Money in Blogging and Writing

Back in my college days when I used to write for the university publication, I thought that there is no future in writing. I believed that there is no money in it, unless you have powerful connection in society where you are rubbing elbows with politicians, publishers, and among other influential people. That notion, however, changed through time. There is money in writing...and blogging. And that I realize since I embarked my freelance career.

Thanks to social media! Now, the internet is inundated with opportunities. I say it is opportunities because it doesn't automatically give you instant money. You need to explore and work hard for it.

I am not saying this because I have earned much. No! I am still learning the ropes. And I am still at the beginning of my race. Most of the times, I learn by myself through endless browsing and reading.

Here, I won't be  extensively discussing how to earn a living or how to make money from blogging and writing, but I am going to share common revenue-generating activities.

1. Getting online writing projects.    After leaving the corporate world, I decided to pursue a freelance career. I started getting projects from Odesk and Freelancer. It's been keeping me busy all the time.  Many of my projects include blogging, article writing, ghostwriting, web content and product reviews. Though I favored research and lead generation projects, but for some reason what I'm getting are writing projects.

Other websites that you can get writing assignments or projects include Donanza, Elance and People Per Hour.

2. Monetizing your blog.  I'm still working on this.  It is only recently that I was actively monetizing my blog through Google Adsense, advertising programs and affiliate programs. There are thousand out there that are willing to be your business partner. 

3. Sponsored reviews. Currently, I am affiliated with sponsoredreviews.com.  Some companies and organizations seek for bloggers who can discuss or create a review about their products or company. Some interesting sites that I still need to check include Blogging Ads, Link Post, Review Me, Shvoong, PayPerPost, and Smorty.

4. Writing Gigs. Many online magazines and websites accept submissions, contributions or feature articles. While many require you to apply to be a writer or contributor, some sites will pay you upfront for articles that meet their standards.  

5. More blogging opportunities.  Sites like Technorati, Helium, Hubpages and Bukisa welcome bloggers and let you earn passive income. They don't pay for your blogs upfront, but you will have the exposure and earn revenue from your blogs.  I'm interested in doing this, but because I am still kind of slow in writing, I can't manage it yet. I'm talking one step at a time. Though I have set accounts to a couple of those sites, I haven't posted anything as of this writing. 

Thinking Big and Kicking Ass

If anyone of you wonders what happen to me this past several months and why I wasn’t active in updating this blog—let me tell you that I happen to make a big and unthinkable leap from being a corporate worker to a freelancer.  I am not going to tell you anything about earning right now because I am not there yet, but I am getting there. And I can see it. It is my personal belief that a person has to find what she really wants in life, and success and its financial rewards will come right after.

Perhaps other people may not agree with my decision, but this is my conviction. And this is going to make me happy. While they are doubtful, I become more resilient.

Like any other things in life, the FIRST is always the difficult, awkward and memorable – first step, first love, first day in school, first job. Whatever difficulties that I am experiencing right now, I am savoring every part of it because I know that at some point in my life I am going to look back, then smile and say: Whew! I’ve been through all of that.

There is no single formula to success. Besides, the measurement of success could be different from person to person. It is kind of subjective in my point of view. If success is purely monetary, I think that isn’t good. But if success is indeed financial in nature for you, then so be it. Your gauge of your success is different than mine.

Think Big by Donald Trump is one of the books that truly inspired me. The book is a collaborative work of Trump and Bill Zanker.  It helps readers adopt the attitude of thinking big and kicking ass. Nice eh!

Bill Zanker is the owner of The Learning Annex. He had called Trump to be a speaker, but was rejected by his secretary not just twice but several times. The Learning Annex started from a $5,000 company and become a $5 million a year. After meeting Donald, The Learning Annex was generating over $100 million a year and growing.

I would love to read that book again and again.

It is funny that I had a hard time deciding whether to buy that book versus a book about how women should manage their money. I was standing in the bookstore for couple of hours trying to decipher which is which by leafing through the pages. I almost read 2 chapters of Think Big that I finally decided to buy it. And I made a perfect choice.

