Filipinos Success’ Stories:
Kaya Ko, Kaya Mo!
If I can, You surely can!
To quote Saint Francis of Assisi, ” Above all the grace and the gifts that Christ gives to His beloved is that of overcoming self.” This is definitely true in the case of Mr. Resty Sta Maria Reyes of Fly and Friendly Travel.
Resty was born in Dagupan City, Pangasinan, the youngest in a family of 11, whose parents were business entrepreneurs in Pangasinan. His roots can be traced back to Ilocos Norte and locos Sur.
When he met his beautiful wife, Teresa Reyes, he had to choose between giving up his US immigrant status or join the love of his life in Canada with her siblings. Of course, love ruled so Resty followed his heart and joined his wife in Canada.
Resty completed a degree in Business Economics which prepared him for managing a family-owned business. Prior to coming to Canada, he worked as a part-time Insurance Agent which earned him the award for Top Agent in Region 1 from 1987-1991.
When he moved to Canada in the 80’s, the country was experiencing an economic recession and he worked four casual jobs to sustain his family. It was so hard for him to work casual jobs when in the Philippines, he was his own boss. He finally found a job at Edmonton International Airport which he held for six years. He tried to move to Maryland, USA where most of his siblings reside but went back to Edmonton after a year, where he found a full-time job in Building Property Services,which he kept for seven years.
His life changed when in 2005, he under went hematoma brain surgery. He is grateful to God for giving him a second lease in life, a blessing that he cherishes each day. Because of his medical condition he was advised to move to a warmer climate,so he decided to move to Vancouver. Starting a life in a new city was tough as his medical condition prevented him from getting hired for certain occupations.
God works in mysterious ways. Fly & Friendly Travel Tours Inc. was established in 2010 and he was given a chance to become a partner along with two other individuals in Vancouver, BC. In 2014, the two shareholders sold their shares to Resty. At that time, the Company was at its lowest point with a six figure loss due to poor customer service by old staff and undedicated practices.
With perseverance, hard work, dedication, commitment and a strong faith in God, Resty decided to move Fly Friendly Travel to Edmonton in 2015. The decision was made due to loyal clients and non-stop supporters.
Resty’s practice involves providing the best service at all times, to accommodate clients’ requests as best as he can while sticking to their budgets, and to help clients discuss document status before making reservations in order to avoid having to pay any additional fees. The company has a commitment to secure credit card info as per the Consumer Protection Act (this is FFT Staff’s Business Practice guarantee), keeping clients’ Personal Mileage Membership Points safe and a secure Merchant Debit Machine (with a security of $1-Million as per Bank rules as a legitimate Registered Travel Agency).
Resty’s thoughts on being an Entrepreneur: “Being an entrepreneur gives you the opportunity to take a calculated risk on a passion. The best part of being an entrepreneur is that I am constantly rediscovering myself. Every day, I rediscover my passion for what I’m pursuing, my strength in tough situations, and my resilience when there’s an obstacle.” He goes on to add, “I think being an entrepreneur is great because the possibilities are endless. You can be as creative and innovative as you want to be, and the results are the most rewarding. The best part of being an entrepreneur is contributing something larger than yourself. Entrepreneurs solve problems and bring a product or service to the world that people need. Sure, you have the opportunity to be paid well but giving a livelihood to others and crafting the world you want to see is way more fulfilling. Being an entrepreneur is great because one can respond to opportunity quickly. In my previous corporate life, decision making could take so long that the opportunity actually vanished before all the parties could get together to make a decision to proceed. At the end of the day, the best part of being an entrepreneur is that it forces me to become a better me. I am forced to learn, change, adapt, get tough, and innovate, and since no one in the world could be harder on me than me, I will continue to improve. Being an entrepreneur has allowed me to create a career that didn’t even exist before I made it up.”
His advice to those who want to become business owners like him: “I think when you work really hard and you help others, God helps you get what you want. Be humble and never give up and try to help all the way to be successful.”
