Never Seek Advice of Experts In Failing

All of us have encountered having troubles about certain incidents in our life that our brain cannot solve it alone. Producing no answers is the time we ask other people for solutions and answers. It is also part of the learning process. Everyone in this planet has encountered this, especially in the formative years of a kid, to the time we enter school, and up to now that our brain is still working.

Our mind never sleeps, it keeps on thinking. And if our brain cannot answer a problem or question, we ask or seek for answers. We never get satisfied unless that question is answered. The more questions you have, the more answers you would have. The more answers you have, the more knowledgeable you become.

Professionals have tons of questions that got answered, thus they have supreme knowledge. However entrepreneurs do have more answers than questions, thus they earn tons of money by answering people’s problems and adding value to their lives.

Although professionals and entrepreneurs have different paths, they started with asking and seeking advices. Not just from anyone, but advices that came from people who have been successful on the field they want to take.

Who would you rather seek advice from? Is it from people who have no idea or have failed in the field you want to take? Or do you seek advice from people who have been successful?

Think about it. If you have problems solving math equations, do you seek advice from an English Literature expert? Or if you want to build a house, do you seek advice from banker? And if you wanted to put up a business, would you rather ask someone who have a failed business how he did it or ask someone who made millions with it?

An example would be John Gokongwei. Although I haven’t talked to him personally, I can say that he doesn’t know a lot about business when he was born. I believe he studied it and sought advice of other entrepreneurs in the said fields before he entered an industry. Even if he have a highly successful Universal Robina Corporation (country’s largest snacks manufacturer), he tried to find out and learn about other industries such as telecommunications and airlines, thus Sun Cellular and Cebu Pacific Airlines. Imagine if he talked to a lot of failures in the past, do you think he would be successful in what he does?

Seeking for answers means you want to be better than what you are right now which is something that we all must be. Never stop learning because there’s no such thing as you know everything even if you’ve been doing what you do for years. Even the richest people in the world never stop letting knowledge get inside their brain.

This is a simple lesson in life that we don’t acknowledge. Maybe we should start re-thinking about what we want to happen in our life and re-shape it by seeking advice of successful people rather than experts in failing. - DE

“Once you stop learning, you start dying.” – Albert Einstein

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Think and Re-think Before You Let Go of Your Money

Letting your hand off your money is not as hard as earning it. You work your tail off the whole month, 5 to six days a week, just to receive what you are currently earning. That’s how hard you earned your money, only to spend it as fast as a flying jet plane on things you didn’t really thought about.

This results to shortage simply because of your failure to manage your money. When the time comes you are running out of money, you would think of ways how to earn extra. You then start thinking of investing in any option you encounter that could get you cash instantly. A get-rich-quick mentality would then trigger your emotions to invest in investments that you thought would yield immediately.

Usually these types of move aren’t thought about real hard. Before you invest you should think about it twice, thrice and many, many times over because you might only see the positive side of the investment which is earnings.

These are the factors you need to consider before you let go of your money:

• Earnings. This is arguably the most important factor for any investor. However, this isn’t the only thing to consider. An investor must weigh the rate of return to the length of time of return. Some investment vehicles are just too good to be true.
• Time and Effort. Before you invest, you must also look at the time you will spend for this income stream. If you plan to just make this part time or to make money work for you, consider the time and effort you would spend for this investment vehicle because your day job or business might suffer.
• Cost. Check your finances first before you let go of your money. This would serve as a parachute in case all things go bad. The amount you invest in case of loss, should hurt, but not starve you and your family.
• Expenses. Not all investment vehicles would give you big amounts in exchange for nothing. Expect expenses one way or another. Be it communication expense or travel expense, no matter how small it may seem, in time it will pile up. This wouldn’t be a problem if these expenses would generate you more income.
• Background of the person you invest in. There are a lot of bogus people out there. They are excellent in selling themselves and their bogus ideas. They would try to make you invest on the spot by saying that they have a limited offer.
• Background of the vehicle you invest in. Aside from the person who you will invest in, you must also check where he will use the money. It is important because you would want to know if your money would be invested in a high earning and legal vehicle. From there you could decide whether it would be a good idea to invest in or not.
• Length of time of return. Weigh the rate and length of time of return. Sometimes the rate of return is too low for the length of time of the investment. This could be considered a bad investment because you could have reinvested the money again in a different vehicle.
• Seek advices from people who have done it before.Opinions of people who have failed and succeeded in the path you will take would give you a guide line on how to do it properly. They could give you insights that you would encounter that you couldn’t see right away.
• Alternatives. There may be similar investment vehicle that have a better rate of return, or a better background of company, or a cheaper investment with a shorter time of return. List down their pros and cons.