Why Fear? What lurks beyond the realm of entrepreneurship

Where does fear come from? Is it innate in human?  Take a child for instance, why would a child be fearful of the dark.  Is it because she was influenced by her parents or by some horror films? For adults like me and you, there are many things that we fear- fear of losing our jobs, fear of going into business, relationships, name it!

I found an interesting article that specifically discusses about the fears of entrepreneurship.  But let me say this first, not all people can become an entrepreneur. So, I guess only those who have the guts would enter the world of entrepreneurship and welcome all the possible odds, yet be still optimistic and focused on what they wanted to achieve. I can see that entrepreneurship takes a lot of courage to conquer the fears. I salute those people.

In the other part of our world, there is what we call "jobless entrepreneurship" phenomenon. And America is experiencing that right now.  Many people lost their jobs but instead of looking for another job, they created jobs for themselves. This is a clear indication of conquering fear, diving into a new frontier.

Enjoy reading!

Fear. It’s a shape-shifter, a gut-wrenching combatant and top-notch motivator all rolled into one. Call it an entrepreneurial bogeyman. How you respond to it makes all the difference to your success. Will you freeze and pull the covers over your head or will you be ready for anything?

source: thesmarterwallet.com

Sure, an uncertain economy leaves entrepreneurs with plenty to be fearful of these days. Still, more than half a million entrepreneurs started small businesses in 2009, and despite economic fears, 70 percent of them will survive at least two years, according to Small Business Administration statistics.

That’s not to say it’s easy to build a successful business. But with all the obstacles, don’t let fear be the one that takes you down.

Entrepreneurs control few obstacles, but Jen Groover, author of What If? & Why Not?, a book about transforming your fears into action, says internal fears and self-doubt erode your ability to succeed.

“Until you can jump over your inner roadblocks, the outer ones will stay firmly in place,” she says.

In other words, get out of your own way. The antidote to fear is faith in yourself, your business, your product and your dream.

Fear of Failure

We all fail, some of us more spectacularly than others, but we all do it every day. Businesses fail for many reasons: Competition grabs market share, funding disappears, society changes course or a recession blindsides you. “With every failure there comes—like a sort of secret toy surprise in the bottom of the cereal box—added value in strength, wisdom and knowledge,” Groover says. Failing inspires greater triumphs, especially when you use it to get your head straight.

Do a little soul searching after a failure. What mistakes were yours? Why did you make them and what did you learn from them? For many entrepreneurs, failure is far more acceptable than living with the regret of never trying.

Fear of Inadequacy

Some would-be entrepreneurs never get past dreaming, paralyzed by fears of inadequacy. They question themselves, their talents and abilities, as well as their products and ideas. Am I smart enough to handle all the business will throw at me? Do I have enough experience? Will this product really deliver?

Rather than get bogged down in what you don’t know, give yourself credit for what you do. Make a personal talent inventory and then list skills necessary for your business. If you find inadequacies, make a point to learn what you don’t know.

Too introverted for public speaking? Join Toastmasters for practice running meetings and giving impromptu speeches.

Can’t bear cold-call rejection? Change your mindset and believe each “no” is just one call closer to a “yes.”

Unconvinced you can “sell” someone? Focus on how your product can solve their problem instead.

Baffled by branding? Emotionally connect with customers and their needs; volunteer your expertise to anyone who needs it, and educate yourself about social networking.

If you’re afraid your idea or product isn’t good enough, market research can confirm or discount your misgivings. Consult with mentors and successful entrepreneurs to gain perspective, focus groups to test the water, and local business development organizations, the Small Business Administration and SCORE to establish a rock-solid business plan.

No one is ever 100 percent ready to start a business, nor can you foresee every twist, turn and challenge, but if you choose your business wisely and enlist help, confidence will replace inadequacy. You may surprise yourself.

