Earlier this year, Mansmith and Fielders, Inc. received the Agora Distinction Award for Nation-Building Marketing Leadership from the Philippine Marketing Association (PMA). The recognition was unexpected and humbling. As the first private company to receive it in PMA’s 70-year history, it reminded us that our work has always been guided by purpose. Purpose in marketing doesn’t only strengthen a business, it can help strengthen a nation.
As I reflect on our 35-year journey, here are some lessons that continue to guide us, and may be relevant to your own business as well.
1. Resilience Is About Moving Forward
When we took over Mansmith in 1990, the company was bankrupt. Difficult decisions, like returning minority capital to managing partners, showed us that resilience isn’t just surviving difficulty. It’s having the clarity to make hard choices that allow you to move forward.
If your business is facing challenges, ask: What decisions today will strengthen you for tomorrow?
2. Vision and Insight Shape Your Direction
A major shift came from Chiqui Escareal-Go’s anthropology and behavioral economics background. She saw that participants wanted more than information, they wanted empowerment. This changed our purpose from simply conducting seminars to helping develop leaders.
When your vision is clear, people naturally align with it.
3. Redesign for Greater Impact
Removing barriers in our awards programs (no entry fees, no payment for the awards night, no guest fees, and no requirement to be a Mansmith client to win) was not an easy financial decision. But it reinforced our belief that access should never be limited by cost or affiliation.
Consider your own model: What barriers can you remove to create wider impact?
4. Leadership Is About Enabling Others
Leadership for us means giving others room to grow. The Mansmith Young Market Masters Awards (YMMA) was built to highlight and empower young leaders, not to spotlight us.
When you empower people, you multiply what your organization can achieve.
5. Trust Creates Lasting Growth
Our most meaningful partnerships grew from shared values, not contracts. Trust, not transactions, has sustained us.
Focus on relationships built on integrity. Growth becomes a shared journey, not a one-sided one.
6. Innovation Means Leading Change
Innovation is not about chasing trends. It’s about asking, “What shift can we create?” and being willing to challenge assumptions. Innovation is a mindset, not an event.
Lead the conversations that matter. Don’t wait for others to start them.
7. Patience Makes Progress Real
Our 35-year journey taught me that real, lasting progress takes time. Consistency often works quietly before it becomes visible.
Don’t rush results. Trust the process and stay committed.
8. Recognition Is a Milestone, Not the Mission
Awards are appreciated, but they are not the goal. Impact is. What matters most is whether your work makes a difference.
Let recognition mark the journey, not define it.
9. Consistency Builds Trust
Trends fade quickly, but consistency endures. Staying true to your values and delivering on your promises builds the kind of trust that compounds over years.
Trust is earned through repeated, aligned actions.
Moving Forward With Purpose
Purpose-driven marketing is not a strategy, it’s a way of operating. It keeps your decisions grounded, your teams aligned, and your work meaningful. Our experience at Mansmith has shown that when you lead with purpose, the results follow. But the real reward is the impact you leave behind.
As you reflect on your business, ask yourself: What is your purpose? How are you using your platform to inspire, challenge norms, and create change? In the end, success is not just about profits, it’s about the legacy you leave.
Josiah Go
Chairman and Chief Innovation Strategist
Mansmith and Fielders, Inc.
For more about the 21st Mansmith Young Market Masters Awards (YMMA), visit www.youngmarketmasters.com.
