Eight8Ate Restaurant Solutions participated in the recently held ASEAN Youth Entrepreneurship Summit (AYES) 2026, with Mr. Vincent Paolo A. Conti, Vice President and General Manager, joining as a panelist to share insights on taking opportunities, overcoming the fear of failure, and learning through experience.
The summit encouraged entrepreneurship among young people across the ASEAN community, providing an avenue for aspiring entrepreneurs to learn about business and gain guidance from experienced leaders.
Encouraging Young Entrepreneurs
For Paolo, initiatives such as AYES help nurture an interest in entrepreneurship early on, allowing young people to explore business ideas and learn from the experiences of others.
He observed that the young entrepreneurs he encountered were enthusiastic about business and eager to find people who could offer guidance. Beyond practical knowledge, they were looking for someone they could relate to as they navigated their own journeys.
The summit created space for these connections, bringing aspiring entrepreneurs and business leaders together for conversations about the opportunities and challenges of starting a venture.
“I Wish I Made Mistakes Earlier”
One of Paolo’s central reflections during the discussion was a lesson he wished he had learned sooner: “I wish I made mistakes earlier.”
He recalled how, when he was younger, the fear of failure and disappointing others made him cautious. His experience in school had shaped an inclination to seek the right answer and avoid making mistakes.
As he matured, however, he came to appreciate the importance of learning how to recover from failure. Trying something gives people feedback they can use to adjust their approach and improve.
“The more feedback you get, the better you become,” he shared.
Taking the Opportunity to Try
To illustrate the importance of taking action, he referenced the familiar sporting maxim, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
Reflecting on his younger years, Conti shared that he often looked for the right path, concerned that falling short meant he had made a wrong choice. With experience, he recognized that exploring unfamiliar paths can offer lessons that would otherwise remain undiscovered.
Supporting Initiative at Eight8Ate
Paolo connected these lessons to his leadership at Eight8Ate Restaurant Solutions, where he highlighted the importance of supporting initiative and encouraging different approaches.
“Engage to succeed,” he emphasized, underscoring the importance of giving new initiatives the effort and support they need.
He shared that Eight8Ate’s current leadership encourages initiative, creating opportunities for people to pursue ideas and contribute. When an effort does not succeed, the next step is to understand what happened and apply the lessons.
Beginning Before You Feel Fully Ready
For young Filipinos who want to start a business but are afraid to begin, Paolo encouraged them to give themselves permission to try.
“You’ll never be ready 100 percent,” he said. He also reminded participants that asking for help does not diminish their capabilities. “No man is an island,” he shared, encouraging them to make use of the people, knowledge, and resources around them.
He emphasized that mistakes should lead to learning. Taking time to understand an unsuccessful experience can help prevent the same problem from happening again.
Connecting Through Shared Experience
Eight8Ate Restaurant Solutions’ participation in AYES 2026 provided an opportunity to introduce the company to young entrepreneurs and contribute its leadership experience to the summit’s discussions.
Through Paolo’s participation, Eight8Ate joined a conversation about helping young people build the confidence to pursue their ideas. His message encouraged participants to take opportunities, seek support, and carry the lessons of each experience into their next step.
