Young Entrepreneurs ** tayo

[omeng]

Guys, help me naman po. may project kasi ako sa entrepreneurship class ko. We have to submit business plans, syempre bukod don sa mataas na grade sa mga may unique ideas and for having a good project, may special prize..hehehe..thanks! you may pm me or post it here..

thanks ulit!


http://www.sme.com.ph/sme-resources-tools/resources-tools.php?page=ebooks

how about nuclear plant? :naughty:

[omeng]

Top 10 Common Business Leadership Mistakes !!


Everyone wants to lead, but at what cost?
A careless approach to leadership can result in major losses for everyone.
Most of us can recall a leader who just wasn't cut out for the job.
Being a leader is demanding; becoming a great leader is uncommon.
Followers aren't particularly merciful to those who lead incompetently.
Instead, they can respond with insubordination, decreased productivity, or a generalized attitude of confusion or frustration.
If you are a business leader or thinking about becoming one, here are some mistakes to avoid:

1. Don't lord it over your staff.
No one likes a know-it-all.
Assuming a cocky stance or a bullying attitude will strike a similar flint in the hearts of your subordinates.

2. Don't be a softie.
Just as a sharp edge can have a cutting effect, a marshmallow can quickly lose its shape.
Being a people pleaser means that you will inevitably let someone down, so don't even try.
Instead, focus on the job and make it work with everyone's interests as best you can without bending over backwards until you break.

3. Don't put on a over-confident front.
If you need information, ask for it rather than pretend you have all the answers.
There's nothing wrong with an honest question, but there's plenty wrong with someone who is afraid to ask.

4. Don't misjudge employees' abilities.
Take time to read files, interview people, and observe performance before making staffing decisions.
Put competent, trustworthy people in charge of important projects so that neither you nor the company will regret it.

5. Don't play favorites.
Owing a favor or liking a person are two poor reasons for handing out raises and promotions.
Feeling sorry for someone is just as bad. Use good judgment and fair play to make staff decisions.

6. Don't hold a grudge.
If you don't get along with someone, stay away from the person; don't try to get even.
Leaders who use their position of authority to take punitive action based on personal vendettas are likely to find themselves in trouble.

7. Don't take a casual approach to the budget.
Get to know it thoroughly.
Understand company growth patterns and long-term projections, as well as how your leadership can play a role.
Being careless with money is dangerous and potentially costly in the business world.
Careless mistakes take time to fix, and in business, time is money.

8. Don't overlook company shifts, goals, or problems.
Study the "big picture" with a view to finding your place in it and growing with the company.

9. Keep an eye on industry trends.
Know what's "hot" and what's not; that's how leaders keep leading.
Otherwise, someone who is more knowledgeable than you may take your place.

10. Stay human.
When mistakes happen, forgive others and yourself.
Laugh and be friendly, but don't look foolish doing it.
Avoid mechanical responses and a 24/7 mentality toward your job.
Do your best, but then leave the rest of your job at work until the next day.
It'll be there when you return. At night and on weekends, enjoy your family and have fun. You've earned it.

Becoming a leader is challenging.
Follow these suggestions to avoid problems and help your company and your career reach their potential.




Brought to you as a service of...

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[blue_tooth]

Originally Posted by Trevi

@blue_tooth - People can give you ideas. But You need to still work on your own business plan. My only advice is for you to take on something that you yourself enjoys / believes in ( whether it be a thing or service etc.) and improve on it. Good luck.


Originally Posted by Omeng

http://www.sme.com.ph/sme-resources...php?page=ebooks

how about nuclear plant?

Thanks for the replies..
I think i'll be having a hard time in building a nuclear plant..:lol: but nice idea!

more ideas pls..thanks!

[einaliel]

inquire lang po kung sino merong idea pag-open o operate ng laundry business?
anu-ano po ba kelangang mga materyales(aside sa washing&drying machines)/chemicals/sabon to start maski na maliit lang po muna.
thanks po...

[omeng]

"You'll never know what you've got until you try."

[tqbfjotld]

hey. musta mga young entrepreneurs dito. i've been lurking this thread for more than a year now. tingin-tingin lang. gusto ko rin maging entrepreneur. gusto ko kaseng yumaman e... kidding. pero totoo yun :glee: saka gusto ko rin maging successful. anyway, dati ala pa kong capital kaya di ako nagpopost dito. binabasa ko lang yung mga posts nyo na sobrang nakaka-inspire. pero ngayon meron na akong capital, may 600k na ko sa bank. dami ko nang naiisip na business ideas. yung iba, suggestions lang ng friends ko.

eto yung mga naiisip ko... i need your comments and feedbacks. syempre kelangan todo research muna bago sumabak sa gyera. mahirap ang buhay ngayon, mahirap kitain ang pera. :D

* water station - naisip ko lang kase sabi malakas ang kita, saka nagsusulputang parang kabute eh so ibig sabihin malakas nga. parang nung nag-boom ang computer rental industry.

* school service - eto suggestion lang ng barkada ko. yung uncle daw nya kase eh ganito ang raket. tingin ko ok naman lalo na't ang mahal ng pamasahe ngayon. kung ako yung magulang nung estudyante mas ok nga naman na ipa-service na lang kesa ipahatid at sundo sa katulong (kung sobrang busy yung parents sa trabaho)

* sanglang bahay na pwedeng paupahan - nakuha ko lang itong idea na to sa mama ko. ganito kase ginagawa nya. tatanggap sya ng bahay na sangla. may kontrata, like 2 to 3 years. tapos papaupahan nya habang nakasangla. naisip ko to kase ngayon wala pa akong napagdedesisyunan na business eh sayang naman yung panahong natutulog ang pera sa bank, ang baba naman ng interes ng bangko kahit pa time deposit.

* gaming shop/computer rentals - well, bs coe kase ang course ko kaya eto talaga ang hilig ko. gusto ko sana yung gaming-exclusive shop, para wala nang mag-you-youtube at walang sisigaw palagi ng "LAAAAAG" :lol:
eto medyo pinag-iisipan ko pa rin kase laking investment ang kelangan at medyo matagal ang pagrecoup ng capital mo.

[Trevi]

[QUOTE=tqbfjotld]
eto yung mga naiisip ko... i need your comments and feedbacks. syempre kelangan todo research muna bago sumabak sa gyera. mahirap ang buhay ngayon, mahirap kitain ang pera. :D

* water station

* school service

* sanglang bahay na pwedeng paupahan

* gaming shop/computer rentals - /QUOTE]

Hi To ALL

@tqb..the business(es) you mentioned are worth considering. Yes. you have to do research. A LOT. What I can share is an insight in the SCHOOL BUS SERVICE....Ang HIRAP magtaas ng fees dito (an additional Php 200.00 is a MAIN issue) maski ang taas na ng gasolina. Isa pa ang hirap sa singilan, palaging late..what do you do? huwag isakay ang mga bata? Most often, the operators are abonado. Naawa naman daw sila na hindi makapasok ang mga bata, kaya maski delayed na ang bayad ng 2 months sige pa rin sa sundo at hatid. These is the feedback I get from some of the bus operators from Ateneo Grade School (which I was surprised, considering that tution fees in that school is about 80T a year so presumably, a Php2,000-2,500 school service will be affordable) The investment is substantial - aside from the vehicle that should ALWAYS be in good condition, the license is different. You also need to get insurance for operating a school service. My thoughts lang. Good luck.

[omeng]

Good morning to all.

Just sharing...

Yesterday, i had a friend visitor. He told me that his friends are now breaking up with the water business they establish 6 months ago due of not good profit to sustain the daily operation, etc.

As silentmax signature "FOCUSED". Nobody did that because they are employed also.

[blue_tooth]

any1 who's into taho-making or any1 who knows someone who's into this business or area? or kahit yung medyo may alam sa taho-making? we need some help..thanks..pm me pls..

[Trevi]

Good Morning entreps!!

Do any of you have / know of a business (small to medium size) that is for sale? Preferably in these areas - Marikina /Cainta /Pasig; Quezon City; Cubao and Makati ? Any industry/service sector but not a franchise and not a foodcart. Please pm me. Thanks.

[SILENTMAX]

@kakrista

dude pare ikay yung may kakilala sa cdr-king right?

why did they stop franchising ba?

how many in all company owned branches? how many franchised branches?

grabe talaga prices nila i cant comprehend how they get the prices so low. do you think they do reselling? i mean sa tingin mo they accept resellers?

[silverroof]

Sa mga entrepreneurs or aspiring entrepreneurs dito sa PEX share ko lang tong article na to, the info might be helpful..

Why a Website is now A MUST for Your Business

Every business or organization can benefit from having a web site. Everyday, more and more people are using the Internet to access information and purchase goods & services. In fact the numbers are doubling every year with no end in sight for the near future.

Here's what people do every day:
• 90 million people look for product and services information.
• 1.08 billion people log onto the Internet
• 95 million people send or read email
• 80 million people complete a task like searching for information or buying something.

Costumers is now expecting you to have a Web site
Because of the exponential growth of internet users worldwide, costumers are now expecting you to have a website. A Web site and email access are as important as having a phone, voicemail, fax, an answering machine, a telephone directory ad or a weekly ad listing in your country newspaper’s service directory. A Web site provides you with the benefits of all of these methods of staying in touch and getting your message out to the public.

People are online looking for you
Your costumers, and potential costumers, are using the Internet at home, school and work. If you don't have a Web site, you are missing a valuable way of communicating with your costumers, your community and those who are searching for information about the products or services you offer.

Company information is always available
Your Web site is always on and available to anyone looking for information about your products or services. Regular clients and potential costumers can find the information they need when they need it without additional mailing costs, personnel to answer a phone or voice mail messages to be returned.

Clients expect online support
People now use the Internet regularly and expect to be able to find information about services offered by you online. They are looking for things such as a calendar of activities, discounts and special offers, new product announcements, and a way to make online inquiry or requests and for sales or technical support quickly and easily. In addition, a Web site can help people easily locate your business schedules, address and directions to your store, company or business establishment.

Web sites save you money
Internet information can greatly reduce printing and mailing costs. Information that you now distribute via handouts, brochures and newsletters is readily available online, avoiding print distribution costs.

Your Web site tells your costumers they're important
A Web site communicates benefits and value-added services to your costumers. It tells them that you care enough to provide current information and communicate with them at their convenience. It also shows that you want to hear from them and want them to be a constant and repeat costumer for your business.

Other companies and organizations are online
A dramatically increasing number of companies and organizations everywhere goes online aggressively promoting their Web sites for service/product benefits and advertising outreach efforts. They are putting their Web address in print, television, radio and newspaper advertising as well as on business cards, letterhead, printed brochures and handouts. What are you waiting for?


The online presence in the ever expanding global network allows companies, organizations and individuals alike to take advantage of the World Wide Web. We can help you set up your own website that will give you 24-hour sales and marketing presence which will drive more money and costumers for your business. Just sign up for the world’s cheapest web hosting plans offered at billiondollartechsite.com starting from ONLY PhP195/month (US$3.5/month) for an economy plan - 8000mb webspace, 100gb bandwidth. If you already own a website, you can switch your domain hosting to us as well for ONLY PhP330/year(US$6/year). This is guaranteed the lowest you can find anywhere with added value and excellent support we offer.
Our low-cost reliable solutions enable small and medium-sized enterprises unprecedented online presence while gaining better revenue from their websites and respective online activities.

We offer bonuses like free website to get your professionally designed site up and running in just 30 minutes. You will love it.

Visit our website at: www.billiondollartechsite.com
Email us at: webmaster@billiondollartechsite.com

PS
Do you know anyone who will be interested to have their own website (for personal or business use) at the lowest cost possible?
Or someone you know has a website already but would help them save money if they to transfer to a cheaper, more reliable webhosting service?
Kindly forward this message.
Thanks. Hope we can help.

Best regards,
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visit: www.billiondollartechsite.com

[SILENTMAX]

thought for the day.
"It's hard to beat a person who never gives up." - Babe Ruth


im finaly done with payroll phew. looking forward to the weekend :)

have a great weekend ahead guys

[Krakista]

@Krakista - i'll take your advice. I am not a singer, but if you say it works, I will give it a try. I just need to look for those one-person singing booths/room - I am not ready for a public performance, yet. Any recommendations?I used to do public performances with usually a few waiters or waitresses as my audience. I used to go to these KTVs with a common area where customers have to share the mike. The trick there is to be early so you need not share the mike with anyone. If you're looking for a one-person singing booth, you might as well do it in your own room. These days I just do that. I have a collection of MP3s and I just sing along with them. Looking back at these past months, there were really just a few shows I watch or watched on TV--NJ Nets (http://www.pinoyexchange.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67458&goto=lastpost) games, American Idol (http://www.pinoyexchange.com/forums/showthread.php?t=239605&goto=lastpost) and RockStar (http://www.pinoyexchange.com/forums/showthread.php?t=220220&goto=lastpost). I am a frustrated wannabe. :glee:

dude pare ikay yung may kakilala sa cdr-king right?

why did they stop franchising ba?

how many in all company owned branches? how many franchised branches?

grabe talaga prices nila i cant comprehend how they get the prices so low. do you think they do reselling? i mean sa tingin mo they accept resellers?Well, we may have the same surnames and we're both named after movie actors pero di ko siya kilala. Kilala siya ng kakilala ko. The prices are so low because he's running his business like a Chinese Mainlander. I was told he has had street vending experience in China. What sets CDR-King apart is that they're everywhere and not confined to a Mall 168 or a mere Quiapo branch. CDR-King is actually a monopoly right now, a monopoly of insanely low prices for CDRs and other media.

[omeng]

i love this quote...

"Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude." - Ziz Ziglar

[Markus]

@kakrista

dude pare ikay yung may kakilala sa cdr-king right?

why did they stop franchising ba?

how many in all company owned branches? how many franchised branches?

grabe talaga prices nila i cant comprehend how they get the prices so low. do you think they do reselling? i mean sa tingin mo they accept resellers?

I don't think they ever even entered into franchising. I asked one of the owners and company owned lahat.

-------------------
Visit my blog -->http://sikappinoy.blogspot.com

[SILENTMAX]

business notes:

current pet side project found to be a success. found first client(b2b) hope that transactions go smothly.

found competetion in ortigas by korean company

keeping close watch on cebu based competetion

although my competetion is really india and china i dont know why but i got peeved when i came across the korean competetion in ortgas. i guess i just want to be first or ahead in the field.

gotta move faster. gotta move quicker.

pray for me.

[omeng]

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a99/omengski/060303_biz_fair.jpg

[omeng]

business notes:

current pet side project found to be a success. found first client(b2b) hope that transactions go smothly.

found competetion in ortigas by korean company

keeping close watch on cebu based competetion

although my competetion is really india and china i dont know why but i got peeved when i came across the korean competetion in ortgas. i guess i just want to be first or ahead in the field.

gotta move faster. gotta move quicker.

pray for me.

chicken lang yan sa'yo 'tol.

[summit012]

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a99/omengski/060303_biz_fair.jpg

how much is the fee?

puedeng mini eb dito :)

[Trevi]

business notes:


found competetion in ortigas by korean company

although my competetion is really india and china i dont know why but i got peeved when i came across the korean competetion in ortgas. i guess i just want to be first or ahead in the field.

.

Yup its the KOREAN INVASION !!!!! :D Don't get me wrong, I am not a bigot or a racist........but THEY are just all over the place !!!!! In the street, in the malls, in my church, in my office bldg, in my village even some my sons playmates in our neighborhood park is Korean !!! Not to mention the TELENOVELAs...honestly, i feel that they a USURPING "MY" (country, busisness, oppurtunities etc) Territory....I don't mean to offend anyone, but yes, I (and some of my friends) really do get affected about this Korean-thing...lalo na if you hear of the bad business ethics / practice of SOME of the koreans (MOST do not want to sign contracts, MOA's, etc.).. My husband for one is sooooo averse to doing business with them for a reason...he got burned by one Korean when he went into a consortium agreement 2000 (with a big local ISP as the third party) -.... it still is under legal procceedings, while the Korean took flight to the US :grrr: SILENTMAX I can empathize ith your feelings...like so many of us. :D

I remember one thing said to me about the KOREAN entreps here in the Philippines (from my uncle, one of the most brilliant minds in the country, pride of our (Me & Silentmax ) province Cavite, current Chairman of a Banking Institution) - - Their Achilles heel is that they are NOT STRATEGIC in thinking. VERY Tactical - Rarely do they have an ACE. They just have the RESOURCES that is why they CAN. They are also very IMPATIENT when it come to their INVESTMENTs (most are financed by AI or VC's). Its OUT of the door after a WINDFALL or first signs of LOSS... Just a TIP. :)

Its So early in the day...and am so fired up !!!! (Max you struck a raw chord Krakista, may magic sing ka ba??? :)

Hello to ALL.

[Trevi]

Thought for the day.....

"Ï eat what I kill"

[omeng]

summit012,

P20.00 for 4th PBF

P3,500.00 for PES 2006 (3 days)

[Jedd]

How many days will it take to catch up from entry 1 to 2773 of this thread?

:D

[summit012]

may exhibits ba sa PBF or just seminars?

[omeng]

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[GOwin]

Would (mobile) entrepreneurs be interested in a service that will allow them to get their own fax numbers and have those fax messages appear in their designated email address?

Think: No more fax machines, no more dedicated phone lines, no more fax paper.

If so, how much would they be willing to pay for such a service?

(Magkano ba mga fax services ngayon?)

[Jedd]

Would (mobile) entrepreneurs be interested in a service that will allow them to get their own fax numbers and have those fax messages appear in their designated email address?

Think: No more fax machines, no more dedicated phone lines, no more fax paper.

If so, how much would they be willing to pay for such a service?

(Magkano ba mga fax services ngayon?)

There are similar packages in the market. One that I remember of is that of Eastern Telecom... Usually ISPs.

[GOwin]

Yep. I've seen that before but they only offer it to their own subscribers and the price is a bit steep at P500 a month (for 500 minutes).

Thanks for the info.

[tqbfjotld]

@tqb..the business(es) you mentioned are worth considering. Yes. you have to do research. A LOT. What I can share is an insight in the SCHOOL BUS SERVICE....Ang HIRAP magtaas ng fees dito (an additional Php 200.00 is a MAIN issue) maski ang taas na ng gasolina. Isa pa ang hirap sa singilan, palaging late..what do you do? huwag isakay ang mga bata? Most often, the operators are abonado. Naawa naman daw sila na hindi makapasok ang mga bata, kaya maski delayed na ang bayad ng 2 months sige pa rin sa sundo at hatid. These is the feedback I get from some of the bus operators from Ateneo Grade School (which I was surprised, considering that tution fees in that school is about 80T a year so presumably, a Php2,000-2,500 school service will be affordable) The investment is substantial - aside from the vehicle that should ALWAYS be in good condition, the license is different. You also need to get insurance for operating a school service. My thoughts lang. Good luck.

hey trevi i appreciate that you took time reading my self-intro to this thread. are you a miss or a mister?

re: school bus service, i was surprised too about parents being not too comfortable about service fee increases. siguro, sobrang hirap lang talaga ng buhay ngayon? anyway, idea yan kase ng friend ko, kase yung uncle nya puno na raw yung slots nya at marami pang parents na gustong magpaservice sa kanya.

Good morning to all.

Just sharing...

Yesterday, i had a friend visitor. He told me that his friends are now breaking up with the water business they establish 6 months ago due of not good profit to sustain the daily operation, etc.

As silentmax signature "FOCUSED". Nobody did that because they are employed also.

medyo confusing tong post mo. nalugi ba sila dahil sa hindi magandang kita (lack of costumers, i assume?) o dahil sa hindi sila FOCUSED? either way, salamat sa pag-share ng kwentong to. i've always been thinking about this. kung magtatayo ako ng business, pano kikita? pano ako hindi malulugi? pano masisiguro na yung pinili mong lugar ay may "market'?

aaaahhh, masakit sa ulo. ang hirap mag-umpisa. :angry:


care to share your stories on how you started as entrepreneurs?

[Trevi]

Its MARCH na !!!! Tapos na 1st quarter of the year :)
Where is everybody ???? :hmm:
Hi to all.:)

[omeng]

medyo confusing tong post mo. nalugi ba sila dahil sa hindi magandang kita (lack of costumers, i assume?) o dahil sa hindi sila FOCUSED? either way, salamat sa pag-share ng kwentong to. i've always been thinking about this. kung magtatayo ako ng business, pano kikita? pano ako hindi malulugi? pano masisiguro na yung pinili mong lugar ay may "market'?

aaaahhh, masakit sa ulo. ang hirap mag-umpisa. :angry:


care to share your stories on how you started as entrepreneurs?

hindi sila nag-focus sa business, pinagkatiwala lang nila sa kanilang mga empleyado. always remember the infamous quote.. "always mind your own business".

i started as a litol kid selling newspaper just like my old partner.. huwahhhhhh :D

by the way, aling ulo? :rotflmao:

[omeng]

Its MARCH na !!!! Tapos na 1st quarter of the year :)
Where is everybody ???? :hmm:
Hi to all.:)

I'll be at powerbooks g4 on march 3. might get some tips with old entrep.

[SILENTMAX]

just saw this posted on a board. totally off topic. but i think it posts some sentiments similar to what a young entreprenuer encounters. we are almost all middle class(unless anak ka nang taipan). truth be told i dont care who the president is anymore i just want peace and quite.

_________________________________________
Letter to the People

TAMA LAHAT NG SINABI!!!!

Ako ay isang middle class Pinoy, isang officer sa isang malaking
korporasyon at may asawa...dalawa anak. Di na importante pangalan ko
kasi parepareho naman tayong mga middle-class....trabaho 9-5, inom konti
tapos uwi sa pamilya, laruin si baby, itutor si ate/kuya tapos tulog na,
pag wala na pera intay nalang ng sweldo.

Sa nangyayari ngayon sa ating bansa, lahat nalang ng sector ay maingay
at naririnig, tayo lang mga middle-class, tax paying at productive Pinoys
ang di naririnig. Subalit, buwis natin ang nagpapaikot sa bansang ito.
Pag may mga gulo na nangyayari, tayo ang tinatamaan. Kaya eto ang liham ko

sa lahat ng maiingay na sector na sana makagising sa inyong bulag na
pag-iisip.

Sa Mga Politiko:

Diyos ko naman, sa dami na nang nakurakot ninyo di na ba kayo
makuntento kelangan nyo pa ba manggulo.

Sa Administrasyon:

Hayan ayus na ha pinatawad na namin ang pandaraya nyo sa eleksyon,
pruweba dito e di kami umaatend sa mga panawagan ng people power, kaya
sana naman gantihan nyo kami ng magandang serbisyo at magaling na pamumuno
at malaking bawas sa kurakot naman please para kahit papano maramdaman
naman namin na may napupuntahan ang binabayad naming buwis.

Saka Madam GMA, step down ka na pag parliamentary na tayo sa 2007,
tignan mo, i-announce mo mag-step down ka kapag parliamentary na tayo,
resounding YES yan sa plebiscite at tigil pa ang mga coup at people power
laban sayo. Try mo lang.........

Sa Oposisyon:

Di nyo pa ba nakikita na dalawang klase lang ng tao ang nakikinig sa
inyo....isa ay bayaran na mahihirap kungdi man ay tangang mga excited
na reporter na parang naka-shabu lagi....mga praning e at naghahallucinate.

Bago man lang kayo maglunsad ng kilos laban sa administrasyon,
pumili muna kayo ng magiting at nararapat na ipapalit sa liderato ngayon.
Hirap sa inyo paresign kayo ng paresign wala naman kayo ipapalit na maayos.
Advise lang galing sa isang middle-class na syang tunay na puwersa sa
likod ng lahat ng matagumpay na People Power, magpakita muna kayo ng galing
bago nyo batuhin ang administrasyon. Wala na kaming narinig sa inyo kundi
reklamo, e wala naman kayong ginagawa kundi magreklamo....para kayong
batang lagi na lang naaagawan ng laruan.....GROW UP naman...sa isip sa
salita at sa gawa.

Please lang gasgas na rin ang pagrarally nyo na katabi nyo ay mga
bayaran na mahihirap, magtayo nalang kayo ng negosyo at iempleyo ang mga
rallyista para maging productive silang mamamayan. Sige nga, pag
nagrarally kayo yakapin nyo nga at halikan yang mga kasama nyong nagrarally!! Nung
People Power namin nagyayakapan kami lahat nuon.

Wala naman mangyayari sa mga rally nyo nakakatraffic lang, kami pang
middle-class ang napeperwisyo. Di nyo kayang paghintayin ng 3 araw ang
mga rallyista nyo kasi kelangan nyo pakainin at swelduhan ang mga yan.
Kung gusto nyo tagumpay na People Power kami ang isama nyo....pero pagod na
kami e, sori ha.

