Factors paper by Angelbert Orseno - AGSB clark

Angelbert M Orseno
AGSB, Clark
Prof. Jorge Saguinsin

Well, yeah why not take also some evaluation test – to see if entrepreneurialism runs in my blood I whispered to myself. Pull some free links, open the testing site. 6 sets of questions: all situational, all calls for natural decisions – common sense. I answered and finished with full confidence; run through the pages until I reached the final part. I signed my personal details and then was greeted by the result page.

But with most honesty the result appalled me! I can’t believe it and after skimming through the result I found myself reading the “how to interpret your result” over and over again. I just can’t believe it! The classifier A depressed me a bit and that instantly. It seems like I really can’t comfortably accept the gauge. I glanced back my thoughts recalling the questions and I am telling myself that I just simply and candidly answered the questions there should be no wrong. But there you go it looks to me that the result leans, at my present state of being, that I don’t have what it takes to become an entrepreneur! Read on.

I was 6 years old when I have this first pet – chick. In that early age I associated my relationship to my pet to that of the movie “Anak ng Bulkan” (starring Fernando Poe and Ace York – the kid who found a bird that eventually grew gigantically that flies the kid round”). My pet chick eventually grew as well but instead of taking me to magical moments it is bound not to the sky but to becoming a “pulutan” but I protected it with my little sense of defense. The bird was spared from the “kawali”. Could this soft-heartedness but strong conviction trait of an entrepreneur?

At primary III I have my “peking ducks” in a pen. I have also 50 heads of poultry. I have 10 heads of pigs and I am selling ice candy in the school and I always go back home all commodities sold; I didn’t lose a single life of my livestock; I designed the pens and make it sure my livestock have what they need whether it is a shelter or food . My mother taught me once how to mix the feeds and I continue thereon. My mother gives me P5.00 whenever these live stocks are sold. Do I show at this early age what they say some of the “D” factors of an entrepreneur: Details, Devotion and Dedication?

I went on with my life crossing my teens living as an ordinary guy. I have amassed different kinds of peers for friends. I joined those college “brotherhoods”. I was active on group and school activities. I led the group through good and bad times. Could this be the power and control appeal factor which I was gauged high that will contribute to me of becoming an entrepreneur?

I got my first job 2 months after college. As it is my first work place exposure I did all my best to establish roots in my career. Passion and dedication were my closest friends. I’ve learnt to respect time, I’ve learnt to value commitment. I learnt to love what I am doing. I was driven by inspiration and I am hungry for new wisdom. The dose of motivation never parted my appetite. Could this be what it meant by the area Need for Challenges and Ambitions that I possess?

Boredom struck me after working for 4 years. A small voice saying there’s more to life was vividly loud. What is in the other side of the earth it asked? I quit my local job and accepted an overseas offer – to a land that is the center of the opposite of my faith – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The people look entirely different; the place and community made me shiver but all I could feel was total excitement. This is it I guess and I ended my thoughts saying “I can do this”. Did I carry at this stage of my life the Perception to act upon my own destiny?

I quit my overseas stint of 8 years after realizing that there are no more mountains to climb up. The urge of coming up with something didn’t leave my thoughts. Dreams of working for myself never miss to visit me in bed. I decided of take out my eggs from the basket and jump to the bandwagon of Internet Café (that was 2005). The competition was very fierce – survival of the fittest! Promotions, gimmicks, marketing, all you could possible think of to lure customers. I survived the competition. Business was alive for 7 years. For the first time I am counting the true fruits of my own labor. I spelled this as Perseverance and Determination of someone who is Action Oriented and of someone who is Resistant to Stress. Am I close to completing the right recipe of an entrepreneur?

Now at present although still in corporate world I found myself engage in a small farm starting with 1000sqm land. I am slowly putting some live stocks in it. The clear image that I can capture at this very moment is me riding on my horse (duh?) steering some herds; doing extended business related to agriculture; mingling with the land people, putting up cooperatives - building a society. It also started to sink in me the impact of deforestation in our land because of total dependency on trees so I am doing some research on Mahogany planting. I would also want to engage on activities that will alleviate poverty; which will help the education system and send unfortunate kids to school, to build playgrounds, libraries, meaningful healthcare centers, recreational activities that will enhanced their curiosity – that will give back their childhood. With Faith, I believe I can do something back to my people and to my God. Could this be my ultimate Dream?

At this point after writing and traveling back to my life with series of torrent events I realized that I was actually implying some points of the critical measure of being an entrepreneur, namely, if I may:

• Do I Have What It Takes?
• As I believe not anyone is a “born” entrepreneur but one can only gauge further the necessary traits.
• Do I Have the Discipline?
• An entrepreneur sees beyond, do beyond.
• Can I Take a Hit and Get Back Up?
• Entrepreneurs are meant to be resilient.
• How Much Am I Willing to Sacrifice?
• Business consumes everything. Will I be smart and efficient in choosing what to sacrifice? Families and relationship are most of the time part of the collateral damage when engaging in business.

