An Inspirational Story of a Blind Businessman

I am doing this blogsite as a channel to reach out, inform readers of the latest business trends and seminars, tax information and of course, to inspire the readers of success business stories of entrepreneurs whom I have personally interviewed. And I was thinking of who could be my launching interviewee with truly inspiring story that I believe could, beyond doubt, get in the heart of my readers. I would want to interview Henry Sy or Lucio Tan (if they won’t snob a beginner blogger like me :D ), but I thought, you would want someone whom you can identify with, an ordinary man (because he is not yet a celebrity and a business tycoon yet) but spends his life extra-ordinarily. So I have chosen the man who has silently and bravely nailed his mark in his career, business and personal life despite the odds he went through. Guys, I am so privileged to open the pages for Mr. Prodex Tipuno.

A man of substance.

It was the youthful years of his life, famous for his cheery personality, an SK Chairman, just graduated at Technological Institute of the Philippines with the degree of Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, was getting offers from so many big companies here and abroad, and was about to leave for Aruba, South America for his first big break in his chosen profession when he was gun-shot by someone who had mistaken him as the enemy. That was almost 15 years ago. That short-range gunshot incident has led to his full BLINDNESS and a BIG CHANGE in his life. 

How did he conquer it all?

Being blind is never easy. The more if you are naturally born with sight then suddenly it was taken away from you. His first 3 New Years of lost of sight led him to ending up with bruises because of bumping his head onto the edges of the door frame. Aside from physical struggles in coping up, sadness and frustrations come once in a while since some of his friends forget to visit him. But he is a person who does not dwell on the negativity of his surroundings or the situation, instead, he listen to the radio to get educated about blindness and how to deal with his condition. He also started to mingle with a partially-blind friend and learned from him and also associated with group of blind people who do massaging. For 5 years he went to work as a massage therapist after getting his license. Yes, blind massage therapists are licensed and they even have to undergo continuing massage therapy education for renewal of their license and it makes it more a respected profession. Prodex is also blessed with a family that supports him all the way.

Prodex at work!
For your massage needs, just text: 0939-5830-663 (yes, he can text you back!)

Now, where is Prodex and what does he do?

Well, what had happened to him does not limit him from doing almost anything a normal person can do. Mind you, guys, he now owns his own massage clinic A4DABLE MASSAGE SERVICES which is operating for more than 2 years now. A4DABLE MASSAGE SERVICES is located at 3^rd level Robinsons Pala-Pala Dasmariñas, Cavite. He also supervises 2 more massage clinics founded by their organization named as VIBES MASSAGE SERVICES. As a part-time "celebrity" :), it has been a self-therapy to him to sing in gigs of their band, this is aside from playing the bass guitar. They can be usually catched up at Cowboy Barn in Terazza Dasmariñas, Cavite. Unfortunately, they temporarily stopped from accepting gigs since one of their members can no longer join them for distance reasons. If you would like to apply, there is only one condition- blind yourself first! And what about his lovelife? He is proud to say that he has already his own small happy family with his wife Irene (his high school sweetheart) and two angels who are ages 14 and 8 years old. 

Prodex's active life with his bandmates
For your massage needs, just text: 0939-5830-663  (yes, he can text you back!)

Prodex with his happy family!
For your massage needs, just text: 0939-5830-663  (yes, he can text you back!)

About his business…

After 5 years of working as a massage therapist, he and his client who was then a bank manager and has become a friend decided to put up a massage clinic along with another high school classmate. And it was named A4DABLE MASSAGE SERVICES which offers an hour body massage for only Php250! It is so affordable yet quality of service is never compromised. I have already tried their services and it was so soothing to the muscles! You better have to try it for yourself. The A4DABLE MASSAGE SERVICES is now sole-owned by him since his two partners already sold it to him for some emergency reasons. He said that eventually his clinic will merge with VIBES MASSAGE SERVICES.

                                 

How is he as a boss...

