After six years, he now owns a fourth Seaoil station, fish pens in Laguna and Bulacan, a "tahungan" in Navotas and a trucking business. He owns Seaoil stations in Novaliches, EDSA-Mother Ignacia, Pasig City and Merville in Las Piñas.

His first capital of R3 million was borrowed from his immigrant father, who runs a small business in the United States. He paid this loan in full after a year of operating the station in Novaliches and opening a second along E. de los Santos Avenue. He is the eldest of three children.

"It was not easy running a gasoline station at first, being so young. My clients—the operators of trucks, jeepneys, buses and tricycles and even private motorists-- did not want to take me seriously at first because I was too young to be in business. I proved to them that I was capable and equipped to run my own business," said Espinoza in an interview over Business Agenda sa Radyo aired over DZAR 1026 khz.

He said the full support given him by Seaoil—from training of franchisees like him and their crew to marketing, promotion, signages, location selection, business systems and other operational procedures – went a long way in assuring him that his investments in the company were worth it.

He said his biggest challenge as an entrepreneur was to prove to his father that he will really do well in the gasoline business and that he would not bring his father any disappointment. In addition, being only 23 years old, nobody could take a novice like him very seriously.

He chose a gasoline station because "being a basic need, like food, there is a built-in market for it. All that is needed is to have the money to invest in it, the best site, the best crew and a hands-on and dedicated manager/owner like me. Unlike food, gasoline is a non-perishable commodity, so there is very little wastage to speak of."

"The people at Seaoil made sure I was treated the same as other franchisees regardless of age or social status," he said.

Since he did not really intend to become a businessman when he was younger, he did not take up any business course (he finished geodetic engineering in the University of the Philippines ). "But I also did not want to be an employee. I wanted to chart my own course at my own pace," he said.

His business philosophy is all based on the values of honesty, fair play, trust and integrity. "I think these are the reasons why my businesses are flourishing," he said.

His role models are his parents, who despite running small businesses, were able to support their children well and give them the best in life, especially the best business training, where Espinoza learned the ropes of dealing with all kinds of people.

In 2007, Seaoil named Espinoza as its outstanding franchisee of the year based on his sales volume, historical credit record, good housekeeping, customer service and integrity. Espinoza is the franchisee of Seaoil’s flagship retail station along EDSA and Mother Ignacia Avenue .

Seaoil, which entered the oil industry during its deregulation in 1996, is the biggest among independent oil players in the country with 122 stations nationwide. It is putting up over 85 stations this year, ending 2008 with more than 200 stations. By 2010, it plans to grow its outlets to 500 stations.

Because Seaoil was awarded for two straight years as the Outstanding Franchise of the Year by the Department of Trade and Industry and the Philippine Franchise Association, it had been elevated to Hall of Fame status. It is

Seaoil is the first local company to use ethanol in its gasoline mix of up to 10 percent—way ahead of the passage of the Clean Air Act. It has also pioneered in the use of biofuels, again way before a proposed biofuels law.