The King “Kong” of Motivation

“Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” — Winston S. Churchill

If you were asked to name just one motivational speaker in the Philippines, Francis Kong would probably be at the top of your list. He is one of the most respected business speakers in the Philippines and has been featured in many corporate leadership conferences, both here and abroad, as well as in their nation dealers' and distributors' conventions.

Coming from a very humble background, Francis was not an exceptional student when he was still enrolled in Uno High School where, by his own admission, a “double repeater” who never took his studies seriously. But, after having a deep epiphany after getting a pep talk from the school principal one day, the “class black sheep” made a hundred-and-eighty-degree transformation, graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Business Administration and Management, magna cum laude from San Sebastian College; and currently holds a Master of Arts Degree at Trinity College and Bible Seminary at Newburgh, Indiana, USA.

He began as a “hot shot” entrepreneur in the garments business during the early eighties, by having able to develop a local brand that rose to national fame and recognition, “Company B.” Well-versed in the field of manufacturing and retail, he ran his famous garment brand successfully for 17 years, and even ventured into retail of an Italian fashion brand and managed its marketing and operations for many years. But it was during his stint as a corporate executive that he discovered the joy of doing research, reading books, travelling to different countries, learning from experts and then sharing ideas to his clients and helping them understand future fashion trends and fads. Soon, he discovered that he has been blessed with the ability to write and communicate; having an intense desire for me to observe people, learn their unique experiences, read books, attend conferences and then put the ideas together and share lessons and ideas on how to do business, improve careers and in general how to live life better.

Armed with this newfound passion, he began to venture into speaking engagements in different places to different audiences, long before “motivational speaking” became vogue. Despite earning barely enough to sustain a growing family, he faced an uphill climb to make a name for himself in this new endeavor. In fact, there were many occasions when he would even spend his own money and travel to places where he would address parents, teachers, and students in schools. Later, by sheer word of mouth, business organizations and civic organizations began inviting him and the audiences got bigger and bigger. He soon found himself doing an average of 120 talks in a year for 12 years and he did all of these talks FOR FREE! It was then that he decided that this is his calling in life: that is, to inspire people to become better and if the audience find what they hear, apply the principles and become better, then that is in itself its own reward.

Today, the name Francis Kong is synonymous inspirational speaking. He is a man with many hats: he owns several consultancy companies. As a business consultant, Francis sits as an adviser to many of the country’s top business corporations and currently sits on the board of primer holdings incorporated. As a personal coach he has mentored many of the top business leaders in the country. As a broadcaster, Francis runs a radio program called business matters at DZFE-FM 98.7. As a speaker and trainer, Francis averages more than 300 talks, seminars and training both here and abroad yearly. As a book author, he has authored 24 books and more is to come. As a columnist, his column at the Philippine Star has been awarded best business column for the years 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2015 and has been accorded the prestigious “Hall of Fame” honoree by the Catholic Mass Media awards.

He is a multi-awarded “Jack of All Trades, Master of Many,” having won the Anvil Award for Excellence for the staging of the Dr. John Maxwell Seminar Series, Gold Quill Award for Best Public Speech category given by the International Association Business Communicators; and more recently, he was a recipient of the highly- coveted “The Outstanding Filipino” (TOFIL) Award in 2014, conferred by JCI Senate Philippines.

Over the years and through his various experiences, Francis has observed that — with the lives of others and most importantly for his own — success means being fruitful investing oneself in the lives of others, while fulfilling the purpose one has been called to do. “That success,” he said, “is always a moving target, it is never static and neither is it a destination because success entails constant growth and learning. And because this is my own definition of success.”

At 66 years old, Francis would never want to ask himself, “Am I now successful?” Instead, he constantly asks himself whether or not he is still achieving progress. “We all have only one crack at life,” he declares. “And we need to learn how to number our days. So, no moment should be wasted but that we grow and improve with the sole purpose of helping others grow and improve as well.”

Indeed, Francis Kong’s passion of sharing his ideas to a myriad of people and audiences with the hope that he can offer people options to improve their lives, work and families and to live life with meaning and fulfillment, is a never-ending obsession. And with the pandemic having slowed down many other consultants half his age, it has not abated his cyclonic energy; in fact, his webinar trainings for both public agencies and private corporate clients make him busier than ever before. Truly, he is the undisputed King “Kong” among them all!