He said that managing people is a tough job, more so managing blind employees. They are overly-sensitive at times and can easily fall asleep because of “darkness”, sometimes absenteeism is also a problem. But their “sipag and tiyaga” is insurmountable and the quality of the massage they deliver to clients is one enough reason for them to come back. Prodex even jokingly add that since his massage therapists employees are all blind, special feelings develop among couples there and he also plays as “Dr. Love” to them.

The Business and The Boss and The Client
For your massage needs, just text: 0939-5830-663  (yes, he can text you back!)

He even dreams for more…

When I asked him about how he sees himself and the business after 5 years, he answered me with a hopeful spirit! He looks forward to tie up with hotels and be able to give more jobs to the blind community. He proudly say that blind people nowadays are seldom seen begging for alms on the street. This is despite the fact that they get no fund assistance from the government. It is either they can be caught singing with their guitars but not begging because they too get tired of sharing their talents or they can be seen working in a massage clinic. 

Vibes Massage Services at SM Dasmariñas - soon at the hotels! (his goal)
Vibes was established by an organization of blind people, which just started in year 1996 from  the funds raised through their Christmas Carolings. From then on, it has become bigger and can now be found in many SM Malls. At first SM Malls were hesitant to accept them as tenants but now gave them a chance and SM generously waived their royalty fees as their way of helping them out.
For your massage needs, just text: 0939-5830-663  (yes, he can text you back!)

One quote from him that struck me!

“Ano ang magagawa ko bilang bulag?” What an optimistic point of view! As I had more than an hour of interview with him, I have seen how strong his character is. You can truly say that you can never put a good man down. It is not the situation that will make you fail or prosper but how you see and handle the circumstances that come across your paths. Only us can decide to make a positive change in our lives. It is a shame on those people who keep on complaining and playing victims of life when you hear this one blind man asking how he can make a difference in his lifetime. Now, challenge yourself with the same question- What can you do in all your capacity as a normal person to improve your life?

The "Kenkoy" Prodex!
For your massage needs, just text: 0939-5830-663  (yes, he can text you back!)

On creating huge wealth: What do managers of large corporations won’t tell you?

     It is interesting to know how the big boys play the game. Of course it is! Every ordinary entrepreneur I guess will be so enthusiastic to know what seems to be the secret to big corporations’ creation of wealth. Let us first see and analyze a traditional entrepreneur’s perspective of a business process:

     From their CASH, a merchandising business will buy their INVENTORIES and raw materials in case of manufacturing businesses that they will assemble to create a new product. From inventory it will be sold to direct consumers for retailing business or to its distributors for a wholesaling business. These inventories are seldom bought in cash by the buyers especially for bulk purchases and so it will be your trade RECEIVABLES which will then be collected but with a provision for doubtful accounts and CASH will again be realized. So the cycle goes just like that for a typical business environment. Of course, wealth can be created from that system and has been proven in many generations. But acquiring huge wealth is for the BIG C’S proven business process. And how do big C’s do it? Let us analyze their way and see if it can be applied to yours:

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

     This is the first step in huge wealth creation. Large companies invest in researching and developing new products that would satisfy existing needs or it is their way to create a need and come up with products to suit that need. This may mean for them going to different countries, hiring chemists, scientists, researchers to do it for them. 

DESIGN ENGINEERING

     After deciding what product or services to offer, next is the design engineering wherein this process involves a number of steps, and parts of the process may need to be repeated many times before production of a final product can begin. After perfecting the targeted output, prototype is made which will be showcased to prospective clients or customers. 

PRODUCTION

     Design is now ready for production. Say for instance, a shoe manufacturing company has made a prototype of a particular shoe design and got an order for it, the production department will be advised to mass produce such order. Or some companies do mass production of necessity-items such as office supplies, garments, kitchen wares and the likes. 

