What does it take to succeed in business? For the lucky ones, it comes naturally. For others, it involves copious amounts of trial and error. For this month’s Scratchit™ featured retailer Evangeline Dorao, it all boils down to numbers.

Being a certified public accountant, Ms. Dorao has a keen eye on numbers. As such, she immediately notices potential business opportunities before everyone else does. While she was still working in a bank, she started her entrepreneurial venture by being a cola distributor in her province of Pangasinan. This of course wasn’t enough to contain her entrepreneurial spirit. When Lotto was first offered back in 2003, she dived in head first, knowing the potential profit it can generate backed by the integrity of the PCSO. But selling just Lotto still wasn’t enough. There was something missing from the formula. In 2009, Ms. Dorao looked into the other products that the PCSO offers and this was her initial introduction to Scratchit™ instant tickets.

With her affinity for finance and numbers, she immediately saw the potential benefits and quick return of her investment with Scratchit™ as compared to other businesses she could have gone into. Even compared to Lotto itself, the profit margins from Scratchit™ were way higher than she ever dreamed of. Now that she’s retired, she focuses all her time on managing her bustling Lotto and Scratchit™ outlets scattered in the provinces of Pangasinan and Baguio.

What’s the secret? One of the major factors that contribute to her success is how she cares for her employees. Ms. Dorao makes sure that they get a little something extra for what they sell, so all her tellers and operators are motivated to do their best. As such, her employees are loyal to her in return. In fact, some of her operators are close to being with her for five years already. Now that’s something.

Another reason for her success is how hands-on she is with training her employees to sell and push the product as well. But more importantly, she values customer service. Ms. Dorao places numbers in all of her outlets, urging customers to contact her if they have had a bad experience or if something went awry.

In such a short period of time, Evangeline Dorao has emerged to become one of the highest selling provincial distributors for Scratchit™ instant tickets. This just goes to show how when opportunity knocks, you have to be ready to answer it, lest it passes you by. For Ms. Dorao, she embraced the opportunity that Scratchit™ has given her and she’s ready for more.