Pinoy Self-help Investing No.2

Story of my Investing Adventures - Brilliant Reader


Chinese International School at Mckinley Hill


Starbucks Coffee at Mckinley Hill

Pinoy Self-help Investing No.2, Ang plano ko pagna-turn over na itong condominium unit sa akin, dun muna kami titira ng future wife ko para hindi na rin kami mag-rent pa sa ibang apartment. Sa ganong paraan mas makakatipid na kami. Pagdumating ang time na makakuha kami ng isang residencial property, i-apply ko na itong condominium unit sa property management. Ito yung organization na namamahala ng mga apartments at condominium sa paghahanap ng tenant o nangungupahan at nangangalaga ng unit.

Isang malaking bagay sa pagkuha ng pre-selling condominium ay yung tinatawag na return-on-investment, ito yung profit o gain na makukuha mo dun sa perang binabayad mo as amortization (buwanan na pagbabayad). Kung magkano ang kuha ko dun sa condominium unit, magbabago na yung value at pwedeng mag-increase taon-taon depende sa takbo ng development dun sa area. Katulad ngayon, 2 years ko nang hinuhulugan yung unit at na-construct na yung Chinese International School at British Embassy. Currently, ginagawa na rin yung Town Center Mall at patapos na rin yung Chapel sa loob mismo ng McKinley Hills. Sa tapat ng main gate andun yung building ng Call Center at may mga popular fast-foods na rin like Pancake house, Mc Donalds, Seven-Eleven at marami pang kilalang restaurants. According sa Megaworld, usually nag-iincrease sila ng value starting at 7% to 15% per year. So, habang hinuhulugan ko pa lang yung unit ko may profit na ako sa annual increase. Ang value ngayon ng unit kung paparentahan ko ay minimum of Php 25,000 base sa standard rent fee dun sa place. Imagine after 2 years by 2011 pagturn-over sa akin possible na tumaas pa yung value ng rent. Ang target tenant ko dito ay yung mga foreign students, employees, expat at foreign businessmen. Naniniwala akong pagdating ng time na i-open ko na for rent itong condominium, pag-aagawan ito ng mga potential tenants.

Ganito ko naman nakikita ang flow ng investment income. Kung paparentahan ko itong unit ng Php 30,000 per month at nagbabayad lang ako ng approximately Php 12,000 sa bank re-finance ng unit, meron na kaagad akong Php 18,000 income. Simple lang ang idea, yung tenant na ang nagbabayad sa re-financing amount ko sa bangko at may income pa ako.

Isang magandang pananaw pagdating sa investment, dapat hindi mo tinitignan yung negative side kasi natural may mga risks, kundi ang tignan mo eh yung positive side at kung paano mo ko-kontrolin ang mga possible risks. Isang halimbawa ng risk, paano kung biglang umalis na yung tenant? So, stop na yung matatanggap kong income at saan ko kukunin yung pambayad sa bank-re-finance? Before pa mangyari ito dapat may plan na. Pwedeng solusyon dito, i-apply ko sa property management na may 1 year contract para alam ko na by the time na matatapos yung contract eh ano ba ang next plan na gagawin ko? I-advertise sa internet or magbigay ng mga brochures or ipa-continue ang contract ng pamamahala sa property management.

Pag-turn over sa akin ng unit on year 2011, half-amount na nung unit price ang nabayaran ko. Yung remaining balance ay i-apply ko sa bpi for bank-re-finance. Ang iniisip kong payment range ay 10 years. Ang idea kasi na naiisip ko, hindi yung galing sa akin ang ibabayad ko para sa re-finance kundi galing sa tenant. Kung investing ang pinaka-main purpose ko, dapat isipin ko kung paano kikita dun sa property na kinuha ko. (Continuation: Pinoy Self-hel Investing No.3)

Pinoy Self-help Investing No.1

Story of my Investing Adventures - Brilliant Reader

Pinoy Self-help Investing No.1, Nag-umpisa akong magkaron ng hilig sa investing nung 26 years old ako. Kung iisipin mo medyo late na rin. Nagkaron ako ng interest nung nabasa ko yung book ni Robert Kiyosaki "Rich Dad, Poor Dad". Malaking realization ang naging epekto sa akin ng libro na ito kasi pinakita nya kung ano yung hindi natin nar-realize in just simple question "Gusto mo bang magtrabaho habang buhay?" at yung term na madalas nyang gamitin "Rat Race".

Biglang nag-flash back sa akin kung ano ba yung mga na-accomplish ko na mula nung bata ko. 5 years na akong nagttrabaho nung time na narealize ko yung pag-iipon at pag-invest ng perang pinag-hirapan. Pero nung ina-assess ko ang sarili ko, ano na nga ba ang mga naging preparation ko para sa bukas? Oo isang magandang bagay napatapos ko ng pag-aaral ang panganay na pamangkin ko sa 5 years na nagtatrabaho ako sa previous employer ko.

Inisip ko, ano nga ba ang preparation na ginagawa ko para maging financially free? Kelangan ko ba gawin yun? Bakit? Ang kasagutan simple lang. Ayoko nman magtrabaho habang buhay at pangarap ko talaga magtravel around the world hindi para magtrabaho kundi para makita ko lahat n ginawa ni Lord para sa atin. Marami sa atin gusto magbakasyon sa Paris, France, London, o kahit saang magagandang bansa pero hindi natutupad dahil sa kakulangan natin ng financial savings. Marami nagsasabi gahaman daw pag may ipon ka nang maraming pera. Oo dati yan din ang nasa isip at paniniwala ko pero ngayon, sinabi ko sa sarili ko kung ako ba magiging milyonaryo magiging gahaman ba ako? Gahaman bang i-spoil ang sarili mo sa mga pangarap mo? Minsan naiisip ko yung mga tanong na yun kahit wala naman talaga akong pera. Nakakatawang isipin na naglalakbay ang diwa ko sa mga ganong bagay. Tinatanong ko sarili ko bakit si Bill Gates nasa magandang estado na nang buhay? Tao din naman sya na gaya ko at marami pang mga masasabi nating successful individuals na kapareho ko lang din naman. Ang pagkakaiba lang pala ay yung drive o willingness ng tao na tuparin ang pangarap nya.

Marami na rin akong nabasang libro ng mga successful na tao at nakikita ko na may pagkakapareho sila pagdating sa mentality. Kelangan mo maging persistent at open sa lahat ng changes na posibleng dumating sa harap mo. Dahil kung hindi, mabubulok ka na kung nasan ka. Maraming nagsilbing inspirasyon sa akin kung kaya nilakasan ko ang loob ko na subukan kung ano yung mga sinimulan nila.

Nag-umpisa akong magbasa ng mga libro about investing nung year 2006. Dahil sa curiosity ko at eagerness na subukan i-apply ang mga natutunan ko naghanap ako ng mga potential real-estate properties. Nung April 2007, hindi na ako nag-atubili na kumuha sa MegaWorld, 32 sqm. pre-selling condominium sa McKinley hills, Fort Bonifacio. Nung time na yun, dini-develop pa lang itong area na ito. Mahalaga din pala yung tinitignan mo yung 5 years or 10 years after ng isang lugar para ma-appreciate mo ang value nung investment at ma-assess mo na rin kung magiging profitable ang real-estate property na kinuha mo. Isa pang malaking bagay at importante na dapat magkaron ay ang lakas ng loob na harapin ang risk na darating at dapat kahit pano pinag-hahandaan o alam mo na kung ano yung mga counter-measures kung dumating man.

