Manao 1 Introduction Herbal supplements are more popular now than ever before.

People are seeking for new alternatives to improve their health, and they are turning to natural medications rather than pharmaceutical drugs more and more. As such, there have been numerous researches performed on the therapeutic benefits and applications of various herbs and herbal extracts. Most of these researches present strong evidence that taking herbal supplements in combination with a healthy diet and lifestyle can be beneficial. Therefore, many people use natural health supplements to treat various health conditions as well as to promote general well-being. Also, one of the reasons why people opt to take these herbal supplements is that most of the more effective drugs that are introduced in the market nowadays are expensive and some unfortunate Filipinos cannot afford those. Because of this, the industry of herbal medications and supplement emerged and continues to grow and more herbal supplements who claim to be effective are being produced rapidly in the market today. (Maul, Bruce) Herbal Supplements vs. Prescription Drugs The synthetic formulation inherent with prescription drugs has been devised to cripple down and terminate pathogens contaminating the infected organ or soothe the inflammation. Oftentimes, the treatment comes with harsh side effects that you will either have to endure completely or take a complementary medicine to rid the body of its discomforts. The worst side effect of the prolonged use of prescription drugs, particularly antibiotics, is the weakening of the bodys immune defenses that make it susceptible to chronic infections. Herbal supplements, on the other hand, offer a holistic approach to treatment where a potent formulation of different herbal extracts work in synergy to soothe the inflammation and subdue the pathogens causing infection while treating underlying systemic disorders and restoring

Manao 2 a persons vitality. Best of all, herbal supplements do not come with the side effects pertinent with prescription drugs. And why is that? One of the component herbs in the formulation works to cushion the side effects of the stronger herbs. While it appears that the curative nature of herbs are not as extensively documented and publicized as compared with licensed medicine distributed to support the medical profession, the overwhelming testimonies of patients inflicted with diverse infections and ailments who found relief in the therapeutic doses of herbal supplements, are evidence of their ability to cure diseases. (Maul, Bruce) The Company LPC (Living Power Corporation) International started last November 23, 2009 and is a duly registered Filipino owned direct selling company with S.E.C. Registration No.: CS200932233. It provides Filipinos high value, cost effective products like dietary supplements and healthy beverages that give us optimum nutrition to keep us healthy in this fast-paced, modern world. The company also has personal and homecare items that are environmental friendly and are for superior well-being and general comfort. The people behind LPC are headed by Dr. Chanita Villegas-Chua, Fellow, Philippine Obstetrics and Gynecological Society (FPOGS), Fellow, Philippine Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology (FPSUOG), Fellowship in Maternal-Fetal Medicine (FMFM), Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology (MSCE) who is a medical practitioner who has the passion for providing worthwhile, quality and, yet economical medications to her patients and Mr. Reynaldo Tuazon Tesoro, the Vice President, being an expert in the networking industry. They have the substantial and combined 30 years of impeccable experience in the health supplement and direct

Manao 3 selling industry. They fully understand that the companys business is all about people. It is their belief that every distributor is important and should be valued because their success is also the distributors success. Their operation runs from a 53sq.m office, now moving to a 178sq.m unit and currently has 10 full-time employees and a host of distributors from all over the country since its conception. The company has over 60,000 active members in the present. The company is located at Unit 306, 3rd flr. Mac Douton Bldg., 768 Edsa Cor. East Ave., Dilliman, Quezon City. History of the Company The idea of coming up with this kind of business started from a life-threatening experience of the founder, Dr. Chanita Villegas-Chua. When she was at the age of twelve, she was diagnosed of having arthritis. Her disease was said to be juvenile and that case is very rare. Before their doctor found out that she had arthritis, the doctor thought that she got only injuries from her sporty activities as an athlete and so she was prescribed to take only pain relievers. Because of this kind of continual medication, another disease developed inside her body the ulcer. As the years of her medications continued, kidney stones also developed in her body. She also had insomnia and migraine which are caused by the side effects of the drugs that she had previously taken. It came to a point that she had to take at least twelve different kinds of drug a day until her doctor-friend advised her to undergo surgery. She did not take the advice of her friend because she was scared to go through an operation. That was the time when some herbal supplements were presented and recommended to her. However, she refused to take those supplements because being a doctor, she believed that time that food supplements are not effective or has merely no effects to our body. That time, she had no choice but to seek help from an