Fear of Risks

People place high value on personal possessions—houses, cars, boats. We fight very hard to keep even the most mediocre job simply because we don’t want to lose it. Psychologically speaking, humans regard losses as being twice as powerful as gains. So when it comes to risking what we have for what we could have, it’s hard to get us motivated.

The tendency is to think of entrepreneurs as big risk takers, but the recession proved corporate America to be a pretty risky place, with the massive downsizing and layoffs we’ve seen. Fact is, business owners take calculated risks and accept them not only as part of doing business, but also of living life.

When starting your own business, it’s vital to consider the big picture. Get yourself organized, research the opportunity thoroughly, ask for help, draft a solid business plan and establish a fallback position for your worst-case scenario. Keep your goals in mind—and the potential rewards you’ll reap from taking these calculated risks—and keep working toward them. Remember that action is one of the greatest ways to overcome fear.

Fear of Financial Insecurity

Nothing’s certain when starting a business, and that state of fl ux promotes insecurity and uncertainty. Where are we headed and how are we going to get there? Will there be enough cash for the journey?

Venture capitalists don’t bestow funds often these days, nor do angel investors. But that’s not necessarily bad news for most entrepreneurs. Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index says $10,000 from the owner’s personal savings starts the average small business.

So if you’re not throwing cash at a new business, what does it take? Diligence, attention, creativity and a solid business plan, complete with start-up strategies, progress reports and sales forecasts. Mapping the route increases the likelihood of success and relieves those pesky feelings of insecurity and uncertainty. With the cash you do have, squeeze every penny from every dollar. If that means minimizing overhead and working from home, avoiding debt and purchasing used equipment, or remaining self-reliant and letting QuickBooks serve as your bookkeeper, so be it.

Cash flow makes or breaks you, so new accounts should pay up front. Net 30 is for established clients only. Negotiate longer terms with suppliers—net 30, 60 or even 90. Keep marketing simple and cheap—Facebook, Twitter and in-person networking—but splurge on a professional, easily navigated website.

When the day finally comes that your business needs to borrow to grow, proceed with caution, but by all means proceed.

Mike Lawrence’s company, Havana Banana Breads, is a debt-free startup with 12 years of strategic preparation and personal cash infusions behind it. His fear of debt inspired creativity and allowed him to innovatively bring his baked goods to online and retail markets for a fraction of the cost two years ago. He brokered a deal with a suburban Washington D.C. bakery to sublet its commercial ovens in off-hours. He branded himself and his company with imaginative banana-focused collateral materials and insisted on the finest ingredients, including whole bananas, rather than canned pulp. Then he paid cash.

Havana Banana Breads bakes some 8,000 loaves a year and sells to metro Washington D.C. Whole Foods stores, but to grow, Lawrence now needs equipment of his own. With the help of the Small Business Administration, he’s calculated the risk and is borrowing enough money for a 400-loaf carousel oven and a commercial bakery space he plans to sublet in off hours to an upstart entrepreneur.

“Minimize the risk by thinking things through, weigh the pros and cons of each step you take, be honest with yourself and go with your gut. Make it part of your plan that when you sign your name on that loan package, it’s your money now—start paying it back,” Lawrence says.

For Lawrence, who was planning his business before retiring from the military, time was a luxury that many small-business owners don’t have. Still, preparation is often that thin line between success and failure. You must take the time. As Lawrence says, “If you rush, you’ll make bad decisions.”

Fear of What Others Will Think

Don’t kid yourself; relationships influence every decision you make, especially when you’re a would-be entrepreneur with an out-of-the-box idea. What if my friends think I’ve crossed over to Crazy Town? What if the in-laws think I’m jeopardizing my family’s future by leaving the corporate world to pursue an entrepreneurial dream? You aren’t the first or the last to ask these questions and consider the consequences of the answers.

“Anyone who chases a dream is accused of having lost it at one time or another. If they all listened, we’d go nowhere,” Groover says.

Entrepreneurs must differentiate between the constructive criticism of someone who is knowledgeable and the negativity of someone who is just worried for you because he can’t imagine taking the entrepreneurial plunge himself. Remember that others don’t necessarily have your vision, skills and drive, so just because they can’t envision your dream doesn’t mean you can’t make it come true.