MARKETING

     You have the product, now it is the time to make it known by the public. You may do it thru TV ads launching, newspaper ads, magazine ads, or for beginners may advertise it for free in the internet. Promotional ads such as displaying or showing off your cheapest and most attractive items to attract more buyers can be done also. This is very easy to do nowadays since social media is just a click away and you can reach even the farthest area across the globe with just one click! 

DISTRIBUTION

     You have marketed your products and distribution comes next. You may choose to do it the conventional way of three-level distribution system: from producer-wholesaler-retailer. This is the method tested by well-established businesses from various industries. Another method is by direct distribution which is usually done by some cosmetic and healthcare products. By doing direct distribution, you bypass the wholesalers and retailers. Prior to adopting the direct selling approach, be sure that you won’t need these channels of distribution because they may not be available to you later on you decide to change method. Distribution may be done in two-way wherein only the wholesalers will be alienated. It means that retailers will go directly to producers to be able to cut the costs of having middlemen. Whatever method you choose, just remember the things to be considered so you can come up with the most profitable way of distribution without suffering your business relations as well. 

AFTER-SALES SERVICE

     This is one powerful method to know the concerns of your customers after buying your product. A sale does not end after you receive payment and your customer receives the product. You must proactively serve your client even after sales. You may do this after-sales service by providing hotline numbers wherein they can call about their comments, suggestions or complaints. By so doing, the customers feel that you value them more than profiting from them. 

     To become big, you must think big and apply to your business what the big boys have been doing. Don’t see those as a costly process. With a creative and analytical mind, everything can be made practical and possible. 

For your success, 

Marygrace

Go Negosyo 2nd Filipino Technopreneur Summit

True to its commitment of building the Philippines as an entrepreneurial nation, the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship – Go Negosyo is holding its 2ND FILIPINO TECHNOPRENEURSHIP SUMMIT (FTSii) on JANUARY 21, 2013, MONDAY at the NBC TENTin Taguig City.

This Summit is centered on reinforcing the entrepreneurial spirit of the Filipino people by engaging them in the powerful realm of technology. The summit above all else aspires to inspire future Filipino technopreneurs who will harness and maximize the powerful duo of technology and entrepreneurship for one’s economic empowerment and as an important contribution to the nation. The event also aims to enjoin the participants to develop a positive change in their mindset, and empower them with relevant entrepreneurship tools and concepts as their key to success.

This sectoral summit is to be conducted, following the overwhelming success of the first three Go Negosyo Women Entrepreneurship Summits with 60, 000 participants combined and the first three Youth Entrepreneurship Summit participated in by almost 35, 000 participants since 2010.

The 2nd Go Negosyo Filipino Technopreneurship Summit is a one-day event that will feature different topics on technopreneurship in the form of inspiring keynote addresses and plenary forums. The event is expected to feature Filipino technopreneurs who were able to make it big in the borderless and ever-dynamic world of technology, even those who conquer Silicon Valley proving to the world Filipino ingenuity and technology-savvyness. The event will also highlight business models by featuring successful techno-enterprises in the fields of mobile applications, wireless applications, software development, game design and development, ecommerce, website development and even blogging, in the hope to empower the future generation.

The event aims to gather students, teachers and young and working professionals in the hope to give them a glimpse of Filipino technopreneurship which is a fairly untapped sector which can still be maximized for our collective gain as a nation.

DOWNLOAD LATEST COPY OF THE WORKING PROGRAM HERE.
DOWNLOAD COPY OF THE OFFICIAL SCHOOL INVITATION LETTER HERE.
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Go Negosyo is reserving 500 SEATS for Participants who are Non-Students & Non-Teachers. Registration fee is worth Five Hundred Pesos (P500.00) which will already cover for lunch, PM snack and a Certificate of Participation. Participants (non-students and non-teachers only) should reserve a slot by filling up the online registration database. Payment should be made to the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship Foundation, Inc. (BDO Pioneer Highlands) Branch under Account Number 4850-088-492. To slot verification, the deposit slip should be sent via fax (637.7874) or via e-mail (FTSii.gonegosyo@gmail.com) (Subject: FTSiiPayment_NAME)

Interested College Students & Teachers may get in touch with the FTSii Secretariat through Ms. Rose Peralta (NCR schools) or Ms. Andel Reyes (Non-NCR schools) at 637.9229 or 637.9347. Schools are sent official invitation letters addressed to the College or University President. While the invitation is open to everyone, we would like to prioritize students of the following courses: Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, Advertising, Community, Business and Entrepreneurship.