Sa Military:

Alam nyo lahat tayo may problema, pati US Army may problema, 2,000 plus
na patay sa kanila sa Iraq na parang walang rason naman, pero nakita nyo
ba sila nagreklamo? Wala diba kasi professional sila na sundalo.....yan
dapat ang sundalo di nagtatanong sumusunod lang. Kasi may mga bagay na di
kayang maintindihan ng indibidwal lamang, at ang mga nakatataas lang ang
nakakaintindi ng kabuuan, kaya ito ang panuntunan ng lahat ng military
ng lahat ng bansa. Pero parang military natin yata ang pinaka-mareklamo.
Sabi nga sa Spiderman "with great power comes great responsibility".....kaya
maging spiderman kayo lahat at protektahan ang mamamayan. Sa totoo lang
natatakot kami kapag nagrereklamo kayo, kasi may baril kayo at tangke, kami wala.

Wala ako comment sa mga mahihirap, di naman kasi sila maingay na kusa
e, may bayad ang ingay nila. Saka wala rin naman silang email.

Kaya paano na tayong mga middle-class?? Eto hanggang email nalang tayo
kaya ikalat nyo na ito at magdasal tayo na umabot ito sa mga dapat makabasa
nito at makiliti naman ang kanilang mga konsyensya.

Signed,
Isang Middle-Class Pinoy na walang puknat na binabawasan ang sweldo ng Buwis!

[omeng]

:lol: pahiram nito, bro.

medyo sinagot ang poste ko.. http://www.pinoyexchange.com/forums/showthread.php?p=13387632#post13387632

[Trevi]

@MAX - I TOTALLY agree with your post....kung hindi lang tinuro ang good manners at right conduct, I would have been spewing invectives in sooo many many forums :angry:

@OMENG - whats a litol kid ?

[omeng]

Hello Trevi,

litol kid = small tiny little cute kid. :rotflmao:


Max, punta ka ba? You may want to meet Pinkwriter.

[travy]

anybody here who will attend Phil. business fair tomorrow?

[Trevi]

Hello Trevi,

litol kid = small tiny little cute kid. :rotflmao:


Max, punta ka ba? You may want to meet Pinkwriter.

@Omeng - hmmm.......were you really THAT cute ? ;) you must've sold a lot of newspapers.

@travy - I am attending the PBE Seminar for free courtesy of Phil.DailyInquirer. I just don't know how many days I will be able to attend.

[JT]

how much is the entrep fair in megamall?

[omeng]

@Omeng - hmmm.......were you really THAT cute ? ;) you must've sold a lot of newspapers.


http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a99/omengski/13626960531792s.jpg

^ that young. my momma indoctrinate me that i was cute. :rotflmao:

Good morning to all young entrep.

[SILENTMAX]

@mam trevi
mam sensya na delayed you e-mail ko sayo.

@omeng tnx pare kaya ako belive sayo eh rami mong kilala na girls na cute, businessminded pa.
see you later.

Business notes:
first international transaction complete. unti lang kinita pero dollars parin kahit pa pano. thinking about it. overated talaga dollars. difference lang talaga is mas malaki buying power neto kompared satin.

[omeng]

congrats pare. now, taste the money of uncle sam... kagingging-kagingging :rotflmao:

[ian_kage]

Im 25 years old and a director of Immigration, Recruitment, Placement, Consultancy company here in NZ. Any of you young entreprenuers has got plans of doing business in the Southern Hemisphere??

Any interested parties email us at gryphonltd@orcon.net.nz

Gryphon NZ Limited <---look it up! www.companies.govt.nz

[Trevi]

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a99/omengski/13626960531792s.jpg

^ that young. my momma indoctrinate me that i was cute. :rotflmao:

Good morning to all young entrep.

@Omeng cute ka nga.:) After seeing your pic I am more than convinced that you should be the poster boy of the Flag Soceity. I doff my hats to you, as early as 7?8? may imprint na ang nationalistic spirit mo...for that alone, you have my respect. :)

@Max kudos to you. More $$$$$$$ to come. I will check my e-mail.

Hi to All.

[SmartKid]

Having a cashflow101 workshop this march 12, 2006. Contact me if your interested.

click here for details:
http://pinoyexchange.com/forums/showthread.php?t=248791

[scubaotaku]

And here is somebody's reply to the "Letter to the People" you posted above, Silentmax. I got this in one of the egroups where I'm a member of.


I myself don't understand why such a boorish message purportedly
from a "middle class" individual be entertained and passed around.
Note the sweeping description and vulgar assertion: "...bayaran na
mahihirap kungdi man ay tangang mga excited na reporter na parang
naka-shabu lagi....mga praning e at naghahallucinate." Gosh! The
writer sounds more like the "bayarang mahihirap" that s/he mentioned.

The author signed his/her message with a breathtaking "Isang Middle-
Class pinoy na walang puknat na binabawasan ang sweldo ng Buwis!" --
as if s/he and s/he alone and the rest of the middleclass ang siya
lang walang puknat na binabawasan ng buwis. Excuse me, FYI, pati
rin po ang mga manggagawa sa pabrika at mga establisimyento sa
serbisyo ay walang puknat na binubuwisan through their payslips, and
of course, through the indirect taxes that we ALL pay (the masses
included) for almost everything we purchase: sigarilyo, gasolina,
sine, mane, popcorn, mane, popcorn....

If the author is trying to present his/her personal views as that
which the "middle class" holds, pasensya na, but I think the rest of
the middle class has a more educated view. And if the author
believes that s/he is middleclass by the size of his purse, and if
thousands more agree to his his/her stand on the current issues,
then it won't be long before the pinoy middleclass would echo what
their counterparts in India in the '80's lamented: "before we were
middleclass... today we are poor."

"Isang middle class" or not, the author typifies the ordinary
pinoy: cautious, even segurista, taking a long long long time
before making a concrete stand. Why, it took the whole nation 14
years (a whole generation) before standing up to the dictator in
Edsa. And I guess, it was only when the middleclass felt their
economic position was being heavily eroded that they finally made a
stand. Thanks to a suicidal Ninoy, then to an equally suicidal
Enrile-Ramos. Edsa 1 may be considered "middleclass-led people
power uprising", but it sprang from a "bahala na" mindset of a
middleclass who brood in the MIDDLE for so long in face of adversity
or danger.

In the end, victory is really sweet especially for one who'd stay
long in the MIDDLE. That's middleclass? But staying in the middle
has its own perils: one might get caught in the crossfire! or
worse, receive a boorish message signed by a "Isang Middle-Class
pinoy na walang puknat na binabawasan ang sweldo ng Buwis!"



just saw this posted on a board. totally off topic. but i think it posts some sentiments similar to what a young entreprenuer encounters. we are almost all middle class(unless anak ka nang taipan). truth be told i dont care who the president is anymore i just want peace and quite.

_________________________________________
Letter to the People

TAMA LAHAT NG SINABI!!!!

Ako ay isang middle class Pinoy, isang officer sa isang malaking
korporasyon at may asawa...dalawa anak. Di na importante pangalan ko
kasi parepareho naman tayong mga middle-class....trabaho 9-5, inom konti
tapos uwi sa pamilya, laruin si baby, itutor si ate/kuya tapos tulog na,
pag wala na pera intay nalang ng sweldo.

Sa nangyayari ngayon sa ating bansa, lahat nalang ng sector ay maingay
at naririnig, tayo lang mga middle-class, tax paying at productive Pinoys
ang di naririnig. Subalit, buwis natin ang nagpapaikot sa bansang ito.
Pag may mga gulo na nangyayari, tayo ang tinatamaan. Kaya eto ang liham ko

sa lahat ng maiingay na sector na sana makagising sa inyong bulag na
pag-iisip.

Sa Mga Politiko:

Diyos ko naman, sa dami na nang nakurakot ninyo di na ba kayo
makuntento kelangan nyo pa ba manggulo.

Sa Administrasyon:

Hayan ayus na ha pinatawad na namin ang pandaraya nyo sa eleksyon,
pruweba dito e di kami umaatend sa mga panawagan ng people power, kaya
sana naman gantihan nyo kami ng magandang serbisyo at magaling na pamumuno
at malaking bawas sa kurakot naman please para kahit papano maramdaman
naman namin na may napupuntahan ang binabayad naming buwis.

Saka Madam GMA, step down ka na pag parliamentary na tayo sa 2007,
tignan mo, i-announce mo mag-step down ka kapag parliamentary na tayo,
resounding YES yan sa plebiscite at tigil pa ang mga coup at people power
laban sayo. Try mo lang.........

Sa Oposisyon:

Di nyo pa ba nakikita na dalawang klase lang ng tao ang nakikinig sa
inyo....isa ay bayaran na mahihirap kungdi man ay tangang mga excited
na reporter na parang naka-shabu lagi....mga praning e at naghahallucinate.

Bago man lang kayo maglunsad ng kilos laban sa administrasyon,
pumili muna kayo ng magiting at nararapat na ipapalit sa liderato ngayon.
Hirap sa inyo paresign kayo ng paresign wala naman kayo ipapalit na maayos.
Advise lang galing sa isang middle-class na syang tunay na puwersa sa
likod ng lahat ng matagumpay na People Power, magpakita muna kayo ng galing
bago nyo batuhin ang administrasyon. Wala na kaming narinig sa inyo kundi
reklamo, e wala naman kayong ginagawa kundi magreklamo....para kayong
batang lagi na lang naaagawan ng laruan.....GROW UP naman...sa isip sa
salita at sa gawa.

Please lang gasgas na rin ang pagrarally nyo na katabi nyo ay mga
bayaran na mahihirap, magtayo nalang kayo ng negosyo at iempleyo ang mga
rallyista para maging productive silang mamamayan. Sige nga, pag
nagrarally kayo yakapin nyo nga at halikan yang mga kasama nyong nagrarally!! Nung
People Power namin nagyayakapan kami lahat nuon.

Wala naman mangyayari sa mga rally nyo nakakatraffic lang, kami pang
middle-class ang napeperwisyo. Di nyo kayang paghintayin ng 3 araw ang
mga rallyista nyo kasi kelangan nyo pakainin at swelduhan ang mga yan.
Kung gusto nyo tagumpay na People Power kami ang isama nyo....pero pagod na
kami e, sori ha.

Sa Military:

Alam nyo lahat tayo may problema, pati US Army may problema, 2,000 plus
na patay sa kanila sa Iraq na parang walang rason naman, pero nakita nyo
ba sila nagreklamo? Wala diba kasi professional sila na sundalo.....yan
dapat ang sundalo di nagtatanong sumusunod lang. Kasi may mga bagay na di
kayang maintindihan ng indibidwal lamang, at ang mga nakatataas lang ang
nakakaintindi ng kabuuan, kaya ito ang panuntunan ng lahat ng military
ng lahat ng bansa. Pero parang military natin yata ang pinaka-mareklamo.
Sabi nga sa Spiderman "with great power comes great responsibility".....kaya
maging spiderman kayo lahat at protektahan ang mamamayan. Sa totoo lang
natatakot kami kapag nagrereklamo kayo, kasi may baril kayo at tangke, kami wala.

Wala ako comment sa mga mahihirap, di naman kasi sila maingay na kusa
e, may bayad ang ingay nila. Saka wala rin naman silang email.

Kaya paano na tayong mga middle-class?? Eto hanggang email nalang tayo
kaya ikalat nyo na ito at magdasal tayo na umabot ito sa mga dapat makabasa
nito at makiliti naman ang kanilang mga konsyensya.

Signed,
Isang Middle-Class Pinoy na walang puknat na binabawasan ang sweldo ng Buwis!

[omeng]

@Omeng cute ka nga.:) After seeing your pic I am more than convinced that you should be the poster boy of the Flag Society. I doff my hats to you, as early as 7?8? may imprint na ang nationalistic spirit mo...for that alone, you have my respect. :)

I was 3 then, look matured lang sa kakatinda ng dyaryo.. beside sa alak at mga chick.. huwahhhhhh :rotflmao:

seriously, thanks, you have my respect too, not only for being a great great granddaughter of .. (itutuloy ko ba?) :naughty: but on helping with these young entrep to make it big. *okay*

[kenzo2317]

hey guys, I have a question.

are there any event planners/organizers here? cuz i wanna know if sponsorships of events or rentals of booths are VAT-exempt. the way i understand it kc, almost everything that can be bought or are paid for have VAT na. hehe. almost. i just wanna make sure.

thanks!

[omeng]

The Vision and the Mission


The vision and the mission are powerful statements that help drive an organization into achieving a higher purpose. They are often confused with one another, however, and many organizations even use them interchangeably.

In simplest terms: the vision is what you want to be, while the mission is what you have to do.

Here’s a quick guide to what makes for a great vision, and what makes for a great mission. Let’s start with the mission.

more here.. http://toolkit.sme.com.ph/business-planning/?page=business-planning-ht-12

[omeng]

quote of the day;

"What the mind can concieve and percieve, one can achieve."

[baludoy]

need tips on what to check for when buying pre-owned food carts and soft ice cream machines.tnx:)

[Trevi]

need tips on what to check for when buying pre-owned food carts and soft ice cream machines.tnx:)

@baludoy - are you buying ONLY the equipment or the also the rights/location of the business? If you are taking over the existing business/locations I suggest you check out out the lease and the FR before buying. Good luck.

@Omeng - I just spoke to my good friend (the expert in marketing/fundraising for NGO's) - she said that the foreign funding agencies from the Benelux countries have their sights / priorities again sa Philippines, aside from livelihood, they are looking for values transformation basta may sustainability. Please pass on to your Flag friends baka may kakilala sila para makakuha sila ng funding, lapit na naman ng June 12, good time to launch something. :)

Hi to all...were are you Krakista, Max, Zerone, F1Williams(from chilly China), tennisace and the rest ?

[you101]

hi! new here in this thread. *** tips can u give for a newbie like. i plan to have my own business in the future. ryt now, i'm still finishing my undergraduate studies. medyo l ako alam s business aspects coz my course is engineering.

[regs]

just want to get your inputs masters..
share ko lang..

a few years ago, when I was still in college, i'm already planning on having a business, after graduation I decided to put up a small biz, with a friend and my gf then and put up stand na kubo which the concept is supposed to be 24 hrs, the food that we're selling is like bibinka etc and we're planning on making it all yr round, locations are planned to be put on beside locations of like burger machine and other 24 hr shops or stalls.. but it failed, not because it did not sell but bec of some conflict on interest between partners.. also another thing I / We experienced was the stubborness of the employees, we have 3 employees, alternating 9 hours each, may 1 hour overlap palagi, grabe, i didnt know managing employees at this level is so hard, they just dont care about the business, they'll sleep on work.. be late, keep the stall close if you're not there.. how do you manage such people?? so we decided to close it out..

i thought well, we'll have another chance..

after a month we decided to go to franchise, some sort of zagu type, yes, we we're tricked that the company plans to expand and advertise the store name.. brand.. but after openning, they dont care anymore, they dont care if we lose money of close down, whatever, all they care is they already got the money.. so after a few months of operation we close down.. again.. second setback in less than a year..

then I decided to work first, just to gain experience, now I have been working for almost 5 years.. and I'm thinking, i should be ready na to venture to another business.. since i already took a step back then.. bu something is preventing me.. such as what biz should i put up, i have a lot of ideas but no clue on how to do it.. another is maybe scared to fail again, imagine those hard earned savings I work for to save will just go to ashes if I fail..

I have another dilema, we have a family business, my parents tried to convice me before to help out bec eventually I will handle it since im the only son.. yes I always wanted to help out but I really dont know whats preventing me, maybe changing my work environment from office where I sit comfortably in the office from a store where there will be no aircon and I will be selling and quoting prices to erring customers.. i dont really know.. another thing is I dont have the passion on the nature of business, but I have no choice because someday no so far from now I should be there..

what do you think I should do?..
In a way I still want to prove to myself I can start my own too.. not relying on their business..

Thanks for your opinions in advance..

[jazzy]

^

I suggest, take the business owned by your family. Try to understand, appreciate and learn from the business. While, making a research and preparing for feasibility study of your own business. Passion from the business may ignite as you handle it.

Also, try to read the book E-Myth by Michael E. Gerber. This should give you a new perspective in building and managing small business.

[jazzy]

Read magazines and books. Ask yourself if managing your business is really your turf. It may not be easy as you think it is.

Once you've chosen a type of business, Research, Research and Research all the necessary information about the business. Like market and competition.

hi! new here in this thread. *** tips can u give for a newbie like. i plan to have my own business in the future. ryt now, i'm still finishing my undergraduate studies. medyo l ako alam s business aspects coz my course is engineering.

[omeng]

@Trevi - will inform them. Thanks.



http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a99/omengski/logo_for_web.jpg

Wanna know the Winning Formula of a Franchise Enterprise?

Successful franchisor, Mr. Ricardo Z. Cuna, President of Fiorgelato will share his winning formula on the 9th Kapihang Entrepinoy of the Center for Small Entrepreneurs dubbed as “Business by Choice, Not by Chance – Franchise!”

The 9th Kapihang Entrepinoy aims to provide micro-entrepreneurs and wanna-bes the basic and comprehensive information on the Franchising Business from the experts themselves.

This quarterly event will be held on March 23, 2006 form 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Senden Hall, Asian Social Institute Bldg., 1518 Leon Guinto cor. Escoda Sts., Malate Manila.

For details please call (02) 525-6268, (02) 524-1879, e-mail cse@csentrepinoy.org.ph or log on to www.csentrepinoy.org.ph


Rationale:

With all the attention entrepreneurship is getting, a lot of people would like to be this country’s wealth creator. Problem is, they either do not know where to start or what opportunity to grab!

Getting into business is a choice one has to make. After arriving at a decision, one is left with two options: start your own or join a company who already has a growing business.
One is a trial and error thing while the other one is getting into a business tried and tested in the market.

This is what franchising is all about: avoiding the pitfalls of getting into a business unprepared by getting into a business that already has a proven track record and a vast market share.

The 9th Kapihang Entrepinoy is geared towards helping entrepreneurs and would-be entrepreneurs decide on a viable business option. Dubbed as Business by Choice, Not by Chance: Franchise!, the Kapihang Entrepinoy aims to enlighten micro-entrepreneurs on the advantages of getting into a franchise business and be aware of the wide array of business choices they can make in starting a business. Who knows, some entrepreneurs might even learn a trick or two on how to franchise their businesses!

[omeng]

hi! new here in this thread. *** tips can u give for a newbie like. i plan to have my own business in the future. ryt now, i'm still finishing my undergraduate studies. medyo l ako alam s business aspects coz my course is engineering.

good link... http://www.pinoyexchange.com/forums/showthread.php?t=110165

:D

[omeng]

SilentMax, you may want to answer regs. :naughty:

[regs]

thanks so much jazzy.. im still comtemplating, darn its confusing

[JT]

anu bang mga magagandang business ngayun?

[SILENTMAX]

rex dude pare ilang beses narin tayu nag gt sa financemanila di mo naman sinasabi na entrepreneur inclined ka pala.

maganda naman dyan sa company mo diba? i heard taas daw sweldo dyan di ka ba nakaka net nang 70k a month? hehehhehe may stock options pa ata yan.

ok on with the kwentong barbero:


a few years ago, when I was still in college, i'm already planning on having a business, after graduation I decided to put up a small biz, with a friend and my gf then and put up stand na kubo which the concept is supposed to be 24 hrs, the food that we're selling is like bibinka etc and we're planning on making it all yr round, locations are planned to be put on beside locations of like burger machine and other 24 hr shops or stalls.. but it failed, not because it did not sell but bec of some conflict on interest between partners.. also another thing I / We experienced was the stubborness of the employees, we have 3 employees, alternating 9 hours each, may 1 hour overlap palagi, grabe, i didnt know managing employees at this level is so hard, they just dont care about the business, they'll sleep on work.. be late, keep the stall close if you're not there.. how do you manage such people?? so we decided to close it out..

like ive said many times to omeng. i really dont like partnerships with the simple reason of possible conflicts of interest. kung may partnership nga na mangyayari dapat silent yung iba at may full control yung isa. other wise you will just end up going back and fort on decision making. mahirap nga toll mag motivate nang employees. but what i do is i assign set performance goals. this is the preverbial carrot on sticks. as long as you motivate them with money or other fun prizes they will surely work a little bit harder on attaining them(a little bit is the key word here) also set perfect attendance awards and on time all the time awards. truth be told managing employees is the hardest aspect of any employee intensive business. mahirap talaga yan so you need to focuse on that. if all else fails keep hiring, and weed out the bad eggs in your organization.

after a month we decided to go to franchise, some sort of zagu type, yes, we we're tricked that the company plans to expand and advertise the store name.. brand.. but after openning, they dont care anymore, they dont care if we lose money of close down, whatever, all they care is they already got the money.. so after a few months of operation we close down.. again.. second setback in less than a year..

orbitz ba yan? hmmm what they really fail to mention about franchises is that most are not turnkey. it entails some work and promotions/marketing paperworks on your behalf. this is the hard part. its not a buy and forget business like what so many claim. on this note id like to say that ms trevi offers excelent consultations in choosing the right business for you. its really better if you really do the homework muna in getting a franchise or setting up your own business, the keyword here is research.

I have another dilema, we have a family business, my parents tried to convice me before to help out bec eventually I will handle it since im the only son.. yes I always wanted to help out but I really dont know whats preventing me, maybe changing my work environment from office where I sit comfortably in the office from a store where there will be no aircon and I will be selling and quoting prices to erring customers.. i dont really know.. another thing is I dont have the passion on the nature of business, but I have no choice because someday no so far from now I should be there..

parehas tayu dyan sa situation na yan. my father owns a succesful ---------- company he is currently 55 right now so medyo bata pa. as im the only male in the family and eldest child chances are na baka i depend nya sakin business nya.i try not to think about it though. kumba worst case scenario na sakin yan. at least kahit papano may fall back option ka if you fail in your endevours. if di mo gusto talaga i manage yung business try to show to your family that you can set out and start your own business for yourself so that di ka nila istorbohin kasi sasabihin mo na busy ka sa negosyo mo.


so in ending this kasi medyo mahaba haba na at baka pag kamalan max da mango love notes.

work ka muna sa job mo ngayun while setting out in finding the perfect business para sayu. next time pag nag kita tayu sa mga gt's ay mag kwentuhan tayu tungkol sa mga business ideas. dati si moneywhiz ang ka kwentuhan ko tungkol naman sa family business nila. i contact mo si mam trevi for consultation services at mangulit ka nang mangulit dito sa thread na ito for questions regarding to your problems at hand. oh dude it really helps to backread sa thread na ito. theres a wealth of info dito. i re-read the whole thread once ever quarter at least to see what i may have missed or something that was posted here dati thats now of significance to what im encountering now. try to read it pare its worth it. also as posted above ok rin yung libro na e-myth i highly recommend it rin.

and finally.....
never ever hesistate to bounce of ideas to your friends that you know can help. minsan ok rin ang insight nila at malaki matututunan mo. ang sound board ko dito is trevi omeng tennisace kakrista and zimdude

all have really helped me out.






caveat emptor.(other readers)
wala po talaga ako alam im just a novice entreprenuer/still a work in progress. pls take all posted thoughts with a grain of salt.

[beefnmushroom]

pls take all posted thoughts with a grain of salt.

this is the best advice in the entire thread


grain of salt:
"In common parlance, if something is to be taken with a grain of salt, it means that a measure of healthy skepticism should be applied regarding a claim; that it should not be blindly accepted and believed without any doubt or reservation."

[dirk10]

Hi guys, I'm a newbie here. I started my business last year upon graduation and celebrated our 1st year anniversary a few days ago. I just want to ask if you guys know any association or group for young entrepreneurs where I can join? Thanks and God bless. :)

[regs]

onga boss max, nag usap na din kami ni MW regarding that before, nakakaloko hehe, salamat cge next time..

[baludoy]

trevi: just the machines.i'm not inclined to buy a business franchise because tali ka dun.you can't just modify whatever you think needs to be modified w/o their nod.hirap nun

so any advise on what to check into re the cart and the machine i mentioned earlier?:)

[SILENTMAX]

grain of salt:
"In common parlance, if something is to be taken with a grain of salt, it means that a measure of healthy skepticism should be applied regarding a claim; that it should not be blindly accepted and believed without any doubt or reservation."

kumbaga para csi. trust but verify.

i urge everybody to verify all the claims posted here. dont just take everything as it is.


which leads me to ask this question.

anu background mo beefnmushroom? kahit industry lang. para ma profile ka naman dito :)

if shy ka i pm mo nalang tsong *okay*

just a little bit curious, thats all

[onyx88]

baludoy,

i have a soft ice cream franchise. we are using SEA, a korean brand. if you have a lot of money to shell out go for Taylor.