Manao 4 albularyo (a quack doctor). Unfortunately, her disease had not been cured by the albularyo so she resorted to food supplements. That time, she was very skeptical about the supplements that she was going to take so before she would take the supplements, she made sure that those were effective by researching about the active components of the supplements and the functions of each component. That gave her an idea about how these supplements are made and what are made of. She also found out that food supplements are not that harmful because technically they are food. Eventually, after the successive intake of these supplements, she cured her own sicknesses. That event was the turning point for her to engage herself to natural healing and food supplements research for seventeen years and for coming up with the LPC (Living Power Corporation) International. Mission and Vision The companys mission is to empower individual and provide opportunity to start a sustainable, low capital and long term business through LPCs patented, easily achievable compensation plan and to provide people with high value, effective products for good health and general well being. Their vision is to be the top network marketing company in the Philippines improving millions of peoples lifestyle and wellness. Awards The company was recently awarded as the 2010 Most Outstanding Health Supplements Networking Company by the Asian star Awards. It is a prestigious international tribute to worldclass consumer products and achievers. With this, the company only showed excellence in just a year of experience in the field. Products

Manao 5 LPC (Living Power Corporation) has different products to choose from. They have the Beverages Products, Health Care Products and Food Supplements. These include their famous CALCIUM Chewable tablets. These tablets have Nano Ionic Calcium that is used for quicker digestion and faster utilization of the mineral calcium. Their best selling product is Spirulina (Food of the future) which prevents cancer. They also have Power Barako 15 in 1 cofee for lowering blood pressure, Power Blend 9 in 1 coffee for strengthening immune system, power Glow for removing pimples and skin blemishes, Enduromax for healthy hair and growth, Power Arthro & Bone Care for the prevention arthritis, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, etc., Power Liquimins for acute asthmatic attacks. Aside from supplements, they also have products such as shampoo, soap, whitening cream, toothpaste and dishwashing liquids. Marketing Strategy Business networking is the companys marketing strategy. It is the process of establishing a mutually beneficial relationship with other business people and potential clients and/or customers. The key to true business networking is the establishment of a mutually beneficial relationship, and that's an incredibly rare event at the standard shake-hands-and-exchange-your-business-card events that are touted as business networking "opportunities". The purpose of business networking is to increase business revenue - one way or another. The thickening of the bottom line can be immediately apparent, as in developing a relationship with a new client, or develop over time, as in learning a new business skill. The best business networking groups operate as exchanges of business information, ideas, and support. The most important skill for effective business networking is listening; focusing on how you can help the person you are listening to rather than on how he or she can help you is the first step to establishing a mutually beneficial relationship.

Manao 6 Marketing Plan The company has five ways for you to earn capital. The first way is the Retailing. This is the strategy in which a member gets benefit by purchasing a certain product of the company at a discounted price and selling the product at its original price that would give him his profit of about 20 %. The second one is the Referrel 1 Up Unilevel. This kind of market plan is patented for the company. In this strategy, the member may recruit 2 new members, lets say new members A and B. The pioneer member would get 10% from As sales and 40% of Bs sales. The third marketing plan is the Unilevel Repeat Purchase. In this strategy, if the members that you recruited became also active in recruiting new members and purchasing the products of the company, the company will give you 28% of the total sales of the people you recruited including also the members they recruited. The fourth one is the Profit Sharing. This gives you 0.5% of all the companys sale if you reach the Power Duke level, 1.0% if you reach the Power Prince level and 1.5% if you reach the Power King level by recruiting more members. The last one is the Car and House Fund. In this strategy, those people who are qualified for this will get a share from the 2% of all the companys sales. Since LPC get started, membership is not a huge problem in the company because it is always been easier compared to other company. Also, with a registration fee worth five hundred pesos only you can get the following credits: package of your choice worth 300 pesos, brochures and application forms, RCBC ATM card or LPC Visa for three slots (one thousand five hundred pesos), lifetime membership and personal accident insurance.