When I say investments, this includes education (enrollment to MBA or specialization degree programs), purchasing plans (gym, telecommunications, insurance, etc.), stocks, and start up businesses. Before getting into something, consider the factors above.

Make your mind work, it's healthy. Thinking many times over is way, way better than impulsive decision making that would make you regret in the end. Let’s put a stop on that and make better choices, make better decisions that would give you a better and happy life in the end. No regrets!- DE

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FRANCHISE 2010 was a Success!

16th of July 2010 marks the opening of FRANCHISE EXPO 2010, where people from different walks of life meet in one venue with one common thing in mind – Business Opportunity. International experts in franchising flew in to teach current franchisors, franchisees and wanna be franchisees and franchisors everything they need to know about the business. Although I wasn’t able to attend the conference and seminar, I managed to make time to drop by the SMX Conventions Center for the EXPO proper.

Just like last year, I saw familiar faces, from franchisors to wanna be franchisees, from franchising experts to the models. Owners of franchises still work hard to sell their concept to their prospects. They’re very passionate about their business and I could feel it with the way the talk. Visitors of the expo on the other hand have different agendas. Most of the people came there just to get brochures, have free tastes, observe the event, build network, socialize, have photo op with the models, etc. Only few serious wanna be franchisees were there.

Since I have been visiting FRANCHISE EXPO since 2008, I knew I’d know someone is an international franchising expert guest if I saw one and I did. They were having a great chat with current franchisors in the expo. And as usual, they were teaching business owners how to tweak their systems to make it more profitable.

Start-up franchises like yakisoba cart, twisted fried potatoes, tap-si-log cart were the newest in the franchising business. Other than those were the same old franchises I saw from last year. Pizza, Panini, dimsums, fried noodles, burgers, hotdogs, inasal, salons, drug stores, internet shops, computer retailing, and petrol were present as usual.

And how could I forget about the models. They were the same models as last year’s event - same faces and same sexy bodies. They still play a role of enticing visitors to know what their respective franchises offer. Last year I got to take photos with them, but this time I just wasn’t for I was there only to observe.

At first I was kind of bored seeing those same franchises back, but when I left the expo, I knew they came back because they were highly successful in franchising their businesses. Instead of getting uninterested, I suddenly admired them again. And as expected, franchising giants were there together with sponsors like PLDT, BDO, Caltex to name a few.

These past few years, I observed that this country is slowly shifting from being a man power country to an entrepreneurial country. This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone because the Philippines are a very rich country in terms of resources. I am very happy to see that Filipinos are becoming more open to having a business rather than working their asses off their whole lives.

Everyone wants to have their own business, but often can’t think of a concept and do not know how to start one. Well, franchising might be the thing you are looking for. Here you can find an already successful business with a proven ready to use system that is offered to everyone. No more hassle of looking for suppliers, creating a concept, losing money on trials, creating a system because everything is provided in this event, from knowing about franchising to choosing what franchise to buy.

Buying a franchise makes you an instant entrepreneur. However, this doesn’t guarantee you would have an instant successful business. It would still boil down to how you handle the business. Instead of letting opportunities like this past you by AGAIN, make time to find out about these businesses. You’ll never know if the right business is just there waiting for you.

FRANCHISE 2010 was a success! Kudos to the organizers who once again pulled off another successful event!- DE

Samsung M3510’s 2.0 megapixel camera phone used to take the photos, I apologize for the quality.

