Gila Salvador

Alexangela "Gila" Bernardo Salvador is a young Filipino entrepreneur.
Salvador is currently the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and President of multiple corporations including Madhouse Creatives Construction Incorporation (interior design and construction), MadCafé Incorporated (a food and beverage group of companies), Maddev Realty Development Corporation (real estate investment and development) with projects such as Madhostel Siargao (under construction) and Residencia Townhomes (under development).
Salvador is also an influencer with a sizable following on her Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube accounts.
== Early life and education ==
Gila Salvador was born and raised in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines on August 27, 1994. 
Her parents, Alexander and Michelle, are also successful entrepreneurs and she credits them for having inspired in her a fervent love and passion for business. Her father, an architect, passed on invaluable wisdom when it comes to running a business. Her mother, who finds joy in cooking, bequeathed some of her recipes which Salvador included in the menu of the café she currently owns. Her parents established OneOkada International, a network marketing company, and the 47-branch Cut & Fix International Salon chain. 
She has a younger brother, Joshua, and younger sister, Andi.
Salvador studied in Maria Montessori School of Quezon City where she was a consistent honor student in high school.
Afterwards, she passed the highly competitive college admission test of Ateneo de Manila University, one of the Philippines’ premier universities. Salvador was a BS Management major for three semesters before shifting to BFA Information Design.
== Breakthrough business: paperplanes manila (2013-2015) ==
In 2013 at age 17, Salvador gave in to the growing urge to start her own business. This led to her first ever venture, Paperplanes Manila, an online shop that customizes notebooks, gifts, and other school essentials. She started with a humble capital of Php 4,000 from her own savings. 
The demands of managing a fledgling business that was increasingly growing in popularity prompted Salvador to leave school to focus entirely on her business, a move she has never regretted.
A year into the business and at only 18 years old, Salvador earned her first million.
In 2014, her journey took her from creating and designing notebooks to graphics and printing through her second business Graphic Factory while still largely managing Paperplanes Manila. Harnessing her creativity, Salvador’s quirky designs did not go unnoticed. She was featured on the morning show Kris TV hosted by popular personality Kris Aquino, and was subsequently tapped to design the interiors of the Pinoy Big Brother House in 2016 and 2018.
Paperplanes Manila thrived for more than two years until Salvador decided to close shop in 2015, while Graphic Factory served as the springboard for the transition to interior designing in her next venture. 
== Transition to Interior Designing: Madhouse Design Studio (2016-present) ==
In 2016, Salvador expanded her business from designing notebooks and advertising/marketing collaterals to designing homes. After a few makeover projects wherein she redesigned rooms for kids, satisfied parents asked if she could also redesign their house. Salvador saw this as a great opportunity to expand her business while making sure that clients have homes that are not only aesthetic, but with spaces that are functional and purposeful.
MadHouse Design Studio handles interior design and fit-out, including the installation of tiles, bathroom fixtures, kitchen, walls, glass, lights, cabinets and furniture. The company handles an average of 10 projects per quarter. 
== Expansion to the Food and Beverage Business: MadCafé (2019-present) ==
Being the intuitive and savvy entrepreneur that she is, Salvador saw the vast potential of getting into the food and beverage business in Metro Manila. MadCafe is her first venture into the restaurant and café business.
To set MadCafé apart from the fiercely competitive food landscape in the Philippine capital, Salvador made sure that it is not only Instagrammable, but also an establishment that offers spaces where customers can dine on great food and drinks while working, studying, and hanging out with friends. 
MadCafé opened in February 2019 and quickly became a go-to establishment in the area with customers coming in even from cities as far-flung as the south of Manila. The café has become so popular that she found the need to hire more staff. Salvador predicted a return-on-investment in two years, but was surprised when the ROI was achieved in less than a year. 