Napili kong kumuha dun dahil sa vision ng MegaWorld na magtayo ng Chinese International School, British Embassy at Town Center Mall. Malaking factor yun para sa pagdesisyon ko na kumuha at hintayin ang magandang future na ibibigay nung location. Kinuha ko yun Php 25,000 ang reservation at binabayaran ko s'ya monthly starting at Php 10,000 for the first year, Php 12,000 for the second year. Ngayon, pang 3rd year ko binabayaran ko s'ya Php 16,000 monthly. May annual lumpsum na Php 100,000 kaya mas affordable dahil may time para pag-ipunan. The unit is amounting Php 2,145,000. Nung time na yun dahil may promo sila, nagkaron ako ng 7% discount. Mas mura kung ikukumpara natin sa mga complete condominium na and fully furnished considering na yung lugar ay center for business at napakalapit sa main gate, walking distance lang. 4 years ang turn-over period nito kaya by 2011 ay turn-over na sa akin ng unit. (Continuation: Pinoy Self-help Investing No.2)

Be the Warrior

Bill FitzPatrick - Founder of the "American Success Institute".

Action Principle No.31 >> Be the Warrior, The warrior is tough in loyalty, intensity, determination, bearing, initiative, endurance, courage and strength of will. The warrior is soft in calmness, self-confidence and compassion. The warrior is frequently called upon to step forward when most gladly step back. Warriors exist on the battlefield and in daily life.

People may react to you rudely, selfishly and with malice. Be courteous anyway.

Those you help may whine and offer no thanks. Help them anyway.

Your honest words may be challenged and ridiculed. Speak anyway.

Success may involve many mistakes and disappointments. Succeed anyway.

Your donations may seem too small to matter. Give anyway.

A warrior is a master, ever prepared to improve and to be of service to others.

Successful Businessman in Davao

Bo Sanchez - Spiritual preacher and Motivational speaker.

Ralph Marston - Success is Happening, Success is not the absence of failure. Success is what happens when you choose to move on beyond failure.

Learning what not to do is an important part of knowing what is most effective to do. Every mistake can spotlight a way to improve.

Frustration and disappointment are painful for a very positive reason. The pain pushes you in the direction of achievement.

What does not work gives you a realistic understanding of what will work. Whatever stops you can no longer stop you when you see it clearly enough to work your way around it.

Make your first instinct to celebrate rather than to judge. Celebrate and quickly find a useful outlet for whatever you've just been given.

Every up, every down, every moment makes you more able and creative and effective. See all the ways that success is happening, and allow achievement to flow freely into your world.

Entrepreneurship (Binalot - Final Day)

Success stories of Filipino Entrepreneurs - Rommel Juan

AFFI. Final Day, Binalot's operations run smoothly now because different people take care of the various sections of the organization. It's no longer all me. I think it helps a lot if you handle everything when you're starting a business. But it does limit you. Fortunately, when Binalot expanded, I could afford to get more people to help me. That's the only way you will grow.

Sometimes you have to let someone else take care of a department in the organization so there's focus. I also tell my people that. You have to make yourself "obsolete", or else, ikaw na lang d'yan habambuhay. Kuha kayo ng taong puwedeng pumalit sa inyo. Kung indispensable kayo, d'yan na lang kayo (you'll be stuck there forever. Get someone to replace you. If you're indispensable, you'll be stuck there).

He tries to instill a little entrepreneurial spirit into his employees, challenging them to take risks, to be creative. Rommel, like most entrepreneurs, recognizes that there is great potential in the Filipino to make it big as an entrepreneur. He is happy to see that more and more are getting into business.

I think the country needs more businessmen, more entrepreneurs to help with the country's employment. To give a positive outlook in life. Entrepreneurs are always positive thinkers. Negative thinkers can never build and sustain businesses.

Rommel believes anyone can be an entrepreneur in his own way. Whether you are born with aptitude for it or discover it later on in life like he did.

Having grown up surrounded by entrepreneurs, Rommel agrees that exposure to business helped. The discipline, work ethic, training experiences help shape one's desire to go into business. But ultimately, it is still up to the individual to pursue business or not.

We were expected to go into the family business. My dad made it a point to expose us to it. Sometimes when talking to employees, suppliers, and even clients and bankers, he'd let us tag along. I didn't understand it then because I was still young and I got bored easily. My dad didn't teach as if we were in a classroom; he'd train us by exposure. He'd put you in a situation and observe how you'll respond to it. Pag meron s'yang napansin, tsaka lang n'ya sasabihin sa 'yo (when he notices something, that's when he tells you), but he doesn't teach you how to act. Nakatulong 'yun sa akin (it helped me) - that I had that training about business, but it was still up to me whether I wanted to be businessman.

Setting up a business he believes is a vote of confidence for the country. He feels that Filipinos should avoid being the country's worst critics and be more nationalistic, believe more in the country by being entrepreneurs.

They can get a franchise; they can set up their own. Join AFFI. Dapat lang there's action. Don't procrastinate, don't wait to get lucky. You attract your own luck. Be active, observant, open your eyes. Action is important, and most of all, enjoy what you are doing.

Wise words from an impassioned hobbyist turned successful entrepreneur because he did his business with pleasure.

Be Decisive

Bill FitzPatrick - Founder of the "American Success Institute".

Action Principle No.30 >> Be Decisive, You don't have to wait for permission to do the right thing. Be decisive. Take the initiative. Get the facts. Do it now. If you don't have time to send a letter to a sick friend, send a card, a fax or an e-mail. If you can't visit your mother, call her. If you see a gift that a friend would love, buy it for him or her. If you can't go to the gym or dojo for ninety minutes, go for forty minutes.

Avoid not doing things because you can't get them done exactly as you'd originally planned. Be bold and get in the habit of doing something. Walk down one block. Pay three bills. Spend fifteen minutes with your children's homework. Give five dollars to charity. Small efforts done continually can yield significant, positive results. Do it now while it's in your mind. You don't have to be perfect to live the Action Principles. Just be a person of action. You must have more than good intentions to succeed. You must act. Get it done. Start it now.

Transform your problems into blessing

Bo Sanchez - Spiritual preacher and Motivational speaker.

Ralph Marston - From overwhelmed to empowered, Do you feel overwhelmed? The way out is to focus on now. Whatever you failed to do in the past does not matter now. Let go of any thoughts that could draw you into anxiety about the future.
Give your attention to the progress you can make in this moment. Focus your energy on the valuable contributions you can make from where you are, with what you have.
Instead of feeling overwhelmed, you can easily and realistically choose to feel empowered. After all, this moment with all its rich possibilities is open and available to you.
What you can do right now is enough. Confidently take action and see for yourself.
Take a clear, positive, decisive step forward. Choose now to be fully engaged in making progress, and nothing will have the power to overwhelm you.