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Paper for Now, Food for Later

Life Insurance in the Philippines always has had a bad image. Its image is more of an expense, rather than a benefit. When annual bill comes, the policy owner frowns instead of smile, would rather feel like buying gadgets than to pay insurance. Why can’t people see the importance of Life insurance?

When Life Insurance policy owner reaches 5 years or more of paying, they would suddenly feel like it has been a liability to them because they haven’t received anything yet. They will forget the reason why they bought it in the first place – to protect their family or prepare for a major expense to come or plan for retirement.

There are reasons why Life Insurance has a bad image here in the Philippines. First of all, most Filipinos have very short patience when it comes to money. They want big returns in just a short amount of time with very low or no risk at all. So after 5 years or so of putting their money in insurance, they feel that it’s a bad investment because they aren’t receiving anything yet.

Another reason is that people think that pre-need companies like CAP are the same with Life insurance companies like AXA Philippines, SunLife Financials, Manulife, etc. Yes they both have products that provide solution for future needs, but they belong to different governing bodies - Insurance Commission for Life Insurance and Securities and Exchange Commission for Pre-Need. The recent crash of CAP frightened investors to place their money in Life insurance companies.

Lastly, insurance agents usually don’t explain everything about the policy they are selling to their clients or sometimes misrepresenting the company by promising things that the company doesn’t provide. Add to that, after making a sale, these agents disappear immediately. Agents play a major role in this business because after-sales-service is a must. Unfortunately, only a few genuine hearted agents do this. They are responsible of reminding their clients the importance of life insurance to them and to their family and to remind them to pay so as not to experience lapse (policy would not be in-force once one payment is missed).

Filipinos should understand the importance of a Life Insurance Policy not only to them but also to their family. It may be tiring to pay these plans for years but if you understood fully the importance of it, it wouldn’t be much of a load on your shoulders. If something happens to you, your family would be guaranteed to receive the amount of money that your salary would have brought, should be enough of a reason for you to love insurance.

If you lived too long, you’ll feel like paying insurance is too heavy of a load on your back. Well you should be glad that you’re not claiming it yet because you’re still alive. Be thankful for that. And, this would be fund that would let you live the lifestyle you have when you grow old.

If you feel that you don’t need Life Insurance, just think about your family. If something happens to you, would you want them to die with you? Do you love yourself and your money more that you love your family? Don’t be selfish. Start thinking and plan a better future for you and for them. Don’t hide from financial advisors; they might the answers to problems you haven’t even thought of. For now it’s just a paper, but someday it would be food for your family.- DE

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Facebook: Spread it like aids (Fire that brings the Benjamins in)

Found a blog I made back in college, it’s about Facebook.

Why Market at Facebook?

Today’s generation is more into computers and the openness of the great internet. It started when desktop computers and internet connection became available and accessible to every home. That changed the way people live. Possibilities are endless. It helped plenty of businesses in loads of ways. Communicating with people in the other side of the country was allowed. Anyone and everyone could use internet as long as they are active online – young, old, businessmen and professionals.

With the growing number of internet users, channels like social networks started to appear;MySpace, Friendster, and Facebook to name a few. These social networks allowed to people to get in touch with friends, relatives, co-leagues and acquaintances where ever they are. It brought people from around the world closer to each other and made the world a place smaller than it actually is. But Facebook has been a target for marketing because it is the “it” social network today. As of June 2008, FacebooksurpassedMySpace and is now the leading social networking site. So having social networks boom in front of their faces, marketers have an added weapon, an added channel they could penetrate and use. A blog fromWeb Strategy by Jeremiah even said that Facebook is more of a ‘lifestyle’ play that allows members to connect to each other. The website is on the grill; the hottest today.

