Leo Ortiz already had thriving businesses – running beauty clinics and selling contact lenses through his own company – when personal struggles that resulted in sudden weight gain led him to his most successful venture.
Ortiz graduated cum laude at the University of Perpetual Help with a degree in nursing.
Other than a career in nursing, he wanted to do more.
Ortiz tried all sorts of jobs: beauty products reseller, call center agent and lecturer. He also went into networking.
A shift in career came in 2014 when he started selling contact lenses made in Korea.
As in any struggling reseller, Ortiz would personally hand out flyers in establishments to market his products.
A year later when he saved enough from this and his other side businesses, Ortiz sought out a manufacturer of contact lenses in Korea to toll manufacture products under his own line, Elite Contact Lenses. The brand gained a good following with its many choices of designs and colors. But Ortiz did not stop there.
Years later, health issues prompted Ortiz to look for a solution that would supplement his shift to a healthier lifestyle. He also realized it was time to diversify.
Thus Glutalipo was born.
Glutalipo is a Food and Drug Administration-approved herbal slimming and whitening beverage brand of coffee, juice and tea variants. The products are being manufactured by a toll producer using local ingredients.
With Glutalipo, Ortiz realized that direct selling is a big business in itself.
Today, Glutalipo has 500 main distributors and 5,000 resellers. It is also now being distributed in small volumes in the Middle East.
With 50 employees, Ortiz’ Glutalipo sells 120,000 to 150,000 boxes (of 10 sachets) per month.
Ortiz hopes to double this volume within the year.
Ortiz is also into real estate. His family business has built resorts in their hometown in Calamba, Laguna. He also runs his own line of Korean glass skin products called Beauty Vault.
Looking back, the 33-year old Ortiz said his personal trials and failed career experiences taught him there is more to life than struggling to attain financial independence.
For him, his road to financial freedom was not by merely distributing products of big corporations but by conceptualizing his own brands.
The 33-year old is now chief executive officer of Rising Dragon Beauty and Wellness Trading Corp. (I. Isip)