[Trevi]

Hi MAX. I got your email :) Good luck. Thank you too for the kind words in your response to REG's concern.

Hi to all.

[Trevi]

trevi: just the machines.i'm not inclined to buy a business franchise because tali ka dun.you can't just modify whatever you think needs to be modified w/o their nod.hirap nun

so any advise on what to check into re the cart and the machine i mentioned earlier?:)

If you are asking about the equipment - the only advise I can give, which I think is imperative for all buyers, is that it should be of good quality (brands suggested by another poster), a fair market price, a Warranty and the service maintenenace agreement (preferably an available service unit when it breaks down so that it does not hamper operations).

If your question is profitablity, sustainability and future prospects of the business you are getting into, that would althogether be another point of discussion.

Good luck.

[Jedd]

No single book ever written can measure up to the wealth of knowledge that can be gathered from reading this thread. There is absolutely no substitute to reading (this thread).

I'm not an entrepreneur (yet) but I grew up in a family of businessmen. But I'm still trying hard to be one. Nevertheless, I ended up being a seafarer, specifically a Shipboard IT Manager. I own a couple of US stocks but it's a risky business and so I do not dare pump it up.

Bottom line, I do not want to be a seaman for the rest of my life. I have had a couple of money management mistakes, rather disasters, such as buying a car, leasing a condo, etc. Now I'm beginning to save money for some kind of business that I can begin with in the country.

Are there sorts of business ventures that I can legally own or be part with without physically being able to handle it?

I remember reading through omeng and silentmax's posts about good ventures for OFWs. Are there good suggestions?

Lastly I would want to greet everyone especially those who have contributed a lot to this thread. Many have not said so, but we are all grateful for your time and effort.

That's all and thank you. ;)

[beefnmushroom]

anu background mo beefnmushroom? kahit industry lang. para ma profile ka naman dito :)

if shy ka i pm mo nalang tsong *okay*

just a little bit curious, thats all


tsong,

do you really think i'm shy? :lol:

let's just put it this way: i'm not the type of person who satisfies other people's curiosities.

like i've mentioned before, my role in this thread is to serve as the devil's advocate, let's just leave it at that.

for those who don't know what that means:
"the term devil's advocate has come to mean a person who argues a position that they do not necessarily believe in, simply for the sake of arguing; or who presents a counterargument for a position they do believe in to another debater. This process can be used to test the quality of the original argument and identify weaknesses in its structure."


many of the pieces of advice in this thread sound smart on the surface, but upon closer inspection... never mind.

and some of the posters in this thread are so accustomed to being spoonfed. questions like "anong magandang business ngayon?" are too... never mind again. those questions show a depressing lack of creativity and lack of direction. it's like asking, "anong masarap kainin ngayon?"

on the other hand, there are posters here who share brilliant ideas. ideas that sound too simple that they're often ignored. i have personally taken at least 3 ideas to the test and produced pleasantly surprising results. thanks to those few special posters in this thread. :)

[beefnmushroom]

No single book ever written can measure up to the wealth of knowledge that can be gathered from reading this thread. There is absolutely no substitute to reading (this thread).


really!? have you read all the books out in the market and compared them one by one to this thread?

think of all the self-made millionaires who read different books but have never even heard about this thread. i think they found numerous substitues to reading (this thread).

like i said, there are brilliant ideas here, but to say that "there is absolutely no substitute to reading (this thread)" is beyond exaggeration.

regards,
devil's advocate

[Trevi]

Hola!! beefnmushroom welcome back to the forum. ;)

Thank you for your counter-arguments. I agree that "devils advocate" make discussions more lively as it presents a counterpoint. HOWEVER, in my POV, if you are to play that role, you could at least level the field by telling us who you are or where you are coming from so as to add credence to your argument (and likewise not be misconstrued) instead of cloaking it by saying you are not one to satisfy other people's curiosity...(seemingly a perceived position of strength to you) Unless your persona is established, you are merely being an agent' provocateur and in forum parlance, flame bait.

Nevertheless, I must confess, that your presence is of value to the thread. I look forward to your posts. :)

Quote of the day - "Äng buntot mo, hila mo."

A good day to all. :)

[Jedd]

really!? have you read all the books out in the market and compared them one by one to this thread?

think of all the self-made millionaires who read different books but have never even heard about this thread. i think they found numerous substitues to reading (this thread).

like i said, there are brilliant ideas here, but to say that "there is absolutely no substitute to reading (this thread)" is beyond exaggeration.

regards,
devil's advocate

Good that you pointed out my mistake (though you blatantly disregarded my careful insertion of the word single). :)

Mistakes brew new ideas. Maybe you can expound and share to all of us how you became a millionaire at an early age, as you superficially suggest you are, speaking by experience? No pun nor flame intended. :)

I take counter-arguments very seriously as they are leverage to my learning as long as credibility vis-à-vis certitude are established.

Well met, sire/madame.

[Trevi]

I take counter-arguments very seriously as they are leverage to my learning as long as credibility vis-à-vis certitude are established.



Jedd, I also believe so. :)

[omeng]

it's 10:52am in my watch and felt that my entire day is made already.

silentmax, punta kami mamyang hapon ni rey sa worldbex.

[omeng]

Quote of the day - "Äng buntot mo, hila mo."

this is the best quote in the entire thread

[beefnmushroom]

Good that you pointed out my mistake (though you blatantly disregarded my careful insertion of the word single). :)


i did not disregard your careful insertion, which is why i also carefully inserted the words "one by one" in my response to match your single. :)

i do not recall ever "superficially" suggesting that i became a millionaire at an early age. on the contrary, my early years were packed with disastrous mistakes, mainly because i stupidly followed free advice from various sources.

i still consider myself young though, which is why once in a while, i hang out in this young entrepreneur's forum. :)

oh, and i don't care at all if nobody considers me credible, or if i am considered flame bait. i really don't. but no matter how credible, or incredible, you think i am, you still have to take everything "with a grain of salt" (according to Silentmax).


Trevi,

thanks for the warm welcome :)

please explain what "Äng buntot mo, hila mo." really means, since it's the best quote in the entire thread (according to omeng).

[Jedd]

My own quote for the day:

There are two types of door signs: one that says Welcome and the other that says Keep Out.

Funny how you guys welcome newbies in here. :)

[baludoy]

trevi: point/s well taken. i appreciate your thoughts and inputs:)

onyx888: mind if i pm you?

[Trevi]

My own quote for the day:

There are two types of door signs: one that says Welcome and the other that says Keep Out.

Funny how you guys welcome newbies in here. :)

Hi Jedd. Welcome to the thread. :) Do not be discouraged. I have met some of the guys here and they are all fine. I am their DEN MOTHER (as in Boy/Cub Scout). But I have yet, to meet beefnmushroom...for whom I will gladly host another EB.:)

You are welcome baludoy. :)

[omeng]

I remember reading through omeng and silentmax's posts about good ventures for OFWs. Are there good suggestions?

Jedd, cencia na at di ko na matandaan. :( For sure, hindi networking yun. :D

[omeng]

I am their DEN MOTHER (as in Boy/Cub Scout).

huwattt??? di naman. pro pag nag-pa-consult ba ako sayo, package din, tulad ng kay wonderwoman? :rotflmao:

have a wonderful eve, madame. ;)

[omeng]

Hi guys, I'm a newbie here. I started my business last year upon graduation and celebrated our 1st year anniversary a few days ago. I just want to ask if you guys know any association or group for young entrepreneurs where I can join? Thanks and God bless. :)

(JCI)Junior Chambers International Philippines (worldwide federation of young leaders and entrepreneurs)

contact 816.2954. look for lear.


congrats on your 1st year and welcome on board.

[Jedd]

Jedd, cencia na at di ko na matandaan. :( For sure, hindi networking yun. :D

it's totally fine. nakakahilo din kasi yung dami ng posts. it was something about mini of some sort.

anyway, ideas, ideas...

i'm thinking of putting up a money transfer business in coordination with pinoy contacts from different ports abroad. currently, the average fee per padala is about $15 and it takes around 3-5 days for the money to reach the hands of the recipient. these institutions have money transfer agreements with western union, moneygram, etc...

in the advent of online banking, and probably hoarded cash, it's plausible to reduce the amount of time spent to transfer money. and maybe it's also feasible to reduce the padala fee to $10. imagine the statistics: average of 200 filipinos per ship sending money at least twice a month.

currently, i just do this as a raket with close friends from the ship. i deposited about $10k in one of the local banks with online banking and allowed the money to roll. i gross about $400 per month just from friends and acquaintances.

[Jedd]

Hi Jedd. Welcome to the thread. :) Do not be discouraged. I have met some of the guys here and they are all fine. I am their DEN MOTHER (as in Boy/Cub Scout). But I have yet, to meet beefnmushroom...for whom I will gladly host another EB.:)

You are welcome baludoy. :)

he he i'm just playing with the ball. i know that all of you guys here are cool after months of simply sniffing around.

besides, being exposed to a lot of nationalities, not even slam of fists can discourage me.

so now that we know who's den mother, when can we start milking? ;)

cool beans! *okay*

[omeng]

^ ah.. it's "mini-go".. he he.. franchise of mini-stop ( sinabi din. :D ). well, why not? but better study hard first.

[Trevi]

he he i'm just playing with the ball. i know that all of you guys here are cool after months of simply sniffing around.

besides, being exposed to a lot of nationalities, not even slam of fists can discourage me.

so now that we know who's den mother, when can we start milking? ;)

cool beans! *okay*

@Jedd >> :rotflmao: :rotflmao:

@Omeng >>> the package deal can be arranged. For PF's Cash is welcome, but equity is preferred. ;) Have a nice evening too.. :)

[onyx88]

baludoy,

sure. i'd be glad to help you.

[Jedd]

^ ah.. it's "mini-go".. he he.. franchise of mini-stop ( sinabi din. :D ). well, why not? but better study hard first.

dang, it all boils down to franchising... cutthroat business... he he he.

galing ako sa 4 na branches ng national bookstore wala akong mahanap na kopya ng E-Myth. meron lang yung E-Myth Mastery. try ko sa Powerbooks tomorrow. bakit out-of-stock na to? iba talaga pag bestseller. :mecry:

[omeng]

Jedd, better stopby at powerbooks G4. Nagkalat yan. :D

[omeng]

"Superficial goals lead to superficial results." - Attila


Lucky me. Found the rare book at booksale - "Leadership Secret of Attila the Hun" by only 70pesos.

[Jedd]

Jedd, better stopby at powerbooks G4. Nagkalat yan. :D

Nada in Powerbooks Mega. Glorietta then... thanks omeng the great! :bashful:

[omeng]

wahhhh.. it's "omeng the glorious". :D

[dirk10]

(JCI)Junior Chambers International Philippines (worldwide federation of young leaders and entrepreneurs)

contact 816.2954. look for lear.


congrats on your 1st year and welcome on board.

Thanks for the reply omeng. Are there any requirements for you to be able to join in the above mentioned organization? My friend told me that there are organizations that require you to reach a certain sales volume or profit before they'll accept your membership application. Thanks again

[regs]

guys i need your opinion on this, well more like help, a few months ago, i have come to a site that sells health products, similar health and beyond which sells sumplements vitamins etc etc. their brand is non existent here in the PI, I emailed them asking for details on how to get the distributiorship, so i get to distribute them here, hopefully, they thanked me for my interest and they are in the process of creating international distribution or finding should i say, but they asked me about my company profile.. i was like uhhh..? deep inside i know i dont have any knowledge on being a distributor, another of course I haven't establish a company yet for my own, unless I use our family business name, which is in diff nature also, how would I get a chance on this one? I will be seen unqualified for sure :depressed: .. thanks in advance

[Trevi]

You have to be established (in paper and form) and prepared (logistics, experience, skill and investment) to embark on a business. If you have foreign principals it is imperative. They are by-the-book and abide by a system. You may have to pass this one up (for the meantime) until your company is in order. You got to make the time to start right, because if you do, more offers / options will be available to you.

[regs]

do you mean i might just as well forget it? the company will be established and prepared for the product alone, well of course it should start somewhere.. I really have no idea, as of the experience, well that will be my frist too, i have to start somewhere too.. :mecry:

[Trevi]

You don't have to be emotional about it...if you understood my post, it simply means postpone. In my opinion, (and as per your post, you still have no semblance of a structure) its best you establish YOUR end of the business first. What good is your product / exclusive distributorship if you do not have a company to handle it ? The earlier you start the better it is for you.

[omeng]

Thanks for the reply omeng. Are there any requirements for you to be able to join in the above mentioned organization? My friend told me that there are organizations that require you to reach a certain sales volume or profit before they'll accept your membership application. Thanks again

It would be better if you will ask them directly. ;)

[omeng]

@Trevi

Cant send PM here. Please check inbox at ohlala friendster. Thanks.

[omeng]

Tan, Sy, Zobel on Forbes billionaires' list

First posted 04:14am (Mla time) Mar 11, 2006
Agence France-Presse



Editor's Note: Published on page A1 of the March 11, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer


THE PHILIPPINES may be regarded as a poor country, but it apparently has enough capacity to produce three billionaires (in dollars), according to Forbes magazine's annual list released yesterday.

The number of people whose wealth reached 10 figures stood at a record 793, an increase of 102 from the previous year. This includes tobacco king Lucio Tan, Asia's mall king, Henry Sy and the owner of the Philippines' biggest conglomerate, Jaime Zobel de Ayala and family, according to the magazine's list for 2006.

Forbes ranked Tan, 71, at No. 451, disclosing his fortune at $1.7 billion; Henry Sy, 81, and family at No. 512 with $1.5 billion and Ayala, 71, and family at No. 606 with $1.3 billion.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates gained ground at the top of the megarich rankings as the world's wealthiest people added $400 billion to their net worth.

more here... --> http://news.inq7.net/nation/index.php?index=1&story_id=69030

[Jedd]

Do you guys have regular night outs or EBs? I'm leaving in two weeks (*sniff*), it could have been nice to have met at least a few of you. Learn from the gurus (as they say). :)

[Markus]

Would (mobile) entrepreneurs be interested in a service that will allow them to get their own fax numbers and have those fax messages appear in their designated email address?

Think: No more fax machines, no more dedicated phone lines, no more fax paper.

If so, how much would they be willing to pay for such a service?

(Magkano ba mga fax services ngayon?)

Eastern has this type of service. Php 660 lang yata per month. They give you a fax number that you can forward to an email. You receive the fax in image format.

=======
Visit my blog -->www.sikappinoy.com

[Markus]

guys i need your opinion on this, well more like help, a few months ago, i have come to a site that sells health products, similar health and beyond which sells sumplements vitamins etc etc. their brand is non existent here in the PI, I emailed them asking for details on how to get the distributiorship, so i get to distribute them here, hopefully, they thanked me for my interest and they are in the process of creating international distribution or finding should i say, but they asked me about my company profile.. i was like uhhh..? deep inside i know i dont have any knowledge on being a distributor, another of course I haven't establish a company yet for my own, unless I use our family business name, which is in diff nature also, how would I get a chance on this one? I will be seen unqualified for sure :depressed: .. thanks in advance


Here's a quick solution. Don't buy from them directly but buy from their wholesaler. I know you add a middle man in between but then again, you don't have to go to the hassle.

=============
Visit my blog --> www.sikappinoy.com

[regs]

Here's a quick solution. Don't buy from them directly but buy from their wholesaler. I know you add a middle man in between but then again, you don't have to go to the hassle.

=============
Visit my blog --> www.sikappinoy.com


thanks man, well, it's a foreign company, not yet available here in the country.. if i could find the wholesaler in the US then it would be great..

[omeng]

For Women Only! - Hear How French Baker & Mary Grace
Started their Businesses


Start Your Own Business: A Seminar-Series Organized by
Network for Enterprising Women (NEW)


All women are invited to join and listen in on
relevant topics and issues regarding starting up one’s
own business.

Seminar Participants will:
* Join the launching of NEW and hear its aims and
goals
* Learn the basics on putting up a business
* Hear experiences from great entrepreneurs in their
own business start-ups
* Know the opportunities with franchising and
e-commerce
* Be invited to attend a cocktail reception where you
will be able to meet the resource speakers and other
participants

When: 18 March, Saturday
Where: Florabel Restaurant (Podium)
Registration: 1:30pm
Time: 2:00pm to 5:30pm

Fee: Php 500.00 only

RSVP: Limited Slots Available! For reservations or
further inquires, you may contact Myren Garcia at
0917-5408697 or e-mail her at newomen@gmail.com.



Agenda:

1:30pm — Registration

2:00pm — Launching of NEW

2:20pm — Mr. Meo Fernando, an AIM Professor, who will
lead the discussion on how to start a business.

2:50pm — Mr. Johnlu Koa, the General Manager of French
Baker, who will share his experience on how he started
French Baker.

3:20pm — Mrs. Mary Grace Dimacali, the President of
Mary Grace , who will discuss how she started her
business at home and later on ventured to malls.

3:50 pm — Mrs. Bing Limjoco, the CEO of Francorp
Philippines, who will shed light on franchising
opportunities.

4:20pm — Mr. Alvin Tan, website developer, who will
speak about the many opportunities with e-commerce.

4::35pm — Open Forum

5:00pm — Cocktails



About NEW: The Network for Enterprising Women is an
organization of young, female entrepreneurs that
encourages, promotes and develops entrepreneurial
spirit and activity. Our vision is to create a world
where ideas are expressed freely, changes are analysed
and understood, and the business world is monitored
and discussed. Our goal is to share our experiences
and invite great entrepreneurs to participate in our
discussion.

[Trevi]

an
organization of young, female entrepreneurs [/B]that
encourages, promotes and develops entrepreneurial
spirit and activity. Our vision is to create a world
.


Hi Omeng > I will check out my msg box in friendster.
Young female entreps :hmm: :hmm: this is really up your alley my friend :D kasama na rin dyan si Max. ;)

Good morning to all.

[omeng]

:D :D

"A chieftain who ask the wrong questions always hears the wrong answers." - from selected thoughts of King Attilla

[SILENTMAX]

yeah yan si omeng kahit may deadline yan nang 4 to 7 40 ft containers i drop nya lahat yan work na yan just to help a fellow "female" entrepreneur.

tera pare dun tayu sa girl talk rami daw young female entrepreneurs dun that might be in need of our help. :D



btw ang laki talaga tulong nang pag out of town. spent the weekend in los banos. tangal lahat stress ko and problema. when i worked yesterday grabe straight ako from 7am to 11pm no fatigue dere dretso lang.

[baludoy]

^^ano ba maganda puntahan sa los banos ngayon?
tagal na ako di naka hot spring sa pansol eh
kelangan din mag pa relax minsa minsan:)

[baludoy]

^^ano ba maganda puntahan sa los banos ngayon?
tagal na ako di naka hot spring sa pansol eh
kelangan din mag pa relax minsa minsan:)

[SILENTMAX]

Looking for high quality and affordable document scanning and pdf conversion service. should include black and white and full color scanning. (should be in makati) interested parties, email me your pricelist at rcjskala@gmail.com

[kapengmalamig]

hi. new here. hope to learn a lot from you guys. btw, i graduated at lb. ok yung lb square.:)

[the_butterfly07]

pwede po bang makahingi ng tulong? naghahanap kasi ako ng maliit na sewing house na pwedeng gumawa ng product na gusto ko sanang imarket...nagtry akong mag-google pero wala akong nahanap...baka meron naman po kayong pwedeng marecommend, hingin ko yung contact details at saka email addy, kasi wala po ako sa pilipinas eh, so email lang ang pinakamadaling form of communication...

[SILENTMAX]

If you don't have a dream, how are you going to make a dream come true? - Oscar Hammerstein

"Believe Big. The size of your success is determined by the size of your belief. Think little goals and expect little achievements. Think big goals and win big success. Remember this, too! Big ideas and big plans are often easier -certainly no more difficult - than small ideas and small plans." -David J. Schwartz

When you’re trying to hit a faraway target in archery, you have to aim your arrow high for it to go the distance and eventually fall to the target. You don’t actually end up higher, but you do hit your target. “We study heroes not because we’re going to be an warren buffet, sam walton, donald trump ,or Tony Tan, but because we want to go in that direction,”

The greats, stand out from the rest not so much because of their success, but because of the number of times they have failed and recovered.

[omeng]

kapengmalamig, what is lb?

[omeng]

Dear friend of Entrepreneur Philippines,

Want to know the secrets of money-making?

Then join Entrepreneur Philippines' 54th Networking Night entitled "Money-Making Secrets of the Young & Rich" on March 28, 2006, 6 PM to 9 PM at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) Eugenio Lopez Foundation Bldg, 123 Paseo de Roxas, Makati City, and discover how you can earn more money while you're young.

The Networking Night is a casual business get-together hosted by Entrepreneur Philippines Magazine and is open to both existing and aspiring entrepreneurs. This month, we have invited holiday entrepreneurs JayJay Onrubia of Schu, Bernadette Escudero of Penang Hill, and Jose Mari Quibilan of Scents and Blends to provide tips and share how they got to be successful at a young age!

A copy of the March or April Entrepreneur magazine will serve as your entrance ticket. Food and drinks are on us. Please confirm your attendance at least 2 days before the event.

Should you wish to participate, please send an email with subject: Networking Night to blaise.rodriguez@summitmedia.com.ph or call us at 631-8971 loc.146.

Thank you and hope to see you there!


Blaise Rodriguez
Jr. Marketing Associate

[omeng]

yeah yan si omeng kahit may deadline yan nang 4 to 7 40 ft containers i drop nya lahat yan work na yan just to help a fellow "female" entrepreneur.

tera pare dun tayu sa girl talk rami daw young female entrepreneurs dun that might be in need of our help. :D

btw ang laki talaga tulong nang pag out of town. spent the weekend in los banos. tangal lahat stress ko and problema. when i worked yesterday grabe straight ako from 7am to 11pm no fatigue dere dretso lang.

huwattt??? 4 to 7? 40ft? i wish :lol:

i plan to go back to samar this may, if not next month. pahinga naman. :D

[omeng]

Do you guys have regular night outs or EBs? I'm leaving in two weeks (*sniff*), it could have been nice to have met at least a few of you. Learn from the gurus (as they say). :)

walang regular. pag may nag-sponsor lang. :D

[rexdflex]

any comment on 168 mall raid?

[zerone]

na raid yun kasi dami naiinggit coz malakas ang business sa 168. if they're saying na hindi nagbabayad ng tax yung mga yun - well, even in divisoria or in baclaran pare pareho lang naman.. and this has been going on for years na... so parang ang labo ng biglang magraid sila sa 168.

[omeng]

Lance Gokongwei is ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’
BULL MARKET, BULL SHEET By Wilson Lee Flores
The Philippine STAR 03/13/2006

An advance 80th birthday gift was recently received by rags-to-riches taipan John Gokongwei Jr. on March 8 at the Shangri-La Makati ballroom when his son and heir apparent Lance Yu Gokongwei of Cebu Pacific Air bested a tough field of 20 finalist-winners to win the prestigious Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Philippines 2005 Award. He was also a category winner as Tourism Entrepreneur.

Just an hour earlier, HSBC Young Entrepreneurs Awards competition won by a group of Ateneo students had Lance Gokongwei, HSBC CEO Warner Manning, industrialist Joselito Dee Yao-Campos, Jr. and others, as judges in the same hotel.

Lance exemplifies the young future taipans who combine the best of western management ideas and our immigrant forebears’ traditional Confucian values, unlike some other heirs who have become effete, decadent, dysfunctional, spoiled or lost. He envisions making Cebu Pacific Air a globally-competitive enterprise.

Educated in the best schools in the Philippines, Singapore and the US, Lance studied English, Hokkien, Mandarin and Filipino. He earned a degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s college of engineering and another in finance from its Wharton School, both completed at the same time in less than four years and with all perfect grades. Lance was awarded summa cum laude honors for both degrees, and these academic honors are still framed and hanging on the wall of the office of his father and true mentor.

Like past Entrepreneur of the Year Award winners Jollibee founder Tony Tan Caktiong for 2003 and National Book Store founder Socorro Ramos for 2004, Lance will represent the Philippines in Monte Carlo, Monaco to compete with winners from 40 countries for the much-coveted World Entrepreneur of the Year award. Tan won the World Entrepreneur of the Year honor last year.

