Business is a Calling to Serve

Mr and Mrs Jovi Ledon opening their second store

How do you carry out the command to love others? Mr. Jovi Ledon says he does it through the way he runs his business and deals with employees. He shows that while business earns a profit, it is also a means of showing Jesus' love for all.

"Seeking the good of others in business does not happen by accident. We had to intentionally make choices every day to create a workplace where people could grow, where we protected trust through integrity, and where relationships mattered more than profit. All these because we believe a successful business should leave people better than it found them."

"We help our employees grow beyond the jobs we hired them for by encouraging them to think like owners instead of simply completing assigned tasks. Whenever challenges arise, we remind them not to say, 'That's not my job,' but to ask, 'How can I help solve this?'

"During difficult times, we don't hide our struggles or pretend everything is fine. Instead, we tell our team the truth, and we invite them to work through these times together - because people deserve honesty, not false reassurance."

"We also seek the good of others by protecting a culture of trust. One day, our cash count showed ₱200 was missing. We could have dismissed it as an insignificant amount, but we knew the issue was bigger than money. Without accusing anyone, I spoke with each employee to explain that every act of honesty matters. We eventually found a GCash transaction had simply not been recorded. The lesson: integrity is not measured by the amount involved but by the character we demonstrate. Moments like these teach values that employees will always carry with them."

"Two years ago, we were forced to close one of our food stores. It was financially and emotionally painful. Our chief cook quietly told us, 'Sir, if you open again someday, we hope you'll hire us back.'"

"Those words meant more than any financial success we had achieved. They meant that we had built something more than a business – we had treated people with dignity, invested in their growth, and created trusting relationships that endured beyond the workplace."

"That experience changed how I define success. Profit keeps a business alive, but people give it purpose. Seeking the good of others is not about extraordinary acts of generosity; it is in everyday decisions to lead with integrity, to develop people, to tell the truth, and to earn trust."

"Businesses come and go. Profits rise and fall. But if the people who worked with you become more honest, more confident, and better because you were their leader, then you have truly sought the good of others—and that is a success no balance sheet can measure."

Mr. and Mrs. Ledon's stores are "Bon Jovi Foods", which is a franchise holder of Balamban Liempo (located in Banilad), Pektos Sizzling Plato, and Master Siomai (also in Banilad). Bon Jovi Foods also includes the couple's own YY Lutong Bahay and Streetfood Ta Bai (Banilad).