Sure, you’d like for others to believe in you and to wish you well in your ventures. But what’s more important is that you believe in yourself and stay true to your heart and your instincts.

Fear of Growth

Many budding entrepreneurs can only hope they will one day have to worry about their businesses’ growing pains. But thinking through the stages of a new business—including growth, taking the business to the next level and even succession— is important.

Newly downsized architect Zach Rose launched his Green Education Services from his buddy’s couch two years ago. The business provides training in green design and renewable/clean energy. With nothing to lose in starting the business, Rose’s attitude was “Let’s see if this is going to stick!” And it did; a month later, trainings in Miami and New York City sold out.

Today, with second-year revenue projected at just shy of $2 million, Rose’s company has 11 employees around the country and has trained 5,000 people.

Demand is high—but so is competition. Rose must grow—or die. That leaves him fearful, but excited as he ponders new questions and challenges. Which new opportunities will serve me and my clients best as we grow? Will one misstep bring down the success we’ve created?

This type of fear isn’t necessarily a negative for entrepreneurs, however. It can be the wakeup call that shocks you into action or, in Rose’s case, provides the motivation to keep innovating and working hard even when business is booming.

Kids found money in manure

The internet is flooded with articles about entrepreneurship as the key to productivity growth, the means to end unemployment, and etc.

The StartUp America by President Obama aims to motivate economic growth with job creation through entrepreneurship. Every Americans who are planning to start a business can get a lot of help whether it is on funding or mainly resources on how to start your company.

Then I came across with a very interesting article. It's about the kids in Life Lab homeschooling group in Melbourne. They have a project called SuperPoo.  They scoop horse manure for profit.  With this project, the children were learning the basics of entrepreneurship and have an early understanding of the law of supply and demand.  

I hope their story will be an inspiration to schools and to families.  

Read the article:  http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20110316/BUSINESS/103160328/Young-entrepreneurs-find-money-manure

Rich Dad Poor Dad

This is a must read book!  I read it before and I am reading it again. Sometimes, we have to do something twice or more to give us the same feeling of excitement, inspiration and motivation.

Life is a matter of choices. God has given us free will to decide and act. Robert Kiyosaki had made his choice to listen and follow his rich dad's advice.  His choice lead him to where he is right now.

You may visit http://www.richdad.com/ to read what the book is all about. 


"Having two dads as advisors offered me the perspective of contrasting points of view: one of a rich man and one of a poor man. The problem was that my rich dad was not yet rich, and my poor dad not yet poor. Both were just starting out in their careers; both were struggling with money and families."

It's All About the Attitude

Financial education is supposed to start at home. Unfortunately, a typical Filipino family wouldn't discuss issues on finances openly.  Well, in my generation at least. I belong to Gen X, by the way. I don't know with the Gen Y.

The times that money were discussed loudly were during the bickering of my ma and pa which sounds pretty awful especially to a child. It had subconsciously inculcated in my mind that money could spark a petty argument and could wreck a relationship and worse a home. And as a child, since our mind were like vacuum, absorbing almost everything, I brought those negative beliefs in me. I may not verbalize it, but the way I looked at things, it actually takes me back to my past.  So what I am now is actually the product of the things that happened in the past.  So sometimes, understanding a person's outlook in life is also trying to understand where he is coming from.

If only we did a little twisting of the story, then perhaps things could have been different. But that wasn't the case.

If only I could fabricate my life I could probably start it by having my parents teaching me, first and foremost, fear of God because that will keep me grounded no matter what.  Second, they will teach me how to be headstrong because things might not go the way I wanted it to be but if I am determined, then I shouldn't let anything hinder it, not even fear.  Third, the importance of happiness in whatever I do. That I realize now for I have been pursuing happiness all my life. And when will money comes into the picture?  Well, after teaching me happiness. It is important that we love and we are happy of what we do, and I am sure money will come right after.  When you are happy, there is no such thing as tired or bored. What is there is excitement.