With all these I can proudly say, yes, I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur. But at the end of the day I am always consumed by the thought that one will have to do something at one point in his/her lifetime whether it will be nothing, stupid or meaningful and productive. I am founded and standing on the saying that “we will all leave this place; strive for a legacy that you will be remembered of”.3.5

Factors paper by Arlene Panganiban - AGSB clark

DO I HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO BE AN ENTREPRENEUR?

By Arlene A. Panganiban

History

I was born in the province of Calapan Or. Mindoro from a military father and a modern mother in a religious family. Went to school till college in with the sisters of St Paul and took up Bs in Nursing. I was Salutatorian in elementary and high school but didn’t take nursing very seriously. Went to the US few months after boards and started working as a registered nurse. The medical world has a higher ethics I may say compared to other professions in my observation. My parents put a high regard on honesty and discipline with money. After 15 years of being in the US we came back here in the Philippines and my business world started. With my 15 yrs. of nursing background in 2003, I went to manage a family owned restaurant for 3 years, 2005, went to be a “viajera” buying clothes from Hong Kong, Bangkok and Jakarta for another 3 years till lahar flooded my store for 6 months. I started buying palay 2007 and milled them for rice for 7 years. I did wholesale and retail rice dealership. Then I opened my Chinese fast food outlet in SM Pampanga and held it for 5 years.  I worked as a general manager in a natural resort in Batangas for a year until I helped my husband manage his security agency. Now I solely manage our security and manpower agency on the 9^th year. With that quick history let me deduct if I am an entrepreneur.

With the D’s mentioned by Prof Jorge, Yes, I am a dreamer, determine, detailed and doer. I manage business and will not be satisfied until I solve all possible problems why I won’t take off. Sometimes I get so stressed and pray why I cannot do better, like what happened in SM. For someone not a nationwide name I was ranking 7^th out of 12 fast-food outlet but the income was a joke to continue while SM is doing well from my rent of 21.5% of gross. My grains experience was very good until I want to more close to home and invested in SM. I left the family restaurant because it was a family business and my boss was a brother in law. We couldn’t seem to be working well but I love him as a brother so I rather not challenge that.

My F’s are faith, focused, frugal, fast, fun, and flexible and forever improving. I have seen these traits in the past especially in my nursing career as an oncology licensed manager. I know though that I will not start big or invest in something I have no control of. I will not spend all my savings and be so positive that what I started will be successful. I tend to analyze, I sort all options .When I was younger I have done or invested in very new things to me because of some mentors who didn’t stay long, but I was brave to continue.

Gifted Minds- I am a fast learner and a dreamer. I think I have this.

Steely Guts- Intuitive- I have a sense of intuition. I can feel the people around me.

                                         And if given the chance to be in the bigger business world I

                                       Can assess business itself.

                       Courage- I am not that brave especially if my finances are limited.

Patriotic hearts –What I know is I am loyal and patriotic to my products, used to sell things from grade 1, started with “white rabbit “candies, in college and till working years, and married life. I also noticed that I cannot sell things I don’t believe.

Hands that truly care- This one I know I have. In my nursing years and as a mother, now as an owner of a company whose employees are so much in need? I give more that a previous professor said that I need to earn more before service.

Currently one of my hesitations in the Philippine setting is giving big gifts to lure contracts. In my industry, I cannot sacrifice and cut the pay of the agency employees as percentage of those approving the contracts. I do think sometimes that I am not cut out to do business where there are SOP’s. I have to find sector. But even in the business of my husband of memorial park and chapels, there are those who try but not as bad. I guess I will find it soon.

Prof Jorge may you allow me to copy in the next page my entrepreneurial test results taken from the internet. Thanks 4 

What's Your Entrepreneurial I.Q.?

You think you know business? Take our quiz and find out how well attuned you are to the demands of being an entrepreneur.

Common characteristics in areas such as family background, childhood experiences, core values, personalities and more turn up time and time again in studies of entrepreneurs. Find out how you fit the mold by determining your Entrepreneurial Quotient, or EQ. The following test is no measure of your future success, but it may show you where you excel and where you need to improve to help make your business soar. Answer the following questions with a "yes" or "no," and total your score at the end to find out your EQ.

Your Score Is... 15

You have everything going for you. You have the potential to achieve spectacular entrepreneurial success.

Your background, skills and talents give you excellent chances for success in your own business. You should go far.

You have a head start of ability and/or experience in running your own business and should be successful if you apply yourself and learn the necessary skills to make it happen.

