ER Rollan, CEO of Growsari and a winner of the 5th Mansmith Innovation Awards, has been transforming the micro-retail landscape in the Philippines. By leveraging technology, he empowers small sari-sari stores, streamlines distribution, and creates a scalable digital ecosystem. In this interview, he shares the assumptions he challenged, the pains he sought to solve, and how he turned innovation into a repeatable and scalable process.
Q1. What traditional assumptions about micro-retail, sari-sari stores, or FMCG distribution did you actively challenge in building Growsari?
A1: We actively challenged the belief that serving the smallest stores can never be profitable—that the cost to serve simply isn’t worth it, whether through deliveries, small-ticket loans, or access to new revenue streams. We also questioned the long-held assumption that the FMCG go-to-market model, unchanged for decades, was already as efficient as it could be.
Many believed that because so many had tried before, there was little room left to innovate. Finally, we pushed back against the idea that small store owners are not digitally ready. Our experience showed that readiness is less about sophistication and more about relevance—when digital tools are designed around real needs, adoption follows naturally.
Q2. Which customer pain points and internal operational challenges inspired your most important innovations?
A2: Internally, the biggest challenge was the cost model. There was a belief that the existing infrastructure was already widespread and sufficient—that we had to only connect those dots through a tech platform. We were challenged because we knew it can be done better. However, doing that meant committing to an end-to-end (re)build of the supply chain, not just incremental fixes. It required years of investment, discipline, and frankly, a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. But that foundation is precisely why, after more than a decade of operating, we are now able to layer multiple businesses and services on top of the same platform.
Externally, what motivated us most was knowing that many sari-sari stores lack access to even basic business solutions—tools that would give them permission to aspire to be bigger. In many cases, store owners couldn’t clearly articulate their pain points because they had simply learned to accept their realities and the limitations of what’s available to them and who’s willing to serve them. This wasn’t a loss of grit or ambition; it was the acceptance that they were on their own. Our goal has been to change that—by building systems that not only solve problems, but restore a sense of possibility.
Q3. How do you decide which digital tools or programs to implement and which existing practices to stop or modify?
A3: This is one of the toughest parts of the job because good ideas come from everywhere. Our instinct is not to eliminate ideas too early. Instead, we encourage teams to test them with the least amount of effort possible—often without any tech build at all. We call this “pre-totyping.” If someone has deep conviction about an idea, the first question is: what is the smallest thing you can do to show traction? When there’s real signal—customer pull, usage, or impact—we then increase support and investment. What’s surprised us is how many of Growsari’s current products have emerged from this process. It’s made us even more excited about what our teams can unlock when given the space to experiment responsibly.
Q4. How have your innovations been aligned with Growsari’s long-term strategy and growth objectives?
A4: Our long-term ambition is clear, even if it’s far from simple: we want Growsari to be the superhighway to the Filipino middle class, partnering with micro-entrepreneurs as last-mile anchors. That goal forces us to prioritize deep capabilities and long-term bets over short-term trends—though we don’t ignore trends entirely.
To stay disciplined, we anchor decisions on a few principles: does this create real value for our store customers; does it enable a uniquely strong execution that can become a long-term advantage for Growsari; and can it be big. The second principle is especially dynamic. The more capabilities we build, the more we expand our “right to win.” Sometimes it’s not just about whether an idea is good, but whether the timing is right to pursue it well.
Q5. Can you share a pilot project, feature, or experiment that taught you the most about scaling digital transformation for micro-retailers?
A5: Early on, we struggled to get stores to adopt the platform digitally. Our instinct was to look at the usual suspects—whether the user experience was too complex or if our pricing needed further optimization. We spent a lot of time refining those elements. Eventually, we realized the real issue wasn’t usability or economics—it was trust. Store owners didn’t know who we were, and at that stage, our brand didn’t mean anything yet. So instead of reducing human interaction, we doubled down on it. We invested more in field visits, training, and personal engagement. What became clear was that after just a few successful transactions, store owners were confident enough to transact on their own, and we could gradually step back. That insight became our acquisition model at scale and, in our early years, the primary way we earned trust and built adoption.
Q6. What systems, routines, or organizational practices have you put in place to ensure that innovation continues across teams and regions, not just through your leadership?
A6: We strongly believe that when you set the right culture, people will step up—even when processes are still evolving or, at times, overly stringent. Because of that, we intentionally step away from overly formal business reviews and create space for teams to test ideas and make mistakes. We also place a high level of trust in our people, including flexibility in how and where they work, because having the right headspace is critical to doing meaningful, high-impact work. Finally, we put extreme emphasis on execution as a core value. Most of our debates are not about whether an idea is good or not, but about how quickly we can execute, learn, and adapt. That bias toward action is what allows innovation to scale beyond any single leader.
Don’t miss the chance to join and interact with ER Rollan live at the 17th Mansmith Market Masters Conference, March 17, 2026, at SMX Aura. For inquiries, email info@mansmith.net.
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Josiah Go is a business thought leader, speaker, mentor, entrepreneur, blogger, columnist, and independent director. He is a record-breaking, bestselling author of 20 books on marketing and entrepreneurship.