The award had auspicious timing, since Cebu Pacific Air will very soon reportedly help open the controversial NAIA 3 new airport with an inaugural flight there. Also coincidentally, March 8 was also the 10th anniversary of this airline, which is the first low-fare airline in the Philippines. Cebu Pacific was also the first to develop an e-ticket facility for its domestic flights. Once the re-fleeting with 17 new Airbus jets is completed in 2009, Cebu Pacific Air will have the youngest airline fleet in Asia. The Gokongwei family’s maverick airline has dared challenge the market leadership of rival taipan Lucio C. Tan’s Philippine Airlines and Air Philippines by offering cheaper fares, on-time schedules and other innovations. Cebu Pacific Air now flies to Hong Kong and South Korea.

With Lance were his uncle and JG Summit Holdings chairman James Go, his mother Elizabeth Yu Gokongwei, his wife Jay Leong-Gokongwei (who recently gave birth to their son Jacob), eldest sister Robina Gokongwei-Pe (who also gave birth to daughter Joan Sofia), brother-in-law Atty. Perry Pe, and others.

Lance’s mother-in-law Dr. Rosita Lim-Leong announced during the affair that her family’s Ricardo Leong Chinese Studies Center at the Ateneo de Manila University will be sponsoring on campus a subsidized summer workshop for Mandarin-language teachers in higher education from April 24 to May 19. All interested educators nationwide are invited to join. The workshop will have top guest lecturers on Chinese history, language, culture, and philosophy, plus fun field trips. For inquiries, call 426-6001 locals 5208 or 5209, fax 426-6001 local 5280, or e-mail chinese@admu.edu.ph.

Guest speaker at the Awards was Senator Manuel "Manny" Villar, a self-made real estate tycoon who stumbled during the 1997 Asian financial crisis but who has already recovered. Prime movers behind this awards project include SGV Foundation chairman David L. Balangue, project coordinator Atty. Rodolfo Reyes, Ernst & Young Far East chairman and area managing partner Michael Boyd, and area executive partner John Harvey. Judges this year were Bankers Association of the Philippines president Cesar Virata, Entrepreneur of the Year Australia 2003 winner David Bussau, Shell companies country chairman Edgar Chua, Microsoft Philippines managing director Antonio Javier Jr., Asian Institute of Management president Roberto de Ocampo, and Citigroup country officer for the Philippines Sanjiv Vohra.

The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year category winners are:

• Young Entrepreneur – Bryan Tiu of Teriyaki Boy Inc.

• Innovation Entrepreneur – Former Cebu vice governor Gregorio Sanchez Jr. of Lacto Bacillus Pafi Techno Resources Corp.

• Woman Entrepreneur – Ruth Callanta of the Center for Community Transformation (CCT)

• Small Business Entrepreneur – Jonathan Jay Aldeguer of Islands Souvenirs Inc.

• Emerging Master Entrepreneur – Johnlu Koa of The French Baker

• Master Entrepreneur – Alfredo Yao of Zest-O Corp.

• Socially Responsible Entrepreneur – Ritchie Rivera of RD Manufacturing Corporation

• Tourism Entrepreneur – Lance Gokongwei of Cebu Pacific Air

Other finalists who are also outstanding entrepreneurs in their own right include Henry Lim Bon Liong of Sterling Paper Group; Roberto Gandionco of Cebu, whose Julie’s Bakeshop chain is the biggest with almost 500 outlets nationwide; Alejandra Clemente of the Rajah tourism group; Mars Chua of Sportshouse International Leisure Inc.; Mary Ann Cruz Dela Vega of Bluer Than Blue Joint Ventures Co.; Catherine Delantar of Nature’s Legacy Eximport; Esperanza Garcia of Cebu CFI Community Cooperative; Yolanda Pajaro of Via Venetto; Glenn Soco of Coffee Dream Company Inc.; Ricardo Cuna of Milkin Corporation, manufacturer and distributor of Fiorgelato; Guillermo Choa of Property Company of Friends Inc.; and Rico Brizuela of Airlift Asia Inc.

The country’s future is being created and reaffirmed every day by the hard-working, visionary and gutsy entrepreneurs. We should incite and spread an entrepreneurial revolution nationwide.

[omeng]

"Yan ang pinoy!"



Silicon Valley legend inspires entrepreneurs

The Philippine Star 03/18/2006

This Silicon Valley millionaire has shown how Pinoy ingenuity is part of the engine that drives swift advances in information technology.

Entrepreneurs and educators got a rare, close-up glimpse of engineer and venture capitalist Diosdado Banatao, who is in the Philippines on a brief visit from Palo Alto, California, where he runs the $300-million Tallwood VC fund that invests in technology startup firms.

Banatao shared his wisdom recently with members of the Go Negosyo entrepreneurial community in a forum taped for ANC’s "Straight Talk" program hosted by Cito Beltran.

Banatao was known as one of the pioneers of the worldwide technology boom that began in the 1980s and has yet to stop.

"Dado" is a serial entrepreneur with an enviable track record in the high-tech industry and is a prolific inventor as well.

Banatao helped develop the ground-breaking chipset design that helped make personal computers more powerful yet affordable. He also invented a graphics accelerator chip that was eventually used in nine out of 10 PCs.

He is credited as the creator of the first Ethernet controller chip, which enables computers to link up with each other in networks — now known as Local Access Networks (LANs).

He made his fortune by co-founding three startup companies in the United States: Mostron, Chips and Technologies, which has since been acquired by Intel Corp.; and S3, or "Startup No. 3," which was later renamed Sonic Blue.

In 1997, he was honored with the prestigious Ernst & Young "Master Entrepreneur of the Year" award in the US. In addition, Forbes magazine has often included him on its "Midas List."

As the founder and current managing partner of Tallwood Venture Capital, he invests in, oversees and divests technology companies when the opportunity is ripe for multiple returns.

During the "Straight Talk" forum, Banatao advised Filipino engineers and information technology (IT) professionals to consider focusing on developing technologies for Internet-based services if they want to make a global impact: "Nobody yet owns this technology space (the Internet) today so it has huge potential."

Banatao also admitted that, in his 30 years as a technology wizard, he has taken only one three-month vacation, adding that his family often vacations without him.

"My wife jokes that, for me, a long weekend is the equivalent of a vacation," he said.

He also credits his wife, Maria, for her important role in ensuring his success: "She was the one who held the family together and raised our three children to become well-grounded."

His secret for a lasting relationship? "Keep your spouse well-informed and in the know always about everything that’s happening with you at work."

Banatao said he is not picky about the personality traits of the people he hires; rather, he is more concerned that his employees are hard-working: "People have different leanings. There are those who like keeping to themselves in their cubicles; I also have marketing guys who like to party all the time. I welcome them all."

He describes the mythic entrepreneurial hotbed of Silicon Valley in the state of California as "nothing more than a 20-by-30-mile patch of land," though he added that "the size of (Silicon Valley’s) economy can be counted among the world’s top 10 countries."

This man regarded as a Silicon Valley visionary hails from Cagayan Valley, where he was born May 23, 1946 to a rice farmer and housekeeper. He speaks Itawes, Ibanag and Ilocano.

Banatao grew up in Barrio Malabbac in the farming town of Iguig, where he had to walk to school barefoot, along dirt roads. He later went to the Ateneo de Tuguegarao, where he was encouraged to pursue engineering because of his high grades in math and science.

At 15, Banatao went to Manila to enroll in the Mapua Institute of Technology, where he graduated cum laude with an electrical engineering degree. He recalls that, as a freshman, he assembled his own electric guitar when he could not afford to buy one.

Banatao turned down offers to work as an engineer in large firms and instead applied for a post as a pilot trainee at Philippine Airlines.

From there he was recruited by Boeing to work as a design engineer in the United States, a job that allowed him to pursue a master’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science at Stanford University, which he completed in 1972.

In the early 1980s, Banatao set out on his own, with $500,000 pooled mostly from friends, to start Mostron.

Struggling to keep the company afloat most of the way, Banatao hit the jackpot when Mostron came up with the first system logic chipset for the XT and the AT personal computers — an invention that lowered the cost of building PCs while considerably boosting their processing power.

In 1996, his second startup, Chips and Technologies, was bought by Intel for a reported $430 million.

[omeng]

As Pareng Donaldo Trumpo..

"Learn the government rules and play with them."


ESP Public Forum: Evat & Tax Laws affecting the MSME

Wednesday March 22, 2006
11:30 am - 2:30 pm

Event Location: Roces Room, Club Filipino, Greenhills, San Juan

Street: Entrepreneurs Society of the Philippines

Phone: 726-5466 or 411-3251 Look for Shiela or Christine

Notes:
Our speaker Mr. Roy Odsinada [A Sustaining Life Member of the Phil. Inst.of CPAs (PICPA), he served as its Regional Vice President for Southern Luzon, National Director, and Member of Ethics Board; VP of the Association of CPAs in Public Practice (ACPAPP), and former director of the Phil.Association of Management Accountants (PAMA)] will be sharing w/ us the E-Vat & Tax Laws affecting the MSME.

Plus added bonus SHOW-BIZ: Attendees will given the opportunity to introduce their Companies & Products.

Entrance is P500.00/person with lunch. RSVP, Limited seats.

[GOwin]

double post

[GOwin]

Hi everyone. How are you doing?

I'm wondering about what non-wage benefits do you give your employees. Are there BIR rules I should be aware about regarding granting non-wage benefits?

Are there tax-deductible benefits I could give them? I was considering of shouldering the employees share of their premiums (SSS, HDMF, etc) but my accountant says that these are not tax deductible expenses.

(PS
Arrghh... PEx is getting overloaded a lot these days....)

[perkins]

Hi everyone. How are you doing?

I'm wondering about what non-wage benefits do you give your employees. Are there BIR rules I should be aware about regarding granting non-wage benefits?

Are there tax-deductible benefits I could give them? I was considering of shouldering the employees share of their premiums (SSS, HDMF, etc) but my accountant says that these are not tax deductible expenses.

(PS
Arrghh... PEx is getting overloaded a lot these days....)


you might like to consider the opportunity presented by BIR RR 8-2000. just inquire about the maximum de minimis benefits that you may use:

Revenue Regulation No. 8-2000
Issued November 22, 2000 amends specific provisions of RR No. 2-98 and RR No. 3-98 with respect to the "De Minimis" Benefits, Additional Compensation Allowance (ACA), Representation and Transportation Allowance (RATA) and Personal Economic Relief Allowance (PERA). Said benefits/allowances received by employees are not considered as items of income and, therefore, are not subject to income tax and, consequently, to the withholding tax. Effective the Taxable Year 2000, ACA will be classified as part of the "Other Benefits" excluded from one's gross compensation income, provided that the total amount of such benefits does not exceed P 30,000. Items of "de minimis" benefits exempt from the fringe benefits tax are enumerated in the Regulations.

[tennisace]

As Pareng Donaldo Trumpo..

"Learn the government rules and play with them."


ESP Public Forum: Evat & Tax Laws affecting the MSME

Wednesday March 22, 2006
11:30 am - 2:30 pm

Event Location: Roces Room, Club Filipino, Greenhills, San Juan

Street: Entrepreneurs Society of the Philippines

Phone: 726-5466 or 411-3251 Look for Shiela or Christine

Notes:
Our speaker Mr. Roy Odsinada [A Sustaining Life Member of the Phil. Inst.of CPAs (PICPA), he served as its Regional Vice President for Southern Luzon, National Director, and Member of Ethics Board; VP of the Association of CPAs in Public Practice (ACPAPP), and former director of the Phil.Association of Management Accountants (PAMA)] will be sharing w/ us the E-Vat & Tax Laws affecting the MSME.

Plus added bonus SHOW-BIZ: Attendees will given the opportunity to introduce their Companies & Products.

Entrance is P500.00/person with lunch. RSVP, Limited seats.
Are you sure that's not a mistake? I thought it was:

"Learn the government rules and PAY with them":lol:

[tennisace]

I thought this was a good article to share (hello, S.Max):


How to Prevent Employee Burn-Out

Highly motivated employees are true assets to any organization. They're productive, energetic, eager to take on additional responsibilities, and pleasant to be with and work with. Furthermore, they spread their enthusiasm and work ethic to others.

But every organization, no matter what the industry or what the size, also inevitably has non-performing, unmotivated, burning out--or burnt-out--employees as well. Therefore, to increase success, every business owner needs to deal with this obstacle by identifying unmotivated employees and "turning them around." But turning them around isn't as easy at it may seem, especially because as the employer you can't really "make" anyone be motivated! Remember the old adage, "You can bring a horse to water, but you can't make him drink"? That, in a nutshell, is true with people as well. You can't motivate them if they don't want to be motivated. But you're the boss, so what can you do? First, you need to identify the signs of a person on the verge of burnout. Then you must create the atmosphere that encourages these non-performing employees to refresh and motivate themselves.

Identifying the Signs of Burnout
What are the signs of a lack of motivation or burnout? One of the key red flag symptoms is a decrease in performance or productivity. This is especially obvious when comparing an individual's past performance with current performance. Absent any serious reasons to explain away the change, de-motivation is usually the culprit. This leads us to the next red flag: an increase in the number of days missed. If you're in the midst of the flu season and a number of other employees call in sick, then ignore this absence. However, if someone who's rarely sick starts to miss work, then the likelihood is that de-motivation is the germ.

Here are more signals you need to be looking for and must begin to address:

• Attitude changes. The employee is usually up-beat, but now appears quiet, somber, sullen, disagreeable or even moody. Or the reverse--the employee becomes far more outgoing, energized or talkative than normal, typical or acceptable.

• Comments from co-workers that "something is wrong."

• Stress reactions. The job isn't being completed as well as in the past; the employee is jittery, short-tempered or difficult to get along with.

• Tardiness. The employee is arriving late in the morning and leaving early or at the exact end of the workday or shift.

• Change in lunch and coffee breaks. The employee takes more time than usual or doesn't take them at all.

• Decrease in positive interaction with other employees. He "just doesn't get along" as well with others anymore.

• Increase in errors.

• Decrease in productivity. There's an oncrease in time spent on projects without a subsequent increase in quality or productivity.

Okay, you've now seen eight symptoms of burning out or unmotivated behavior and attitudes. Observation is the first step. So what else can you do to move the employee along and assist him or her in the process of self-motivation? The first thing you should do is gather information from previous performance reviews and from other managers or supervisors. Determine if this situation is a trend or just a blip in performance. In either case, you need to intervene as follows:

1. Meet with the individual. Begin by asking the employee his or her perception of their performance or productivity. Then based on your data and observations, share your specific views of the change in productivity and attitude.

2. Identify previous motivators (the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior). Determine which factors are no longer present and/or determine which ones no longer work as motivators.

3. Identify new motivators. Frederick Herzberg, who's writings of workplace psychology in the 1950s and 60s is still heavily relied upon today, offers the following most commonly used and effective motivators:
• First, identify areas where the individual can experience a sense of achievement, such as accomplishing a task, finishing a report, meeting with colleagues or creating new ideas.

• Next, be certain to recognize and reward the individual for a job well done or work in progress. This form of positive feedback usually encourages increased performance and therefore the individual receives even greater recognition or comment from you, the boss.

• Provide opportunities for personal or professional growth on the job. This can be accomplished through attendance at seminars or workshops or by observing other employees in other jobs. In addition, by creating a concrete career pathway (a plan for future career growth), you can motivate this person to strive toward the next job or position in your organization.

• Ensure that you're providing appropriate amounts of guidance and supervision so the employee knows exactly what's expected. Also, ensure the communication between the two of you is frequent enough, appropriate and adequate to ensure the employee knows exactly what the road to success looks like. You might discover that the current job is too challenging or perhaps not challenging enough to maintain the person's interest and productivity.

• Try rotating or exchanging the job responsibilities between several employees. This form of cross-training injects fresh, new energy and challenges into the daily job performance.

• And finally, try expanding the breadth and depth of responsibilities. This too can energize the individual who is not feeling challenged.

Basically, all of these proven techniques serve to assist you and the employee in evaluating how well they fit into a current role. This is an easy and extremely effective way to increase employee motivation, job satisfaction and productivity. After all, isn't this what you want from your employees?

[SILENTMAX]

tnx for the article boss. god knows how much i need help in handling employees efectively to get them working the way they are supposed to be.

truth be told. employee management has really been the thorn in my business's growth :(


anybody has more articles or expert advice to share?
sorry havent been posting lately, handling 4 different jobs now(and another incoming one come april) has really been taking a toll on me.

[SILENTMAX]

thought for the day:

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to
visit their old university lecturer. Conversation soon turned into
complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee,
the lecturer went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of
coffee and an assortment of cups: porcelain, plastic, glass, some
plain-looking and some expensive and exquisite, telling them to help
themselves to hot coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the lecturer said:
"If you noticed, all the nice-looking, expensive cups were taken up,
leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you
to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your
problems and stress. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the
cup, but you consciously went for the better cups and are eyeing each
other's cups."

Now, if life is coffee, then the jobs, money and position in society are
the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life, but the quality
of life doesn't change.

Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee
in it.

So please, don't let the cups drive you... enjoy the coffee :)

[omeng]

Are you sure that's not a mistake? I thought it was:

"Learn the government rules and PAY with them":lol:

Yes, that is the correct version.. di ko lang ma-edit... wahhhhhh. :rotflmao:

Sabi nung Pres ng ESP, AUDITOR ang inimbitahan nila at hindi taga-BIR. Sabi rin niya, pay small taxes in a LEGAL way. :D

[travy]

nice one SILENTMAX.

[omeng]

^ pero di ba mas masarap talaga ang kape kapag maganda ang mug/cup mo? like yung mug ko, may bandila. :D

[sharingan]

@omeng

salamat sa pep talk! see you on tuesday!

[bleh]

wow, tagal ko na rin di napadpad sa thread na to, 73 pages long na.

silentmax, share ko lang so yo pare. i hire undergrads. i just hire them based on their values system. mabilis lang naman magtrain ng tao lalo na undergrads. they're more receptive to instructions, pansin ko lang. kasi must be because they feel they have to compensate for lack of credentials. just pay them enough what grads would get at a starting job. matutuwa yon. shempre sa umpisa di pa marunong yun lalo na sa filing. konting tutok lang naman eh. they pick up pretty fast. tapos konting pakisama. ayos na yon. basta they feel na you're looking after them, doesn't require a lot of physical presence. you'll realize they have more initiative. shempre you make them win, you make them feel they win when they help you succeed rin di ba? masaya. very rewarding. plus the fact that they feel more secure working for you than finding another job. ano bang prospect ng undergrads ngayon di ba? yun lang naman. good day :).

[Trevi]

Hi to all.

Mods..I beg your indulgence for this - (for the good of the entreps rin ito)
@Omeng, I shared / discussed toplines of your docs. may konting ambivalence leaning towards agree(ing) to the issue/cause etc. wala naman dissent, though that is my reading lang. They threw me a very pointed question ONLY you can answer (i was floored i coudnt answer) . I am very busy till tommorrow. I will call you on or before Sat., before hopefully, presenting it to another concerned party.

Thanks MODs.

Regards to all.

[GOwin]

you might like to consider the opportunity presented by BIR RR 8-2000. just inquire about the maximum de minimis benefits that you may use:

Revenue Regulation No. 8-2000
Issued November 22, 2000 amends specific provisions of RR No. 2-98 and RR No. 3-98 with respect to the "De Minimis" Benefits, Additional Compensation Allowance (ACA), Representation and Transportation Allowance (RATA) and Personal Economic Relief Allowance (PERA). Said benefits/allowances received by employees are not considered as items of income and, therefore, are not subject to income tax and, consequently, to the withholding tax. Effective the Taxable Year 2000, ACA will be classified as part of the "Other Benefits" excluded from one's gross compensation income, provided that the total amount of such benefits does not exceed P 30,000. Items of "de minimis" benefits exempt from the fringe benefits tax are enumerated in the Regulations.

Thanks Perkins. Will look into it.

[SILENTMAX]

thought for the day

"Ambition is the last refuge of failure." -Oscar Wilde.

[omeng]

good morning to all! :D

[Krakista]

Good evening, omeng and the rest of the gang! :D

[sharingan]

good morning!

sino pupunta sa biz night this coming tuesday?

[bleh]

ew CSI hahahaha!

[omeng]

from ESP website.. http://www.entrepreneursociety.com.ph/

The Economic Miracle at Ireland

A generation ago Ireland was the sick man of Europe. Today, it is the richest country in the European Union after Luxembourg.This predominantly Catholic nation has never had a history that can be called quiet.

Friends,

The following article was shared by Rotarian Crispino "Babes" Reyes of the Rotary Club of Manila. Rtn Babes is President of Central Colleges of Philippines, one of the leading institutions of higher learning in the country.

The message in this article is so valuable that it is worth the attention of every true-blooded Filipino, especially those of our leaders who truly have the welfare of the Philippines and of our countrymen at heart. The items in the article may have missed other issues but the more important and urgent issues had been covered. Isn't it time we woke up and do something different for the welfare of our country?

I suggest you send this to your friends, discuss the contents with leaders in business, in your community, in government, and everywhere where you will be listened to.

CHEERS!!! MABUHAY!!!

Bien Magnaye BSM Management and Legal Services Tel (0632)872-1081; Mobile (063917)525-9393 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The Economic Miracle at Ireland

A generation ago Ireland was the sick man of Europe.

Today, it is the richest country in the European Union after Luxembourg. This predominantly Catholic nation has never had a history that can be called quiet.

From its early conversion to Christianity led by St. Patrick; to the entry of Oliver Cromwell, a fanatical protestant, which bred religious hatreds and civil unrest; to the Great Potato Famine in the 1800s; its colonization by the British Empire, and its eventual independence from British rule, Ireland's history has been rife with turbulence, violence, and political and economic instability.

Ireland shares much in common with the Philippines. It was a country on the brink of economic disaster in the mid-80s due to a borrowing, spending, and taxing spree. Today Ireland enjoys a higher GDP than Germany, France and even Britain. It also enjoys zero unemployment and provides jobs to 200,000 foreign workers.

How Turnaround Happened
So how did this great turn-around occur and what lessons does it hold for our own country? According to Thomas Friedman of the International Herald Tribune, Ireland's formula for success is simple: invest in education, keep corporate taxes low to attract foreign investments, invest heavily in infrastructure development, and undertake fiscal austerity measures to stop the vicious spending and borrowing cycle.

Ironically, all the key steps undertaken by Ireland seems to be in direct contrast to the steps that our own government is undertaking to get our country out of ICU and shed off our image as the sick man of Asia.

Let's compare and despair...

Education -
Ireland invested heavily in education. In the 1960s, the country made secondary education free. In 1996 it offered free college education for all. The country never let its deficit reduction program interfere with educational investments. As a result, the country produces a highly-educated workforce, comprised of many engineering and science graduates, which has led to increased labor productivity

In contrast, the Philippines is notorious for its low investment in education. Only 12% of the national budget is allocated for education. Debt servicing, on the other hand, eats up 35% of the budget. The paltry investment in education results in a highly-uneducated population and low participation rates: 90% for elementary, 58% for high school, and only 20% for college.

Our proficiency in Science and Math has been on a steady decline. Passing averages in professional licensure exams (e.g. medicine, accounting) have likewise been declining steadily Our best teachers are immigrating to other countries, some even working as domestic help.

Corporate Taxes
In a drastic move to save their country, the government of Ireland slashed its corporate taxes to 12.5%, far below compared to the rest of Europe. They even went as far as giving preferential tax treatment to manufacturing and financial industries taxing them only 10% in the 1980s. The results have been phenomenal. According to Friedman, 9 out of 10 of the world's top pharmaceutical companies operate in Ireland, as do 16 of the top medical device companies, and 7 out of the top 10 software designers. Foreign direct investments have increased from $100M in the 90s to $27B in 2002. Last year, Ireland got more foreign direct investments from America than from China.

Our own government has taken the exact opposite route. It increased our corporate tax rate to 35% under the new EVAT law, which is one of the highest in Asia. To give you an example, Indonesia's corporate tax rate is 30%, Singapore's is 20%, and Hong Kong's is 16%. As if that wasn't enough, certain features of the new EVAT law are clearly oppressive to business, such as the 70% cap on input VAT. This directly hits industries with low margins and who are on expansion mode, such as retailing, manufacturing, power and distribution, etc.

The direct foreign investment in our country in 2003 amounted to $319M a huge decline from the $1.3B levels in the 90s.

Infrastructure Development
Ireland benefited greatly from European Union membership as it gave the country much needed subsidies to build better infrastructure. In contrast, the Philippines does not get much external funding support for infrastructure projects, and on the few occasions that it does, a Senate probe is sure to follow.

Government's own spending on infrastructure is only 2% to 3% of GDP, one of the lowest in Asia. Now, how much of this allocation do you think actually goes to infrastructure development as opposed to bribes and kickbacks?