Entrepreneurship - Binalot (Day 5)

Success stories of Filipino Entrepreneurs - Rommel Juan

AFFI. Day 5, Ten years into the business, a more sensible, more credible Rommel Juan now holds the reins of the company. His authority is no longer questioned, as he has paid his dues as far as experiences in the food industry is concerned. He has achieved the initial vision of creating a Filipino fast-food, and so the vision evolves.
The challenge now for Rommel is in growing the company, increasing its market share, and achieving top-of-mind awareness with the general public, while staying true to the initial vision. One thing sure in Binalot will remain consistently Pinoy - in concept, menu, and appeal.
"Kung ano'ng gusto ng customers as long as it's in line with the vision, pinakikinggan namin sila (Whatever the customers want, we listen to them). We hold a "Breakfast with the President once a month and we get the frontline order takers, kusinero, kasi ang frontliners ang pinaka-nakadidinig sa mga customer. Tapos mag-uusap kami - ano ba ang gusto ng tao, ano ang hinahanap nila? Tingin n'yo, bakit malakas 'yon? (cooks, because the frontliners directly listen to the needs of customer. Then we discuss - what do people want, what do they look for? Do you think it'll work?) How much are they willing to pay? It's sort of a focus group. At the same time, I visit the outlets. Tinitignan ko kung ano ang uso ngayon, ano'ng itinitinda nila (I observe trends and what other stores are offering)."
With everything great happening at Binalot, one can certainly understand why Rommel Juan loves his job. Though he has yet to make a fortune from the company - all profits are plowed back into funding more stores - he is enjoying the ride and reveling in the triumphs they have achieved with every challenge.
"I can say the company is successful because it has stood the test of time. We're stronger than ever, we're growing at an unprecedented rate right now and we're evolving, our systems are getting stronger. That is the success I am looking at right now, not financial yet. I tell people, as long as I enjoy it. I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't enjoy it. The last ten years was a breeze for me. Parang di ko naramdaman pero maraming naituro sa akin (It's like time went by so quickly, but has definitely taught me a lot). As I said before, I think the failures and mistakes taught me more than the successes."
Learn Rommel did. In his day-to-day as president of Binalot, in his meetings with suppliers, franchisees, consultants, he tries to pick up something new to learn. Still the kid selling stickers, it is the interaction he is after, the camaraderie after the sale.
His love and passion for Binalot is such that he cannot see himself doing anything else right now. He has more plans for the company, which includes expansion to the provinces and tapping the overseas market.
Rommel is proudest of the brand he has built which now rings a bell in the mall-going crowd. Their brand is so catchy, in fact, that they have already caught the attention of copycats.
"Pag sinabi mong Binalot, may recall (There's already recall when you mention Binalot). I'm proud na kinokopya kami (that we're being copied), but of course, I'm not entirely happy about it. I'm proud that it's a proven business concept and people trust it enough to be a part of it as franchisee."
He is likewise proud of the organization he was able to establish formally which is now complete with Human Resources, Business Development, Construction and Liaison, and Marketing departments.

To be continued...

Bill Gates

Bill Gates - an Author and Founder of Microsoft

Bill Gates, an American Business magnate, author, and chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen. Gates is one of the best-known entrepreneurs of the personal computer revolution. Although he is admired by many, a number of industry criticize his business tactics, which they consider anti-competitive, an opinion which has in some cases been upheld by the courts. In the later stages of his career, Gates has pursued a number of philanthropic endeavors, donating large amounts of money to various charitable organizations and scientific research programs through the Bill and Melinda Foundation, established in 2000.
>>
If we could just imagine how Bill Gates became an Icon of Microsoft, most of us would ask how did he do that? what particular skills or talent he has to achieved that kind of success? Yes, it is really amazing and sounds impossible for just an average person to do what he did and stand where he is. But to answer this big question, it is simply started with an "Idea". It is not far from what you think and how you discover something that you believe would make difference. The only thing that separates our ideas with the ideas of successful individuals is the strong motivation and will to pursue the challenge that comes with it.

Entrepreneurship - Binalot (Day 4)

Success stories of Filipino Entrepreneurs - Rommel Juan

AFFI. Day 4,The first franchise opened one year after the company launched the franchise program. Initially they offered the option only to family and friends while they worked out the kinds of the system. But with or without links, franchising was a big boost to Binalot revenues.
"When we launched the franchise, that's when the real growth of Binalot started. From 2004 to 2005 we doubled our outlets - from six, it became twelve."
Franchising and the growing confidence Rommel was acquiring as an entrepreneur were the potent combination that would bring Binalot to greater heights. While running the company, Rommel enrolled in the Master of Entrepreneurship course at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) where for the first time he formally learned about business. The lessons he learned helped him make better use of the company's resources and strengths, and overcome weaknesses and threats.
"More than anything it gave me confidence because I understood the operations, identifying my own weakness, and getting the right people to help me maximize the operation of Binalot. I was able to fully use people and their expertise. My confidence level grew. That's when I really allowed Binalot to grow.
So you reach a point and ask, what's next? I wanted to learn to put our company in the right direction and realized that I had limitations."
Another turning point for Rommel was when he and longtime girlfriend Christine got married in 2000. In his new role as husband and head of the family, his drive to succeed became even stronger. He viewed the business more seriously now, stepping several notches up from just plain "having fun." Suddenly he saw Binalot as a source of livelihood, not only of his family, but that of his employees and franchisees.
In the next years, Rommel's aspiration for success, supported by wife Christine's constant encouragement, fueled and accelerated Binalot's growth. Rommel weathered hard times and seemingly insurmountable obstacles with Christine's support as partner and friend.
Yet Rommel has naysayers to thank as well. Instead of being pulled down by those who told him to give up then troubled Binalot, Rommel took this as a challenge and motivated himself to prove his detractors wrong.
Today, Binalot is a professionally run organization with departments assigned to handle specific duties. From a family company where functions tend to overlap, it has become a streamlined organization where each employee has a required and measurable specific output according to his or her competency. Now, employee evaluation is based on performance.
"The AIM course, as well as experience through the years, has made Rommel more aware of the goals he wants for the company. No longer is the company run on a day-to-day basis, rather there is an annual plan, which establishes the Binalot vision that will guide the company and its employees for the year.
It has to be clear for the employees as well where the company was heading - that the company had direction.
Who wants to work for a company with simple daily operations or something that had a hidden agenda? With Binalot, I make it clear to everybody that I want to be the largest truly-Filipino fast-food in the country which promotes Filipino culture, values and even humor. I think the message of brand-building and expansion of the company is clear to them."

To be continued...

Be Proud

Bill FitzPatrick - Founder of the "American Success Institute".

Action Principle No.29 >> Be Proud, Take pride in who you are and in those values and beliefs for which you stand. Be proud of your education, work and personal accomplishments. Be proud of your spouse, children and extended family. Be proud of your home and neighborhood. Be proud of your country. Be proud of your body, personal grooming and your manners. Be proud of the sports teams and cultural organizations that you support. Be proud of your government officials when they stand selflessly for the public good.
Don't be afraid of who you are, since you act with courage and compassion. Tell others, and bask in the feeling of being your best. Teach others, so they, too, may be proud.

Entrepreneurship - Binalot (Day 3)

Success stories of Filipino Entrepreneurs - Rommel Juan

Cited by AFFI. Day 3, Rommel had initially planned to position Binalot as a food-delivery service. Seeing customer service as the main tool toward success, the greenhorn entrepreneur felt having an army of riders and motorcylces would answer the demands of the huge customer base they were expecting. As it turned out, all their earnings went to paying for the crews' salary and the small store became crowded with idle employees. When the delivery market faltered, the company was left with a large overhead.

Slowly they evaluated and readjusted their goals. They trimmed down their employee force to the essential personnel and opened a store in Mandaluyong where other riders and motorcycles could be assigned. It was a good move, but not quite enough. Delivery peaked at the opening of the new branch but waned after a couple of months. This was 1998. Two years into the business and Rommel did not know what to do. He was disappointed with the way business was unfolding, but he was not discouraged. Just when he thought they've hit rock bottom, Binalot received an invitation from a major food court.

