So sorry for the lack of posts last week. I poured water over my laptop. Of course, I did something phenomenally short-sighted when I tried turning it on to see if it still worked. It did. For around 2 minutes. Until it permanently died. I tried writing on my tablet, something less comfortable than writing on a real keyboard, but still palatable. There was just something seriously demotivating typing on something which had major cracks on the screen. You see, a friend of mine accidentally dropped it a few days ago. I found it amusing that after years and years of surviving multiple crazy toddlers at home, one perfectly-angled drop would finally shatter its honorable, … [Read more...]
Release Your Inner Kraken: The Folly of Hidden Talents
August 15, 2014 by 8 Comments
For as far as I can remember, I've always loved writing. I enjoyed paragraph writing in grade school. There was always a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction when I felt a paragraph was complete, when I felt every word I used was the right one. It was simultaneously art and science for me. This love for word construction continued throughout my high school and college stints. Writing assignments wouldn't feel like homework. I would volunteer for writing tasks across my different subjects, projects, and the clubs I belonged to. In my first year after graduation, I taught english for a year in my alma mater and loved every minute of it. Then I went corporate. Suddenly, my love … [Read more...]
5 Reasons Why You Should Quit Your Job Now and Work for a Startup (With Traction)
August 12, 2014 by Leave a Comment
So, you want to put up a startup. You want to take the leap. But it's sooooo hard to let go of the cushy job you've spent numerous years cultivating... You worry about the sudden disruption of that bi-monthly cashflow you're now so accustomed to and built your life around. So what now? Here's a solution - work for a startup. But don't just work for ANY startup - work for a startup with traction. What's traction? I like Naval Ravikant's (Angelist founder) efficient definition of traction: "Quantitative evidence of market demand." A startup has traction when it has increasing numbers - revenue, users, profitability, engagement, traffic, etc... These are evident signs … [Read more...]
Thursdays Unplugged Postscript (July 31 Edition)
August 8, 2014 by Leave a Comment
See that bottle of Pepsi in the picture? I started this Thursdays Unplugged session by accidentally dropping the closed bottle, and then proceeding to absent-mindedly open it. The result was an explosion of cola and pride, mostly on my shirt (which, incredibly, looks the same in the picture). It was all uphill from there though! With the third participant calling that he couldn't make it the last minute, this became a 3-person session. Of course, I loved the result, as Jode, Gerome, and I not only got into the technicalities of the their startup ideas, but more importantly, we got to talk about their journey, and the softer parts of the startup life. The thing I love … [Read more...]
Risk Now or Forever Hold Your Peace
August 4, 2014 by 7 Comments
The older we get, the more permanent our decisions become. In high school, the biggest decision we made was probably what school to take (a lot of people I know didn't have a choice in this matter as well), or perhaps what course to take. We could then easily shift courses. A lot of people I know even shifted schools. We also choose who to hang out with. This can change easily as well. Then one day, we graduate from college. Then we have to face the next big decision in our lives - what job to take. Not quite happy with our first job, perhaps we transfer to another firm. It isn't as easy as changing courses, but this decision is still flexible enough that for a lot of us, … [Read more...]
UPDATED: Jobs in Our Startup Community!
July 28, 2014 by Leave a Comment
People! Lots of openings in our growing group! Check out this updated list for more information! Tired of the corporate life? Eager to contribute to a startup? Want to have some fun building stuff with great people? Do check us out! … [Read more...]
JGL Thursdays Unplugged v1 – So What Happened?
July 28, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Last week, we held our very first Thursdays Unplugged in the STORM office in Ortigas. I was with John, Gelo, and Ethel. We were supposed to be 5 people but the last participant couldn't make it at the last minute. In retrospect, it was better suited for 4 people - more on this later. So what happened? I had no idea what was going to happen, so it was a bit awkward to start - it seemed too intimate at first. Then I laid the rules - 15 minutes per person, with an ideal 5-minute pitch, and then everyone can supply ideas and advice. And just like that, we started. It was pretty cool. Everyone had a very different idea, with each at different stages of the startup process. One was … [Read more...]
Is Your Price FRAMED Right?
July 25, 2014 by 7 Comments
Before we did a change in business model, our prices in STORM for flexible benefits looked something like this: 0-500 Employees: P75,000/month 500-750 Employees: P120,000/month 750-1000 Employees: P150,000/month Then we changed business models in 2013. We started making revenue from our vendors instead. We became an online shop for benefits. Since we did this, we reduced our reliance on the monthly retainer fee. We became a volume-driven company. More employees, more people buying benefits our store - more revenue. At a certain threshold, we could give our services for free. Our pricing then became something like this: 0-250 … [Read more...]
Listening Is The New Reading
July 23, 2014 by 4 Comments
I rarely have time to read books anymore. I used to accumulate sizeable bills on my Kindle doing a book a week, now I don't even remember the last book I read in print form. My babies, both actual and startup, have been occupying a whole lot of my time. I've also re-committed to writing on a particular blog. My weekends I've mostly closed off to family. I do have a LOT of wasted time in traffic. Living in Antipolo, sometimes I spend a good 2-3 hours a day in the car. 4 on bad days. (Waze sometimes I feel guides me INTO traffic) It didn't take me long to put two and two together. I might have stopped reading, but I haven't stopped learning. Now, a huge chunk of the data on … [Read more...]
Soft vs. Hard Entrepreneurship and What to Prioritize
July 20, 2014 by 2 Comments
You can divide all the elements of entrepreneurship into two distinct categories: hard and soft. Here's what the HARD column can be populated with: Valuation Product-market fit Lean Startup Methodology A-B Testing Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C.... Pivot Runway Dilution MVP Growth Hacking Strategies Here's what the SOFT column can be populated with: Passion Founder Dynamics Culture Maturity The entrepreneurial spirit Mentors Perseverance Following the heart Following the dream Motivation Taking a leap of faith Now, ask ANY successful entrepreneur what the reasons are for her success. Do you think most responses will fall within the … [Read more...]