Schools like De La Salle University – Canlubang could sure use this channel to pop up in the rankings in search engines with the help of social networks. There are many sensible and practical reasons why marketers could use this channel mainly Facebook. These are:

Ø Growing number of internet users and rising number of people attracted andengaging into social networks

Ø Users of social networks would scatter and distribute for you. People form groups which makes it easier for marketers reach them. Even if only one member of a Facebook group is reached, it would also reach other members. An example of this group is the Zobel Batch 2002

Ø Viral marketing is highly effective in social networking particularly in Facebook groups. It could spread like wild fire because of the interconnection of people in the network. A viral video would be a really big assist to the school.

Ø The most important thing a marketer would love is spending almost nothing in terms of money. Yes, marketing in social networks is free. Facebook Marketplace

Ø “While you’re not able to publish directly to the feeds, Facebook’s Mini Feed and News Feed archives your users’ engagement with your brand and syndicates it to their friends, networks, and beyond, amplifying the reach of your campaign by orders of magnitude.”

Having all those facts at hand, marketers have loads of opportunities connected to social network like Facebook. They have to realize it and capitalize.

This channel would play a major role in my E-Marketing plan for De La Salle University – Canlubang because here, spreading of video, photos, comments, etc. about the school would be fast. This would mean that potential customers could be reached through social networking like Facebook with its features (Facebook’s Mini Feed and News Feed and Facebook Groups) that really makes distribution of anything rapidly. Most, if not all, the features of Facebook are viral gateways that I could use to perk up the school’s image and public awareness. Viral marketing would help the school reach their potential customers if done correctly. For a new school like De La Salle University – Canlubang, it would be easier implement an E-Marketing plan if it is cost-free (financial). That would have a huge impact to the overall E-Marketing plan.

There are a lot of mechanisms I could use in Facebook. I would start with profile page; it is where everyone who uses Facebook starts. Here, you could build your identity and to be credible is to provide true information about you, your brand, company or product. With your profile page, you could generate bunch of traffic by viewing other profiles. It would best fit for the marketing of De La Salle University – Canlubang because more people would know about the school. Potential customers can then be led to the website of the school.

Another mechanism that would be helpful to De La Salle University – Canlubang’s marketing is Facebook groups. Viral marketing like video or photo would make reaching customers quicker and easier because people here are interconnected and they form communities that make a common ground for customers, friends and partners to participate in. Here’s an example of a viral video.

The next mechanism I could use is Facebook pages because this is where local schools De La Salle University – Canlubang could establish its brand. This function of Facebook is customizable meaning you could put applications to your page and could allow users to have a depth experience with your brand. It could accommodate limitless number of fans.

The last mechanism I could use and this is optional is Facebook events. It could be optional because I could do this is the profiles or groups. But in events you can announce to numerous people in one click. This is perfect for De La Salle University – Canlubang to promote marketing events, sponsored parties, or even product launches, transactions, or company milestones. Your announcements of up coming events could generate forming of communities anticipating the event.

Facebook’s Mini Feed and News Feed is another mechanism that could help De La Salle University – Canlubang though it is not in the control of users. It moves on its own and does the work for you.

An effective viral marketing would help improve the ranking of De La Salle University – Canlubang in search engines. The interrelation of people in the social network like Facebook would help boost the school’s image and could pick up the rankings. If not, marketer must exert time and effort on reaching out to the customers more by creatively making effective viral marketing and customizing profiles, pages, etc. to make it more interesting to users. It may not improve the rankings right away but it would go up slowly with the help of Facebook. - DE

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If You Don't Need It, Don't Buy It

I grew up in a family that loves to save. From as early as 7 years old, my dad taught me how to manage my money. Yes, I already have money by that time. But it wasn’t easy, I have to earn it. For every perfect quiz I make, I get money as a reward. Not bad eh? I get motivated to study as hard as I could, I also receive rewards. Even if one perfect quiz is only worth P20, I rack up at least P200 per month!

Though I was trained to work hard to earn, that wasn’t the only reason why they let me do it. Later on I found out that it was training for me to manage my money. I keep every peso in my piggy bank and would count it every weekend with my family. I only use a portion of my savings to buy things that bring little joy to any kid – candies, DEC shakes (much like Quickly), potato corner French fries and sometimes toys.