Rommel convened the board and presented the option. It was Binalot's last straw. The owners decided to give it one more shot, placing all their resources into this new branch in Shangri-La Mall's food court. Backed into a corner, Rommel knew he had to use the company's resources wisely. He set up the outlet with only P24,000. His biggest expenses for the new store were the signage and menu board which, together with the cash register, he was able to buy on an installment plan.

The gamble paid off - Binalot Shangri-La opened to lines of customers. Rommel was unprepared for this warm reception but was happy to be there to personally entertain guests and serve them. The success the company experienced with the new outlet helped Rommel and company overcome their fear of shifting to another business model - the food court. The business and its owners were able to adapt.

The Shangri-La experience paved the way for other food court outlets to open. They took on Robinsons Galleria. Rommel then realized that being in fixed space helped bring in steady sales, and also it was easier to plan expenses. Having two fixed outlets helped Binalot grow and the company was able to regain lost ground by the end of 1998.

From then on, the business operation was smooth sailing, Rommel was able to project an expansion target of one company-owned store a year. SM Makati, MRT Ayala, and Glorietta opened one after the other, all from reinvested profits. But despite the company's growth, Rommel was also looking into franchising, an idea he had been considering as early as 1998.

I had already had a manual because we were really planning to franchise. I joined AFFI but not as an active member since I was not yet a franchiser.

Then in 2002, we met a very persistent franchise applicant. He was Joe Flores of Intramuros and he was indeed very persistent. In August 2004, we granted him our first franchise.

We wanted insurance of return of profit so we initially gave him a cart. We didn't want him to spend money he won't be earning in the end. So we tested the setup. His card made P5,000 a day and this encouraged us to go all the way.

To be continued...

CFC Song - By Your Side

CFC - By Your Side.

By Your Side, This is one of my favorite songs during CLP at Kawasaki Japan last July 2004. It's been 4 years now since I graduated the SFC program. This song really touched my heart and soul. It talks about being faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ, If we will only give complete trust to him all our burdens will be lightened and we will be able to see the abundance of Life.

Cited by Bill FitzPatrick, Submit to a higher power. Look at the big picture. You build your life upon your faith. You cherish your faith. You aren't afrait to tell others of your beliefs. You stand for positive values. You are ethical in your dealings. You pray and meditate to have the courage to face your fears. You pray and meditate to have the strength to accept, endure and triumph over the hardships and small annoyances that the path to success will present. You celebrate the good that you find in the world.

With humility, submit. You are but one fragile, fallible human. Every religion has prayers. A prayer is your conversation with God. Your success and happiness is God's answer. Your selfless good works in helping others are your prayers put into action.

Gratitude is wealth!

Bo Sanchez - Spiritual preacher and Motivational speaker.

Ralph Marston - Feel the way you choose, Whatever you feel on the inside, you will experience on the outside. Life reflects back to you the way you most sincerely and persistently are. When you're having a joyful day it's because you decided to do so. The world you see is directly related to the world you intend to see.

From nothing, in an instant, you can create joy. Where there was none before, you can express love.

Do you realize the awesome power in your ability to feel the way you choose to feel? With that power you can change the world.

You're extra ordinary skilled at changing your feelings, and you've had much experience at doing so. Feel the exquisite beauty of this moment, and watch as that beautiful feeling manifests in the world around you.

This is your moment to live more fully than you've ever lived. Feel the possibilities, and bring them joyfully to life.

Think Win-Win

Bill FitzPatrick - Founder of the "American Success Institute".

Action Principle No.28 >> Think Win-Win, Thinking win-win is a frame of mind that seeks mutual benefit and is based on mutual respect. It is about bargaining fairly, and being open-minded and reasonable to all parties. It is about compromise and a sincere desire to find agreements that occupy the middle ground. Win-win is not taking advantage when it is understood that you are being trusted to act with honor.

It's about thinking in terms of abundance. There is an ever-expanding 'pie,' a cornucopia of opportunity, wealth, and resources, not scarcity and adversarial competition.

>>

I agree with this statement, if we will think win-win there should be no taking advantage in any negotiations, no personal hidden agenda and no feeling of mistrust against concerned parties. It's so nice to be transparent in every dealings. There is peace and sense of fulfillment that can keep within.

Okinawa Seashore

Naminoue - Okinawa Sea shore.

Bill FitzPatrick - Enjoy Quiet Time, Everyone needs quiet time in their day when they can just be with their own thoughts. This isn't daydreaming. The serenity of quiet time can be enjoyed in a variety of ways. It can be traditional Zen or transcendental meditation, but it can also be taking a walk, gardening, making a pot of tea or taking a long, hot shower. You may wish to pray. Each day, take twenty minutes to stop, reflect and enjoy being who you are. Think about the past, present, future or nothing in particular. Relax by yourself and you will feel renewed. Tranquility will re-energize you. Without trying, you will be amazed at how your subconscious mind releases so many good ideas. As you reflect upon the true sense for your existence, you can better deal with hardships.

Just as the time you spend exercising strengthens the physical you, quiet reflection strenghtens the spiritual you. Quiet time also gives you the opportunity to practice minding your own business. Take a deep breath and continue to breathe slowly and steadily. Look around. Use all your senses. You will find contentment in the solitude.

>>

I took this video when I was spending my leisure time at Naminoue Okinawa City. It is really so relaxing to sit for just an hour staring at the sea shore and listen to its natural sound. A good place to reflect about your dreams and visions.

Entrepreneurship - Binalot (Day 2)

Success stories of Filipino Entrepreneurs - Rommel Juan

Cited by AFFI. Day 2, Academically, Rommel was not prepared for business. He graduated with a marketing/ advertising degree, hoping to pursue his creative knack in the advertising field. Being from a family of business owners, he initially tried his hand at doing ads for their company, learning all he could about its marketing direction. Through this exposure, he realized that it was good to have your own company and make the decisions for it.

Further employment at the Toyota Motor Philippines plant and Honda Makati dealership, while educational, sealed his decision to be his own boss.

I took a job at TMP marketing department. Thing is, I was placed in the parts depart division. I wasn't exactly happy there. Still, I was thankful for experiencing the discipline of working for a Japanese firm where they really pu value in work ethics - being on time, meeting your targets, etc. After Toyota, I worked in sales at Honda, then eventually decided to join our own company, MD Juan.

Since Rommel is a third-generation business owner, his entry into the family business was about learning the ropes from his father and aunt - observing more than actually doing. As such, Rommel had a lot of spare time that he wanted to put to good use. It was then that he and brother Raffy laid the groundwork for Binalot.

At the start, Rommel saw Binalot as a project, something fun to do. It was in his personality to inject fun in things he does, including business. He was attached to the novelty of the idea and used his knack for making things fun to come up with the company's image - from its menu, to its mascot, and brand. He was able to use his creativity while building the Binalot concept.

I used to think if the company grew, then, fine, thanks, I'll enjoy the money. But that wasn't my drive. My drive was basically to have a running business. I wanted to enjoy it.

Rommel's passion for the new business made the days fly by quickly. The company gained ground and Rommel faced the challenges of entrepreneurship. He learned how difficult it was to handle people and realized that not everything was fun, even in a business you were passionate about.

One time, when I was in my early twenties, I had to fire someone. I had to tell him that he no longer had a job. It was very difficult, but I learned from it.

After that baptism of fire, Rommel soon encountered one challenge after another in the growing business. He did not let his inexperience get the better of Binalot, although he admitted that there were times he thought the business would actually fold up.