Salvador is set to open two new MadCafé branches in Fairview, Quezon City in the second half of 2020- one in SM Fairview and the other in Don Antonio Heights; another is scheduled to open in Alabang, Muntinlupa City at the end of 2020. The Don Antonio branch initially encountered a roadblock with illegal vendors blocking the space, but she opted to integrate these vendors into her café’s concept rent-free in an effort to support local businesses. 
== Future Ventures: Maddev Realty Corporation (2019-present) ==
Just recently, Salvador founded her third corporation, Maddev Realty Corporation, a real estate and development company focused on developing lands into commercial and residential spaces such as hotels and resorts (Madhostel Inc.) and ready for occupancy homes (Residencia Homes). Madhostel’s first branch is now under construction in the picturesque island of Siargao, a destination that is a staple in popular travel publications. Salvador’s vision for Maddev Realty Corporation is for the company to provide Filipinos affordable homes yet ones that are structurally sound, aesthetically pleasing, and truly world-class.
She has also rolled out MadCafé Incorporated, a group of restaurant companies that is set to come up with unique food concepts. Included in this new venture is a commissary supply company that serves not only MadCafé, but also those interested to put up their own cafés and restaurants. She offers free business conceptualization and branding under this commissary company in a bid to “pay it forward” in recognition of the continued success of her businesses. 
Salvador has also put up Paperplanes Holdings Corporation, an ode to her first ever business, which owns all of her present and future ventures.
At present, Salvador, who is barely 26 years old, has over 100 employees among which are architects, engineers, interior designers among other professionals, as well as fresh graduates and even Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).
Business Philosophy: “Making It Happen”
Salvador’s remarkable success story compelled her to inspire other Filipinos that if she can do it, they can, too. This gave rise to her “Making It Happen” mantra, one that she has held on to with such fervor since the success of Paperplanes Manila, and one that she hopes to instill in her ventures both current and prospective.
She believes that nothing is impossible if you put all your energy into what you want to accomplish. She does not believe in starting with a big capital or with a lot of resources, what is important is creating something unique and useful, and once the business picks up, proper marketing and recirculating of profits should come foremost.
This paradigm is one that Salvador intends to promote to improve the Filipino concept of starting, maintaining, and sustaining a business.
== Other activities ==
Aside from being a successful young entrepreneur, Salvador is also an influencer with a combined 100k+ followers on Facebook and Instagram, and a vlogger with over 150k subscribers on YouTube. 
She also qualified as one of the 40 contestants in Binibining Pilipinas, the Philippines’ oldest and most prestigious beauty pageants. She is contestant #37 representing the province of Nueva Ecija. Her advocacy is on self-reliance and independence.
In her spare time, Salvador is also a motivational speaker through her videos that help other people start their own business. She gets invited to speaking engagements, free of charge, to inspire the youth. She also does free business consultations. 
Salvador is a lover of adventure. She is a surfer, and a licensed free and scuba diver. 
== Awards and nominations ==
Year 	Award 	Award-Giving Body
2016, 2018	Best Space Design Company 	Global Excellence Award
2016 	Entrepreneurship Award 	Global Excellence Award
2019 	Top Choice: Interior Design Company 	Top Choice Awards
2019 	Silver Play Button for reaching 100,000 subscribers	YouTube
==In the media==
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== References ==
==External links==
* Gila Salvador on facebook
* Gila Salvador on instagram
* Gila Salvador youtube channel
* 24-year-old millennial now employs more than 100
* Gila Salvador (gilasalvador) on Pinterest
* gilasalvador Instagram profile with posts and stories - Picuki.com
* Lady entrepreneur faces the challenge of mixing business and beauty contests
* Gila Salvador on linkedin
* Binibining Pilipinas 2020 Top 40: Alexangela Salvador
* making it happen by gila salvador Archives - When In Manila
* Gila Salvador on Prezi
* Gila Salvador | Apollo - Apollo.io
Category:1994 births
Category:Filipino businesspeople
Category:Entrepreneurs
Category:Businesswomen
Category:People from Quezon City
Category:Ateneo de Manila University alumni
Category:Bachelor's degrees