MANILA -- Maggie Wilson serves as the host and chief mentor in a new reality show that aims to help aspiring Filipino entrepreneurs.

Titled "Project GO," the show is a result of a collaboration between the internet domain registrar and web hosting company GoDaddy and channel AXN.

It will premiere on AXN at 8:25 p.m. on November 19, with weekly simulcasts to be made available on the YouTube channels of AXN Asia and GoDaddy Asia.

In a recent virtual briefing with the media, Wilson said she is honored to be working with AXN again after winning "Amazing Race Asia" in 2016 with her friend and fellow beauty queen Parul Shah, as well as with GoDaddy as a brand ambassador.

The host and entrepreneur said she also sees her new stint as an opportunity to learn from the contestants and her fellow mentors.

"Being able to host and mentor, and listen to other people's ideas is so fulfilling," she said.

A former beauty queen who studied interior design at School of Fashion and the Arts, Wilson is the founder of the specialty home store Acasa Manila.

Joining her as mentors are the Tung brothers, who are the third-generation owners of the local food brand Ligo; Rappler lifestyle journalist Bea Cupin; and GoDaddy marketing director for Asia Tina Shieh.

Mikko, Macky, and Mark Tung similarly shared their excitement to be part of the show, which they consider "a new and interesting experience."

"My favorite part was not only meeting my fellow mentors, but also meeting these new entrepreneurs and hearing out their new ideas Even as a mentor I'm still learning. Definitely an experience we won't forget," said Mikko.

One business idea will win P1 million in funding at the end of "Project GO." The show's mentors will either participate directly with the contestants during the show, or interact via live stream.

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During the online press conference, ABS-CBN News got to ask Wilson and the Tung siblings about the best business advice they've received, as well as the steps they took in adapting to the "new normal" caused by the pandemic.

All three of the Tung brothers said they got the best advice from their father. These are: "be passionate and fearless" (Mikko), "never stop innovating" (Mark), and "do a better job at making people feel more valued."

"Brands, more often than not, they make the mistake of just being a brand... being artificial," noted Macky. "What I apply, I always keep at the back of my mind… is to always be human. People connect more with humans than companies."

Wilson, for her part, said the most important business tip she has received is to "learn to do everything on your own."

"Let's say you lose your employees or some of your staff tomorrow, you'll still be able to manage your company. You'll still know what to do. So that's one thing that sort of my husband forced me to do," she said, referring to real estate mogul Victor Consunji.

"When I first started my own company, he had all the staff to help me incorporate and do all the paperwork but he made me do it myself. So I know how it's done," she continued. "That for me was a very important thing for me to experience... I feel that if you're an up and coming entrepreneur, you must learn how to get things done on your own without the help of anyone else."

As for adjusting during the quarantine period, the mentor-entrepreneurs of "Project GO" said they focused on building their online presence and ensuring the safety of both their staff and customers.

"We're very fortunate to be in the furniture and home decor business because you see, a lot of people have been staying home and thinking how they can beautify their space. So we've been very fortunate that with our business, we haven't had that many issues, apart from the needing to upload our entire inventory online," Wilson said.

"We still have our brick and mortar store, but of course people are so scared to go to the stores and they want to shop for everything online," she added.

For his part, Macky said: "We've definitely invested heavily on e-commerce. Ligo is now available in Lazada and Shopee, and hopefully more outlets soon."

"We also decided to launch a corned beef brand… We want to release a new brand so we could at least cater to people who are stuck at home and want to have a good meal," he explained. "People were buying a lot of sardines, so we wanted to give them something new, something more rewarding."

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