Studying hard to learn and to earn made me love studying even more. As I grew older, the rewards faded away and my wants changed. I wanted to buy many things, from mobile phones, to gadgets, to clothes, game consoles.

Since I don’t earn anymore from quizzes, I always go to my father whenever I want to buy something. The answer I usually get is “If you don’t need it, even if it is cheap, we won’t buy it. If you need it, even if it is expensive, we will buy it.”

I usually get pissed when I hear this because I actually don’t understand it because at that time. A bubble always pops out of my mind saying “We have the money, why don’t you just buy me the damn thing?” This continuously went on throughout college.

Until one day, I received my very first paycheck from work that made me realize that the principle my dad taught me was very simple to understand. Money is hard earned, but you can easily lose it if you don’t know how to control yourself. You should only spend it on things that you need. Unable to buy what you want won’t kill you anyway.

From that day forward, I am doing what I was doing as a kid. Whenever and wherever I get money, I save it not to a piggy bank anymore but in a bank account. I just withdraw and spend a specific amount for my needs. And sometimes I reward myself by buying some things I like. Bottom line is learn to save up, spend only what’s needed. You’ll be surprised that this will slowly shape up your financial future. -DE

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The Devastating NO

Children are born pure, bright, carefree, imaginative, confident and ambitious. From the moment their mind started working, their imagination continuously works. You would see them imitating whatever and whoever they see, be it by words or actions. They are just being kids, having fun, wanting to be who they want to be each moment. Their mind could think of thousands of ideas a day.

Father and Son

Kids could be influenced with what they see, what they hear and what they experience. They copy what they hear; they do what they see because at this stage they think everything is right. This is called modeling, everything that gets stored in their mind is from their experiences, words they hear, and things they see while growing up.

Growing up, kids would start to dream big dreams. You would often hear that they would want to be a doctor, astronaut, fireman, police, dentist, rock star, athlete, own buildings and resorts, etc. They feel so happy when they think of these and when they share these dreams to people. Spirits are sky high that this would really happen soon. For them, nothing is impossible.

Unfortunately, no matter how high their belief in their dreams, the fire of desire eventually dies down and they start dreaming smaller and smaller. Why does this happen? It is because of the environment. This includes family, friends, school, village, TV, etc. Society is dictating what you should do when you reach a certain age. By this age you should be doing this and that. THAT AIN’T RIGHT!

Another very sad reality is that the people who crushes or steals the dreams of kids are their own parents. Parents always say the word “NO” and more often than not they don’t explain why. This single word hurts kids and crushes their imagination and dreams.

For example, a kid wants to play basketball with friends because he wants to be a pro-athlete and just to have fun with friends. The kid asks permission from his parents if he could play outside after school, but the mother replies with “No, it’s very dangerous, you might get hurt”. Although the boy’s mother cares so much, this isn’t helping the child’s confidence with himself and his dreams. What her mother said gets stored in his mind and he will carry it until he gets old. For him, basketball could not be a dream anymore because it is very dangerous and he might get hurt. How sad is that?

Discipline

Another example, a girl wants to attend ballet lessons or piano lessons during summer. This girl wanted to be a ballerina and an excellent musician. She keeps dreaming about this even before summer came. When she asked her parents if she could attend these workshops, the reply she got was “No honey, we don’t have money for that, those are only for rich people, and that couldn’t contribute in your life after college.” Immediately, the girl’s dream gets crushed. For her, being a ballerina and an artist are not for her. Instead it is just for rich people.

I would often hear parents tell their kids “you can’t be a model, you’re fat” or “you can’t be a basketball player, you’re too small and unskilled” or worse “we don’t have money for that”. These statements are brutal but this really happens and it doesn't help kids at all. This just pounds their spirits. Imagine the people they love are the one’s who does this to them.

These are just some examples but you get what I am saying don’t you? With those few words, it can affect kids in very big way. Their self-esteem will be in an all time low until they grow old. Why don’t parents just let their children be who they really want to be and just support all the way?SUPPORT is all they need! -DE

Support

“Anything is possible in a world of dreams.” - Mike Cunningham

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