Open Coffee Postscript

April 30, 2013 By 11 Comments
open coffee april

I had another awesome time last Saturday morning at the April Edition of Open Coffee. Here are some of my thoughts and observations on now holding four of these formatted mixers. 1)  The Sharing Continues to Amaze Me My colleague AR told me that she plans to write a thesis about how the growing Filipino entrepreneurial community is debunking the notion of Filipino crab mentality. You can see this is in action in Open Coffee. In the pitches, you will see people will share business plans, ideas, and plans to people they do not know. (and unlike in "formal" pitching venues, there is no "prize" save for the learning. What's magical is that the audience reciprocates - sharing their own … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ANNOUNCEMENTS, Life in a Startup, Wunderkinds Tagged With: ,

How to Use Consulting as a Bridge Between Corporate and Startup

April 18, 2013 By 6 Comments
stepping stone

I had a great lunch meeting today with a very talented friend who's been working in corporate for nearly two decades already. During that span, he's built impressive credentials and has worked on different projects in his chosen corporate function. "I'm at that point Peter where I'm at a crossroads in my corporate career. If I leave my company now, I can apply for department head in another firm, but then what? I'll be looking at a future of just jumping as department head from one company to the other?" (I was at that same crossroads before, so I could really relate to what he was saying.) A common friend of ours who was managing her own lucrative consulting practice was asking him if … [Read more...]

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

The Software Guru tells the Real Story: On Startups, Bankruptcy, and Attitude (Part 1 of the Joey Gurango Series)

March 21, 2013 By 4 Comments

I remember texting Peter right after my interview with Joey Gurango, which was just days before Startups Unplugged. In my text, I asked Peter about what he thought about posting an uncut version of Joey's interview on JGL. The reason for my suggestion was that after my interview with Joey, I was completely taken aback by the incredible knowledge that he was sharing with me; even though I wasn't a techie, Joey's stories resonated with me and schooled the heck out of me. Everything Joey shared with me just seemed so important, so I wanted to post everything that he said. While I must admit, I've omitted some parts of the conversation to be practical, this is still a very raw version of what … [Read more...]

Filed Under: GETTING STARTED, Leadership, Life in a Startup, Mentors, STARTUP ADVICE, Startup Myths, TAKE THAT LEAP!, Wunderkinds Tagged With: , , , , ,

5 Things I’ve Learned from Startups Unplugged

March 13, 2013 By 2 Comments
Justice League by DC Comics

I've been trying to push myself to blog Post Startups Unplugged, and share all the instances of serendipity that truly made this miracle happen. However, I thought that it would be more effective if I were to cut to the chase about what I actually learned from it all. Here it goes! These are the 5 things that I've learned from Startups Unplugged: Ask and you shall receive. I had no shame in asking sponsors to join Startups Unplugged. This is how I usually got in contact with a sponsor: A kind individual would give me a business card of XYZ individual from XYZ organization, and I'd literally call that person on the spot, even it if was the direct line of the CEO. It might sound too crazy … [Read more...]

Filed Under: GETTING STARTED, Leadership, Life in a Startup, Small Steps, STARTUP ADVICE, TAKE THAT LEAP! Tagged With: , ,

Start, UNPLUGGED!

February 22, 2013 By 1 Comment
MTV Unplugged 2.0 Episode on November 18, 2001

One of my favorite things about blogging on Juan Great Leap is that I get to document my entrepreneurial journey without much apprehension. The cathartic experience that comes from sharing, as a crazy individual who is just starting in the Philippines, enables me to embrace the fear monster. From my first Open Coffee to witnessing the art of sharing at living hope, I'm starting to realize why Peter calls Juan Great Leap his gift; there is great reward in giving and sharing for all. With Startups Unplugged coming up next week, I'd like to share what this event means to me and what I hope to give back to it. What does Startups Unplugged mean to me?  Three months ago, I was … [Read more...]

Filed Under: GETTING STARTED, Life in a Startup, Small Steps, TAKE THAT LEAP! Tagged With: , , , ,

“The Original Game of Perfection”

January 12, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Perfection

The Original Game of Perfection is a board game in which you have 60 seconds to fit all 25 shapes into their proper place. If the player does not complete the puzzle within the time allotted, the board pops up in the player's face and all the pieces scatter. I played Perfection for the first time last night, after seeing my 5 year-old nephew play the game. The simple concept of fitting shapes into their proper place seemed really easy. My nephew completed 15 pieces the first round. I completed 9 pieces. I had a harder time than expected. A concept that seemed so easy wasn't in reality. The lurking variable? Time. Being timed made all the difference. The idea of time … [Read more...]

Filed Under: GETTING STARTED, Life in a Startup, STARTUP ADVICE, TAKE THAT LEAP! Tagged With: , , , ,

Flipping the Script: My Inspiring Interview with Peter

January 9, 2013 By 2 Comments
Peter Cauton, Founder of Juan Great Leap, sharing a father-son moment with his son, Wakeen

This past Saturday, Jan. 5, 2013, I sat down with Peter to experience Startup Saturdays first-hand. Initially, my initial vision for the interview was to ask as many thought-provoking questions as I could to get the insider's scoop on the person behind Juan Great Leap. I sought to reveal a different side of Peter that showcased him as not just the inspiring founder behind Juan Great Leap, but also as an ordinary fellow. However, as I was playing back the interview and transcribing his words something really clicked (it sometimes takes me a while to process things), I realized that Peter isn't ordinary, and that we already know him. He's already poured out his heart and soul to those … [Read more...]

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

Hope Is the Common Entrepreneurial Thread

December 11, 2012 By 2 Comments
opps

I have interacted and talked to a multitude of startup entrepreneurs over the course of these last few years. You can bet I have tried to figure them out. What is the common thread? What makes an entrepreneur? There are a number of things which stand out: tenacity, hard work, execution, with good doses of people skills and creative problem solving. You'd probably find these characteristic in a number of entrepreneurial books and blogs. What I realize now though is that perhaps the most common thread is a bit more rudimentary. It isn't a skill in as much as it is a paradigm, a state of mind, a way of looking at things. It's hope. All startup founders I've met are hopeful … [Read more...]

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

Homecourt Advantage: 4 Reasons Why It’s STILL Awesome to Have an Actual Office

October 19, 2012 By 1 Comment
STORM OFFICE1

A few of my startup founder friends are deliberately choosing NOT to have a physical office. Their logic is simple: Smaller utility costs (electricity, water, rent) No travel costs (gas AND cost of time lost to traffic) No furniture costs Mobile technology now allows for free video conference calls across the internet Last weekend, we moved to our new office along Escriva Drive in Ortigas. It is the fifth office we are moving into. Our original office was in the living room of my condominium, where we used a friend's second-hand restaurant furniture. When I think about it, we could save a small fortune NOT having an office and going purely mobile. Here are reasons why we … [Read more...]

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

Emulate Tony Stark: Intuit The Future

October 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment
tonystark

When Pao and I started STORM, we thought of a product which people WILL be buying - an online flexible benefits service for companies. There was nothing like it in the market yet. We decided to pursue a FUTURE need, as opposed to coming up with something we knew people were ALREADY buying. In 2005, we launched our product with a hotel seminar which exhausted the little capital we had. It was a fully-booked (free) event, which made us think, "We're going to kill it!" Uhm. Not really. When we talked to everyone after, NO ONE wanted to buy our product - largely because people didn't understand it, and no one was using it. Wet behind the ears, we concluded that we still needed to … [Read more...]

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