Self-made CEO advises women to make their own money

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December 8, 2025 | 6:19pm

MANILA, Philippines — Rosarie "Risa" Ledesma's husband was already earning for the family as a captain of a ship, but for the self-confessed "madiskarte" woman, she believes that every woman should have her own means of making her own money.  

Ledesma learned to earn money at a young age. She recalled how she spent her days in the farm, doing the same work as her male counterparts. 

“Importante talaga na may sariling income ang babae. Bata pa lang ako, nagbu-bukid na ako. So, ‘yung mga ginagawa ng ibang lalaki, kaya ko ring gawin. Importante sa akin na mayroon akong income na hindi talaga ako nakaasa. Nature ko na hindi ako umaasa sa asawa, sa kapatid. Talagang bata pa lang ako, marunong talaga ako sa buhay," she told reporters. 

Ledesma founded RF Proactive in March 2015. She maintains the same employees she had when she started 10 years ago. Currently, her company is a full-service agency that provides nationwide activations and digital campaigns. It has also established a new arm, RFPCT Printing and Fabrication Services, that offers large-scale fabrication, printing, and branded installations.

Their clients include Silka, URC, Mega Global, Asia Brewery, Solane, among others.

Founding her own company was just a matter of time for Ledesma.

“‘Yung asawa ko kasi seaman noon. So, kumbaga parang ayaw ko naman na lagi na lang akong naghihintay ng padala noon. Madiskarte kasi talaga ako. Hindi ako umaasa lang sa bigay. So, kahit na kapitan naman ‘yung asawa ko noon, kahit na napro-provide naman ‘yung needs namin noon, gusto ko ay may sariling income ako,” she said.

Ledesma did not only take her own interests to heart but also the people who helped her grow her company.

“Ang empleyado ko, since 2015, sila pa rin. So I think kung masama akong boss, umalis na sila sa akin. Nadadagdagan sila. Hindi nababawasan. ‘Yung dati kong project coordinator, naging supervisor, naging operations manager, ngayon GM (general manager) na. Binigyan ko ng house. Tapos ‘yung driver ko, binigyan ko rin siya ng bahay,” she said.

The self-made CEO stressed that among the secrets to success and longevity in the business is pursuing one's interest. Aspiring businessowners should not be motivated by trends. 

She also said that maintaining a stable business is hard work. 

“Lahat po ng success talaga is pinaghihirapan. Mas masaya at fulfilling po kapag pinaghirapan. Masasabi mong successful ang isang tao kapag pinaghirapan talaga. Hindi ako fan ng overnight success,” she said.

“Proud po ako sa kung anong narating ko. Even though things are moving quickly these days, hard labor still has power,” she added.

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