LPCs Distinction The problem with the some other food supplements companies is that when they tell their manufacturers to manufacture a supplement, they usually ignore what the companies would do to

Manao 7 their product and do not check for the proper quantity of active ingredients used in the supplement. The important thing for the other companies is that they would come up with the product even without knowing if it has gone through proper procedures of manufacturing. But in the case of LPC, they make sure that the desired amount of active ingredient in their product is accurately formulated and the supplement has undergone proper manufacturing. Another thing would be the price range of their products. Because LPC (Living Power Corporation) International is one of the best Filipino owned company, it helps a lot of Filipino people even those who are living in provinces. LPC also requires a small amount of starting money to join unlike other networking company is offering. Compared to other companies that produce supplements, LPC has affordable products. Other Services The company also provides leadership training. According to Mr. Convince Novales, the company consultant, the LPC International provides a 20-day seminar to those employees who are new in the field. In these days, the employees are trained to learn different techniques and strategies to gain big profit later on. Also, after the seminar, the company evaluates each employee on how they would handle the business. LPC also offers free medical consultation about your sickness. Before purchasing a product or applying for employment, the clients are encouraged to have a free consultation wherein they would be advised by an expert about their diseases and as much as possible, give them the appropriate product for their diseases. Employees Side At first, some of the distributors in the company were hesitant to invest their capital in such business. One of them is Mr. Noel Cayetano. According to him, he was recruited by his friend to

Manao 8 join the company and become one of the distributors of the company. He was told that the capital that he needed was only five hundred pesos and that capital would gain a really big profit as long as he would be active in the field. It sounded impossible to him so he did not try to engage himself in the business but soon, according to him, he risked his money and attempted to involve himself in the corporate. After six months of being an active employee, his five hundred pesos grew a lot of earnings. Also, his ailment was cured by the products of the company. According to Mrs. Majella Santia, a vegetable vendor, the business really helped a lot in supporting her family. Also, she said that it is affordable and the gaining of profit is fast and easy. Problems Even though the company is just starting to grow in the field, it has been facing many problems. One of these problems is about the business networking. Many people are in doubt of joining a company with such marketing strategy because most of them will think that the leaders of the company would just benefit from their money in the first place and leave them soon without getting any advantage from it. Another problem is that how would they maintain a cheap price despite of spending too much cost for the production of their products. Another problem is that, they dont have their own manufacturing company and so they manufacture their supplements to a different company which also contributed\s to their expenses.

Future Plans Since the company is getting its raw materials from other distributors, the president of LPC, Dr. Chua, is planning to put her own farm of the raw materials such as different kinds of plants. With this farm, they could regulate the proper growth of the plants and make the plants

Manao 9 purely organic, meaning propagated and grown with the aid of natural fertilizers and techniques only. The company is also planning to build its own manufacturing company so that the expenses would be lessen and the production of the supplements and product is more efficient. The company also plans in building different branches across the country to reach for the people in rural areas. Prognosis The company, as being one of the most outstanding food supplements networking company, will be more successful these coming years because of the continuous research in the field and also because new discoveries of natural medications are waiting that will eventually lead to new discoveries of herbal supplements. Also, nowadays, herbal supplements are popular and for sure, there will be a lot of people who will be interested in it. However, competitions in the market will be prevalent because for sure, there will be a lot of food supplements companies that are going to emerge.