Not everyone who has the capital to start a business has the required skills in managing people, that is why no matter how his product his, the entrepreneur still fails in his business venture.

Here’s one business forum where the entrepreneur can learn people management and how it can help his business.

This is the 18th Kapihang Entrepinoy with the theme “PEOPLE MANAGEMENT: Growing Business with Passion to SUCCEED” which will be held on April 24, 2010 at the Philippine Women’s University(PWU) Taft, Manila.

Registration fee for this business forum is P350, inclusive of snacks, forum kit and certificates. Registration starts at 8:00 a.m.

This business forum is organized by the Center for Small Entrepreneurs (CSE). For more details call telephone nos. (02) 524-1879 or 523-9766 or text nos. 09203681774 or 09228681665 and look for Janice.

Learn more on the People Management Systems and Procedures for Micro-Entrepreneurs from SSS, Philhealth and NWPC.

A must for every entrepreneur!

CSE is the organization behind the formation of Ka-Entrep, a group of Filipino entrepreneurs joining hands to help each other.

I am a member of the Ka-Entrep organization.

Here I am writing what I believe were some of the reasons why I failed in my businesses before. I am writing them here for two reasons. Primarily, for me to serve as a reminder so that I may not repeat the same mistakes, and second, for those who may read this may learn too from my experiences, and thus save them costly errors in their own business.

Reasons for failing in business :

A medley of knowledge
I would like to think of myself as a talented person. I know how to do a lot of things.

But apparently, “Jack of all trades – master of none” didn’t work for me. In fact, it could probably be one of the main reasons I failed. I know a lot of things, yet I wasn’t able to develop anything into a full grown opportunity.

Grabbing every opportunity
As much as I can, I would like to grab every opportunity that comes to me. Because of this, the one that I’m currently working on get sidetracked. Enthusiastically, I start a new project… until a new opportunity comes along and again grabs my attention.

Not too focused
With too much ability and a lot of opportunities, I can get lost easily through it all. And I actually have a valid reason for not being focused then, those who really knew me, know what I am talking about. The only problem is I let that eat me, which caused to lose focus even more.

“Delayed gratification” NOT!
I didn’t practice delayed gratification as preached by most gurus. But like I said, I have a valid reason for that since I was really racing with time. I got to make every minute of my wife’s life fun and enjoyable.

One-man-show
I tried to be Superman and thought that I can do everything myself. In the process, I am spreading myself thinly. Because of this I can’t follow-up on any little success that I have, nor take on a really important opportunity that comes my way.

These are just some of my recognized reasons why I failed my business.

If you’ll look at them, some of them are actually assets. Yet, I was not able to put them into good use. I failed to maximize.

These in my mind, I am drafting an outline on how I can turn them around. And make all things work to my advantage.

How do you put out a fire? By dousing it with water! That’s right; to kill a fire you simply douse it with water.

Now, how do you kill enthusiasm? Simple, by dousing it with water!

Now why and how, you may ask, pour water on enthusiasm? I’m not really referring to physical water here, of course you know that.

I used the analogy because enthusiasm is like a fire burning within an individual. People doused it with water by simply saying NO! STOP! THAT CAN’T BE DONE!

This is one of the most common management mistakes. Sometimes, an individual comes along with a new or an improved idea. Enthusiastically, he shares to the bosses, very confident that this idea would improve performance, cut costs, lead to better sales or really create big changes within the organization.

But the audiences aren’t too keen on changes, they either dislike it or they fear it.

For most old timers, changes may mean that what their current practices may no longer be acceptable no matter how effective they maybe in the past. And they can’t accept that, call it pride, call it ego, but for them nothing beats the tried and tested means.

Then there is the feeling of being threatened.

These people with ideas may come on too strong for them, and they feel that they should slow them down before they gain their momentum. This is most especially true when the person with idea is young and new in the organization.

“You just can’t barge in throw and your weight around!” This is the message that they would like to convey to the newcomer, no matter how good or excellent the idea maybe, more so if it’s a really good idea.

I have nothing against old timers, or management for that matter. And I’m not saying that all new ideas are good ideas. What I’m trying to say is, all ideas are worth hearing.

You may think that it’s just a waste of time especially if it’s a really bad idea, but think again, a bad idea may lead to a better idea.

Someone has started a fire, don’t be the firefighter that would put out the fire.

An idea, no matter how bad, didn’t come just for the sake of having an idea. An idea came out because there was something that needs working on, something needs to be improved, something needs to be solved – something needs to be CHANGED.

