I've been in the Philippines for almost exactly a year now. Oh, what an incredible ride it has been so far. Within the year, I've had so many different experiences from starting things up with JGL to a brief stint at co.lab to being part of the launch of Ashoka Philippines. Life has been unpredictable. I've been…
There's a lot going on now with two of my startups, STORM and STRATA. People movement, scaling, fire-fighting, creating processes, client meetings, projects, you name it, we're doing it right now. For STORM specifically, we usually do systems implementation around this time in preparation for the coming year. Plus we're also renewing with all our current clients.…
Our Brief Fling With Payroll More than a few years ago, when STORM was finding out first hand that we still needed to educate the market about flexible benefits, we were scrambling on ways on how to generate more sales. I had an idea. "Let's offer payroll!" My several justifications were many: to be known as both…
I have to admit, I was worried about the 2-month absence of Open Coffee. Would we lose momentum? Would people still go? Will the pitches be just as good? It turns out, my fears were unfounded. I thought October Open Coffee was super! For starters, after the 2 months, it was great to see the holdovers /…
(Part one of this series can be found here) In part 1, I talk about how the combination of how EVERYONE having something special to offer and the current technology infrastructure now enable ANYONE to build her own startup. So the question is: why isn't everyone rushing to do so? Here are 3 factors why: 1) The…
Last 23 slots for OPEN COFFEE! Since we're holding the event in a slightly smaller venue than our usual 47 EAST, we're limiting the slots to around 80 people. As of 5pm today, 57 people have already confirmed, so I advise clicking here to reserve your slot now before they run out. You can REGISTER HERE. See…
"Startups aren't for everyone." I've written this considerably in this blog. (very prominently here) We've also heard it uttered by every other entrepreneur, it seems, right? "Entrepreneur you say? Well, ho ho ho! You have to have a unique skill set: a combination of cast-iron will, uber-magnetic charisma, the ability to laugh in fear's face, and space-age…
Every Tuesday night, my prayer group would choose a restaurant around the Eastwood/Ortigas area to eat in. Last week, we chose this Mexican place called Faburrito, located at the Robinson's Supermarket area in Eastwood. Ever the entrepreneur, the first thing I thought was, "bad location, little traffic." This particular branch (I understand there's another one at the…
FInally! By far, the most common question my mailbox has received is: When is the next open coffee? and How come we didn't have open coffee last month? People, I'm so sorry for the delay, as I've been sorting out some stuff. I know we've now missed two months of open coffee. Let me begin making up…
(This is part 2 of a 2-part series. Part one can be found here.) 3) Build Free Agent Skills So what sort of skills are highly useful in this free-agent era? Skills which maximize your ability to be independent - skills which can allow you to be highly mobile and flexible. Here are three really strategic ones you…