IN 2019, Edwardo Miguel Roldan, president and chief executive officer of Red Circle Global (RCG), faced the daunting challenge of bankruptcy across all his business ventures. Drawing strength from his unwavering faith, Roldan considers his entry into the educational software business as nothing short of providential.
While casually browsing through sulit.com.ph, I stumbled upon a post about an RFID system priced at a mere one-time fee of P50,000, inclusive of free one-year maintenance and warranty. A serendipitous lightbulb moment struck, prompting me to negotiate a payment schedule and inquire about becoming a distributor, recalled Roldan.
Fortune favored Roldan as he and the vendor reached a strategic agreement. Transforming the business model to a pre-selling approach to schools, he added valuable features like a complimentary RFID printer and RFID cards. This strategic shift proved successful, enabling him to sell the products at 10 times the cost with a recurring fee due to the subscription model.
Post-selling the White Label software to clients and prospects, new challenges surfaced that demanded solutions. In response, Roldan recruited skilled individuals to develop an entirely new system for Red Circle Global. Despite being a non-techie, he successfully connected the dots and crafted solutions that added significant value to RCG’s clients.
Roldan asserted that all RCG clients have experienced cost savings by choosing their system, which proves more cost-efficient than building one from scratch. The digitalization initiatives of educational institutions have proven advantageous for RCG, as numerous schools have acquired their products.
“Since 2018, we have a proven track record of assisting our school clientele in increasing their direct enrollees and revenue by 20 percent to 35 percent annually over a three-year period. We’ve also substantially lowered their IT-related capital outlay by 70 percent and operational expenditures by 35 percent,” affirmed Roldan.
At present, RCG boasts 14,000 private institutions as clients nationwide. Leveraging technology, Roldan emphasizes that RCG can standardize the fundamental deliverables and functions of a school ecosystem. “Directly, we are also assisting schools in saving resources, which they can redirect to improving employee salaries and increasing their budget for infrastructure modernization,” added Roldan.
Furthermore, digital technology has expanded RCG’s marketing coverage, leading to a remarkable 20,000 percent increase in sales and a 300 percent reduction in annual marketing costs, as per post-sales customer surveys.