I admit that there were difficult times. Like after the 1997 economic crash, delivery service was in near slump. Unfortunately, the delivery service was the initial business model for Binalot. We didn't know how to react. Using a loan from Dad, I bought a lot of motorcyle units then hired riders. I was surprised to find out later on that our outlet in Jupiter Street had eighteen employees already! That time, I was clueless about income statements. My idea about operations was simple: if there's something lacking, stock up; if there's a problem, fix it. It was simply firefighting. Thus, the delivery operation didn't grow.

To be continued...

Filipino Overseas Workers - Japan

Filipino Overseas Workers - Fukuoka Japan.



General Cleaning in Fukuoka Apartment

Courtesy of Japtrainees >> Fukuoka Japan, This is a true life story in Japan of some Filipino groups. I can testify to their sharing because I also worked here in Japan for almost 8 years now. Being an OFW, you should always motivate yourself in your daily working lifestyle to be able to overcome loneliness especially if you have family way back in the Philippines. It's not because you are working outside the Philippines, you are already living in a comfortable life or you are just enjoying your trip in other country. Some people don't know what's behind the life of OFW. Enjoy watching this video.

Entrepreneurship - Binalot (Day 1)

Success stories of Filipino Entrepreneurs - Rommel Juan

Cited by AFFI. Day 1, GROWING UP, BUSINESS WAS THE LAST THING on Rommel Juan's mind. He was a child with an active imagination, spending his time doing art projects, reading comic books, or watching cartoons. It was his older brother who had the entrepreneurial flair and young Rommel often found himself acting as a sales agent, convincing classmates and friends to buy the cartoon stickers his brother was selling. Rommel enjoyed the exercise, but found more value in the interaction with friends than in the actual profit. He felt proud that he was able to satisfy his customers with the goods he sold, and looked forward to playing with them after the sale.

It was only in college that the entrepreneurial bug bit him, again with the help of his older brother. According to Rommel:

I was a late bloomer. My first venture with Raffy was in college. It was after the San Francisco earthquake; the "I survived the Great Quake" T-shirts became a trend. We used this as an inspiration for own version: the "I survived the Coup d'etat" shirts. This was in 1992, during one of the coups in Cory Aquino's time. It was also the Christmas season - perfect timing - and we sold a lot of shirts. That was the first time I earned money.

It was just a small venture, but it was Rommel's first taste of earning through enterprise. After college, the Juan brothers teamed up again, this time to start a food-takeout counter. Inspired by childhood memories of family outings with Mommy Charito's meals packed with banana leaves, they decided to set up what would be the beginning of today's popular Filipino fast-food-Binalot.

Rommel liked the idea so much; he found that he was aggressively pursuing the business. He liked that the concept was novel. He took charge, started trying out recipes, identifying costs, wrapping food in banana leaves. Unwittingly, he had found his business and had decided to be an entrepreneur.

To be continued...

World-Class Filipino Talent

Filipina World Boxer - Ana Julaton.

Be Inspired! Cited by Jack Canfield, If you are going to be successful in creating the life of your dreams, you have to believe that you are capable of making it happen. You have to believe you have the right stuff, that you are able to pull if off. You have to believe in yourself. Whether you call it self-esteem, self-confidence, or self-assurance, it is a deep-seated belief that you have what it takes - the abilities, inner resources, talents, and skills to create your desired results.

Remain Adaptable

Bill FitzPatrick - Founder of the "American Success Institute".

Action Principle No.27 >> Remain Adaptable, In daily life, through a love of many things, it is possible to remain adaptable. If it starts raining on the way to the beach, you'll enjoy going to the movies. If you are kept waiting for an appointement, don't get angry. Make a few calls or work on your schedule. If you get stuck in traffic, enjoy your favorite motivational audiotape, radio station or CD. Always have a book with you and you will never be alone. The small stuff can't get you down if you are ready to substitute one thing for another.

Reject Rejection!

Jack Canfield - cocreator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul.

Reject Rejection, If you are going to be successful, you are going to need to learn how to deal with rejection. Rejection is a natural part of life. You get rejected when you aren't picked for the team, don't get the part in the play, don't get elected, don't get into the college or graduate school of your choice, don't get the job or promotion you wanted, don't get the raise you wanted, don't get the appointment you requested, or get fired. You get rejected when your manuscript is rejected, your proposal is turned down, your new product idea is passed over, your fund-raising request is ignored, your design concept is not accepted, your application for membership is denied, or your offer of marriage is not accepted.

Rejection is a myth! another concept cited by Jack Canfield. To get over rejection, you have to realize that rejection is really a myth. It doesn't really exist. It is simply a concept that you hold in your head. Think about it. If you ask Patty to have dinner with you and she says no, you didn't have anyone to eat dinner with before you asked her, and you don't have anyone to eat dinner with after you asked her. The situation didn't get worse; it stayed the same. It only gets worse if you go inside and tell yourself something extra like "See, Mother was right. No one will ever like me. I am the slug of the universe!".

Everyone who has ever made it to the top has to endure rejections. You just have to realize that they are not personal. Consider the following:

1. When Alexander Graham Bell offered the rights to the telephone for $100,000 to Carl Orton, president of Western Union, Orton replied, "What use would this company make of an electrical toy?"

2. Angie Everhart, who started modeling at the age of 16, was once told by model agency owner Eileen Ford that she would never make it as a model. Why not? "Redheads don't sell." Everhart later became the first redhead in history to appear on the cover of Glamour magazine, had a great modeling career, and then went on to appear in 27 films and numerous TV shows.

3. Novelist Stephen King almost made a multimillion-dollar mistake when he threw his Carrie manuscript in the garbage because he was tired of the rejections. "We are not interested in science fiction which deals with negative utopias, " he was told. "They do not sell." Luckily, his wife fished it out of the garbage. Eventually Carrie was printed by another publisher, sold more than 4 million copies, and was made into a blockbuster film.

4. In 1998, Google cofounders Sergey Brin and Larry Page approached Yahoo! and suggested a merger. Yahoo! could have snapped up the company for a handful of stock, but instead they suggested that the young Googlers keep working on their little school project and come back when they had grown up. Within 5 years, Google had an estimated market capitalization of $20 billion. At the time of this writing, they were about to launch an initial public offering auction that eventually raised $1.67 billion.

One step beyond is actually one step within!

Bo Sanchez - Spiritual preacher and Motivational speaker.

Ralph Marston - Go ahead, Go ahead and switch on the power to your life. Look back just long enough to remember what you treasure most, then go ahead and expand upon those treasures.

When you feel an excuse coming on, crush it under the wait of your desire to move forward. When you meet up with a challenge, delight in your ability to improve your way through it.

This is your opportunity to taste life's sweetness more fully than ever before. This is your moment to make a positive difference that will forever add value and meaning to the universe.

This is a day in which you can experience your passion from a new and empowering perspective. Surprise yourself and be delighted at how authentically beautiful you are.

Choose with your thoughts and actions to lift yourself up. Then make it all exponentially more wonderful by lifting up another, and another.

Go ahead and fully feel the white-hot energy and marvelous uniqueness of being you. Go ahead and let your own special beauty explode into every corner of life .

Entrepreneurship - Aquabest (Final)

Success stories of Filipino Entrepreneurs - Carson Tan.

Last part. Continuation... With his drive to be an expression of God, there is no doubt that Carson and Aquabest will work hard and smart to live up to its name as the best in purified water. Carson says that this does not end with their product, but also with the type of service they provide their consumers and franchisees.

