Hardwork • Passion • Success

Made this with an iPhone app | Quote from Google | Added "Take the damn risk"

Over lunch, I was talking to a friend and our topic was all about life. Both of us shared life experiences and thinking about the things she shared now, I only have one line in my head:

The richest people are not employees.

Yeah, well. To whoever will disagree with me, I would really want to have a debate. Nevertheless, I think we all agree. If you search Google for Entrepreneurship quotes, you will see a quote that says, "60-80% of all new jobs come from small businesses". I will take every opportunity to be able to second the motion. If you come to think of it, starting your own business will not only benefit you - it will benefit those who are less fortunate. A simple small-time restaurant would probably have 10 employees at a minimum. That's 10 heads - 10 families you're feeding. Sure it puts a hell lot of pressure on you, but there is no doubt you're going to feel good about it. Here in the Philippines, a small sari-sari store would have at least one employee/helper. That is again, one head, one family. Although the salary is not as big as those of big companies, that is still considered as income. 

 My friend was telling me about a friend whose parents had to go through a lot just to be able to reach their current status. I'm sorry, but the only line I said was, "well it's a good thing his parents decided to start small-scale businesses rather than "work hard" as employees. I can just imagine what they went through - living days with no earnings, and on other days earning too much. It's really tricky; but they never gave up. It makes my inner goddess jump up and down with joy to know they're really doing well now.

Contrary to what I'm writing, my parents aren't businessmen/entrepreneurs. My dad is a professional, being a dentist. My mom is, well, retired. But she used to be someone big at a certain company. I don't know where this passion came from, but I'm pretty sure it got stronger when I entered college. As stated on my previous entries, I have lived a pretty luxurious life. Given that my parents aren't entrepreneurs at that rate, I can just imagine the life I can give to my children when I focus on the businesses I have in line.

Inspiration

To end this entry, here is a short story/interview of one entrepreneur I'm sure would inspire you in any way possible. Source: Entrepreneur.com

As founder and chief shoe giver at TOMS, a retail company with a mission of social entrepreneurship -- Blake Mycoskie launched his company eight years ago intent on giving back. The premise of TOMS was simple: For every purchased pair of shoes another pair would be donated to children in need in 60 countries all over the world.  

The spirit of this trademarked "One for One" philosophy has informed how TOMS has grown, as the company added eyewear to their repertoire and moved into other ventures.

Last year, TOMS Marketplace was launched -- a digital hub that calls attention to similarly socially-minded companies and gives customers an opportunity to shop with a cause in mind.

And this spring, TOMS got into the coffee business, directly trading with the farmers that grow their beans and giving a week of clean water to the communities that need it most for every bag sold.

We caught up with Mycoskie, an award-winning serial entrepreneur, former Amazing Race competitor and the bestselling author of Start Something That Matters, to talk about always putting the customer first and the importance of following your passion, wherever it takes you.

Q: Knowing what you know now, what would you have done differently when you were first starting up?
A: I would have never decided to enter a business where only a handful of companies or customers can determine your fate.

Q: What do you think would have happened if you had had this knowledge then?
A: I wouldn't have tried to start a cable network [Reality Central in 2003]. I tried to start a reality TV cable network and ultimately failed, because we could not get necessary distribution on the big cable operator platforms.

Q: How do you think young entrepreneurs might benefit from this insight?
A: Even if you have the best idea in the world and tons of customers that want it, if there is a platform, channel, retailer that will get in between you and your customers, you could have a problem. If they love what you are doing, that's great, but if they don't, you have to figure out a way to get directly to the end user with your product and service. 

Q: Besides inventing a time machine, how would you have realized this wisdom sooner?
A: I would have read more business biographies.  The most successful entrepreneurs who write them are transparent about the mistakes they have made and what you can learn from them.

Q: What are you glad you didn’t know then that you know now? Why?
A: How hard it is to start a shoe business. How hard it is to build a business when you are committed to giving something away every time you sell something in a one-for-one manner, and lastly, how many red eye flights you would have to take to save money on hotel rooms!

Q: What is your best advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?
A: Focus on your passion. Nothing else matters.

-This interview was edited for clarity and brevity.

Let me repeat something in big, bold letters:

Focus on your passion. Nothing else matters.