Since I couldn't change my past, what is there to do is to be selective of my thoughts and feelings.  It is quite a challenge because the world is full of distressing situation and people.  Watching TV alone gives a bad vibes. I actually shied away from watching news, I don't know if that is bad but I rather get a financial education through reading books and surfing the net.

I do not claim that what I do is right for everybody but it is definitely right for me.  I am actually pursuing happiness. And I am trying to get in control of my life and finances. Yes, there is a hint of fear but I am excited as well. I will make this work. Watch me.

Lessons From A Life's Crisis

According to the dictionary, a crisis means a dramatic emotional or circumstantial upheaval in a person's life.

Two things could happen to you in a crisis - either you get depressed or it will show the best of you.

If I have to think of a specific crisis in my life that literally pulled me down and put me in a situation where there was nothing I could hold on but faith alone, it would have to be during the time when my father was battling with cancer. I was financially stripped.  Day to day expenses was difficult. But I guess, it is through such tough times that tested not only my faith but strength and resilience as a person.

Now, I sometimes have to go back to that experience to let me think that I have been through the worse - emotionally and financially that is. That crisis actually made me realize a lot of things, and my fingers wouldn't suffice in counting. But let me mention three of them:

1. Cancer is painful. I saw how my father suffered. It breaks my heart until this day if I remember how he looked at me. He may not say a word, but all I see is his love and his pain.

Making the matter worst, the hospitalization bills were painful.  I may want to give him the best medical treatment in the country, but we were financially limited.

2.  Health is wealth.

 I know my father to be a very workaholic person.  He worked in extended hours and even worked during weekends.  I thought there was nothing wrong with that. But according to a specialist we have talked to, stress is toxic to the body. It puts your blood in a high acid level.

If you want to enjoy the prime of your life, you have to take care of your health. Though stress is inevitable, we should try to balanced it out with something that relaxes our mind and body.

3. Money makes the world round.  Honestly, I don't know what it means. But I have to tell you that a crisis that involves a sick in the family, you will truly do your best to come up with money.  Though there is a slim chance of survival, but seeing someone you loved suffer like that, you will never know what you can do and what you can give up until you find yourself in that situation.

The experience is nothing unusual. Some people have gone through difficult situation much worst than this.


The sad truth about it all is money plays a vital role. Money shouldn't have matter.  But having less of it, narrows your options.  And sometimes, death comes handy. I was sad that my father died, but I was also relieved from the burden.

John Gokongwei's Speech

The speech was delivered last March 1, 2002 during the launch of the Ateneo de Manila University John Gokongwei School of Management. This was copied from http://www.jgsummit.com.ph/speech-jgkw-ateneo-som-20020301.html

This is probably very familiar to some of you. You might be one of the Ateneans this speech was addressed to or this might be something you have read in the past. I have read this before and though I couldn't memorize it word for word, but it made a mark in my heart. I was inspired by this speech.

This may be quite long but it is worth reading.

The speech:


 Good morning.

I am John Gokongwei, Jr. I am not an Atenean but I feel at home with you. Today, at least.

Sixty-two years ago, I could not have dreamt of appearing before the Jesuits and their students to tell the story of MY life. I was no more than a student then, at San Carlos University in Cebu, when my father died suddenly. It left me, the eldest, the responsibility of taking care of my mother and five siblings. That was tough for someone who was 13. Creditors had just seized our home and business and I had no experience with earning a living.

But here I am--not all on account of my good looks or charming personality--but because I somehow survived. And when I look back, I know now that I did so because I recognized CHANGE when I saw it.

The first change was war. I had turned 15. My mother had already sent my brothers and sister to China where the cost of living was lower. From Cebu, she and I had to make money to send to them.

I turned to peddling. My day began at 5 in the morning. I would load my bicycle with soap, thread, and candles, and then bike to neighboring towns to sell my goods. On market days, I would rent a stall, lay out the goods from the bike, and make about 20 pesos a day, enough for me to survive and to buy even more goods for next time. Those days, you might call my BICYCLE AGE.