Currently, Aquabest offers zero interest on 12, 15 and 18 months financing of their machines. They also have low down payment plans, which allow more entrepreneurs to begin their businesses.

In the Aquabest pipelines are plans to come up with machines that will be affordable alternatives for entrepreneurs without compromising quality. Brand names such as Aquabest.Com, AquaRevo, AquaSpree, Alkaline Plus, Mineral Plus, and OxyPlus have been registered with the IPO.

"Life is about choices, so choose the best", the Aquabest slogan says. This is why Aquabest and Bestlife give franchisees a lot of choices when it comes to products. There is something for everyone's needs and budget.

Right now Aquabest is at P420,000. It's a package which includes: Korean Aluminum Signage; six sets of uniforms; electronic gadgets to check the water quality; streamers; banners; flyers; start-up inventories; use of name; business assistance; training, etc. You can also just buy the machine for P300,000. If your budget is P250,000, we can also accomodate you. If you want alkaline then we can do it for you. If you want oxygenated, we can do it. So we would like to offer something that, with only P100,000, one could already open a water station.

Today, Bestlife has over 350 water stations nationwide. It continues to explore more possibilities to improve the quality of life of the Filipino people by providing the technology and solution to make the production of pure water more affordable and within the reach of the poor.

It also plans to offer various water-related products and services to widen the scope of its domain. This includes distributorship of bottling equipment to supplement the ever-increasing demand for bottled water. In the process of registration, Bestlife Franchising will transform from a mere WRS franchising firm into a water-and environment-solution company named Global Quality Waters and Environmental Solutions Technologies, Inc. with engineered design systems to meet the specific needs of its clientele. With Carson Tan's long-term vision and God's blessings, these plans will soon become reality.

Don't Be A Perfectionist

Bill FitzPatrick - Founder of the "American Success Institute".

Action Principle No.26 >> Don't Be A Perfectionist, Trying to be perfect takes too much time and effort. It creates too much stress and is impossible anyway. Instead, strive to relax at the 90% level. This is the personal mastery level. Following the Action Principles, reaching the 90% level in most of your financial and social endeavors will be something that you don't even have to think about. It will happen through your persistence, determination, hard work and nice personality.

Right now, learn about the income and the lifestyle level of those in the top 100% of your profession. If you aren't content earning more than 90% of your co-workers, choose another profession.

It is possible to try too hard business, exercise and relationships. Overwork can produce stress and anxiety, which is the opposite of the inner peace you seek. Your best is good enough. Live to a high standard, not to an impossible obsession.

Throw your trash!

Bo Sanchez - Spiritual preacher and Motivational speaker.

Ralph Marston - Do something about it, Are you frustrated and burned out? What are you going to do about it? Is there something you really want to achieve? What are you going to do about it? Have you just become aware of an incredible opportunity? What are you going to do about it? What are you going to do today? right this moment? What actions will you take to end your frustration, to achieve your dream, to take advantage of opportunity?

Success and achievement depend not on how much you complain, or on your ability to garner symphathy from others, but on what you do. And right now is the time to start.

Go ahead and move beyond the frustration, begin to work toward the dream, and make the most of your best possibilities. Go ahead right now and do something positive and effective about it.

Entrepreneurship - Aquabest (Day 6)

Success stories of Filipino Entrepreneurs - Carson Tan.

Day 6, Continuation... Unlike most entrepreneurs, Carson thinks entrepreneurship is not for everybody. He believes having the proper mindset and long-term vision is very important. He advises those looking for get-rich-quick schemes or one-shot deals to forget about doing business.

Nobody should get into business and think in the short term. Consider the concept and all the effort you've poured into the business. Think of the value indicators - if you put service, there's your added value already. There's also quality - that's another added value. Also promotion, etc. It's not the product or service alone; it's the intangibles people look for like prestige, quality, corporate social consciousness, environment friendly, customer relations, and after-sales support, etc.

Carson feels that those who have leadership qualities can become entrepreneurs, whether they are born into business or want to make themselves entrepreneurs. Whether the qualities of an entrepreneur are inherent in an individual, they still have to be developed and improved to be useful in business.

The best way to develop these entrepreneurial skills is to develoop one's character, Carson advises, as having a good character means being disciplined, trustworthy, hardworking, prudent, positive minded, honest, persevering - qualities that make up a person's total integrity. You then add your vision and you are set to becoming a succcessful entrepreneur. There are no shortcuts to success, he adds. Building one's character does not happen overnight.

Still he says business is not only about working hard, but also working smart. He advises those who want to get into business to learn ways of making their money work for them, instead of them working for their money. Instead of being businessmen who run the show, be investors and utilize other people's brains and brawns to make the business run.

It is important, too, to see business from different perspectives, Carson adds.

Perspective is a big word. It's how we see things and events. There was a time that I've completely lost perspective on the water business; I lost faith in it. One day, I bought a copy of Buy and Sell and saw the ads of one of my competitors in the water business. I was curious why it's still around and spending large sums on adds. I asked around and discovered that company had more outlets than ours at that time. Aquabest was in deep slumber; but still had potential. That's when we decided to wake up and rise from our slumber.

Marketing and branding are likewise important aspects of business, which Carson credits for Aquabest's endurance. He knows from experience that you can sway the market to your product or service depending on how you approach it with your marketing strategies and how it perceives your brand.

For Carson, the best thing about being an entrepreneur is having the fulfillment to achieve your vision and reach the financial goals you set for yourself. He suggests that employees save money so that they can eventually become their bosses or run their own businesses and retire as investors when they get old and not as pensioners.

If you are a nice-to-five employee, most employers will not pay you a marginal salary so you won't leave the company. You can easily earn up to P50, 000 a month. In a sense you have sold your soul. Because you are potentially more productive, can undertake work and your time exchanged for money from age twenty to fifty. Without time, you are not free to do the things that will give you the financial freedom you need.

Aside from financial freedom there is also the time freedom "aspect. I mean if you're making P1,000,000 a month, you can hire people to do much of the work already. This time freedom is very, very important. You can tell your kids with confidence that you'll be flying to Europe the next weekend because it's possible for you now.

That's time and financial freedom. But if you're employed, there are so many limitations.

However, success can have its downside, too. For Carson, he believes that it tends to get lonely as you go higher. Because people look up to you and respect you, you are not as free to do whatever you want. You are tasked to be a model, an inspiration for others.

This is why it is important to balance the drive for success with time for family and friends, spiritual needs, health. One can do this by learning to delegate to trusted employees.

When asked about who has greatly influenced his life, Carson immediately says Our Lord Jesus Christ, because His perfect example is a pattern for us to follow. Our Lord Jesus, standing in the position of a man is perfect in all His ways: a great friend, an obedient son, follower, citizen, brother, mediator, counselor, and name it, He is.

Carson believes that just like other people, he is there as God's presentative on earth, to become the expression of wh oGOD is.

It's like electricity inside a lamp. Well, of course we cannot see electricity but because of the lamp, the electricity has a way to express itself. In our life we can say that there is electricity when we receive God's divine transmission into us by His Spirit dwelling in our spirit, living out His attributes of love, light, peace, joy, etc. and becoming our human virtues. Thus, when people see us, they see God in our lives.

(To be continued...)

Face Fear

Bill FitzPatrick - Founder of the "American Success Institute".

Action Principle No.25 >> Face Fear, Knowledge, practice and courage are your weapons against fear.

One person can step out of an airplan door at 2,000 feet without hesitation. Another can stand before an audience of 2,000 and give a speech without breaking into a sweat. Fears can be rational or irrational, but they are always personal, and real. Everyone fears something.

