Founder of Cineplanet sold onions: who is he and how did he manage to run the cinema chain?

The path of entrepreneurship is always a long but rewarding journey that is only appreciated when you see achievements and successes. Starting a business is a challenge, it requires having an ideal, a defined direction, resistance and, above all, overcoming the fear of failure. The story of Alejandro Ponce, a native of Arequipa, exemplifies this. His purpose in life became the foundation of a remarkable business empire. Family economic hardships and his mother's ingenious survival strategies provided her with the motivation to shape his destiny.

Alexander Ponce He was not satisfied with the context in which he lived during his childhood, which is why he managed to overcome the difficulties of his environment and revolutionized the Peruvian business landscape by going from the wholesale sale of onions to leading a transformation in a completely different sector. This is the story of a visionary Arequipawho, in the midst of economic adversity, embarked on a journey towards success and is leaving an indelible legacy.

Who is Alejandro Ponce?

Businessman Alejandro Ponce He is the founder of Cineplanet and also of Favo. In an interview for the 'Digital Era' podcast, he detailed how he got started in the business world and how his dreams became reasons for inspiration so he could be focused on meeting his goals. Growing up in a lower-middle class environment in Arequipa, the Cineplanet creator's childhood was filled with significant financial challenges. However, these circumstances, instead of restricting him, fostered a strong resilience in him. His need to contribute to the family's support and constant observation of his mother's efforts to obtain additional income were fundamental in his personal and professional formation.

How did Alejandro Ponce found Cineplanet?

Alejandro Ponce He commented that founding Cineplanet was not so easy, but that he was very interested in doing it. To do this, he got together with two university classmates, with whom he found it necessary to knock on doors to support them with financing. However, this was not taken seriously by investors. Furthermore, Ponce said that they reconsidered the objective and the initial idea, until they met a businessman who He was selling 3 cinemas and that was when the path to the creation of Cineplanet began. There were several fears at the beginning, since they were compared to other more well-positioned cinemas in the country. However, they managed to stand out and form one of the most important chains.

What is Alejandro Ponce's message about entrepreneurship?

The founder of Cineplanet highlighted that when you are young or new to the business world, what can help you is humility and not falling into the belief that you know everything, even though you have studied a degree. Likewise, he mentioned that starting a business will be a new path of constant learning, so you must be open to receiving and consulting help. “Youth and ambition make you think that you are going to overcome everything. I think it was very important for me to be humble.. First we must learn and then apply our common sense and that is what we did, because when we bought companies, at first things went badly for us, but then we saw the growth of our company,” he said.