After two years of biking and peddling, at 17, I entered my BATEL AGE. The batel was a small, very utilitarian boat that defied the open sea and would take me farther from Cebu and all the way to Lucena, from where I would take a truck to Manila, with companions twice or thrice my age. The sea trips could take two to three weeks depending on the weather, and the land trips another five to six hours. (I was lighter then, you can imagine.)

On the batel, I read books like Gone with the Wind under the great blue sky to pass away the time, even if we traders were always in fear of sea pirates and the bad weather.

Once, our batel hit a rock and sank. Thank heavens for my rubber tires! Those were the goods I had with me to sell in Manila. Well, we all held on to those tires, which meant I saved all those traders and those traders saved all my tires.

At that time, the War was still going on. Ironically, I look back at the War with the fondest of memories. It was the great equalizer. Almost everyone I knew had lost big and small fortunes at the time. This meant we all started at ground zero. Ground zero meant living by our wits alone; ground zero meant starting equal; ground zero was where I discovered I was an entrepreneur.

When the War ended, I was 19. Because of the war, the economy was more dependent than ever on imports. So when I set up Amasia, my first company, it was to import textile remnants, fruit, old newspapers and magazines, and used clothing from the US.

There was a side benefit to this. I would wear some of my own stock, so I would have different clothes to wear when I went courting Elizabeth, the woman who would be my wife. But at the end of it, I made some money.

The Bicycle Age was over. The TRADING AGE began.

By then, my brothers and sister returned from China. Together, we worked in the trading business I had begun: as bodegeros, clerks, warehousemen, cashiers, and collectors. And all this while they were all still going to school; me, I stopped schooling. Like most Chinese-Filipino families, we worked where we lived, and at times, we had to endure the stench of rotten oranges and potatoes filling our two-story apartment.

By the early '50s, we were importing cigarettes and whiskey as well. Business was good. But two factors made me change strategies again. First, I saw that trading would in time become a low-margin business BECAUSE we were at the mercy of our suppliers and buyers. Second, I saw that the government was working on import-substitution policies to encourage local business. President Quirino wanted to shore up the country's foreign exchange reserves that had been depleted as a result of the high importation of the post-war years.

So I decided to enter the AGE of MANUFACTURING. In 1957, I started a corn milling plant producing glucose and cornstarch. Why cornstarch? Because I thought--and it turned out, correctly--that the unglamorous cornstarch would be in great demand from better known businesses like textiles, paper, ice cream, pharmaceuticals, and beer.

But there was one problem: I needed capital. That was not easy. I was 30, had no big company success to back me up, and I didn't know any bankers.

Thankfully, Dr. Albino Sycip, then chairman of China Bank, and DK Chiong, then president, gave me a clean loan of P500,000 to start my business. He would be asked later why he did that and he said something about knowing a good man when he saw one. (Maybe he knew something I didn't.) Anyway, from there Universal Corn Products, the predecessor of Universal Robina Corporation, was born.

Of course, the bigger cornstarch players did not give us an easy time. They engaged us in a price war. That is a nice way of saying they tried to kill us by selling low.

But we prevailed, and started to get clients like San Miguel Corporation. It was my first real taste of competition. And I liked it. I think THAT first experience prepared me for the bigger, tougher competitors in my future.

By 1961, cornstarch was becoming a commodity, and I saw that there was no future in a business where we had to keep lowering margins to survive.

It was time to get into the bigger, and riskier, game played by big multinationals like Procter and Gamble and Nestle. I saw that all they did to capture the market was to brand their products, for instance their coffee and their toothpaste. That is, give their coffee and toothpaste a name, a face, and an image that customers would instantly recognize and identify with quality. Me, I dreamt that one day I would be the Philippine Nestle or General Foods. So the Manufacturing Age for me was giving way to the AGE of BRANDS.