You might be able to make a go of it if you ventured out on your own, but you would have to work extra hard to compensate for a lack of built-in advantages and skills that give other entrepreneurs a leg up in beginning their own businesses.

Your talents probably lie elsewhere. You should consider whether building your own business is what you really want to do, Working for a company or for someone else, developing a career in a profession, or achieving an area of technical expertise may be far more congenial to you and would allow you to enjoy a lifestyle appropriate to your abilities and interests.

Entrepreneurial Factoids:

• Significantly high numbers of entrepreneurs are children of first-generation Americans.
• Successful entrepreneurs are not, as a rule, top achievers in school.
• Entrepreneurs are not especially enthusiastic about participating in group activities in school.
• Studies of entrepreneurs show that, as youngsters, they often preferred to be alone.
• Enterprise usually can be traced to an early age.
• Stubbornness as a child seems to translate into determination to do things your own way-a hallmark of successful entrepreneurs.
• Caution may involve an unwillingness to take risks, a handicap for those embarking on previously uncharted territory.
• Entrepreneurs often have the faith to pursue different paths despite the opinions of others.
• Being tired of a daily routine will often precipitate an entrepreneur's decision to start an enterprise.
• Entrepreneurs generally enjoy their type of work so much, they move from one project to another-nonstop.
• Successful entrepreneurs are willing to use their savings to finance a project.
• Many entrepreneurs make a habit of putting their goals in writing.
• Handling cash flow can be critical to entrepreneurial success.
• Entrepreneurial personalities seem to be easily bored.

Factor Paper by Verman T. Reyes of AGSB-Regis Clark

Factor Paper by Verman T. Reyes of AGSB-Regis Clark Subject: What factors I do and do not have as a Business Entrepreneur I always wanted to be an entrepreneur when I was a kid. I would answer the phone for the clients of my dad and get some money for my service from my brothers. I remember when I bought basketball shoes when I was in gradeschool and sold them half the price when i already used them 5-6 times in our tournament to my classmates. In highscool, bought nba basketball cards as a hobby and when I get special insert cards of a famous player, I sell it in the card stores in greenhills either consignment or through card collectors directly. I remember buying 2-3 packs of upperdeck basketball cards for 300 pesos. Then when I opened one pack, I got an insert card of Michael Jordan worth $100. I sold it for P2,200 and got almost 600% return of investment. In college, i took up export management in CSB, i always wanted to trade goods domestically and internationally after I graduate. When I was in college, bought buy and sell paper and look for cheap goods that I could sell online. I remember buying a nokia gadget that lets you make your laptop have a call and text function. I sold it online through www.ebili.com.ph, that was my first experience of selling online. Since then I ventured in a lot business endeavors directly and indirectly by investing in companies. At present, I have a plant nursery business. My clients are schools, golf resort, gardeners and farmers. But despite my entrepreneur spirit which I attribute from my mom, a serial entrepreneur herself, I still lack something as an entrepreneur and by evaluating myself, i could pinpoint the things I should work or improve to be a better entrepreneur. My total score in the evaluation is 118 points out of the total 140 points. Well, though I have a high entrepreneur potential, I managed to evaluate my weaknesses as an entrepreneur. But before I discuss my weaknesses, I would like to point out my strengths. Strengths 1. Passion - I consider being passionate in business very important. I know a lot of people who venture in business without having a passion and they don't end up successful. When I venture in a business, I make sure that I am very enthusiastic about it and know everything about it. You should know your business more than your clients. You should convince your client to buy your product because they are interested with it. 2. Solution - When venturing in business, there is a reason why you are getting into that business, its either you got frustrated that nobody is offering the product or service and by accidentally creating a new idea. Whenever I venture in a business, I make sure I solve a problem of future clients or create a demand on what they might need. 3. Observe - I always observe what is needed to improve my business either consulting experts or researching. I like observing what is happening in my business because usually, the small things that matter have a great effect on your business positively or negatively. Weakness 1. Communication skills - Iam not good in speaking in front of people, I pretend to be. I am not good in pitching a business plan. I am not good at writing papers properly. And lastly I am not good at convincing clients in closing deals. 2. Networking - in business, you need to have networks to connect with other entrepreneurs. I am not really good at this, except in joining organizations like mba class and hobby group clubs. I still need to improve my netwoking skills. 3. Leadership - i was once a captain ball of my varsity team, but our team had a faction between the luzon and visayas/mindanao players. I was unsucessful in uniting the team. I guess, I am not a leader by nature but a follower. I considered myself as role player always. But somehow i need to improve my leadership skills so that people will have someone to follow in the workplace.  (Leadership can be learned.  I guess you just have to work on your strength.  3>