Interested Institutional Partners may get in touch with Go Negosyo’s Programs Development Officer Jap Uminga at 637.9229 or via e-mail (jap.pce@gmail.com).

Interested Media Partners may get in touch with Go Negosyo’s Marga Antonio at 637.9347 or via e-mail (marga.pce@gmail.com).

Interested Sponsors may get in touch with Go Negosyo’s Marketing Officer Carie Babasa at 637.9229 or via e-mail (cariebabasa.pce@gmail.com).

For more information, visit www.gonegosyo.net/ftsii

Source: http://www.gonegosyo.net/blog/negosyo-events/go-negosyo-to-host-the-2nd-filipino-technopreneurship-summit/

What made up a successful person?

                Being successful never come from genes nor it would come from luck, but if it does it will be short-lived if your character is not yet ready to hold success. A successful human being is made. But what made them up? Listed below comes from my own observation of the common denominator of individuals who are destined to success:

1.       A DREAMER

Everything starts with a dream! But sometimes, it is unfortunate that this privilege is not taken advantage of some people. They are afraid not to realize their dream and so they don’t dream at all. But no successful person ever succeeded without having that end in mind. Each must have that burning desire to succeed! Think of the people you love, think of the kind of life you want them to experience. Think of the places you want to reach, of the good things that you want to have a taste of. The world is a huge catalogue which is just waiting for your order or for what you want to happen in your life. And the world listens and will give you what your heart truly wants! So be courageous and dream high! Achieving all the good things in the world starts with a dream! It is free so get your share!

2.       POSITIVE OUTLOOK

Positive outlook in life is inevitable. We feel that we are empowered associating with people who are optimistic. Optimism attracts positive energy which supports the things we long for and would want to achieve. We are in aligned with what we want in life if we feel good, if we see things in a positive way and otherwise if we just see misery, we feel anger, doubt guilt, and other negative mindset. Did you ever feel easy to deal with a new colleague if you thought of him or her as a nice individual prior to actually shaking hands with the person? And did you ever feel the tension of dealing with someone new at work if you think of him or her as a threat to your promotion?  One quote from the movie "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne: “What you think, what you feel and what manifests is always a match.” So beware of your emotions since they have big impact towards achieving success.

3.       LEARNING TO UNLEARN

It takes humility to unlearn the things that you have learned. It just wants you to be adaptive to change since it is the only constant thing on earth. To learn new things, you sometimes need to humble down and listen to people who have been there, who have proven something in that field. Always think of yourself as a work-in-process individual and you will realize in the end how much lessons and skills in life you have acquired. You have nothing to lose but a lot more to gain if you just empty your cup.

4.       PERSEVERING

           Failures will test your character as a person. The world has its own way to test you, to make you realize things and they can sometimes be funny and at times inconceivable. But it is the spirit of perseverance that you must maintain. Most of the times, people can see the treasure at the end of the road but it is the voyage along the rocky road that limits them from reaching the finish line. It is because they choose to be in their comfort zone, they would not want to experience disappointments and so they won’t try, they don’t want to hear criticisms and so they won’t stand up for what they believe is right and really deserve and eventually give up the things they truly want. Your dream is the finish line, but perseverance is the fuel to keep you going.

5.       COMMITTED

             Just focus to your end goal. Once and for all decide that you want success and commit to achieving it!

