’s part of every decision.Fueled by her passion to help,she would go through thetrouble of meeting a coupleof clients herself to see howthey fare and perhaps assesshow she can be of furtherassistance to them. Thisdisplay of benevolence is evenextended to her employees.Defying the status quo, sheemployed people who arein need, not looking intothe printed credentials butthe potentials that can beunleashed. There was aninstance that she hired theentire family ignoring whatUltimate Visa Corporation can be found online at www.ultimatevisa.com.other businessmen say aboutthe problem of connivanceseeing that each one hassomething to contribute.For her, it’s a matter ofperspective. If you think badthings will happen, it will.Thus, she tried to maintaina positive attitude towardeverything. Borrowing fromNapoleon Hill, “Whatever themind of man can conceiveand believe, it can achieve.”She notes, “I hardly saw anychallenge in managing bothmy business and my personallife.” Not even gender.Though some might considerwomen as the weaker sex,she believes otherwise.For Janet, women can beat par with men in manyrespects. The medieval notionof stay-home women doingnothing but household choreshas become extinct. Modernwomen are empowered bythe knowledge they possessespecially at this day and agewhere access to informationhas become very convenient.Women can definitelycompete in various arenas. Itonly takes courage to makethe first step and willingnessto learn the trade, she says.“It is up to a woman todiscover her role based onher strengths and follow herintuition as to which path shehas to take toward her goal.After all, technical matterscan be learned. We shouldhave an endless craving forlearning. I, myself, listen to thestories of successful peopleevery now and then becausethey are the best sources ofinformation... I learn fromtheir mistakes in the sameway that I learn from the rightthings that they do.”The futureJanet has high hopes forUltimate Visa. She envisionsher business as the bestimmigration and visaconsultancy firm, pridingitself with personalizedservice at a reasonable price.And she has every intentionof realizing this dream.In fact, she and her teamare incessantly findingmore ways to better servetheir clients. Currently,they are diligently workingon their accreditation forworking visa and othermatters pertaining to legalassistance and trying tobroaden their reach, byeyeing offices abroad.“There are even instanceswhere we transact businesswith our foreign clientswithout us seeing them orthem visiting our office.All correspondences andconversations are done onlineor by phone,” she mentions.At the end of the day though,Ultimate Visa thrives on thesuccess of the people theyhave helped and worked with.And Janet is more than happyto know that her companyhas nurtured, given hope,and transformed lives throughgiving what is due to peoplewho deserve better beginningsand fresh startups.Ultimate Visa Corporation islocated at G/F JSP Building,General Maxilom Avenue cornerEchavez Street, Cebu Cityand at UG28 Cityland PasongTamo Tower, 2210 Chino RocesAvenue, Pasong Tamo, MakatiCity. They can be reached at(6332) 233-4113 to 14 and (632)822-7603. Visit their website atwww.ultimatevisa.com.SME | 27