So, we put up CFC, and our first successful product was Blend 45, an instant coffee we put out to directly compete with Nestle's Nescafe. We positioned it as "the poor man's coffee," hired top movie star Susan Roces to endorse it, and employed Procter-and-Gamble veterans to sell it. Basically, we took a page out of the multinational book, and applied it to our business. We gave our coffee, snack food, candy, and chocolates a name, a face, an image. Today, Jack and Jill, Max candy, and Cloud 9 have become household names.

It was also at this time that I returned to school for an MBA--with all due respect to the Jesuits, at De La Salle University--and a decade later, for a 14-week advanced management program at Harvard. Going back to the university for studies which war had interrupted gave me an appreciation, believe me, for the beauty and the breadth of business life. This is something I believe I would never have gained if I had chosen to stop my education.

The success of URC opened up many opportunities for our group. We had the choice to focus on food where we were very successful-or to pursue other businesses. We decided that there were too many good opportunities to pass up, and that remaining in our comfort zone would stunt our growth. So we got into the Age of Expansion.

For the next two decades, we pursued businesses that answered positive on FOUR CRUCIAL QUESTIONS.

First: Is there a market?

Second: Could we compete against both local and foreign players?

Third: Could we find the right people for the job and did we have enough capital to pursue the business?

Last and most important: Did we have the stomach for it? That is, could we take the sleepless nights, the cutthroat competition?

We went into textiles, retail, real estate, telecommunications, aviation, banking, and petrochemicals because we said YES to all those questions. Still, in all those industries, we were faced with tough and worthy competitors: the mighty SM Department Stores and Malls, the unbeatable PLDT, the entrenched Philippine Airlines and the powerful San Miguel Corporation. Most pundits expected us to fail. They were wrong. Robinsons Stores and Mall, Digitel, Cebu Pacific Air and Universal Robina Corporation are now market leaders in their respective fields.

That's because they offered the public a choice.

Remember the story of David and Goliath? Every industry has its Goliath. But every David knows that all giants have their weaknesses. Every weakness is an opportunity.

In a few months, we will launch our mobile services to compete with two giants, Globe and Smart. Our stomachs are churning for sure, but we know that we faced similar challenges before, and we are hopeful we can prove the pundits wrong again.

In the past decade, which is one-sixth of my entire business life, the company has tripled in size. This was the decade when our companies raised money from the global equity and debt markets, brought our companies public, and hired the best professionals to run them. In six decades, we grew from a one-man team to a group with 30,000 employees.

Now I am in what you can probably call the AGE of GLOBALIZATION. I am always asked where I stand on this issue. I say that it does NOT matter where I stand because as sure as the Ateneo Basketball Team will win next year's UAAP championship, global barriers will come crashing down, and we have no choice but to prepare ourselves for that.

Still, our company will not take globalization sitting down. OUR future and the country's depend on how we act now. JG operates branded food concerns in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Hongkong, China, and soon, Vietnam. We also sell our snack foods in India, Korea, and Taiwan--one of the few ASEAN companies to do so.

In a few years, when foreign products find their way into OUR shopping carts as they already have, we want Piattos and Chippy to find their way into THEIR shopping carts as well. Our dream is to be the first group to plant the Philippine flag throughout Asia.

As I look back, I ask myself, "What if I had stopped at cornstarch?" I would probably be the owner of the biggest cornstarch group in the country today or just as possibly, be broke.

But I chose to live my life unafraid even during times when I WAS afraid. I discovered that opportunities don't find you;/ you find your opportunities. I found those opportunities when MY FATHER PASSED AWAY, WHEN WAR CAME, THROUGH CHANGES IN PRESIDENTS AND THEIR POLICIES, DURING MARTIAL LAW, DESPITE COUP DE ETATS, PAST ECONOMIC BOOMS AND BUSTS, AND IN THE MIDST OF MARKET SHIFTS AND MOVEMENTS.

Now I'm 75 and retired. And funny, but I often wonder what ever happened to my first bike! The bike that was my companion during those first years when my family had lost everything. I wonder where it is now? That bike reminds me that success is not necessarily about connections, or cutting corners, or chamba--the three Cs of bad business.