                God has endowed you with unique gifts that can be a curse if you left it unused. Maximize what you have, give your best on every task at hand, focus on the present moment with that end in mind. Believe that you can and grow yourself every time to achieve more and for you to be a blessing and inspiration to others by telling your own taste of success! You deserve nothing but the best in life!

Business Proposal: Accept or Reject?

Should I accept or reject a particular business proposal?

This is the most common question that millions of business-minded individual ask themselves prior to entering into a deal. Very common yet so uncommon. Why? Well, if it's not then every new venture will be a success. This question is very important to be answered objectively (not emotionally!) because it might involve a capital worth your fortune. Just imagine if you have worked so hard as an employee for 20 long years of your life and your retirement pay will be at stake and if your project won't succeed you will end up living as poor as a dog? This isn't overrated but a reality. I had some investments that failed in the past and these are the things I learned from those and now I will be sharing these information so you will learn without incurring high amount of "tuition fees" of failing. You may consider asking yourself the following basic questions:

1. Is this a legit business?

              It is easy to do this, you just have to check with the regulatory institutions regarding the legitimacy of certain businesses. For sole proprietorship, you may check with the DTI and your town or city office to check for its business registration. For partnership and corporation, you may go to SEC and inquire about the business. Please be reminded that some businesses may require SEC sub-registration as well before it can operate legally.

2. Is this business my line of interest or something I would love to do?

          Interest is a very important ingredient to success. No one can ever be successful in his endeavor without interest, hence, it's a primary question to ask yourself. To answer this question, let's reduce it this way: What is it that I would love to do even I won't get paid for doing it? That thing in your mind is IT! Some people who love cars go into car dealership, those who loves to travel get involved into a travel and tour business, those who enjoy kids eventually put up a kindergarten school. All of these businesses are fueled by enthusiasm.

3. Is it feasible?

               Feasibillity of a business idea has a lot of angles which you have to look into. Does it offer or cater products or services that is needed by majority? Will it give you the return on investment ROI that you want?

                            ROI = Gains - Investment costs

                                          Investment Costs

And is the payback period ok with you? Payback Period is a financial metric that answers the question: How long does it take for an investment, acquisition, or action to pay for itself? Or, how long does it take for incoming returns to cover costs? Or, put still another way: How long does it take to break even?
4. How much capital does it need to put up such business?  

             It doesn't mean that if a business requires a half a million peso capital and you have a half a million peso savings then you will grab it right away. Don't get carried away by well-presented proposal. Remember that those who are looking for investors did their job in preparing that irresistable proposal with promises of high earnings. It does not mean  that you should not believe them but you have to apply a certain level of skepticism in studying the proposal. If they promise an estimated amount of One hundred thousand pesos of profit, think of how much working capital (the amount that is needed to keep the business in a healthy operation, liquid or in a state that it is able to pay its short-term obligations) will be needed to operate the business.

                          Working capital is also expressed as:

                             working capital = current assets - current liabilities

                Ideally, if the project requires a Php 100,000 capital, you must have a fund triple this amount for contingency purposes since a start up business undergoes a learning curve and will not be smooth-sailing in it's first few years of operations. Most of the businesses fall because of disregarding the entity theory concept which means to separate the business from it's owners. Capital will be eaten up by personal consumption if you will be withdrawing every now and then your business capital. So provide enough for it.

5. Does the business has a proven system?

                  If the proposed business has a proven system, then it's a plus. You will not be spending much on the errors by having a tested system. To make the customers happy is by speed and efficiency and it is best attained in an environment of efficient system. However, newbies with no proven system yet does not equate to inefficiency. They may be offering a promising business as well but you must take extra precaution entering in this kind of deal. I will expound on this in my next blogs.

     You must decide based on facts objectively. Study the details critically and impartially. You may consider hiring the services of people knowledgeable in doing feasibility studies. Remember that success in business depends from person to person, from your scrutiny of going into details and the level of risk you are willing to take.