Going up against legacy brands is not easy, but Dennis Anthony Uy, the Co-Founder and CEO of Converge, shares strategies that give your business a fighting chance.

Successful business stories are told, time and time again, but the iconic narratives feature small businesses—built from the ground up—that go against the industry giants. Take for example the story of Converge, a telecommunications company founded in 2007 by Dennis Anthony Uy and his wife, Maria Grace Uy.

The businessman's first venture in the broadband and fiber optics business, Converge, saw its humble beginnings in Angeles, Pampanga. To date, however, the company boasts of a PHP 33.70 billion revenue, 1.8 million subscribers, a 54% market share, and a far reach of 600,000 kilometers in its fiber network—spanning more than 400 cities and municipalities across the country—as of the year 2022.

This, however, was no easy feat. After all, in the telecommunications playing field, Converge needed to go up against two major companies that dominated the market—both legacy brands that were carefully built over the years. Despite the stiff competition, this underdog was able to rise up and compete with the giants.

How? In this exclusive interview with The Business Manual, Dennis Anthony Uy tells all.

How it All Started

While Uy's net worth is currently in the billions, he started from nothing. Hailing from a province in China called Fujian, he and his family migrated to the Philippines in 1977—seeking a better life. Eventually, his family made it big in Pampanga due to his uncle’s long-standing businesses, including Johnny’s Supermarket, which still stands to this day.