Fiscal Austerity
According to Deputy Prime Minister Mary Harney of Ireland, the borrowing, spending, and taxing spree nearly drove her country under. This is when they finally had to courage to stop the vicious cycle. The government, the main trade unions, farmers, and industrialists came together and agreed on a fiscal austerity program. Aside from lowering corporate taxes, this program also included moderating wages and prices, and aggressively courting foreign investments.

In our own country, there has been no move to cut on borrowing as the government allocates more and more to debt servicing in order to borrow some more. Furthermore, huge portions of the internal revenue allotments go to the pork barrel fund.

Luck of the Irish?
How can we learn from the inspiring economic recovery of Ireland? Perhaps we should all kiss the "Blarney Stone" and wish for the luck of the Irish. However, the turn-around of Ireland had nothing to do with luck. It came about as a result of instituting the right domestic policies, embracing globalization, and unifying divergent groups to save their country.

What about us Filipinos? Do we love our country enough to save it? Are we willing to put aside our own selfish interests, indifference, and apathy to push for a better Philippines? The time for action is NOW!

If we postpone action, there may no longer be a Philippines to save.

And who knows, if we act in the right direction, NOW, maybe like the Irish, we will one day find our pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

[SILENTMAX]

@sharingan will try to make it to the net night. no promises though.

@omeng pare sorry just had a conversation with the "management" wala talaga your bid was too high. maybe next time nalang, pag tayo pa nang iba i contact kita ulit.

anybody going to the china expo in wtc? from march 30 to april 4 daw ata.
im definetly going. there is absolutely now way we can beat them in labor. at 800 pesos a month for non skilled and 2400 pesos a month for skilled labor. we will never ever catch up to them in manufacturing. best we could do is do the design and make them do the dirty work there.


btw. any pexer's here familiar with the business of medicine?

what aspects of business medicine is there?

from supplying the medical beds to the servicing of xrays to the actual operating of a hospital what other aspects are there in generating profits from the sick?

[omeng]

^ dude, will advise rey hereabout. thanks

buenas diaz to all amigos and amigas.

[bleh]

omeng, sharingan, punta kayo mamaya sa net night?

[omeng]

yes, i will. how about you? you may text at 0917 848 7329

[tennisace]

So you think have a product or service that you can make money on. There is one question you need to ask yourself before anything else:

What makes your product or service special?

The market is jam-packed with “me, too” products and services. Without an “x factor” that sets your product or service apart from the others, what you have to offer runs the risk of fading into the background clutter of the same old same old.

If you don’t have an answer to the question, you either need to consider changing what you’re offering, or you need to tweak what you have in order to give it an edge.

You cannot allow you product or service to fall into the generic category. When it does, you will inevitably compete solely on the basis of price. As we all know, only the ones with the deepest pockets can survive a price war.

On the other hand, if you give your product or service that special twist, or deliver a product or service that’s innovatively unique from the norm, you give your product or service a soul and a tangible reason for its existence. What you’re offering is no longer about price but about an experience. Take a coffee shop, for instance. If you think Starbucks sells coffee, I’d say you’re wrong. Starbucks sells an experience and a lifestyle, and they’re simply using coffee as a medium. Of course, you can buy coffee cheaper somewhere else but it doesn’t give you the same experience and the same social oomph as that Starbucks paper cup.

The bottomline is, your answer to this question is an important building block on which a profitable sales and marketing strategy is built on.

[karl_dav]

hey first of all, i would like to announce that me and my biz will be featured n a magazine soon.

anyway, for those young entrep out there: anong mga problems/conflicts na iencounter nyo sa nyong business?

ako, unfortunately, my own dad discourages me and tells my clients not to buy from me. he tells them that my business is in a bad shape, they they shouldn't make deals with me. sakit 'no?talaga:mad: :( his reason: coz he doesn't want me to have extra curricular activities/ business/ sidelines; just to focus in my studies daw....poor me...

eh kayo?


run ur business secretly, un *** masusugest ko. to be honest, ndi *** lahat academics. kailangan ** personal growth. monetary growth. etcetc.. which ur experience in business my help u achieve these.

[omeng]

So you think have a product or service that you can make money on. There is one question you need to ask yourself before anything else:

What makes your product or service special?

The market is jam-packed with “me, too” products and services. Without an “x factor” that sets your product or service apart from the others, what you have to offer runs the risk of fading into the background clutter of the same old same old.

If you don’t have an answer to the question, you either need to consider changing what you’re offering, or you need to tweak what you have in order to give it an edge.

You cannot allow you product or service to fall into the generic category. When it does, you will inevitably compete solely on the basis of price. As we all know, only the ones with the deepest pockets can survive a price war.

On the other hand, if you give your product or service that special twist, or deliver a product or service that’s innovatively unique from the norm, you give your product or service a soul and a tangible reason for its existence. What you’re offering is no longer about price but about an experience. Take a coffee shop, for instance. If you think Starbucks sells coffee, I’d say you’re wrong. Starbucks sells an experience and a lifestyle, and they’re simply using coffee as a medium. Of course, you can buy coffee cheaper somewhere else but it doesn’t give you the same experience and the same social oomph as that Starbucks paper cup.

The bottomline is, your answer to this question is an important building block on which a profitable sales and marketing strategy is built on.

make really sense.

[ate germs]

hi guys... very helpful talaga tong thread na to. anyways, kakaumpisa ko palang sa dishwashing liquid biz ko. meron na kong mga 6 liters na nagawa and balak ko muna itong ipasample sa mga kapit bahay namin. ang problem ko, medyo anti-social ako ahihihii... di ako masyadong nangangapit bahay e. big prob ko *** hiya ko hahahaha.... pano ba ang solusyon dyan? hehehe... may mga nagawa na kong fliers to introduce my product. very reasonable din ang price ko kayang kaya ng masa tsaka syempre *** quality ok. kaso un nga i don't know how to start. andito nga mga products ko sa bahay naisalin na namin sa mga pet bottles na binili ko pa sa divisoria. any tips on how to start? tnx a bunch!

[beefnmushroom]

ang problem ko, medyo anti-social ako ahihihii... di ako masyadong nangangapit bahay e. big prob ko *** hiya ko hahahaha.... pano ba ang solusyon dyan?

ang solusyon diyan, tanggalin mo ang hiya mo. walang nagtatagumpay na mahiyaing negosyante.

[kabuto_kun_24]

good day...

this thread is very informative... *okay*

actually i've been reading the thread from the start kaso talagang ang haba na... page 20 p lang ata ako... pero sa mga experts natin dito s thread.. i just want to consult something...

i'm planing to get a food franchise and put it in a pure gold outlet. the pure gold outlet will be the one in shaw blv / liberty. its being reconstructed after nasunog cia before.

so my questions are:

1. i've not seen the puregold outlet before cia masunog, so i was wondering if ok b yung foot traffic sa puregold before cia masunog?

if yes, do you think same p din ang dami ng people n pupunta sa newly renovated the store?

i think dito ko rin ata nabasa s thread na hindi maganda ng fung shui ng buong stretch ng shaw blv... but hmmmm.. that's another story i guess..


2. for a store like puregold, ano sa tingin nyo ang food stall n ok itayo? yung pic-pica like nacho king, balut eggspress, etc. or mga food n nag offer ng rice meals like rice in a box, binalot, etc. ?

i was thinking of putting a food stall that offers rice meals , but based s set up ng ibang puregold outlets, parang snack counters lang ang meron (tables lang, no chairs), so i was thinking, n pag rice meals ang offer ko, baka hindi maging patok kasi people want to sit when eating their meals (tama po b ang analysis ko ?). But target ko kasi ay yaong mga tao n ok lang kumain ng nakatayo, people who prefer to eat rice meals instead of pica-pica at yung mga take out.

in other words i'm confused kung tama ba ang product n gusto kong i-offer s target market ko?

hopefully you can enlighten me on this guys... thanks a million... *okay*

[tennisace]

good day...

in other words i'm confused kung tama ba ang product n gusto kong i-offer s target market ko?

hopefully you can enlighten me on this guys... thanks a million... *okay*
Which brings back the question I posed above:

What makes your product or service special?

[tennisace]

hi guys... very helpful talaga tong thread na to. anyways, kakaumpisa ko palang sa dishwashing liquid biz ko. meron na kong mga 6 liters na nagawa and balak ko muna itong ipasample sa mga kapit bahay namin. ang problem ko, medyo anti-social ako ahihihii... di ako masyadong nangangapit bahay e. big prob ko *** hiya ko hahahaha.... pano ba ang solusyon dyan? hehehe... may mga nagawa na kong fliers to introduce my product. very reasonable din ang price ko kayang kaya ng masa tsaka syempre *** quality ok. kaso un nga i don't know how to start. andito nga mga products ko sa bahay naisalin na namin sa mga pet bottles na binili ko pa sa divisoria. any tips on how to start? tnx a bunch!

Again, this begs the question:

What makes your product or service special?

I’m sure you can muster enough guts to approach your neighbors and make a sale. But what happens beyond that? Are you content on making a few sales here and there, or are you intending to make this a business big enough to place you on the road to financial independence?

Here’s the thing, although your dishwashing liquid is a consumable item, it will take some time before customers come back for more. The other thing is, how good is your product really that the customer will go out of their way to buy a single product from you? The average consumer will have some sort of a schedule for grocery shopping in order to buy several household items in one trip. If I was in a grocery and I needed a dishwashing liquid among other things, I would most likely save a trip to buy one product from you and buy this thing on the spot instead. Delivering the product to your customers can solve this issue, but is it really worth your time and markup to go around making single deliveries?

The reality is, there are tons of dishwashing liquids out there. Unless your product does something more than what your competition is offering, there’s not much to look forward to for the long term. Initially, you will get some “sympathy” sales - friends and neighbors are buying not because of the virtues of the product but because they appreciate your effort in trying. Ultimately, your product must establish its own virtues enough to stand on its own merits.

If yours is a generic dishwashing liquid, your only option is to compete on price. “Reasonable price” is not good enough. You have to undercut everybody else. The average consumer will expect your product to be much cheaper than corporate brands. However, cut-throat pricing also means thinner margins, which in turn means that you have to sell more of this stuff to make some real cash.

If yours is a special and unique dishwashing liquid, then the first thing you need to do is to make sure that your property rights are protected, otherwise, the copycats will dilute your market and quite possibly run you out of business. And if your product does indeed bring an innovative approach to dishwashing, you let me know. We might be able to do something with it.

In any event, you should also begin to address the issue of production. You cannot think for the present and expect to successful in the future. You must also think ahead 3-5 years from now. Where do you intend on taking this product and how do you intend to take it there? You have to keep one eye on the short-term and the other on the long-term.

[SILENTMAX]

its a weekend: a little humor is needed :D

>Out Sourcing the Presidency
>
>
>Congress today announced that the office of President of the United States
of America will be outsourced to India as of Mar 9, 2006.
>
>The move is being made to save the President's $400,000 yearly salary, and
also a record $521 billion in deficit expenditures and related overhead the
office has incurred during the last 5 years.
>
>"We believe this is a wise move financially. The cost savings should be
significant," stated Congressman Thomas Reynolds (R-WA). Reynolds, with the
aid of the Government Accounting Office, has studied out-Sourcing of
American jobs extensively. "We cannot expect to remain competitive on the
world stage with the current level of cash outlay," Reynolds noted.
>
>Mr. Bush was informed by email this morning of his termination.
Preparations for the job move have been underway for sometime. Gurvinder
Singh of Indus Teleservices, Mumbai, India, will be assuming the office of
President as of January 30, 2006.
>Mr. Singh was born in the United States while his Indian parents were
vacationing at Niagara Falls, thus making him eligible for the position. He
will receive a salary of $320 (USD) a month but with no health coverage or
other benefits.
>
>It is believed that Mr. Singh will be able to handle his job
responsibilities without a support staff. Due to the time difference between
the US and India, he will be working primarily at night, when few offices of
the US Government will be open. "Working nights will allow me to keep my day
job at the American Express call center, "stated Mr. Singh in an exclusive
interview. "I am excited about this position. I always hoped I would be
President someday."
>
>A Congressional spokesperson noted that while Mr. Singh may not be fully
aware of all the issues involved in the office of President, this should not
be a problem because Bush was not familiar with the issues either. Mr. Singh
will rely upon a script tree that will enable him to respond effectively to
most topics of concern. Using these canned responses, he can address common
concerns without having to understand the underlying issues at all.
>
>"We know these scripting tools work," stated the spokesperson. "President
Bush has used them successfully for years." Mr. Singh may have problems with
the Texas drawl, but lately Bush has abandoned the "down home" persona in
his effort to appear intelligent and on top of the Katrina situation.
>
>Bush will receive health coverage, expenses, and salary until his final day
of employment. Following a two week waiting period, he will be eligible for
$240 a week unemployment for 13 weeks. Unfortunately he will not be eligible
for Medicaid, as his unemployment benefits will exceed the allowed limit.
>
>Mr. Bush has been provided the out-placement services of Manpower, Inc. to
help him write a resume and prepare for his upcoming job transition.
According to Manpower, Mr. Bush may have difficulties in securing a new
position due to limited practical work experience. A Greeter position

[SILENTMAX]

interesting movie

http://www.callcentermovie.com/movie/movie.html

its amazing how wonderfull outsourcing is.
still though i still need a lot more research on this field.

[SILENTMAX]

i cant believe how this quote is so perfect
________________________________
"I'm the only person I know that's lost a quarter of a billion dollars in one year.... It's very character-building."
-- Apple Confidential 2.0

__________________
ive lost a "lot" of money on my gamble with the expansion of my shops. thingking back. it did strenghten me and made me humble and really has built character into me like a manny pacquiao right hook strait into my gut.

thinking back i could have taken the money instead and enrolled it in aim.
but then again this experience for me is priceless

[omeng]

Max, i had my brochure for ME (Master in Entrepreneurship) when I attended the 1st entrep night out for this year at AIM. I can share it to you the next time we meet.

By the way, ok ba sa WTC? I plan to dropby. Anu bang makakahoy dun? Thanks

[omeng]

interesting movie

http://www.callcentermovie.com/movie/movie.html

its amazing how wonderfull outsourcing is.
still though i still need a lot more research on this field.

:lol: 2nd or 3rd quarter next year, i will have my own outsourcing. :eek:

:D

[omeng]

good day...

this thread is very informative... *okay*

actually i've been reading the thread from the start kaso talagang ang haba na... page 20 p lang ata ako...

please continue... "pag may tyaga daw, may nilaga". ;)

[omeng]

'I'm no traditional entrepreneur, that's my dad'

Margie Quimpo-Espino
Inquirer

http://money.inq7.net/features/view_features.php?yyyy=2006&mon=04&dd=03&file=1

LANCE Y. GOKONGWEI WAS JUST 30 years old when his father, John, one of the richest men in the Philippines, told him he just bought four planes.

"Bahala ka na (take care of it)," John told Lance.

That led to the birth of Cebu Air Inc. or Cebu Pacific in 1996.

Today, Cebu Pacific is the second largest airline in the country with a 37-percent market share of domestic routes. It serves 15 local cities and flies to Hong Kong and Inchon. It recently bought a new airplane and will increase its fleet to 12 by the end of the year.

The growth of the airline, which incurred a loss only twice in its 10-year history, earned for Lance the Entrepreneur of the Year Award of Ernst and Young, besting 20 other successful Filipino entrepreneurs, most of whom started their businesses from nothing.

He now joins the ranks of Ton Tan Caktiong; and National Bookstore dame Socorro Ramos--the past two years' winners.

Lance will compete this June for the World Entrepreneur of the Year awards, which Jollibee's Tony Tan Caktiong won two years ago.

Cebu Pacific's growth was propelled by directions set forth by Lance--focus on being a low-cost carrier and adopt unique marketing strategies used by other foreign successful LCCs.

He is the first to admit that he is not your traditional Filipino entrepreneur.

"I am not the traditional picture of entrepreneurship, which is someone who has no money, and who started his business from scratch," he says.

Lance was born with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth, as Dad John then owned a couple of businesses.

One of his most profitable firms was Universal Robina Corp., one of the largest manufacturers of snack foods in the country under the Jack n' Jill label.

Lance points out, however, that there is another way of defining an entrepreneur, usually more common in developed nations.

He is someone who grabs at opportunities around him, takes risks, avails himself of available resources and creates something big.

"It's about seeking out opportunities, taking risks. Developing nations have better capital markets and these provide sources of funding for ideas," Lance states.

But he says most Filipinos have this picture of traditional entrepreneurs, such as his dad.

John, although born to a wealthy Chinese-Filipino family lost his father early. He then had to fend for his mother and siblings, riding a bike for miles and crossing rivers just to sell goods to earn a living.

"That is my dad's story," says Lance.

But just because he did not have to start from nothing should not be taken against Lance who still had the responsibility of growing the conglomerate handed him.

And so far, the elder Gokongwei has no reason to believe that he did wrong when he handed to his only son one of the biggest enterprises in the Philippines.

Lance laughingly describes himself as the Stepford Wife, because his mind has always been focused on becoming the perfect manager for the family business--his only ambition as far as he could remember.

And he did as soon as he can, arming himself with unquestionable qualifications. He finished BS (Applied Sciences) from the Pennsylvania Engineering School; and BS (Finance) from the Wharton School. He graduated summa cum laude both times.

Not knowing anything about the airline industry, Lance says he read a couple of books to give him a better idea about the business. He read Richard Branson's book, Losing My Virginity: How I've Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way. And this somehow became a bible to him in the early years of Cebu Pacific.

Gokongwei's entry into the airline industry was prompted by the liberalization of several sectors during the administration of then President Fidel V. Ramos.

Lance recalls at that time that Ramos encouraged tapping into the foreign capital markets for funding.

This spurred several investors to go into major industries which Ramos, through Congress, liberalized-telecommunications, airlines, cement, energy, petrochemicals.

His family went into telecommunications, airlines and petrochemicals and started Cebu Pacific with P125 million.

Cebu Pacific revenues as of June 2005 was P4.02 billion, up from P3.94 billion in 2004.

Its earnings before income tax, depreciation and amortization for the first six months of 2005 dropped P359 million from the 2004 income of P772 million.

Lance attributes this to the steep rise in fuel prices. He says last year was only the second time in the 10-year history of the airline that Cebu Pacific registered a loss. The first was during its first year of operations.

The Cebu Pacific president says the company made a quick turn around because Cebu Pacific served an "unmet need in the market."

Its tickets sell at 40 percent lower than Philippine Airlines' rates.

There are many takers as he says the airline industry has been growing at over 20 percent a year.

He admits the biggest mistake he made in the airlines was to veer away from their focus as an LCC and introduced business class sections and other high-end rates.

"We have to focus on just one thing," he says.

But on top of offering Filipinos cheaper rates, Lance is also attempting to change people's habits.

By offering consumers cheaper rates if they book their tickets early, Cebu Pacific was able to change the habit of Pinoys who used to buy their tickets two days before they leave.

Asked if there was one thing he would change if given a chance to start Cebu Pacific all over again, he says he would have used different airplanes.

"We would not have started with DC-9s, but started with 737 or Airbuses," he says.

But then, it was dad John who bought the DC-9s.

Son Lance has since embarked on a refleeting program and recently purchased 12 Aibus A3192s and contracted to lease two Airbus A320s.

That's your non-traditional entrepreneur.

[validus]

walang masyadong tao sa wtc. konti lang exhibits nila..boring.

[validus]

guys, who among you are involved in an agribusiness?

[omeng]

help.. please decode.. :D

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." - Albert Einstein

[SILENTMAX]

:lol: 2nd or 3rd quarter next year, i will have my own outsourcing. :eek:

:D
wahahhaha gaya gaya puto maya :lol:
pare payment logistics has been a nightmare. ang hirap kasi dahil sa amla. dang talaga amla. sinu sumpa ko amla. mamatay yang amla na yan. kung wala yan eh smooth na sana operations ko.



btw guys need help.
i have an american client whom i seem to have over promised. im now in fear of under delivering on my services. i think i gave him the impression that i run a 24/7 operation which unfortunately i cant do right now.(24/7 operations is scheduled 2 weeks from now) i can offer him services from 5pm -9am pst. but the other 8 hours i will be closed.
do you guys ethics wise i should come clean on this?


the real problem is i cant hire people fast enough. there might be a lot of applicants. but qualifications is a different matter.

[omeng]

mwehehe.. di naman, tsong. :D

it was discussed by my amigo last year pa. we are just focusing on the tangible products first. plus totally building my network para ang bentahe ko "face value" and secondary na lang ang services... :lol: tsaka, bro, alam mo namang, self proclaim entrep ako.. oportunista in short at bakit lalayo ke uncle sam. :D

exporting services is really a good business especially, we filipinos are very creative than to our neighboring countries which cannot compete at the moment. kumbaga, inborn talent ng noypi yan. plus this dreaded BIR that cannot easily trace your transaction. wahhhhhh :bop:

when i attended this (1st) wto seminar at pttc (libre ito tsong - ang susunod nila sa cebu at davao), they emphasize this exporting services=non-tangible products abroad. and it's a multi-billion dollar industry.. yun nga lang.. di alam ng BIR kung pano mangongolekta ng buwis. ha ha

anong "amla"? you mean.. big time ang transaction mo? $10k.. hala... painom ka naman.. :D

(o ayan.. tip ito. di ko sana ididis-close.. but then again..

"Entrepreneurship is not about what you take or how much you make, it's about what you give." - St. Mary

excess: execution is the hardest part. :D

[SILENTMAX]

*** naman pare. nag bibiro lang ako hehehe. compare notes tayu pag start operation ka na ha. its just ang laki na kini kita mo dyan sa pag bubungkal nang lupa eh. ngayun mag outsourcing ka pa :P lupit mo pre.

btw about dun sa amla. hinde pare small time lang ako pang fishball fishball lang tayu eh :D. pero sakit talaga nang epect nang amla na yan. limited talaga ang remitances ko. i had to bounce my funds muna to europe bago pupunta dito sa pinas. walang direct flight.

[omeng]

btw guys need help.
i have an american client whom i seem to have over promised. im now in fear of under delivering on my services. i think i gave him the impression that i run a 24/7 operation which unfortunately i cant do right now.(24/7 operations is scheduled 2 weeks from now) i can offer him services from 5pm -9am pst. but the other 8 hours i will be closed.
do you guys ethics wise i should come clean on this?


the real problem is i cant hire people fast enough. there might be a lot of applicants. but qualifications is a different matter.

honesty is the best policy. best effort na lang ;)

[omeng]

matumal ngayon. walang makitang black gold sa lupa puro black coal lahat. :lol:

about amla.. basta you're in good relationship with the bank manager plus your credibility.. hindi problema yan tsong. advise mismo sakin yan ng kaibigan kong bank manager sa makati.

[the_hitman]

I am renting out a commercial space in Makati. It's 43 sqm. Located at the ground floor, Lotus Tower of Oriental Garden, Makati, beside Export Bank Plaza. The place is new and ideal for coffee shops, restos, internet cafes, bakery/deli since the area caters to call centers located in Export Plaza and nearby buildings plus the tenants of Oriental Garden. If you are interested, I can email you or fax the prospectus. Thanks! manila101@gmail.com

[SILENTMAX]

yeah talked to a trusted associate and got good advice. Then i just told the truth that logistical my services would only be availale from 5pm to 9am pst.
the client understood my situation and things got resolved quickly

@ hitman
toll you work for oriental or you broker for oriental?
i can vouch for oriental gardens as it is close to makati's cbd perfect for call centers and other merchant stores alike.
ground floor offers hbc, a mini mart, a cafe, and a computer center. on the other side theres a bar and grill. the area is very promising in that west is right across as well as other bpo operations. people support/convergies as well is walking distance.

@hitman. if you frequent the area. hanapin mo lang ako dun sa squidball vendor across the st. dun lang ako tandby enjoying my squidballs *okay*

[bleh]

mwehehe.. di naman, tsong. :D

it was discussed by my amigo last year pa. we are just focusing on the tangible products first. plus totally building my network para ang bentahe ko "face value" and secondary na lang ang services... :lol: tsaka, bro, alam mo namang, self proclaim entrep ako.. oportunista in short at bakit lalayo ke uncle sam. :D

exporting services is really a good business especially, we filipinos are very creative than to our neighboring countries which cannot compete at the moment. kumbaga, inborn talent ng noypi yan. plus this dreaded BIR that cannot easily trace your transaction. wahhhhhh :bop:

excess: execution is the hardest part. :D

that's so true. kelangan i volunteer ang information. yung sa execution part, ang challenge lang talaga yung magbenta eh. hindi basta basta mag setup like yung mga BPO. kala kasi patayo sila pwede na darating lang mga clients. considering we are the Peens, ang hirap pong ibenta ang services natin using our country's reputation. am speaking from experience. yung mga nagtayo ng call centers dito na successful ay dahil may mga kausap na silang kliente from the start. at ang nakakalungkot don, kelangan may kasama kang ibang nationality sa venture mo para pahiramin ka ng credibility. kundi mababa ang leverage mo sa negotiation ng terms.