To diminish a fear, you must first face it. The one hundredth skydive or speech won't be as traumatic as the first. The best way to face with the first fears is through a combination of logic and bravery. Logically, most people who jump from planes or give speeches don't die. They succeed through preparation. If your equipment is right and your training is complete, you are ready to jump. If your speech is carefully crafted and practiced, you are ready to speak.

Associate with confident people. You have seen many who have already done what you fear doing. Now, do what they have done. Courage grows with action. Fear is learned and must be unlearned. After facing that fear, you will feel exhilarated. Without fear, there can be no courage. Fear provides the opportunity to be brave.

Kid Entrepreneur

Alexandra McDaniel - Kid Entrepreneur.

Ralph Marston - Reach beyond yourself, The higher you aim, the higher you will go. Push yourself a little bit past what you know you can do, and you'll discover new skills and abilities.

If it seems that you don't ever get much done, maybe it's because you're not giving yourself enough to do. Make your dreams and ambitions big enough to be positively compelling.

Be genuinely thankful for how far you've already come, but don't rest on your previous accomplishments. Honor and appreciate those accomplishments by using them as a starting point for even greater success.

You are intelligent, adaptable, creative, flexible and effective at getting things done. Fulfill your destiny and satisfy your purpose by giving yourself plenty of valuable, worthwhile things to do.

Delight in discovering how much more you can accomplish. Thrill to the challenge of moving successfully through new, uncharted territory.

Continue to reach beyond yourself. Know the joy and confidence that come from growing ever stronger.

Entrepreneurship - Aquabest (Day 5)

Success stories of Filipino Entrepreneurs - Carson Tan.

Day 5, Continuation... One way that budding entrepreneurs can counter this problem is by having the correct mindset. Carson believes that one must be willing to start small, if this is what is needed to launch the concept. He believes that if one has to knock on doors to get the business off the ground, this is what the entrepreneur must do. "Just like salesman: they only need to speak. You don't have capital, but you get a percentage of the businessman's profit, "He says.

Carson says that training and the principles in sales and network marketing can help entrepreneurs gain the skills and mindset needed to succeed. He himself underwent this process and to this day, uses the 4 Ps of network marketing principles, which he later developed to seven Ps in running a franchised business.

The Seven Ps are: product; profile of the company; plan or promotion; price; place; potential; and prayer. According to Carson, you have to consider all seven to know if your business will be successful.

For "product", it is important to consider whether it's a necessity or a want, and if there is a market for it. For "profile," it is necessary to develop the image of the company that will provide the products and the services. "Plan" means knowing your goals and marketing/ promotion strategies. "Price" is studying what the market will be willing to pay for your product. "Place" is the strategic location of your target market. "Potential" is the chances of your concept for making it as a business, and "prayer" is the dash of blessing only the Lord provides.

For Carson, there are infinite opportunities available to those who would like to become entrepreneurs. He cites the ingenuity of the Japanese in taking existing products, and improving on them; making them smaller and better. It is important for entrepreneurs to recognize what needs improvement because constant improvement is an essential part of business.

I read somewhere that the Japanese would buy, say, a copier machine and ask their engineers to tear it apart and make something better and smaller. THey do this with automobiles. Korea does the same, heavily borrowing economic practices from Japan. Here in the Philippines, since there's minimal government support, we tend to buy a lot of surplus junk from abroad instead and just make them work.

In the regions, Filipino creativity abounds in enterprises. Bacolod's jeepneys are more modern than those in Metro Manila that still carry the WWII basic makeup. It's unfortune that we have in our blood this thing called "RTC" or "resistance to change." When we're comfortable with something, it better be left alone. But if we don't change, there won't be growth, there won't be any business.

Another thing Carson laments is our strong regionalism, which hampers the country's unity and development of national pride. Instead he sees regional pride and competition among Filipinos of various regions.

It's sad that when a Filipino succeeds abroad, fellow Filipinos gossip about him or her. When a row of stores sell the same products, instead of forming an association, the sellers badmouth each other to get more sales. They even lower the prices to entice more customers. It's degrading for sellers to beg customers to buy their products.

Integrity is key for entrepreneurs. Carson stresses.

It is hard to expand a business without integrity. Whether it is your suppliers, creditors, employees, and franchisees, people have to be able to trust you. It is different when you are starting and the credit you need is by the thousands of pesos only but once you are growing with a need for higher credit that runs in the millions, you should have earned the trust of your creditors and suppliers already - that is financial integrity. Leadership is also about integrity in a broader aspect because no one follows somebody who doesn't have integrity.

(To be continued...)

Listen to Your Instincts

Bill FitzPatrick - Founder of the "American Success Institute".

Action Principle No.24 >> Listen to Your Instincts, "I don't feel comfortable here. I don't like the sound of this. This doesn't look right to me."

With regard to your body or surroundings, your instincts are your best early warning system. Listen to the inner voice. Listen to that gut feeling. Go to the doctor. Leave the party. Get away from these people. Quit this job. Don't open that door. Duck into that store. The world is an imperfect place. There are dangerous places and people.

Every once in a while, your instincts may be off and you may feel foolish. Err on the side of safety and your instincts may save you from danger. Give yourself time or space to consider your options. It is foolhardy to do otherwise.

Desire what you want to be!

Dr. Michael J. Duckett - Desire what you want to be.

Dr. Michael J. Duckett, began life in an extremely impoverished and dangerous environment. As a young child he was orphaned and left on the streets of Detroit with seven sisters, and through perseverance and hard work became a multimillinaire by age 23. For over thirty years, Dr. Duckett has studied the fundamentals of human behavior that most affect achievement on personal and professional levels. Having learned the secrets of happiness and wealth, and having built several successful businesses, he now concentrates on developing and sharing his discoveries with others. As a result, Michael has established another reputation in addition to "master of success" - that a dynamic educator who has been described as the Napoleon Hill (Think and Grow Rich) on the 21st Century.

Mr. Duckett founded the International Coaching and Seminars in 1996 because he wanted to give back to others by creating and teaching a unique and effective technology of life. He discovered that "success" has a definite pattern, and he formed a number of these patterns into exclusive technologies available only through International Coaching and Seminars. These technologies are unprecedented, and will bring positive, effective changes to your business, organization, or personal life in a short time with measurable results. A successful entrepreneur and avid student, Dr. Duckett holds advanced degrees in eight discipline including Business, Theology and Law. He has lived and studied in many parts of the World, and is an International Author, speaker and trainer in high demand by individuals, groups and corporations. Dr. Duckett's high energy and enthusiasm around his work is contagious and creates an event that will be entertaining, fun, and enlightening.

Make the world sparkle

Bo Sanchez - Spiritual preacher and Motivational speaker.

Ralph Marston - Make the world sparkle, What can you do to give life substance and meaning? How can you express the unique miracle of your existence?

The deepest purpose you feel, drives every other purpose in your life. Allow that ever-abiding, timeless purpose to be fully nourished by your actions.

See the beautiful reality that is hidden by nothing more than the shallow distractions of your mind. Feel the energy of life as it flows through your every experience.

Welcome each moment as it arises. Live the treasure that comes with every day.

Celebrate this day for the one-of-a-kind miracle that it is. Grab the possibilities and make the world sparkle with your special light.

Let go of your inhibitions and allow your purpose to make its beautiful and powerful presence known. Breathe in the sweet air of true fulfillment.