Call it trite--but, believe me, success CAN BE ACHIEVED through hard work, frugality, integrity, responsiveness to change--and most of all, boldness to dream. These have never been just easy slogans for me. I have lived by them.

I hope that many of you in this room will some day choose to be entrepreneurs. Choose to be entrepreneur because then YOU create value. Choose to be an entrepreneur because the products, services, and jobs you create then become the lifeblood of our nation. But most of all, choose to be an entrepreneur because then you desire a life of adventure, endless challenge, and the opportunity to be your BEST SELF.

Thank you.

My Quest And Motivation

In my introduction, I did mentioned that my mother came from a family of business-minded people but I didn't grew up to be like one of them. Not until my mid 20's did I have this spark of interest of being an entrepreneur or something else outside the corporate world.  I  was motivated to do what I am truly passionate about and at the same time earn from it. That I believe would make me happy.

Life isn't that easy for me. I worked my way to finish college - having a full-time job while enrolling 18 units of subjects. Then I seek a better opportunity in the city hence I was forced to move from Angeles City to Manila. It was a turning point in my life when my father was diagnosed with cancer. I realized that we were financially unprepared for this situation.  I was actually stripped from my savings and was left penniless.  Instead of being discouraged or be depressed I was motivated to do something else.

Money, in short, is kind of evasive for me. It is evading me and yet it has a full control of my decision. Why can't it be the other way around! Why don't I control my life and take control of money. These were the thoughts that were running through my head before I jump into the decision of leaving the corporate world.

I have been saying that failure isn't my option. Although I hear a little stupid voice asking what if I fail? My answer?  At least, I tried. At least, I have done what I am supposed to do and I won't be asking myself the what ifs when I grow old. But again, failure isn't my option.  I am a survivor, I'll make this work.

In this so-called quest, I get motivation from a lot of people. I read a lot, and I tried so hard to be selective of my thoughts. I may have been a chronic pessimist in the past but I started to unlearn it, soon enough I could totally forgo it.

In my next post, I will be sharing a speech delivered by John Gokongwei way back 2002 to the Ateneans.

Introduction

Whether we like it or not, money govern our lives.  It is the controlling force of majority of our decisions and actions.  We leave our families for abroad for money. We let go of our dreams and get a job where we thought we will be earning more. And the worst decision made is probably to get married because of money.  That is reality!

Others may say that money is not important in our lives. Then why the heck we have to work every day of our lives. We may not love money itself, but the choices of having it make a big difference - we can give a better future to our family, we can live in comfort, we can help more people and we can eat in a restaurant without looking at the price.

I wasn't born in a family that talks money freely. Though my mother came from a family of business-minded people, I didn't grew up to be like one of them. But living in the metro, away from the family, experiencing the harshness of life - these made me realize of the things that I missed learning while I was young.

Robert Kiyosaki was fortunate to have both a rich dad and a poor dad. Warren Buffett is fortunate to be born in the US and to have been introduced to stock investment since the age of 11. Steve Jobs was fortunate to have known failures early in his life which made him stronger and successful. What about us--the common people? What are we fortunate about? What are the things that we are supposed to learn but haven't,

I read an article recently that says Filipino are not financially literate. I do have to agree on that because I for one is so dumb when it comes to personal finance. There are so many reasons to blame. We could blame our education system which doesn't really teach us to be entrepreneurial minded but instead be highly educated so we can be an ideal employee. We can blame our Filipino families who are equally uneducated when it comes to personal finance.

Blaming can't take us anywhere. Sadly, we have to face, nobody else can help us but ourselves. We have strive and educate ourselves. We have to spend time to learn. We are our own responsibility. That's why God give us the skills, talent and education so we can use it to better ourselves. And of course, to give back for His glory.

I decided to make a blog solely about money. It is my personal objective to explore and share helpful information about money-making, investments and etc. to help myself in this financial journey. Hopefully, we will share this journey together to a more better life.



Updated: January 16, 2016