What a Stray Cat Taught Me About Business

Author: LIAO Yiming

The Stray Cat

There is a stray cat near my host family's house.

The first time I saw it, the cat had made itself at home on a large sack of rice by the door — curled up, eyes shut, completely unbothered by the world. When I stepped out of my room, its eyes snapped open, suspicious and sharp. I got excited and, in doing so, took out my phone. But the moment I pointed the camera at it, the cat ran away. All I got was a blurry photo of its back (Photo 1: Photo of its back).

The next day, I saw it again near the gate. I took one step closer. It ran away again.

On the third day, after dinner, I had some shrimp heads left. I set one down on the floor and stepped back, further than before. Nothing happened for a second. I could see it watching from behind a pot by the wall. Then, it ran over quickly, grabbed it, with its shoulders hunched, still watching me between bites (Photo 2: Cat eating shrimp).

On the fourth day, the cat sat at the door, and I heard a soft meow at me. My heart felt warm. I did not expect it to come to me on its own. After three days of running away, it finally decided to trust me — just a little.

The only thing I did differently on day three was when it ran, I stopped moving toward it and gave it space, and that small change made the difference.

That was when I realized something about myself. I am someone who pays attention to small reactions, not just with this cat, but in general. That instinct, to notice what others walk past, and then ask why, is something I didn't think of as a characteristic until I found myself doing it again, this time in a market stall.

The Ice Cream Shop

My team worked with Glace, a small ice cream shop inside the Jagna Public Market. The owner is Roger. He has run the business for 16 years.

The shop is small enough that two customers standing side by side already feel like a crowd, with no air conditioning. But it is always busy. Almost everyone in Jagna knows this place. Ice scramble is especially popular here.

I wanted to understand why Glace is popular here, so I started to think by paying attention to small things, thinking about questions that people may overlook.

The first thing I noticed was the price. Glace sells ice scramble for ₱17. I walked around and checked other shops. Most sold soft serve for ₱25 to ₱40. I interviewed local students and my host family. They said the price is exactly why they buy from Glace. At ₱17, the price is not just affordable; it is almost disarming.

Then I noticed something sharp. No one else in Jagna sold ice scramble. Why not?

Ice scramble is popular here. Everyone knows it. Why doesn't a big brand like McDonald's sell it?

To find the answer, I went to McDonald's and asked the manager. He said McDonald's follows a national menu. It does not fit the global chain business model, and the cost to develop an ice scramble product is too high.

This small question unlocked something I hadn't expected. McDonald's, a chain brand, will never compete with Glace on ice scramble.

The Complexity

I also asked myself: how strong is this advantage? Glace runs on thin margins; it relies on high volume, not high profit per item. Right now, no other shop in Jagna sells ice scramble. But this could change. Selling ice cream works in hot weather. Yet during the rainy season, fewer people go out, and sales drop. If electricity costs go up, or if another local shop starts selling ice scramble, Roger might have to raise prices. And if he raises prices, will customers stay?

One thing Roger could do is build customer loyalty so strong that a small price increase won't drive people away. 16 years in the same market stall is not just a business record; it is a form of trust.

I did not do all of that with Glace. I found one good detail and felt satisfied. But now I see that real business analysis is messier. Advantages come with risks. Low prices mean thin profits; good weather is not guaranteed.

What I Take With Me

Looking back, I realise that Glace follows some of the “rules of thumb” for small businesses that we read about in this course.

Glace's ₱17 price isn't just low; it's a statement that Roger knows exactly who his customers are and what they value. That's what Rule #15, “value your customers,” means to me now: it's not about discounts; it's about knowing what your customers actually care about. Rule #16 is there too: Glace differentiates itself not with marketing, but simply by selling something no one else in Jagna will touch.

What I take from this is that now I see this habit can be useful in business and in my future work as an accounting student. I want to bring this habit into my internship. Before this trip, I thought accounting was about finding the right answer. Now, when I see a number that looks fine, I will ask why it is fine, not just accept it. I will keep asking small questions. That mentality, I learned from the cat.