[baludoy]

ate germs says:

hi guys... very helpful talaga tong thread na to. anyways, kakaumpisa ko palang sa dishwashing liquid biz ko. meron na kong mga 6 liters na nagawa and balak ko muna itong ipasample sa mga kapit bahay namin. ang problem ko, medyo anti-social ako ahihihii... di ako masyadong nangangapit bahay e. big prob ko *** hiya ko hahahaha.... pano ba ang solusyon dyan? hehehe... may mga nagawa na kong fliers to introduce my product. very reasonable din ang price ko kayang kaya ng masa tsaka syempre *** quality ok. kaso un nga i don't know how to start. andito nga mga products ko sa bahay naisalin na namin sa mga pet bottles na binili ko pa sa divisoria. any tips on how to start? tnx a bunch!

maybe you should instead refocus your target market and make the needed adjustments.

go primarily for clients in the industrial sector. sell your dishwashing liquid to small restos, small bars, small hotels and the like. that way you'll avoid competition in the grocery/supermarket level where the customers are mostly guided and influenced by what they see and hear in the media. dyan pa lang lamang na lamang ang mga big companies na malaki ang advertising budget.

tapos mas madali mawala ang hiya mo kung mag deal ka w/ people exposed in the business side of things kasi you'll be dealing w/ them on a professional level. just be prepared w/ your presentation *okay*

just my two cents. hope this helps :)

[kabuto_kun_24]

please continue... "pag may tyaga daw, may nilaga". ;)

hehehe im actually doing that, lurker p din... pero hopefully matutuloy n yung business n naiisip ko..:)

[tennisace]

maybe you should instead refocus your target market and make the needed adjustments.

go primarily for clients in the industrial sector. sell your dishwashing liquid to small restos, small bars, small hotels and the like. that way you'll avoid competition in the grocery/supermarket level where the customers are mostly guided and influenced by what they see and hear in the media. dyan pa lang lamang na lamang ang mga big companies na malaki ang advertising budget.

tapos mas madali mawala ang hiya mo kung mag deal ka w/ people exposed in the business side of things kasi you'll be dealing w/ them on a professional level. just be prepared w/ your presentation *okay*

just my two cents. hope this helps :)
Pwede rin. You can go after commercial and/or institutional sales. The only thing is, the production issue becomes magnified. You have to make sure that your production line is capable. In a market that deals with bulk supplies, prices are expected to be even lower. Of course your production costs will likely go down because of, among other things, the bulk packaging and the fact that fancy retail labeling is not required. However, margins are typically much thinner in this market. So it’s the same basic story: price per unit volume. Understand that commercial and/or institutional clients are also trying to shore up their margins. Thus, they will try to keep expenses to a minimum, and that means buying supplies as cheaply as possible. Again the question becomes, “What makes your product so special that a buyer will consider buying your product and dump their current vendor?” If you’re competing on price alone, be careful not to price your product too low because it would be difficult if not impossible to raise it without running the risk of losing business.

[omeng]

I agree. Cost and production will be issues plus the terms of payment.

Yung kapitbahay namin ito ang negosyo, ang hirap daw maningil. Yung mismong may-ari, nag-mix ng kemikals, putol ang isang kamay. Puro galon ang laman ng bodega. pinasok narin nila pati mga basahan, kita din daw yun.

[omeng]

Quote of the day:

"If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail."

[SILENTMAX]

oh to hell with it.

commercial property for sale (rights only)

daan hari road.
assumed balance
place is 10 mins away from alabang town center and it is walking distance from verdana comercial center.
it is walking distance from sm molino
you can build a 3 story building in this area. will tell total area when you call no text pls

price is 350k (this is easily 450k-500k)

this is a prime comercial property perfect for you commerce needs

or swap with 4x4 or nice sports car

OR

established internet cafe for sale (turnkey)
well established business for sale:

ever wanted to own your own computercenter/internet cafe?
i am selling one of my prime branches situated in a mall in cavite.
27 stations with complete billing/pos system.
1mpbs dsl internet access complete network
includes complete employee manual with owners manual as well.
complete advertising structures from panaflex to outdoor tarpauline advertising banners and stand-up types.

the business is profitable and takes little of your time to run. employees are trained and i can assaign one of my managers to do checkups on you if necesary. employee payrols forms and other forms, ledgers and logbooks needed to function day to day are provided and you will be trained by one of my managers to handle it. everything is turnkey and geared for the franchise setup.


reason for selling:to hell with it.
willing to trade for a porsche boxter (net cafe and rights for comercial property) (car can be used) or a nice 4 x 4

seriously im serious

[omeng]

^ how about computers, cables, and manuals only?

[SILENTMAX]

package deal lang pre. i just dont have much time to run it anymore kasi

i have 5 jobs right now. selling the mall branch will give me 1 less job to worry about.

talked with an associate the other day. he was telling me that his wife was running his computer shop while he was there at work with me.

you have no idea how envious i was. if i could only split up my body i would but i cant. im already asking my parents if they can handle my business for me. pero tama kaya yon? i was really thinking wow. ang sarap sana kung may asawa na at may tutulong sakin mag patakbo nang negosyo...




im 25. i need a break.
i dont need to buy the world. my focus on supposed happines has changed. im happy with just the idea of being employed and nothing to worry about...

but hey ok rin yung may business as a sideline...

[omeng]

buntong hininga na lang muna ako, bok. :D

[SILENTMAX]

eto pare ill make you an offer you cant refuse

i benta ko nalang yung shop sa mall at no cash out.
no money down
i 3 yrs to pay nalang natin yan bigyan mo nalang ako pdc

kahit bukas pwedeng ikaw na ang maging may ari nyan ( i manage mo nalang nang ma ayos ang baby ko ha ...)
kung nagsawa ka after 1 year ehdi chop chopin mo nalang sya tiyak ako mas panalo ka pa.

i pm or i txt ko nalang price




caveat emptor
this offer is only for people i know. (quanxi should not only be for the chinese)

[rexdflex]

san sa cavite yan cutiemax?

[tennisace]

package deal lang pre. i just dont have much time to run it anymore kasi

i have 5 jobs right now. selling the mall branch will give me 1 less job to worry about.

talked with an associate the other day. he was telling me that his wife was running his computer shop while he was there at work with me.

you have no idea how envious i was. if i could only split up my body i would but i cant. im already asking my parents if they can handle my business for me. pero tama kaya yon? i was really thinking wow. ang sarap sana kung may asawa na at may tutulong sakin mag patakbo nang negosyo...




im 25. i need a break.
i dont need to buy the world. my focus on supposed happines has changed. im happy with just the idea of being employed and nothing to worry about...

but hey ok rin yung may business as a sideline...

What you need is a wife.:lol:

[SILENTMAX]

@at tennisace yeah thats what people has been trying to tell me

if only to share the workload in my life. bwahahha what a frigin stupid reason to get married for. :lol: :lol:


@rex ygpm

[omeng]

:lol:

Bro, if only i have two bodies also or hanap muna rin ako ng wife para sya ang mag-handle nyan. :lol:

ibato ko sayo, pag may naghanap.

Happy weekend to all young entrep.

[SILENTMAX]

dude pare!!!!

i guess you dont understand the gravity of the situation

IM GIVING AWAY MY INTERNET CAFE BRANCH FOR FREE (almost)

this is the crown jewels of my business operations

this is located in a MALL

its earning cash. you can use that cash to pay off the monthly pdc.

hell you can improve the sales greatly if you are there. couse right now im losing 30-40 percent in pilferage and in-effecient business practices due to neglect. and then you can probably pay that whole amount in the pdc with the sales derived from your own internet cafe

heheheh but anyways mas ok naman kasi mag bungkal nang lupa pag dollars ang kini kita.

business notes:
ive been staring at my bank statement lately
iba talaga ang cold hard DOLLARS.
its just staring at me. the BENJAMINS is staring at me.
iba mag bayad si uncle sam.
if this is my new future, then who am i to deny it.

i love outsourcing, i love outsourcing, i love outsourcing

[omeng]

I feel like watching home TV shopping network with your salespitch, tol. :lol

Remember these words??? "And wait, there's more!!!" ha ha

Buti ka pa si Uncle Benjo, ako si Kuya Abe lang ang nakikita ko sa bangko.

[SILENTMAX]

BUT wait there's more

if you act now ill throw in an IP based security camera so you can act like
"big brother" and view your own "business" anywhere in the world!!! bwahahhahahhaha

this is an actual survelance camera of the internet cafe im selling.

http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/5224/sell1az.jpg

this photo taken in real time. you can monitor this in any part of the world

[omeng]

wahhhhahaha :lol:

[Krakista]

EB on the 29th of this month.

:bounce2:

[Pancho Jr]

meron ba ditong pexer na nasa agri/poultry business?

[omeng]

^ Si Redman yata.

Krakz, hosto mo? :D

Buenas diaz to all !!!

[validus]

meron ba ditong pexer na nasa agri/poultry business?

ano linya mo? farm crops po linya ko. japanese corn, watermelon and honeydew. next year papasukin ko narin yung poultry business.

[SILENTMAX]

redman is a trader for the piggery business. last i heard he was giddly laughing himself all the way to the bank...

dude mga pare sama natin sya sa eb natin. gustong gusto nya narin makasama sa eb natin eh. kahit inuman sessions nalang (basta hangang cali lang akol hehehehehe)

march 29 ba kamo?. ill be there come hell or highwater :)

[GOwin]

@silentmax
what particular outsourcing process are you in to?

[SILENTMAX]

@gowin
im sorry im not at liberty to say.

ive learned my lesson
7 years ago i was the only kid in my block to have an internet cafe
now every single kid has one. (11 on my block)

im closely guarding my new venture. ive made my employee sign confidentiality agreements. and i am zealously guarding it against onlookers.
hope you understand.

[omeng]

just what i thought. :D

the infamous.. "i'm not at liberty to say.."

so tuloy ba ang EB on 29? Hi Trevi. :D

[bleh]

silentmax, anong line of business ba bagong venture mo? it's a small world out there. people know each other, believe me.

[SILENTMAX]

is this some kind of veil threat?

[validus]

@gowin
im sorry im not at liberty to say.

ive learned my lesson
7 years ago i was the only kid in my block to have an internet cafe
now every single kid has one. (11 on my block)

im closely guarding my new venture. ive made my employee sign confidentiality agreements. and i am zealously guarding it against onlookers.
hope you understand.

wow astig. products or services?

outsoucing really is a thriving venture here in the philippines. but we have to compete real hard with other neighboring countries like india. i'm also planning to take on this one next year.. hehehe

[zerone]

o nga eh. actually, i'm intrigued and interested in outsourcing din. dahil nga sa call center boom. it's just that, i can't think of any outsourcing biz na gusto ko right now.

hmmm... parang may idea ako sa biz ni silentmax. hehe. parang lang.....

[bleh]

silentmax, omeng knows my business. i'm the only one in the Phils with this business. unless may gagaya. so i understand how you feel. yun nga lang kahit hindi ako maingay, natural lang na may makakapansin at baka gagaya din. ayos lang. when you're in this trade, there's only a small circle of merchants involved. word goes around, parang sa sabungan. kahit siguro sa ano mang trade, running into competitors is inevitable. kaya nga, walang kwenta yang mga non-disclosure agreements mo sa mga employees mo. tulad ng nangyayari sa kin recently.

kasi lately may mga pinoy na umuusisa sa business ko. nakakairita yung pagkukunwari nila. pero ok lang kung may balak silang gumaya. actually, curious rin ako sa anong kalalabasan kung sakali nga may gagawa nun. wala lang, nakakatuwa. i'll give them 6 months at most. a year kung galit sila sa pera.

so sa venture mo, good luck. actually, nagulat ako sa reaction mo. why would you feel threatened by me? why should i be interested in threatening you?

[beefnmushroom]

what's your line of business, bleh?

[bleh]

clothing, beefnmushroom. but we do a lot of customized work. there are local businesses like us but they cater to a different clientele. we tried selling the local variants but they didn't meet our target market's standards so we created our own line and upped the quality. quality wise, the Filipinos can do anything I believe. but the Philippines is not exactly a favorite trading partner.

[SILENTMAX]

thought for the day

"In time's of war, when truth is so precious, it must be guarded by a bodyguard of lies." -sir winston churchill

@bleh. i am not obligated to disclose anything to any entreprenuer young or old. when you have lost 7 figure sums and have lost almost your entire life savings, come back to me again and lets compare notes

i am a battle hardened entrepreneur, i kid you not. and i will NOT take sh!t from nobody

nothing personal, only business

about the non disclosure/confidentiality agreement i only have faith in my employees in adhearing to it. if they dis-regard this then i cannot do anything about it anymore and i will just have to accept the given situation

[SILENTMAX]

business oppurtunity for entreps with travel agencies

i need 3 resorts
camping resorts
one for beach (snorkeling)
one for mountains (nature)
one for historical
one week for each camping place
then 30 people max capacity

so basicaly i need 3 different resorts 1 for each week
it has to be clean becouse they are foreigners and it has to be cheap
we want them to come back again and we need to show them what filipino hospitality is all about
pls send quotes to rcjskala@gmail.com

edit add:
i also need COASTERS tourist coaster buses to rent for 3 weeks

[Pancho Jr]

ano linya mo? farm crops po linya ko. japanese corn, watermelon and honeydew. next year papasukin ko narin yung poultry business.

Duck eggs. kakaumpisa pa lang namin and ngayon pa lang naguumpisang magpick-up yung production. first entrepreneurial venture ko rin kaya medyo nangangapa pa. Pero yung partners ko dito eh mga two years na sila kaya i'm not completely clueless. Comparatively madali kasi sya. We dont have to be in the the farm everyday. When the ducks start laying eggs, pwede kahit once a week na *** ang pagpunta para lang sa accounting. I'm planning of going into quail eggs din.

[validus]

what location? silent partner ka? ok din yan kasi kinukumbinsi rin ako last year na pasukin yan. madali kasing alagaan mga ducks at mas matibay yung immune system nila compared sa chicken.

[SILENTMAX]

just got this from cnbc
i wish they had this in the philiphines
for as little as 999 dollars you can rent your own luxary sports car for 12 hrs

http://www.gothamdreamcars.com/

[bleh]

silentmax... teka ang drama na nito. pinayuhan ka lang. magkalaban na ba tayo? tanong mo si omeng. kala mo naman buong mundo kalaban mo. sobra mong defensive. parang ilegal yang ginagawa mo eh.

mabuti pa tanungin mo si omeng anong business ko kasi alam naman nya. alam rin ng tito nya. you should chill out when you find out we're not competitors. unless alam mo na nga anong negosyo ko and you have every reason to think i'm a threat to you. hay nako. napakavague mo kasi eh. kung alam mo talaga kakayahan mo, wala kang dapat ikatakot.

aba malay ba namin dito ano talaga yang pinasok mo kung call center o shabu lab. kung ayaw mo magsabi, nobody's insisting. ang ano lang, sana inisip mo muna na hindi ako kaaway mo para magreact ka ng ganyan.. unless you consider me as one from the start.

kung ganon, can't gentlemen shake hands and have a fair and friendly competition? babae pa naman ako.

[validus]

this could get real nasty.. and i know who's got the upperhand. hehehe

[SmartKid]

Do you want to start your journey to financial freedom??
click the link below:
http://pinoyexchange.com/forums/showthread.php?t=251748

[Pancho Jr]

what location? silent partner ka? ok din yan kasi kinukumbinsi rin ako last year na pasukin yan. madali kasing alagaan mga ducks at mas matibay yung immune system nila compared sa chicken.

sa laguna kami, sa sta. cruz malapit sa victoria. actually yung once a week na pagpunta eh active participation na. nde mo naman kse kailangan pumunta araw-araw. ang daily task lang naman sun ay magpakain ng itik at mamulot ng itlog. yung feeds at yung buyer ng itlog eh through phone na lang ang transaction.

[validus]

ahh! dun malapit sa statue nung "itik"? sa victoria ko dapat gagawin yung duck raising eh. 60/40 kami nung kausap ko dapat. ako yung mag-fifinance at sya yung industrial partner ko. dun ako sa calauan at victoria nagpapatanim nung honeydew. ilang months ka na sa business mo? ok naman?

[beefnmushroom]

i am a battle hardened entrepreneur, i kid you not. and i will NOT take sh!t from nobody


as a battle-hardened entrepreneur myself, i just dodge and ignore sh!t instead of catching it then trying to force it back to the original owner.

but wait, who's giving you sh!t anyway? :confused:

[validus]

not me.. i'm just a lurker and an irregular poster.. surveying this thread.. chancing upon some topics that might interest me.. so far, zilch! except for all the posts of tennisace.

just an opinion. it seems that paranoia has been the name of the game lately. i might as well clear myself of all the possible charges.

[lehboy]

hi guys, just dropped by pex again, mukhang may nangyari dito a, gusto ko rin sana sumama sa EB ninyo

[SILENTMAX]

you know what just forget it

its just not worth it.

[hplarjy]

Any other suggestions in starting up a business for the young entrepreneur?

Actually I'm planning to start my low-investment franchise this month. I decided to franchise for many advantageous reasons especially to learn more about the system and use it for myself in the future. Before I wanna start a Computer / Internet Shop but now it seems so costly and the ROI is so slow. So I finally decided on franchising food products that has originality on it so that a have a good market. Can anybody share what they are up to right now?

Thanks!

[validus]

just as I expected.. another dodging moment by mr. outsourcing! hehehe

[bleh]

^^ yeah... i don't know what to say to an impotent reply like that. when an old dog's down with his teeth kicked in, let him tend to his wounds. holy week nga pala.

[Pancho Jr]

ahh! dun malapit sa statue nung "itik"? sa victoria ko dapat gagawin yung duck raising eh. 60/40 kami nung kausap ko dapat. ako yung mag-fifinance at sya yung industrial partner ko. dun ako sa calauan at victoria nagpapatanim nung honeydew. ilang months ka na sa business mo? ok naman?

may experience ka na ba sa pagiitik? yung batch ng itik namin started nung feb. the ducks we got were about 5 months of age and they dont start laying until they are about six months old. nag pa-plateau na yung production to about 85%. hopefully ma maintain yung ganong level and magimprove pa yung quality ng eggs. i also thought about just being a silent partner pero since i also had plans going into quails, i wanted to learn as much as i could sa business. It's not a glamorous business but hey, as long as it's mak money off of it.

[validus]

^^ yup! very true! when you start, i think it's only practical to engage in partnerships. once you know the trade na, it would give you an option to do it in solo. ganun din ako nung nag-start ako sa agri. tapos nung dumating na yung time na sobrang kabisado ko na yung lakaran, gumawa na ako ng sariling system kung pano magiging effective yung takbo ng negosyo.. my primary objective in businesses is to be a silent partner. in that way, magkakaroon pa ako ng time para makasilip pa ng ibang opportunities. well, it's not really that advisable to be a silent partner when you don't even know how the business works..

marami akong kakilala sa victoria laguna na duck raiser. pero wala parin akong experience sa venture na yun. laki kaya ng kita dun. dami kong kakilala na nakabili ng mga sasakyan at bahay dahil sa pag-iitik. hahaha.

sa santa cruz ba yung location nung poultry nyo? maraming beerhouse dun ah? alam mo yung show girls? hehehe!

[SILENTMAX]

^^ yeah... i don't know what to say to an impotent reply like that. when an old dog's down with his teeth kicked in, let him tend to his wounds. holy week nga pala.


i know you are but what am i?

[beefnmushroom]

tama na, silentmax. stop being such a baby.
i thought you said:
you know what just forget it

its just not worth it.

nobody is picking on you. nobody is giving you sh!t. all the posts in this thread are so tame and harmless compared to the trash i dish out (and receive) in real life. and the posts here come from unknown sources. do comments from faceless strangers really bother you that much? i thought you said you're a "battle hardened entrepreneur, i kid you not". battle-hardened entrepreneurs simply laugh off petty stuff like this.

let's set a good example of toughness for the future entrepreneurs in this thread by not overreacting to random silliness. if we can't do that, let's just go home and make sumbong to our yaya.

sheesh :rolleyes:

[validus]

Damn! you went to junior high, silentmax?!? where? now that is cool!

[SILENTMAX]

@validus ygpm


guys check out this flash movie. its soo hilarious

damn i love outsourcing

http://www.illwillpress.com/tech.html
http://www.illwillpress.com/tech2.html
http://www.illwillpress.com/tech3.html

[bleh]

tama na, silentmax. stop being such a baby.
i thought you said:


nobody is picking on you. nobody is giving you sh!t. all the posts in this thread are so tame and harmless compared to the trash i dish out (and receive) in real life. and the posts here come from unknown sources. do comments from faceless strangers really bother you that much? i thought you said you're a "battle hardened entrepreneur, i kid you not". battle-hardened entrepreneurs simply laugh off petty stuff like this.

let's set a good example of toughness for the future entrepreneurs in this thread by not overreacting to random silliness. if we can't do that, let's just go home and make sumbong to our yaya.

sheesh :rolleyes:

yeah you tell HIM.

silentmax HER po ako. you know your pronouns right? ang pikon mo kasi eh, on top of being paranoid. pinagtitripan ka na di mo pa alam. kagat ka pa ng kagat. dude, you're imagining things. dyan ka nahuhuli sa mga BS claims mo eh. battlehardened my toosh.

[SILENTMAX]

:(


------------------------

[bleh]

anong security threat? there are no weapons of mass destruction here. oy, di kita inaaway ah. malakas lang ko magtrip. tutal nainis ka na sakin eh.. sinusulit ko na lang.

[SILENTMAX]

foul

now thats just below the belt

[tqbfjotld]

great. i think i saw this thread somewhere before....


in LAFI forum, perhaps? :bop:

[SILENTMAX]

whats lafi?

boss kd. can i have the picture removed for security reasons?

[tqbfjotld]

local and foreign issues. i say you guys quit this juvenile fight. so much maturity for established entrepreneurs, eh?

idol ko pa naman kayong lahat.

[SILENTMAX]

Startups On Fire
The five winners of our STUDENT STARTUP COMPETITION have fresh ideas--and the toughness and savvy to burn up the marketplace.
(FORTUNE Small Business)
By Elaine Pofeldt
November 1, 2005

(FORTUNE Small Business) – Protesting on college campuses is back. The object of this generation's rebellion? Traditional jobs. In an era of widespread disenchantment with the often bureaucratic, scandal-ridden world of big corporations, more students believe that building a successful startup is the way to go. A recent poll of 1,155 teens by Junior Achievement Worldwide, a Colorado Springs outfit that teaches students about entrepreneurship, revealed that 69% want to start a business, an increase of five percentage points since last year. And the Harvard Business School just found that 67% of MBAs it surveyed had started a firm after competing in its business-plan competitions.

It's not surprising, then, that our third annual business-plan contest, the FSB Student Showdown, was our most competitive yet. Eighty-two plans arrived from 66 schools, including Harvard and UCLA--up from 58 entries in 2004. To enter, teams had to have won a business-plan competition. (For more on the selection process, see the box "How We Chose the Winners.")
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As our judges noted, the best plans showed strong growth potential. "A venture capitalist looks for a company that can be a significant size," says one of our judges, Ann Winblad, co-founding partner of Hummer Winblad. Another judge, Michael Sotnick, senior vice president of small and midsized enterprises at SAP America, adds, "We have been so impressed by the credentials, plans, and ingenuity exhibited by the finalists that we are arranging follow-up meetings with representatives of our venture capital arm, SAP Ventures, for further evaluation of the plans."

Prep Me, an online SAT-preparation startup that won a business plan contest at the University of Chicago, captured FSB's $35,000 first prize as well as SAP Business One, a five-seat software package from SAP America, which, as the contest sponsor, provided all the prizes. The second-place team, winning $10,000, was NeuroLife, a company created by MBAs at Carnegie Mellon University who want to manufacture a noninvasive monitor to measure brain pressure in a head-injury patient. FSB awarded the third prize of $5,000 to Bigfoot Networks, a company from McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin with a new technology to prevent technical delays in online games. Honorable mentions went to LicketyShip, a business from Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business and Yale that offers same-day delivery of Internet purchases, and BullEx, a startup at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute that sells a new fire extinguisher training system.

