Desperation For Daily Prayer

June 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment
prayer

It is a bit odd that I write this now, when my prayer time has been a bit inconsistent. Perhaps the silver lining is that at this moment, I can better explain how much life just is much better when I pray consistently. At my best, I pray in the morning. (praying early in the morning is just refreshingly different) I grab my Bible and I proceed to my designated sacred space. I set the phone timer for 30 minutes. I usually listen to a praise song first and then read the Gospel reading for the day. Then I close my eyes and try to silence myself. God is in the stillness, after all. I then offer up those 30 minutes to my God. In silence. Listening. Conversing. Sometimes, God reveals … [Read more...]

Filed Under: GOD@WORK Tagged With: ,

Curiosity Skins The Cat

June 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment
skin the cat

3 months ago I was talking to whole lot of doctors. I was talking to our pediatrician for the needs of my older kids, our gynecologist for my wife's pregnancy, my surgeon for my impending operation, more doctors to get the clearances needed for me to push through with the operation, and even visited a few confined loved ones and friends. I was in and out of hospitals and hospital clinics. A good chunk of this time I spend waiting.  What did I do to pass the time? I couldn't help but be an entrepreneur. First, I noticed that for all the clinics of the new doctors I saw, the secretary asked me to manually fill up a patient's form. Curious, I asked the secretaries if I would … [Read more...]

Filed Under: STARTUP ADVICE, Startup Ideas Tagged With:

JUANGREATMEET 2 POSTPONED AND UPDATED

June 22, 2012 By 4 Comments

Sorry for the late announcement people, but the second Juan Great Meet with Howard Go will not be pushing through as scheduled next Wednesday. I've a very good reason: this morning I met with a big-name sponsor who is interested in holding the event - this means we can hold the event for free, so more people can attend! And since the venue would be significantly bigger, I thought of inviting a panel of entrepreneurs we can learn from who could speak at the event. We are planning to hold this early August. Exciting! I had asked the sponsor if we could continue with Wednesday's original event with Howard and then just invite other speakers  for the August event, but they were very … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ANNOUNCEMENTS Tagged With: ,

The Entrepreneurial Punch in the Mouth

June 22, 2012 By 5 Comments
Uhm, nope, the entrepreneur doesn't do the punching in this piece...

Seasoned entrepreneurs know that they will eventually get punched in the mouth. A lot. This is the litmus test for new entrepreneurs, and remains one key reason why the majority of people don't take the plunge. When you are starting up, you have all sorts of enthusiasm. Everyone is excited. The energy is palpable. You think you've got a great plan in place. YEAH! I'M GOING TO MAKE IT BIG, WORLD! Then you get punched in the mouth. You lay sprawled on the floor. There is blood all over. Your plan has gone up in smoke. How will you react? The following are punches in the mouth that I've personally gone through, or have seen friends gone through: You discover that the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Life in a Startup, STARTUP ADVICE Tagged With:

Run Far, Far, Away From These Soul Suckers!

June 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Don't let these guys subtly suck your dreams away

Two quick stories. Last week, a friend of mine was about to take the leap. She had a consulting concept in mind and had a client ready. Being someone with integrity, she decided to ask her boss if there was anything at all that would be construed as unethical if she put up the practice she had in mind. She didn't think it was going to be a problem, but she just wanted to be sure. She also trusted her boss and valued his opinion. The boss shot the idea down. It WAS unethical, he said. Huh?! Tell me, is there something unethical when a marketing manager from an FMCG firm wishes to put up a consulting firm whose first potential client was a small firm engaged in construction? I … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Life in a Startup, TAKE THAT LEAP! Tagged With:

Seduction By Salary

June 19, 2012 By 4 Comments
money love

In my first job, I was a high school english teacher. I loved what I did, but I earned minimum wage. That was my first year out of college, so naturally, I went out a lot with my friends - who were all mostly working in corporations. Every month-end, I had around P20 in my account. A year later, I entered the corporate world. They more than doubled my salary, just like that! (even if I actually I thought I did a bit more work in school - where you are ruled by the bell and lesson plan submissions) I bought a lot of things with my newfound extra cash, went out 1-2x a week with my friends, and gave nice Christmas gifts to my friends. This was also the year when Starbucks just opened in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: TAKE THAT LEAP! Tagged With:

Ignore These 5 Founding Team Principles At Your Own Peril

June 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment
dangerous cliffs

I think I've written more than a few posts on founding teams already. I can't help it, because it's just SO FREAKING important. This very first step will make or break your startup. A huge part of my work now is assembling founding teams. Of course, I've had successes and failures. As usual, the failures have taught me much more than the successes. From what I've learned, here are more detailed principles I now live by when it comes to founder selection. Ignore at your peril. 1) DNA=KRA Founder DNA should match Company KRA'S. Once you identify the 2-3 main strategic areas your company will be involved in, find founders who can fulfill EACH area. Are you starting up a mobile gaming … [Read more...]

Filed Under: GETTING STARTED, STARTUP ADVICE Tagged With: ,

TAKE THE LEAP! Check out recent STARTUP OPENINGS in the JGL Network

June 13, 2012 By 1 Comment
Make Juan Great Leap with us!

Here's quick way to enter the startup lifestyle: join one! Below are startup career opportunities in the JUAN GREAT LEAP (JGL) startup network. If you are interested in any of these, please  shoot me an email at pcauton@yahoo.com, along with a resume or linkedin link. All the jobs are STARTUP jobs, so expect the following from all of them: a) the job description is fluid: the job WILL change as the startup changes b) you will have a lot of freedom to create and leave your mark c) there is always a possibility for earning shares, d) things are pretty exciting, e) being part of the JGL Startup Network opens up all sorts of possibilities as far as career and learning are concerned. f) … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ANNOUNCEMENTS Tagged With: ,

JUAN GREAT MEET 2: Yep, you can pay at the event itself

June 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment
WSPeak

For those asking, yes, to eliminate friction, you can pay the P500 fee at the event itself. Just send me an email at pcauton@yahoo.com to confirm your slot. Like in the first event, I'm relying much on the trust factor here. Knowing that there are limited seats, please don't flake, once you've made a reservation. It will be a great talk. If you are a current web developer, I really recommend attending the event. Howard has so many useful insights on creating both value and revenue in the appstore environment. Below is a recent snapshot. If you are startup enthusiast, you will learn a lot about the startup process  - Howard will talk about creating and closing different business … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ANNOUNCEMENTS Tagged With: ,

JUAN GREAT MEET 2: POUNCING RELENTLESSLY ON OPPORTUNITY

June 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment
juangreatmeet

WHAT:        JUAN GREAT MEET 2: Pouncing Relentlessly on Opportunity WHEN:        7:00pm, WEDNESDAY, JULY 4, 2012 WHERE:     Function Room 1, 28th floor Union Bank Plaza, Meralco Avenue, Pasig City After the success of the first Juan Great Meet, I've been very eager to continue doing events like this. I've decided to make it a series where we would invite different entrepreneurs to give talks on their startup journeys, and then a question-and-answer portion. Then, like what worked so well before, we can have small group sharing/networking. The difference this time is that I would need to be charging for the event (or my wife will strangle me) to cover some expenses. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ANNOUNCEMENTS Tagged With: ,
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