Entrepreneurship - Aquabest (Day 4)

Success stories of Filipino Entrepreneurs - Carson Tan.

Day 4, Continuation... Carson believes that if an entrepreneur has a vision and commits his plan to God, and works hard, God will eventually lead him to success. He also believes in not just jumping into the bandwagon, but being original in some way, tweaking the concept to give the market better, innovative products.

Keep on visualizing the future. It's not the product, it's the idea. It's the concept of what you have to offer. Today, we have a lot of services and products that are truly innovative. Take the barbershop. The old barbershop had basic services before and catered only to males. Now, even females can go to the new "barbershops" that have been transformed to something like spas, thus offering much more. Some establishments even have swimming pools so families can partake of the services.

It's the concept, like I said. Right now after Aquabest, we are trying our best to visualize our future. After pure water, there's alkaline. Next time, it will be oxygenated water. We also want to venture into the "air" business. For now our vision for Aquabest is "An Aquabest store in every barangay!" patterned after Bill Gates' "A computer in every home."

Aside from vision, Carson believes that timing is also very important. Therefore entrepreneurs should be able to time the carrying out of their visions perfectly. Part of this is having the conviction to forge ahead even if those around you do not support your vision.

There are a lot of people who have a vision but are easily discouraged. They have no conviction and patience. Thomas Edison could have stopped at 999, but in his 1,000th experiment, he discovered filament. Now that's real perseverance. A lot of people have excellent idea, but most of them don't spring into action. They don't have the conviction to execute their plan.

Carson believes one big advantage that Filipino entrepreneurs have is their creativity. He is amazed at the constant innovations being done on existing products. He calls the people who are behind these "innovators."

Carson also wishes that small-and medium-scale entrepreneurs can be given more access to capital. As a longtime businessman, he has seen how large businesses are given better access to loans and how they are able to haggle for better interest rates. This, he believes, is the reason good concepts from small entrepreneurs fail - big entrepreneurs eat them up.

Filipinos have a lot of brilliant ideas to produce better products, but there's always the fear of big companies eating up their concepts. Because of this fear, a lot of Filipino entrepreneurs, to protect themselves, are relegated to handling small-scale, service-related businesses that can't be easily duplicated or franchised.

Carson also sees the need for the Filipino entrepreneurs to be more serious about controlling the quality of their products and their way of doing business. He has tried oftentimes to be a supplier or distributor for foreign corporations but is often disqualified due to the bad image the country has when it comes to product standards and how business is done in the country. As a result, the Philippines loses out on many opportunities to bring its business to the global market. He knows it is a problem that cannot be solved overnight but he feels that something must be done now, even if it starts at the local level.

(To be continued...)

Entrepreneurship - Aquabest (Day 3)

Success stories of Filipino Entrepreneurs - Carson Tan.

Continuation... The same story happened here in the office. My sales manager/ contractor was cheating. When there's an inquiry (we're advertised in the yellow pages), he'll just discourage the potential clients, telling them of high franchise fees. Instead, he'll sell to them personally, direct from the supplier, and then just give the office a commission. When we discovered this activity, we let him go. One of our former sales agents who once visited confirmed the unethical transactions. I had to do several batches of cleaning up, and no one was spared - from the general manager down to the technicians. Even my secretary who reported such activities and whom I thought was trustworthy, was operating the same way apparently corrupted by one of the technicians who turned out to be her lover. The operation manager was guilty, too. He always insisted on hiring a particular contractor who quoted exhorbitant prices, because he was promised commissions on the side.

>>

From the time he took over in 2001 until 2004, Carson had to clean the ranks of dishonest employees, while trying to get the company back on its feet. He worked for a non-salary per diem of P600.00 per week, but eventually his efforts and faith paid off, as 2005 was a tremendous year for Aquabest.

Right now Carson has over 250 franchisees in the Aquabest network. Their approach to franchising is slightly different as they do not collect franchise fees or royalty fees, but rather a flat and minimal monthly due which include free marketing and tri-media exposure, uniforms, streamers, and filters. Aquabest is proud to provide its franchisees with top quality machines and consumables for the water-refilling business at a very low markup.

Aquabest, under Carson's leadership, was also able to salvage the strained relationship between mother company and franchisees. There was a time the franchisees did not want to pay fees during the period the company was mismanaged. Today, the relationship of the franchisees and Aquabest is very much improved, although some of the old-time franchisees decided to just continue on their own.

Most franchisees however decided to stick it out with Aquabest because of the services it provides, such as check ups and free membrane cleaning. Franchisees also benefit from the affordable consumables and the very active marketing and advertising position the company has taken in recent years.

The Aquabest brand has indeed made a stronger impression with its marketing drive. From caps and shirts to colored flyers, the company has made it a point to become more recognizable as the name to beat in water refilling.

Franchisees also benefit from the company's comprehensive operations manual, which clearly outlines the do's and don'ts of the business. Everything a franchisee needs to know about how to operate the business is touched on, including proposal letters to companies.

Since Aquabest is growing, Carson now has moved from a small fiftysquare-meter crowded office to a 330-square-meter spacious office located at the primie vicinity of Quezon Avenue. He encourages his thirty four employees to multitask, often overlapping functions so that everyone is well-versed in the business.

At this point in Aquabest's timeline, Carson does not think of whether or not it is a success, but one thing is for sure, he acknowledges how God has blessed the company. This is why Carson continues to entrust the business to God while doing his best in his job.

The Lord is so generous to us. He is so faithful that if we entrust Him everything, His blessings abound, sometimes in disguise. I just do my job. I believe the Lord is guiding me. He gives me a lot of ideas and inspiration.

(To be continued...)

Entrepreneurship - Aquabest (Day 2)

Success stories of Filipino Entrepreneurs - Carson Tan.

Continuation... So while successful in his endeavors, in the end, Carson's profits and savings were gobbled up and his resources were flattened to zero. This experience led him to analyze what was going on in his life. He realized that he was trying to be successful on his own, striving by himself, without the help of God. That was when he vowed to consecrate himself and his business unto God and allow His sovereign arrangement to take charge.

Today, at the helm of Aquabest, he has learned to commit his business to God. It is no suprise that the company is doing very well. But in the beginning, it was a hard uphill climb for Carson and Aquabest. He used to be a silent partner, part of a group of businessmen who in 1997 saw a big market in the water-refilling business.

Initially, Carson and his partners were skeptical because only one water shop store existed at that time. Nobody bought water then, there was plenty of water gushing out of the faucet. But with skillful marketing and educating of the public, the market soon became ready for the health benefits purified and mineral water brought and so the Aquabest Company flourished.

The good times were short-lived, however, when, due to mismanagement, the company soon found itself on the brink of bankruptcy. Carson and his family decided to buy out the shares of the other incorporators in order to save Aquabest and the franchisees that would be left orphaned if the company closed down.

With the help of family and friends, Carson raised P1 million to buy out the other partners and pay for the company's debts. He started anew with nothing in the office except two tables and a skeleton workforce.

Since he used to be a silent partner and the business was so highly technical, he let the current manager operate the business. The initial goal was just to sell water, to pay the debts, and survive. Little did Carson know that inside that store, massive stealing was going on in the form of unrecorded sales until someone blew the whistle on the perpetrators. Only then did Carson learn the full extent of the problem.

They sell the new bottles in exchange for the broken ones so at the end of the day, the inventory's complete. Also, I found out that they tampered with the installed water meter, so it will not register the correct water consumption. Slowly, these were fixed, but it took so many years!

(To be continued...)