It is worth noting that all six prizewinners in our past two contests are still thriving. If their experiences are any indication, this year's top teams will be worth watching as they make their way out of the starting gate. --ELAINE POFELDT, WITH BRANDI STEWART

First Place: PrepMe

WHAT IT DOES: Offers an online SAT-preparation course FOUNDERS: Avichal Garg, 22; Karan Goel, 22; Joseph Jewell, 24 DATE LAUNCHED: January 2005 STARTUP CAPITAL: $20,000 in prize money from a business plan competition at the University of Chicago GOAL: To become the world's premier test-preparation provider

Getting into a top college seems tougher than ever these days, and even the best high school students stress out about the SATs. Joseph Jewell, however, approached the test with a different mindset, treating it as a game. "It was fun to try to beat the SATs. I looked at it as a challenge to accumulate as many points as I could," he says. His strategy worked. He scored a perfect 1600, enrolled at the California Institute of Technology in 2001, and that same year co-wrote a book, Up Your Score: The Underground Guide to the SAT.

Confident that other students could profit from his approach, Jewell--who became a 2005 Rhodes Scholar and is now earning a master's degree in engineering and science at Oxford University--launched an online SAT-preparation service in January called PrepMe. He teamed up with partners Avichal Garg, who recently graduated from Stanford with a BS in computer science, and Karan Goel, an MBA student at the University of Chicago, both of whom he met on the Princeton Review message board.

Unlike Kaplan and the Princeton Review, the giant SAT prep companies that teach a single test-taking methodology, PrepMe offers several ways to tackle the questions. First it gives the student a diagnostic exam to identify her weaknesses, and then it uses relevant, repetitive drills to conquer them. To gain an edge over Kaplan and the Princeton Review, PrepMe provides 20 to 60 hours more preparation material for about the same price. It also offers live essay coaching via e-mail, instant messaging, and phone. "With the exception of expensive private tutors, what's out there has always been a mass-market approach," says Goel, the company's CEO. "We're changing the way test preparation is taught."

Timing seems to favor PrepMe. The number of students taking the SAT has increased by 17% since five years ago, according to the College Board, which administers the exam. Last year students took 1.4 million SAT tests. Another factor: the College Board this year added a new personal essay section to the SAT and included more advanced algebra questions. Many students are frantic to know what they're all about. At the same time, the $6 billion online education market is growing by 25% to 30% annually, and there is room for new players, says Eric Bassett, director of research at Boston-based Eduventures, a research firm. "To establish a small revenue stream in this market is very possible."

Possible, yes, but not easy. PrepMe must face tough rivals in the $700 million-plus test-prep market. Kaplan and Princeton Review each control about 25% of the sector. "For a startup to move beyond a few million in annual revenues is going to be quite challenging," says Bassett. And the behemoths in the industry are paying attention to the online market. The Princeton Review recently launched its own handheld gadget, which helps students prepare for the SAT with a 5,000-word vocabulary list.

PrepMe's co-founders say they are confident that both the company's curriculum, based on the test-taking approaches of top scorers, and the use of tutors close in age to their target customers will help them stand out. They spent three years developing their teaching methods, interviewing dozens of recent, high-scoring SAT test takers and having each write two or three practice questions. The firm also plans to compete on price, charging $500 for its course. Rival companies typically charge $1,000 a course, and tutors command fees of $70 an hour and up.

PrepMe's efforts have already begun to pay off. With a 12-person staff, including tutors, the company has so far attracted almost 60 clients. In the next few years, PrepMe's founders hope to roll out curricula for additional standardized tests, such as the PSAT. The company is also hard at work on a new technology that will allow its students to prepare for the SAT on the run via cellphones and text messaging.

Co-founder Goel notes that PrepMe's young team has a powerful advantage over its more established competitors: "We don't sleep." --MAGGIE OVERFELT

Second Place NeuroLife

WHAT IT DOES: Plans to produce a safer device for monitoring brain pressure FOUNDERS: Ernest Braxton Jr., 30; Daniel McChesney, 29 DATE FOUNDED: December 2004 STARTUP CAPITAL: $7,500 from business-plan competitions GOAL: To be acquired

While in medical school, and later as a flight surgeon for the Air Force, Ernest Braxton was frustrated by the dangers involved in monitoring brain pressure in patients with head injuries. Neurosurgeons must insert a catheter into the brain through a hole bored in the skull. Proper placement is difficult, and do-overs are common. The risk of infection and bleeding into brain tissue grows with every reinsertion, and some patients die. "These monitors cause a huge number of complications," says Braxton.

Braxton--who is earning an MBA at Carnegie Mellon's Tepper School of Business after having graduated from medical school at the University of Pennsylvania--decided to do something about it. He teamed up with fellow MD and Tepper MBA Daniel McChesney, who realized he preferred business to medicine after getting his MD from the University of Pittsburgh. The two launched NeuroLife, which is creating a medical device for detecting elevated brain pressure.

NeuroLife's monitor, called iScan, uses fiber optics and proprietary software to measure changes in the eye's blood supply. The tool borrows from an ophthalmological technique that measures eye pressure by pressing gently against the eye until the retinal vein collapses temporarily. Because of the close relationship between the eye and the brain, small changes in the blood supply to the eye correlate with brain pressure, says McChesney. If the iScan finds the brain pressure to be normal, patients will be able to avoid the dangers of a traditional monitor.

NeuroLife faces some big obstacles. First it must build an effective prototype (the target is sometime this winter), and then it must prove iSCAN's effectiveness in FDA trials, which will take years. "I'm the kind of person who likes a challenge," says McChesney.

One factor in NeuroLife's favor: gauging brain pressure with current monitors is expensive. iSCAN's main competitors are the companies that this year are expected to sell more than 100,000 fiber-optic intracranial-pressure monitors at a cost of $500 to $1,200 each. On top of that, add the doctors' fees, which run from $400 to $800, plus a required one-day stay in the intensive care unit, which costs about $2,200. The iScan will sharply reduce such hospital stays, says McChesney. He also sees a market in the nine million brain patients every year whose conditions make traditional monitors too risky.

If NeuroLife succeeds, McChesney will have given up a career in medicine for one in business. But by changing the way medicine is practiced, he may affect far more lives. --ELLYN SPRAGINS

Third Place Bigfoot Networks

WHAT IT DOES: Plans to sell a technology that boosts the speed of online games FOUNDERS: Harlan Beverly, 29; Michael Cubbage, 27; Bob Grim, 33 DATE FOUNDED: October 2004 STARTUP CAPITAL: A $100,000 prize from a University of Texas business-plan contest; $100,000 from angels GOAL: To be acquired

Harlan Beverly has won his share of tournaments in online games such as Counter-Strike: Source, a simulated battle against terrorists. But as a hard-core gamer for the past 15 years he has also suffered the agony of losing. "And it's not my fault," he groans. The culprit, he says, is a technical lag that slows many games when the servers that they are running on bog down with traffic. In online baseball, for instance, heavy server traffic might cause a delay when a batter swings.

A chip architect at Intel until 2004, Beverly had already developed technologies to accelerate the speed of Intel's servers by offloading some of the computers' processes onto a storage card. After researching how to fight the dreaded lag, he realized that he could speed online games similarly. Beverly's breakthrough: a computer card that communicates with servers, downloading some of the processes that they perform online and allowing them to run faster, thus speeding up online games.

Enrolling at McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin, Beverly wrote a business plan with classmates Michael Cubbage and Bob Grim. Together they formed Bigfoot Networks and developed a prototype called NetBlazer, a gaming accelerator card that can eliminate disruptions caused by server lags. Assuming that Bigfoot can raise more money, it hopes to begin selling NetBlazer by July for $300.

The market seems ready for it. "If the product brings measurable improvement in online play, this would be good news to hard-core gamers," says Shelley Olhava, a gaming analyst at IDC, an infotech consultancy in Framingham, Mass. David Cole, founder of the San Diego gaming research firm DFC Intelligence, estimates that Bigfoot could easily attract at least 100,000 customers for the NetBlazer card in the U.S. Although computer manufacturers such as Dell are luring online gamers with ultrafast processors, none, says Cole, has offered a solution for lag disruptions.

Even if a corporation such as Broadcom or Intel wanted to create a product similar to NetBlazer, that could ultimately help Bigfoot, says Beverly. "One of those companies will probably acquire us instead of trying to make it on their own," he says. In the meantime, Beverly says he's doing better in online tournaments now that he is testing NetBlazer. --EVELYN JUAN

Honorable Mention LicketyShip

WHAT IT DOES: Offers online shoppers same-day delivery FOUNDERS: Tim Connors, 38; Chris Kelly, 22; Robert Pazornik, 25; Aaron Wenger, 21 DATE FOUNDED: 2004 STARTUP CAPITAL: $2 million from angel investors GOAL: To go public

As a student who burned the midnight oil, Robert Pazornik ate through almost as many cartridges of printer ink as he did pepperoni pies. "I could get a pizza delivered in 30 minutes or less, but to get toner I had to run across town or order online and wait for an expensive overnight shipment," says Pazornik, 25, who was then a graduate student in political science at Yale. "It was such a pain."

So he and some friends started LicketyShip, a company offering online shoppers same-day delivery. He reached out to Aaron Wenger and Chris Kelly, friends from his undergraduate alma mater, Notre Dame, who had started NDBAY, a successful used-textbook auction site.

Unlike Kozmo, Urbanfetch, Webvan, and other notorious dot-bombs, LicketyShip doesn't own a warehouse stuffed with inventory and delivery trucks, or employ an army of couriers. Instead it partners with local retailers and courier services. LicketyShip provides software that tracks a retailer's inventory and identifies the closest courier. It typically charges retailers a 5% commission on the sale price of items it delivers. Depending on the size of the package, LicketyShip's services cost between $23 and $152. That's a hefty premium if all you're buying is $17 worth of toner, but it's not bad considering FedEx's fees: $13 to $201 for 10:30 A.M. next-day delivery.

FedEx and UPS don't need to worry just yet. For now LicketyShip only delivers in South Bend, Ind., where it has made 100 shipments or so. What do South Bend's residents need ASAP? Mostly ink-jet cartridges and Ethernet cables. "We delivered a flat-screen TV in four hours," Pazornik adds.

Still, LicketyShip's future looks promising. "People have spent a lot of money trying to figure a faster way to cross the last mile of an Internet sale," says Tim Connors, a general partner at Silicon Valley's US Venture Partners, who signed on as chairman of LicketyShip. LicketyShip, Connors says, is one of the first low-capital solutions he has seen. With his help, LicketyShip has raised $2 million from angel investors and partnered with Circuit City and Best Buy. It has already signed deals with a handful of courier companies and plans to branch out into Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area.

What makes Pazornik think he can deliver profits when others with similar services couldn't? "We're all about keeping overhead low," says Pazornik.

Still, during its first year LicketyShip expects to lose about $640,000. By year two, however, it projects profits on $4 million in sales. Assuming he achieves his ambitious goals, Pazornik doesn't expect to switch to more expensive dinners. "I'll always love pepperoni pizza," he says. "Especially when it's delivered in 30 minutes or less." --ARLYN TOBIAS GAJILAN

Honorable Mention BullEx

WHAT IT DOES: Produces a cleaner fire extinguisher training technology TEAM: John Blackburn, 21; Ryan O'Donnell, 23; Tom Rossi, 21 DATE FOUNDED: March 2004 STARTUP CAPITAL: $131,228 in awards, loans, and research grants GOAL: To be acquired

Learning how to use a new fire extinguisher properly can be a messy and smelly process. Billowing smoke typically fills the room as a fire-safety trainer lights a bucket of kerosene or a mix of diesel fuel and water to show a company's fire marshal how to put out the fire. If you want to train without the smelly smoke, you can use a video simulator, but it's not always easy to determine how well the marshals will be able to put out real fires. Fire departments face the same challenges in training local citizens to use extinguishers safely.

BullEx, a startup from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, says it has a more effective solution. The company has created a fire extinguisher training technology that generates flames in clean-burning, propane-fed pans equipped with digital sensors. If users aim properly and hit these sensors, they can quell the fire without the mess. The sensors then give out a reading on how well a trainee uses the extinguisher.

Less than three months after launching its training system, BullEx has racked up $85,000 in sales from clients, including the Columbia County Fire Chiefs Association in Lebanon, N.Y., and the West Chester Fire Department in West Chester, Ohio, both of which use the new training system for community outreach programs. "There is a real promise for this product for the industrial market," says John Coniglio, head of the Occupational Safety and Environmental Association, a safety consultancy in Buffalo.

CEO Ryan O'Donnell, who received his master's degree in engineering from Rensselaer last spring, took over BullEx when classmates and founders Paul Derois and Steve Galonska, both 23, accepted corporate jobs and recruited him to run the fledgling firm. Derois and Galonska had brainstormed with firefighters to come up with BullEx's system, which RPI had patented. As a volunteer firefighter for six years, O'Donnell quickly saw a need for it.

So in March he took the helm and refined the business plan with classmates John Blackburn, who is now president, and Tom Rossi, who is COO. The trio became majority owners, with Derois and Galonska as minority shareholders. A few weeks later, BullEx won the Tech Valley Collegiate Competition, a business plan contest at Rensselaer.

BullEx hopes to gain an edge in the $2-billion-a-year fire-training market with lower pricing. While rival products, such as a video simulator, cost as much as $60,000, BullEx's system sells for $4,985.

So far BullEx has raised more than $131,000 in business-plan contest awards, research grants, and loans. O'Donnell is seeking $200,000 more to increase production and add salespeople. With plans to sell 300 units to manufacturing plants next year, O'Donnell expects $1.5 million in sales. "BullEx is bullish," he says.

[SILENTMAX]

Entrepreneur: What's In a Definition?

How do we define "entrepreneur"? Is there anything to be learned about entrepreneurship and building a business by studying the definition? Or, is studying the historical definition of "entrepreneur" just an academic exercise?

Let's look at how some small business experts define the word "entrepreneur":

Bob Reiss, successful entrepreneur and author of Low-Risk, High-Reward: Starting and Growing Your Small Business With Minimal Risk, says: "Entrepreneurship is the recognition and pursuit of opportunity without regard to the resources you currently control, with confidence that you can succeed, with the flexibility to change course as necessary, and with the will to rebound from setbacks."

A key factor in Reiss's definition is that entrepreneurs undertake opportunities regardless of the resources the entrepreneur currently controls. I've known many people who say they'd love to start a business, but they just don't have the money to get started. Neither did many of history's greatest entrepreneurs like Michael Dell, who started his computer company in his college dorm room or Lillian Vernon, who started her mail-order business when she was a housewife looking for extra income. These successful entrepreneurs didn't start rich and successful. They ended rich and successful.

Entrepreneurs find ways to acquire the resources they need to achieve their goals. One of those resources is capital. "Entrepreneurial" is often associated with venturesome or creative. Be creative in acquiring the resources you need to build and grow your business. Think outside the box and you'll improve your chances of acquiring what you need to succeed.

Linda Pinson, author of much of the SBA's material about writing a business plan and creator of business plan software (business-plan.com) says: "I have always thought of an entrepreneur as a person who starts a business to follow a vision, to make money, and to be the master of his/her own soul (both financially and spiritually). Inherent in the venture is the risk of what the future may bring. Therefore, I believe that an essential key to success is that the entrepreneur also be an "educated" risk taker.... "

Pinson continues: "I think that there is a general admiration for the entrepreneur who has a skill and bravely jumps into the middle of the fire hoping not to get burned. If he makes it, he is our shining example of who we want to be. If he does not, we say, "Oh, well" and pay no heed to the plight of his venders, associates, and customers who have been burned in the process. The view, though, I think is rapidly changing because a large percentage of American entrepreneurs have not been successful. Their industry knowledge and skills have been everything we could hope for......but their business skills have been sorely lacking. I think it is now recognized that the "educated risk taker" will win the race."

Pinson makes two key points. First, many entrepreneurs want to be masters of their own fate and they can't find this outside of entrepreneurship. While studies have shown that people derive tremendous satisfaction from their work, how many people are really doing exactly what they want to be doing? Entrepreneurs are usually doing what they want, or, at least, they are doing something which they feel gives them control over their future. Entrepreneurs like to be in control of their future. They like to set their own course.

Many entrepreneurs feel that running a business offers far more security than being an employee. Entrepreneurs often argue that you can acquire wealth much faster if you own a business and you can build a buffer of personal financial security. Further, an entrepreneur's continued paycheck isn't dependent upon a single employer whose faulty business decisions could lead to being laid off. So, while some people see starting a business as more risky than conventional employment, other people see it as less risky.

Pinson's second point is the growing awareness of "professional entrepreneurship." Today, more people aren't just starting one business. They are starting one business followed by another and often another. Such entrepreneurs are sometimes called "serial entrepreneurs." Sometimes these people become angel investors who invest their own money into start-up companies. The more you understand about business and entrepreneurship, the better your chance of succeeding in business. Become an educated risk taker.

Pinson reminds us that entrepreneurs have a certain responsibility not only to themselves but also to their customers, suppliers, and associates.

Gillian Murphy, leader of San Joaquin Delta College Small Business Development Center, says: "An entrepreneur is not static but fluid...continues to seek opportunities and/or different methods of operation. When I think of someone with 'an entrepreneurial spirit,' I think of a person who will do whatever it takes to be successful in business, e.g., A former client wanted to open a business in a specific strip mall. However, there were no vacancies. He sought out a business that didn't appear to be very healthy. The business owner agreed to my client's suggestion of dividing her premises, leaving her with reduced rent, inventory needs, and general operations. In turn, my client "found" a location where he could operate his business!"

Murphy again shows the value of creativity in acquiring the necessary business resources. Thinking outside the box or taking creative approaches can often gain access to resources that appear unavailable to less entrepreneurial-minded people. Further, entrepreneurs are willing to propose unique ideas to potential partners or to negotiate unconventional deals to get what they want.

Bernard Kamoroff, entrepreneur, owner of Bell Springs Publishing, and author of the highly-regarded and bestselling book (over 500,000 copies sold), Small Time Operator: How To Start Your Own Small Business, Keep Your Books, Pay Your Taxes, And Stay Out Of Trouble! says: "The original dictionary definition of entrepreneur is one who undertakes to carry out an enterprise,' the words entrepreneur and enterprise possibly having the same root. But people who do call themselves entrepreneurs I find usually think of themselves as more than 'just' a business owner carrying out an enterprise. They view themselves more as a swashbuckler, business adventurer, risk taker. Inc. Magazine in particular likes to promote this image. Me, personally, I do not make the distinction in my books. One of the fun things of being your own boss is giving yourself whatever title you like."

[SILENTMAX]

Entrepreneur: What's In a Definition?

How do we define "entrepreneur"? Is there anything to be learned about entrepreneurship and building a business by studying the definition? Or, is studying the historical definition of "entrepreneur" just an academic exercise?

Let's look at how some small business experts define the word "entrepreneur":

Bob Reiss, successful entrepreneur and author of Low-Risk, High-Reward: Starting and Growing Your Small Business With Minimal Risk, says: "Entrepreneurship is the recognition and pursuit of opportunity without regard to the resources you currently control, with confidence that you can succeed, with the flexibility to change course as necessary, and with the will to rebound from setbacks."

A key factor in Reiss's definition is that entrepreneurs undertake opportunities regardless of the resources the entrepreneur currently controls. I've known many people who say they'd love to start a business, but they just don't have the money to get started. Neither did many of history's greatest entrepreneurs like Michael Dell, who started his computer company in his college dorm room or Lillian Vernon, who started her mail-order business when she was a housewife looking for extra income. These successful entrepreneurs didn't start rich and successful. They ended rich and successful.

Entrepreneurs find ways to acquire the resources they need to achieve their goals. One of those resources is capital. "Entrepreneurial" is often associated with venturesome or creative. Be creative in acquiring the resources you need to build and grow your business. Think outside the box and you'll improve your chances of acquiring what you need to succeed.

Linda Pinson, author of much of the SBA's material about writing a business plan and creator of business plan software (business-plan.com) says: "I have always thought of an entrepreneur as a person who starts a business to follow a vision, to make money, and to be the master of his/her own soul (both financially and spiritually). Inherent in the venture is the risk of what the future may bring. Therefore, I believe that an essential key to success is that the entrepreneur also be an "educated" risk taker.... "

Pinson continues: "I think that there is a general admiration for the entrepreneur who has a skill and bravely jumps into the middle of the fire hoping not to get burned. If he makes it, he is our shining example of who we want to be. If he does not, we say, "Oh, well" and pay no heed to the plight of his venders, associates, and customers who have been burned in the process. The view, though, I think is rapidly changing because a large percentage of American entrepreneurs have not been successful. Their industry knowledge and skills have been everything we could hope for......but their business skills have been sorely lacking. I think it is now recognized that the "educated risk taker" will win the race."

Pinson makes two key points. First, many entrepreneurs want to be masters of their own fate and they can't find this outside of entrepreneurship. While studies have shown that people derive tremendous satisfaction from their work, how many people are really doing exactly what they want to be doing? Entrepreneurs are usually doing what they want, or, at least, they are doing something which they feel gives them control over their future. Entrepreneurs like to be in control of their future. They like to set their own course.

Many entrepreneurs feel that running a business offers far more security than being an employee. Entrepreneurs often argue that you can acquire wealth much faster if you own a business and you can build a buffer of personal financial security. Further, an entrepreneur's continued paycheck isn't dependent upon a single employer whose faulty business decisions could lead to being laid off. So, while some people see starting a business as more risky than conventional employment, other people see it as less risky.

Pinson's second point is the growing awareness of "professional entrepreneurship." Today, more people aren't just starting one business. They are starting one business followed by another and often another. Such entrepreneurs are sometimes called "serial entrepreneurs." Sometimes these people become angel investors who invest their own money into start-up companies. The more you understand about business and entrepreneurship, the better your chance of succeeding in business. Become an educated risk taker.

Pinson reminds us that entrepreneurs have a certain responsibility not only to themselves but also to their customers, suppliers, and associates.

Gillian Murphy, leader of San Joaquin Delta College Small Business Development Center, says: "An entrepreneur is not static but fluid...continues to seek opportunities and/or different methods of operation. When I think of someone with 'an entrepreneurial spirit,' I think of a person who will do whatever it takes to be successful in business, e.g., A former client wanted to open a business in a specific strip mall. However, there were no vacancies. He sought out a business that didn't appear to be very healthy. The business owner agreed to my client's suggestion of dividing her premises, leaving her with reduced rent, inventory needs, and general operations. In turn, my client "found" a location where he could operate his business!"

Murphy again shows the value of creativity in acquiring the necessary business resources. Thinking outside the box or taking creative approaches can often gain access to resources that appear unavailable to less entrepreneurial-minded people. Further, entrepreneurs are willing to propose unique ideas to potential partners or to negotiate unconventional deals to get what they want.

Bernard Kamoroff, entrepreneur, owner of Bell Springs Publishing, and author of the highly-regarded and bestselling book (over 500,000 copies sold), Small Time Operator: How To Start Your Own Small Business, Keep Your Books, Pay Your Taxes, And Stay Out Of Trouble! says: "The original dictionary definition of entrepreneur is one who undertakes to carry out an enterprise,' the words entrepreneur and enterprise possibly having the same root. But people who do call themselves entrepreneurs I find usually think of themselves as more than 'just' a business owner carrying out an enterprise. They view themselves more as a swashbuckler, business adventurer, risk taker. Inc. Magazine in particular likes to promote this image. Me, personally, I do not make the distinction in my books. One of the fun things of being your own boss is giving yourself whatever title you like."

[SILENTMAX]

Business Entry Strategy (Part II) : Small Business Marketing 101

Whether you're starting a new business or running an existing business, you constantly need to market your products and services. Effective marketing translates into growing your company's revenue and becoming a successful business.

In our last column, we discussed the importance of studying your industry with a particular focus upon understanding distribution within your industry. For some companies, getting adequate distribution plays a major role in enhancing revenue.

For example, when someone goes into a hardware store to buy a hammer, the manufacturers who have their hammers positioned on the shelves have a major advantage over a manufacturer who isn't represented.

Yet, having distribution doesn't guarantee that consumers will purchase your products. Marketing converts prospects into customers. Most people who want to start a business first ask themselves what they want to do. Then, as an afterthought, they contemplate how to find customers.

After studying your industry, but before writing a business plan, create a marketing plan. Who are your customers? How will you reach them? Why will prospective customers want to do business with your company? What distinguishes your company from your competitors? How do your competitors acquire and retain their customers? What have potential customers told you about your products?

Entrepreneurship guru Peter Drucker says good entrepreneurship is market-driven and market-focused. In his classic book, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Drucker tells the story of William Conner who created an enzyme-compound which dissolves a particular ligament in the eye. Conner built a very successful business based upon this single compound and later sold his business for a small fortune.

