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