The Filipino Entrepreneur

I’m sure many Filipinos know the bake shop “French Baker”. Although all the baked goodies are foreign, yet we used to patronize the products . I ‘m not sure why but I myself was attracted the first time I see that in SM Megamall. I use to shun away from expensive or to those gourmet type of food store because I was afraid of the cost. Just looking at the bakeshop, my first impression was “it might be expensive” but when I tried to enter the shop and see the prices, well it was not that expensive after all. Yes they price higher than the average bakeshops but when you see the quality of the bread and other baked goodies, you won’t think of the price anymore. Other bakeshop with the same quality are priced higher. I guess there is something the way they organize the shop, how they priced the items, improve the quality or the design of their company logo have something to do why they can attract so many customers.

Although I’ve seen the owner of French Baker in TV interview in the past years, I never thought that he was a former business professor in UP which I came to know from a blog I read. I always thought that since his name Johnlu Koa, obviously a Chinese or half-Chinese have started a business like most Chinese businessmen which didn’t did go to other kind of livelihood like employment. Maybe I’m just being narrow minded because if you will read many success stories of entrepreneurs, there are various ways how they reach their way before they become entrepreneurs. So maybe his secret, it seems, is a combination of good education, marketing know-how and a good nose for opportunities and ideas. Below is the article I got which I think might be interesting to you. So read on…. Read the rest of this entry »

I might say that I was thankful that I had a chance to work in a company that is ISO Certified. Things like these are taken for granted by employees and I’m one of them. I always think that those things are only for big companies because big companies that are certified by ISO have a advantage of bringing quality goods because they have procedures and are “in order”. That is the main objective of ISO. And since those big companies are ISO certified, they require their suppliers to be ISO certified so my previous employer was forced to have his company ISO certified because the company was their supplier of semiconductor bonding tools .

I also have a feeling that he (my previous employer), also take that for granted and thinks that it was just an additional cost. But if you just think of the benefits you will have later on having procedures or processes documented, in the long run, maybe you will change your mind. I agree that doing documentations on your procedures can be tedious and costly. For example, if you have a business with many staffs, you will have to pay for their time making procedures instead of doing other productive work. And if you have a very small business and you are the only worker around, you will have to spend time doing them.

The main benefit of having documented procedures is making you prepared for any unexpected circumstances. If you have a documented procedure, you will have no problem of getting back to the process and remember everything if you need to delegate or to outsource. Imagine, how will you explain everything if you needed to expand your business and make additional workforce? or if you need to outsource, you cannot possibly give the detail of what you really wanted for your business in a short period of time. Not only that, if you have workers that have specialized jobs, if one of them left or just having a vacation, who will replace the job if no one else know what to do on that specific job?

Read the rest of this entry »

This Season of Lent, I’m reflecting on what happened to me in the past. How I endured those past miseries from the time I finished my college up to my last employment. I prayed that as much as possible, I can continue being self-employed for the rest of my life because I know that being employed, no matter how long you stay in the company, you will still leave it. Yes it’s true you can get another job but for the reason that the business that you were employed with is not yours, you will still have to leave it either by retrenchment, retirement or termination.

After I finished college, I was helping my mother’s business being a delivery driver and a store keeper and sometimes I’m a cook when no one is around to help. My father has his own business, a foundry, which he doesn’t want us to mess around so my mother decided to make her own. Although my father is still the bread winner, my mother started her own business because she wants to sustain her expenses. She started a hollow block machine fabrication shop, The Atlantic Machinery Hollow Block Machine fabrication in our front yard. Aside from that, a small hardware and general merchandise store. We were living in Valenzuela City that time. I’m the only one who was really helping my mother run her business even though I have a younger brother still living with us. I was a delivery driver of hollow block machine and if there were no orders a store keeper in our hardware store. I also help buy the materials for the machine fabrication and assisting and attending the workers needs.

Read the rest of this entry »

Do you know the saying “Find something you love and you’ll never have to work another day in you life?”? it’s all about discovering your passion and make a living with it. Because if you love what you are doing, you feel that you are not working at all and everything, in your perspective will be a pleasure. Although this is one of the requirements to make you successful on what you do, it is easier said than done. Sometimes your passion isn’t really profitable or you can’t make a living on something what you like most so we end up doing on what we don’t really like.

Below are some tips I got from a newsletter which I find interesting although this is nothing new, reading this might refresh your memory in case you already forgotten.

Read the rest of this entry »

I really envy those young entrepreneurs who started having their own business early. Especially who succeeded at an early age and haven’t gone through of being an employee. Some are born wealthy with a silver spoon in their mouth and the business was already there all serve in a silver platter. Some are very lucky who encountered less difficulty and boosted their business like a rocket ship with very little effort. But many times I read successful entrepreneurs were first been employed, then when they are given a chance, they chose the road less traveled and pursue that path and continued until they became successful. If the business you are pursuing is connected with your previous job, then it will be a big help for you to manage your business well. But what if it is different from your passion? will you succeed?

I read a success story in the entrepreneur magazine that inspires me and gave me some additional boost in my morale. The man I want to tell you about is Paul Huang, a former top marketing executive of Pepsi Cola International. He chose to retire rather then accepting a pay cut because of the company was having a financial difficulty which resulted of changing of his position. Since he was too young to retire at the age of 41, he was uncertain on which path to pursue. He ask himself if he is going to get another job or to strike out on his own. Upon suggestion of his wife, he attended a course on culinary school which I think was his passion. After that he further enhance his skill by working in Mandarin Hotel for two years without pay. Then he started to build his dream by putting up his own restaurant in Tagaytay (Fire Lake Grill) . The restaurant is doing well as of the article I’ve read.

Read the rest of this entry »