Was Conner a research scientist who just happened to be dabbling in ligament-dissolving compounds? No. Was there a widely-known need for ligament dissolving compounds in general? No.

Conner was a salesman to the medical industry when he decided he wanted to start his own company. Conner went out and spoke with surgeons about the problems and difficulties the surgeons faced. This is what is meant by being a market-driven company. Don't ask what you want to create. Ask what the market wants created. Learn from the market.

Conner learned that the process for cataract surgery was in general routine and easy, except for one incongruity making the surgery difficult and unpleasant for physicians. During the surgery, surgeons had to cut one eye ligament. This involved some risk to the patient and much stress for the surgeon.

With research, Conner learned that there was an enzyme which dissolved this ligament. After patenting his enzyme-compound, Conner quickly captured and dominated a niche market providing this compound to surgeons who performed cataract surgery. No longer did surgeons need to cut the ligament. They could easily dissolve it.

Had surgeons told Conner about some other need, his business would have moved in an entirely different direction. Having a market focus led Conner to success.

Market-driven companies must be flexible. You never really know where market demand will lead. Filling an existing market need is a great business entry strategy. But, to find such needs, you must get out and talk with your potential customers.

You show me a great marketer, and I'll show you someone who spends time understanding the real needs and concerns of his market. He talks with customers. You show me a marketer who spends all his time contemplating his own ideas, and I’ll show you an unsuccessful marketer, who creates assumptions about the perceived needs of his almost-customers.

Your marketing strategy must be an integral part of your business. For example, if you're a personal financial consultant who serves the affluent, your marketing strategy will be greatly different from the marketing strategy of an online bookseller.

Thomas Stanley, author of Networking With The Affluent And Their Advisors, tells us that people who are especially effective in marketing and networking with the affluent are aware of the special concerns of the affluent. One of the greatest needs of affluent business owners, for example, is enhancing their own revenue.

Stanley tells us about a financial advisor who was talking with the wealthy owner of a welding company. Rather than focusing upon the financial advisor's "me, me, me" interest of getting as much money under his grubby management paw as possible, the advisor focused upon his potential client's real concerns and priorities.

Upon meeting the wealthy welder, the financial advisor immediately said that he had several clients who owned oil rigs which needed welding services. The financial advisor put the welder in contact with the oil riggers. The welder received much business and opened a multimillion dollar account with the financial advisor.

By showing an understanding of the needs of the wealthy welder, the financial advisor differentiated himself from the multitude of financial advisors who only offered money management.

But, getting a single customer isn't the greatest benefit of effective networking and serving the true needs of your clients. Serving the true needs of your clients leads to word-of-mouth referrals and client retention.

While the marketing and networking methods of Stanley work for those serving the affluent, what about an online bookstore? Today, for the mass market, personalization is becoming automated.

Jesus Mena, author of Data Mining Your Web Site, says that the goal of online customer profiling, data mining, clustering, segmentation, statistics, pattern recognition of neural networks, and a whole host of other high-tech marketing terms is still to serve the customer better.

By profiling a customer, online sellers can position offers and advertisements that are of particular interest to each customer. Ultimately, you want your marketing, advertising, and offers to resonate with the target market.

Sometimes, a particular company will strike a cord within a population, as did the online auctioneer eBay.com, which, in only a few short years, went from being a new dot-com to becoming part of established Americana. Other times, a particular ad campaign will prove especially successful, as did the entertaining AFLAC Insurance Duck Campaign created by The Kaplan Thaler Group.

While you can't guarantee marketing resonance to the extent of the AFLAC Duck, renowned sports marketer Jon Spoelstra, author of Marketing Outrageously: How to Increase Your Revenue by Staggering Amounts, says that you must avoid bland marketing at all costs.

Bland messages sent to untargeted audiences get lost in the noise (According to Shel Horowitz, author of Grassroots Marketing: Getting Noticed in a Noisy World, the average adult in the U.S. is exposed to two thousand messages every day).

When brought in as a marketing consultant to revive the Sacramento Kings' season ticket renewals, which had fallen through the floor, Spoelstra was advised that, even though he wrote a great renewal letter, it wouldn't be read by the fans, who were now throwing out all correspondence from the team.

Spoelstra guaranteed the letter would be read. The letter was tied to the leg of a three-foot-long rubber chicken wearing a jersey that said, "Don't fowl out!" The rubber chicken was stuffed into a tubular Fed-Ex container and mailed to fans.

As Spoelstra explains, the Fed-Ex box was the headline. The rubber chicken, the subheadline. The only purpose of the headline is to get the prospect to read the subheadline. The purpose of the subheadline was to get the reader to read the letter. Fans did read the letter attached to the chicken. And, a $12,000 rubber-chicken campaign generated about $2.5 million in extra renewals.

Spoelstra also says that smaller companies with limited ad budgets must measure success in terms of how many dollars of revenue is generated per dollar spent on advertising. Small business advertising must not only build awareness, it must ask for a trackable sale.

[SILENTMAX]

The Importance Of Professionalism In Small Business

If you're alert, you find business lessons in all sorts of places.

A while ago, my mom had a new power receptacle installed in her house. She selected a company from the Yellow Pages, and the plug was installed. Unfortunately, the job wasn't flawless, and, in the end, in addition to getting a new power source, the wall also had a gaping seven-inch hole surrounding the plug. And, there were a few extra holes drilled through the floor for good measure.

Being the handyman I am, I decided this would be easy enough to fix. A little plaster patch and wood putty and voila! Better than the best drywall expert in the country! Of course, the intelligent thing to do probably would have been to just call the electrician's bonding company and let them take care of it. Delegating jobs to others is usually the right choice. And, it's almost never smart to let someone else's error cost you time and money. Let it cost the person who made the error.

I have my own theory about doing-it-yourselfers versus delegators and the consequences for successful entrepreneurship. I think many people who do-it-yourself aren't convinced they can get someone else to do an adequate job. They don't want to boss someone else around. And, if they aren't satisfied, they don't like to complain. Delegators are confident in their management skills. They will assert themselves to get the job done right--by someone else--no matter what it takes, from begging to threatening and everything in between. The only thing they won't do is pay more money to correct someone else's error. Entrepreneurs need to learn to be managers. Entrepreneurs need to be willing to enforce contracts to assure other parties perform adequately.

Filling the drill holes with wood putty went easily enough. I was ready for my own This Old House show. But, a little bit of early success is a dangerous thing.

After cutting a piece of sheet rock to fit the hole (helpful hint to do-it-yourselfers out there—Don't cut sheet rock with a saw. Use a very sharp knife), I placed the piece into the wall and noticed that the plug sat a good quarter inch behind the wall and it was crooked to boot. This wouldn't do. The receptacle box had to move forward so that the end result would look like a normal wall receptacle.

I called the electrical company to ask them to send someone out to move the receptacle forward. After about nine rings, a guy answered and said, "Hello."

"Hello," said I. "Is this So-and-So Electric?"

"Yes."

Now at this point, several things struck me. First, for a company which advertises in the Yellow Pages, nine phone rings isn't too great. Second, businesses which deal with the public usually answer the phone, "Hello. This is the So-and-So Company." They usually throw in: "How may I help you?" A business which is trying to draw customers from the larger public needs a dedicated phone line. And, preferably, someone answering it during business hours on the first few rings.

I explained my plight. There was a slight problem with their installation—a seven-hole in the wall. But, I was on it. I had cut a piece of sheet rock. I explained when I aligned the sheet rock, the plug sat too far back. So, send someone out to move the receptacle box up a quarter inch or so.

The proprietor explained that I just had to move the receptacle forward and the wall plate would hold it in. OK. Send someone out to show me. He responded that "We don't send someone out to move two screws."

"Ah, but I want somebody to come and look at it," said I.

"OK," said he. But, he'd need to charge me for it.

"That was unacceptable" I told him.

He tried to negotiate saying how about he'd charge me for it if it wasn't done right, but if it was done right, he'd charge me. I wasn't in the mood for negotiation. In my book, a seven-inch hole in the wall is a job not done right. I shouldn't even have needed to spend my time on this.

I asked him for the phone number of his bonding company. He said he didn't give that information out unless a job was done wrong. I popped. I reminded him there was a seven-inch hole in the wall. I told him that information about his bonding company was on file with the Secretary of State. But, he'd better hope I didn't need to call the Secretary of State to get it.

The proprietor said he'd send someone out. Finally. I had expected that when he heard "seven-inch hole," he'd respond, "We'll send someone out right away. We'll get it corrected."

Toward the end of the conversation, he asked, "Who are you? I don't even know who I'm talking to."

I gave him my name. He'd get someone out, but it couldn't be Friday. All his people were going deer hunting, and he didn't have anyone on the weekend.

After hanging up the phone, the statement, "I don't even know who I'm talking to" stuck in my mind. I should have responded, "a frustrated customer."

For all this proprietor knew, I was the head of a building association or someone else positioned to send him a large number of business referrals. Word-of-mouth is one of the most important advertising methods. There is a world of difference between a Yellow Pages ad that draws in a one-time customer and a Yellow Pages ad followed up by great service that draws in a customer and converts him into a regular customer and a source of referrals.

I was willing to overlook the initial error. Mistakes happen. Even seven-inch holes in walls. I was willing to overlook a few extra phone rings and a curt "Hello?" But, I would never be willing to overlook a company's unwillingness to correct its mistakes and a lack of service toward customers. It's probably just as well for the proprietor, however. He probably doesn't want any more business during deer season.

[SILENTMAX]

Fear In Business

Many people who want to start and build a business fear accounting and simple financial decision making. Financial decision making involves math and Mathphobia is real. Many people are intimidated by numbers and calculations. When I taught physics as a graduate student at the University of Minnesota, I often saw this fear of math in students. And people tend to avoid what they fear. Avoiding what we fear only strengthens the fear and makes us less prepared to deal with it in the future.

Confront fear to lessen it. When we confront what we fear, our body kicks into a fear response that is a state of physical panic. It is exhausting. We cannot maintain the fear response for long. Our bodies simply cannot stay in an extremely heightened physical state for extended periods of time. So we cool down. We relax. This is the conventional way of overcoming phobias. Confront what we fear, and the fear often goes away in time.

The best example is someone who fears heights. You walk across a bridge and look down and are nervous. Now, the bridge has a solid and high railing to prevent you from falling, so the fear is irrational. There is no real danger. If you walk to the edge and look down your heart will race faster. But, it can't keep beating more and more quickly forever. Eventually it settles down. And you are then calmer. Repeated exposure to fear lessens it.

It works for heights. It works for public speaking. It works for overcoming most undesired fears.

So if you fear financial decision making, you should approach learning it proactively. Take a college-level class in bookkeeping. Don't let the fear of numbers stop you from learning what you need to succeed in business. Also, your state government probably offers some free classes about going into business for yourself and the taxation issues.

Here are some books to bolster your strength and knowledge. Minding Her Own Business by Jan Zobel. This is a book written to help teach women how to do their own business taxes. The McGraw-Hill 36-Hour Course In Finance For Nonfinancial Managers by Robert A. Cooke is an excellent introduction to finance. Finally, there is my own Thinking Like An Entrepreneur.

Force yourself to learn financial decision making and basic taxation issues if you are really intimidated by numbers and taxes but you really want to start a business. You need to know this if you are to succeed in building a business of your own.

And, remember, as Albert Einstein said, it doesn't take a mathematician to do your taxes, it takes a philosopher.

Another big fear of many is technology. It paralyzes them. Adults have what I call the "I don't want to break the VCR" fear. They are afraid they will push a trick button or combination thereof and the VCR will never work again. So they stay with the safe buttons. "Play," "Rewind," "Eject." Maybe "Pause" if they drink a lot of coffee. A few of us brave old folks even have mastered the intimidating little red "Record" button. But, by and large, they have no idea how to program their VCR to record that great John Wayne movie that is on at three in the morning.

Children usually have no such fear of punching the wrong button. They madly punch away until they get bored. Because of this willingness to experiment with the VCR, they learn to program it to record all sorts of stuff. To learn technology, do not fear it. Play with it. Be a child. If you break it, it was a ****** VCR to begin with. You should demand your money back.

Don't be afraid to play with your computer. Try things and learn how to be more efficient just by playing. Just never touch your Windows registry. That's like trying to lessen your fear of heights by walking across a two-by-four spanning the Mississippi River on a windy day.

A friend who is a network administrator had a curious experience. He was called and this employee was sitting in shock in front of her computer. Absolutely terrified. Network man though maybe she received a death threat or something. She just sat there white as a sheet trembling.

What was it that instilled this fear in the heart of an otherwise brave woman? She had received an e-mail attachment in .doc format. "What do I do?" she asked. Open it or delete it? It could be something important, but then again, it could be a malicious virus just waiting to do her computer in. He looked at her and said, "Do you feel lucky?"

[SILENTMAX]

The Ants Effect In Big Business

It was a hot summer day, and I went to the kitchen to get a Diet Pepsi. I saw an ant. Just one at first, but then I noticed another. As I got closer to the cupboard, I realized it was a full-scale invasion. There was a regular column of ants, army like, marching up toward the sugar bowl. I followed them back all the way out of the kitchen and down the steps leading to our back door.

It was irritating, but also amusing to watch this little procession. I knew if I let it continue, it would become a two-way highway. Ants going to the sugar bowl to get some and then returning home with their booty. Each just mindlessly following the one in front of it to the grub and back.

I was not about to let this happen. I went and got a ruler. No, I wasn't going to swat the little ants to death. Just an experiment. I put my ruler down. Literally. I blocked off the path. Now normally climbing a ruler or going around it should not be a problem for an ant. At least I wouldn't think so. But, then again, I'm not an entomologist either.

My ruler totally distraught the ants. Without the one in front to follow, the ant at the rear lost focus. He didn't know what to do. The one behind him bumped into him and stopped and they just kind of stood there looking confused. One little fellow who would fit in great at a larger corporation just turned around and went the other way.

He already knew the drill. They would need to return home, so he would just pretend that was where he was headed. I imagined the other ants asking him, "Where's the sugar?" and him answering, "You know I would have had it, but I guess I forgot. I just had so much on my mind," The other ants would understand this.

In time, the ants would scurry around in every direction and refind the sugar. But, for now, their lives were in disarray. They had been used to just following the ant in front. But, my ruler prevented that. I had changed the environment, and they were not psychologically prepared to deal with it.

I suddenly realized I was watching the largest corporations at work. Why was it that upstarts like amazon.com and cdnow.com could so easily overtake the role of leader away from larger more established companies like Barnes and Noble and MusicLand on the Internet? These larger companies had far more resources and experience. But they totally missed the Internet. Buzz, right over their heads.

Established companies fear change. They have worked decades to establish a business model that is profitable to them. One that works. Once they find it, do not be the little ant to challenge the status quo. You follow along. These larger companies would never hire a real trailblazer ant. Every ant knows his place. You follow the guy in front and you lead the guy behind you. Hopefully, the ant in front has a clue where he's headed.

But by definition entrepreneurs destroy the status quo. They change the way things are done. And when this happens, the established companies are usually way behind. Too far behind to ever recover. Amazon.com will be the leader in online book sales. No established conventional floor-spaced bookseller will overtake them. Amazon is innovating faster. They are learning to analyze their customers. With their affiliate programs, many web sites now link to amazon, and just like the river in Brazil, millions and millions of tributaries will lead back to amazon some day. I believe the count currently stands at 200,000 amazon associates.

Amazon is only one of many examples. If you start a business that will need to compete with larger established companies, people will tell you that you can't compete with them. They are too big, too established. But, remember the ants effect and seek to find a new way of doing the business. Then put your ruler down.

When you adopt a new way of doing business that you are sure will beat the established competition, be sure to ask yourself, "What is different now from before?" Often the established competition is hesitant to change for very good reason. Sometimes the new "killer" idea has been tried by others and has failed. Remember, larger companies got big by doing something right! With many upstarts today, there is something new. It's called the Internet.

[SILENTMAX]

Controlled Growth

Many entrepreneurs feel that fast growth is the best way to build a company. The philosophy of 'Get Big Fast' permeates today's new high-technology companies. Growth implies opportunity, and opportunity makes raising capital easier. So, these companies aggressively raise capital as they grow.

But is explosive growth the best option for a small start-up company, which can't rely upon external sources of funding? Probably not. Success can kill a company as quickly as failure. Even a company that's growing like gangbusters and earning great profits can go bankrupt if cash flow becomes a problem.

To grow your business demands investment. Only a certain level of growth can be funded by internally-generated cash flow. Once your company's growth exceeds that growth rate, you'll be dependent upon borrowed money or equity investment. And, if the banks won't lend you the money or if you can't secure an investor, your company could get into deep trouble by being too successful.

Jay Goltz, author of The Street Smart Entrepreneur: 133 Tough Lessons I Learned the Hard Way, writes: "There's a mathematical formula to determine how much you can grow and remain self-funded. To do that calculation, you first have to figure out how much money you need to invest in your business to generate a sales dollar. As your business grows, you will need more money to finance your inventory, receivables, ...."

Goltz suggests working with your accountant to determine just how much money must be invested in your business to generate each dollar in sales revenue and what level of growth will stretch your company's cash flow to the breaking point.

Consider a small book publishing company. Book publishers frequently struggle with cash flow because of the standard payment terms in the book industry. While most industries have 30-day payment terms, the standard industry terms in book publishing are 90 days. This means that once a publisher sells a book through a distributor, the publisher must wait 90 days to get paid. Many exclusive book distributors even have 180 day terms.

While waiting six months is a lesson in patience, it kills a small publisher's cash flow. Money that isn't received isn't available to print more books, pay rent, pay employees, and pay all the other bills a small publishing company generates. Excessive growth doesn't generate positive cash flow. Rather, it demands more investment.

As an example, assume you're a small, cash-strapped publisher. You sell 10,000 books, with a total cost of $30,000, this month. Assume that you only have $5,000 cash on hand and that you run out of inventory this month.

If you were to receive payment immediately for the books sold, you'd be in great shape. You'd reprint more books, pocket the profit, and be very happy. But, you're waiting for payment.

The next month, you generate 20,000 book sales. Unfortunately you don't have the money for an adequate reprint. The month after that, you generate 25,000 sales. But, you're still waiting for your money from the first sales! Clearly, your company is in trouble. You have orders. but you can't fulfill them because you lack the cash.

In this case, you can't supply product and your profits are hindered. In worst case scenario, your company's growth leads to increased expenses that can't be controlled. You begin incurring costs you don't have the money to pay. Rather than leading to success, explosive, uncontrolled growth leads to bankruptcy.

So, what's a small business owner to do to control growth and improve cash flow?

Companies which generate sales to other businesses via salespeople can stop aggressively adding sales staff and focus upon their existing customers. Know how much money it costs to add a new salesperson to your staff and how long before that salesperson starts to generate positive cash flow. Other companies can cut back on advertising and promotion. Just because you can sell more product doesn't mean you should!

If cash flow is an issue, seek to grow your company in steps. Wait until your cash position is strong before moving to the next growth step. That will help to assure that you can internally fund the growth.

As you're planning your company's growth in steps, take the time to evaluate the systems you have in place. Are your systems adequate to support higher levels of sales? For example, do you have space to store the inventory, enough employees to ship the inventory, and an adequate number of phone lines to serve customers?

Even a non-capital intensive business, such as a software company, can get into trouble with customer service if enough customer support staff aren't available to deal with the demands of growth.

Customers who see a company fall from excellent customer service to poor customer service are likely to go to a competitor. Excessive growth sometimes first shows itself in a company's inability to maintain a high standard of customer service. There's just too much work to be done. Be sure you're adding adequate support staff to maintain quality customer service. And, accept that, as sales grow, you might need to find new and more efficient ways to do things.

Remember, new customers are great, but getting new business is costly. Repeat business from customers served well is the heart of long-term business success and profitable growth. Don't let too many new customers drive away your established customer base because existing customers are no longer being served adequately.

What are your company's key ratios that express inventory as a percentage of sales? How much money is tied up in accounts receivable as a percentage of sales? What is a reasonable revenue per support-staff employee?

Once you understand how your business copes with growth, work to improve cash flow. Invoice customers regularly and follow up on delinquent accounts receivable.

Do not compromise your company's reputation by trying to stretch payments to vendors beyond a reasonable pay period. Just because publishers accept 90 day payment terms doesn't mean it's smart business, or that vendors in other industries will accept similar terms. To protect a company's cash flow, cutting off supply to slow paying accounts is standard policy in many industries.

The only way to pay your bills in a timely fashion is to demand that your customers pay their bills in a timely fashion. Know what is considered "timely" in your industry.

Finally, work with your accountant to create cash flow projections and a realistic budget based upon the realities of your industry and your particular company. That will help assure that your business's growth leads to success, not failure.

[SILENTMAX]

I Want My Respect

Every once in a while I read something that must be the silliest thing written about entrepreneurship or investment for the year. For 1999 I think I found it. A newspaper article by James J. Cramer titled "Gates' View of Net Just Sour Grapes."

Cramer is a principal founder of thestreet.com, a newly public Internet company that focuses upon studying Wall Street and which, I imagine, tells investors how to beat the street. Never mind that investment is known to be a loser's game, where the more you try to do to beat the market actually just winds up costing you performance.

Now, when editors (as in writers, people who look at pages and pages of copy and make decisions about which of so and so stories run) become valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars, you know something is amiss with Wall Street Internet stock valuations. As Peter Lynch says, when you think to yourself, 'How can this person be worth that much money?' they probably aren't worth that much money! Rather, the stock of their company is grossly overvalued.

First, Cramer tells us that Bill Gates is jealous of Internet start-up companies. Apparently Gates made some remark about Internet stocks being overvalued, and he called this a "craze." Cramer didn't like that. He said Bill Gates was jealous of him. Bill Gates jealous of Cramer and thestreet.com?

Hello? Gates's company, Microsoft, has just exceeded $500 billion dollars in valuation. Half a trillion. It is a real company with real proprietary products like Windows, Excel, Word, Access,…and many, many others. Bill Gates is the richest man in the world. And to many, Gates represents the pinnacle of entrepreneurial success.

Gates didn't even refer to thestreet.com specifically I believe. He just said that current Internet stock prices were crazy. When new start ups like eToy.com, with only a few tens of millions in sales, are more highly-valued than established companies, like Toys R Us with hundreds of millions in profits, I think you could call that an irrational valuation. Gates just pointed out the obvious.

Cramer "corrects" us saying we should use the term "investment cycle" for the Internet, not "craze." Now it is true the Internet is for real. It is here and it will remain. But, the Internet is not what Gates referred to as a craze. Let's not confuse the Internet itself with valuation of Internet stocks. Internet companies have never experienced a real wash-out period. A full business cycle must include such a period when companies are tested. We have not seen that, yet.

Why would Cramer implicitly claim we have seen such a full business cycle? Let me interpret. What he is really saying is, "Please, please don't let these tremendous valuations end, until I have legally held my stock long enough to cash out. I want to turn my stock into cash. I want to really be worth that much money. I don't want to wake up and find I'm just another writer." And he fears the market will correct before he can do so.

Cramer wants you to be the one holding his stock when it corrects its valuation. He'll be holding cash, thank you.

I saw another article about "entrepreneurs" who bought up domain names, such as theworldsgreatestmall.com, and who try to profit by reselling these names to larger companies. Now, in one case, it was a real entrepreneur doing this. Someone who had built a real Internet service provider. Someone I respect. It was like a hobby for him. But in other cases, these people fancied themselves significant entrepreneurs who were changing the direction of Internet commerce itself. Some said they weren't doing this for the money, but for the opportunity to decide who gets the domain names-usually the highest bidder.

Hello? Let's see, you pay Network Solutions something like $70 for a domain name and try to resell it (almost always to the highest bidder), and you are not in it for the money? You are in it for what? Come again? I just don't get it.

Then, I watched Rocky V with Sylvester Stallone and I understood. Being rich isn't enough. These Internet entrepreneurs are like Tommy Gunn who wants his respect. Hell, he's won the championship. He's "beaten the best in the world" in his own view. But everyone boos him and calls him a paper champion. He'll never be Rocky.

These entrepreneurs are jealous of Bill Gates, Michael Dell, Steve Jobs, and countless others who have created companies that are respected. Companies that have weathered real shakeout periods. Companies that have survived and proven themselves to be the best. Companies that have fought the real wars. Companies that will be around ten years from now.

But, I bring hope to these Internet entrepreneurs. As Rocky says to respect-seeking Tommy Gunn, "One more round. One more round." You'll have the chance to earn your respect.

[GreatBop]

I'm 27 yo. and i operate a small business. I peddle either fishballs + palamig, or taho- whichever i feel like doing that day. The other day, i made 350 pesos biking around selling fishballs. Life sure is great when you're a young entrepreneur!!