Enthusiasm, desire, drive, passion, motivation – seek for it from an employee, but be sure to be ready to support it.

Be a bridge that would help them walk their way through, rather than being a wall that blocks their path. Remember that most great things that we have today – started from just a small, simple idea.

So how do you put out a fire? Simply by dousing it with water! And how do you kill enthusiasm?

YOU DON’T!

Would you believe that an effective way to keep your people happy is by firing away the unhappy ones?

Sounds like a joke? Jay Goltz really hoped it was.

Goltz, who owns five small businesses in Chicago, shared his secret in keeping happy employees in the company in the report from Yahoo! Finance.

Admitting that he doesn’t have a Ph. D., an M.B.A. or any economics degree, Goltz said that he had learned through times that you cannot make everyone happy.

He said, you can try – listen, solve problems, listen some more, solve more problems… but there will come a time that you will realize that you are robbing the company precious time and energy by trying to keep some people happy.

Goltz said that he doesn’t really get hyped up every time he fires people. He is one to admit, “There’s no joy in the act of firing someone.”

He continued his article sharing “bad management can make a good employee dysfunctional, but a good management may not always make a dysfunctional employee good.”

And then there’s the case of “being a square peg in a round whole” where an employee who used to exceptional elsewhere may not really perform at par in your company… it could the type of business or the culture in the organization.

Goltz was right on the dot when he said that it only takes one. A single unhappy employee can make a big difference.

He summarized by saying that, it is his style… his opinion. “Everyone has right to his or her opinion. When you own a company, you also have the right to surround yourself with the people you choose.”

“When you have the right people, business is much easier. I know because I have tried it both ways.”

Unorthodox it may seem, but Goltz maintains a happy organization.

Read his full text here.

For those who are asking, here’s the laundry business seminar schedule for February 2010 by my friend Nette.

Schedule of the next seminar is FEBRUARY 27,2010

It will start 9:00 am to 4:00 pm or till end of open forum

For the seminar, here are the topics to be discussed:

-Start up capitalization
-Feasibility Study
-Setting Up of the Laundry Shop( lay out)
-Dry cleaning Procedure
-Marketing Strategies
-How to’s on the Operational Procedure
-Stain removal Procedure
-Forms and Fliers

Bonus topics:
-How to make your own Fabric softener and fabric freshener
to make your business more profitable!
SUPPLIERS ALSO PROVIDED

Modules will be given out for the seminar
Open forum at the end of the seminar

Location of the seminar is on site:
Mr. Laundry Shoppe
12 Mayor Ignacio Santos Diaz St. FORMER BANAHAW ST. Cubao, Q.C.
For directions, please look at the link here: mr.laundry shoppe map ; map here

Seminar Fee is P1800.-
Early Bird Promo if you reserve on or before FEBRUARY 6,2010. Fee is P1500.-

PAY 2 DAYS BEFORE SEMINAR DATE
If you pay on the seminar date itself, fee is P2300.-

Payments are accepted through bank deposit.

For those interested, please pm me for payment details.
We require pre-payment please..NO PAYMENT, NO RESERVATION
There’s VERY LIMITED slots available, so please reserve early.

You can also txt at 09228267515
BTW, snacks and lunch are served.

Hope to see you there!

Have a nice day everyone!

As I have said before, this is one business opportunity that every aspiring entrepreneur should not miss.

For more details visit Mr. Laundry Shoppe website.

Ideas abound, sometimes even from the most unlikely source in the corporation. That is why some foreign companies are even holding ideas blitz on a regular basis, if not annually. So they can encourage their employees to voice out their two-cent worth of ideas. And surprisingly, from this blitz of ideas out comes a jewel that can help the organization increased their earnings from great innovations, or even help them save from their expenses.

Sadly though, this is not always the case on our local organizations. With Filipinos who are known to be sensitive people, any new idea is often treated as a rejection of their current tried and tested system. Believe me, I have personally experienced this.

Any newcomer who comes in wanting to try his own system, will always be met with resistance. And oftentimes, this is even interpreted that he is just trying to make an impression.

It has always been an unwritten rule, new members of the organizations should learn how to blend in. He should know how to embrace the culture that has been embedded within. And most especially, he must follow every rules, policies and dogma that are in place.

Of course, that is correct.

But with every new blood, fresh ideas should always be expected. Otherwise, an organization will not evolve. It will become stagnant, while other organizations that are more receptive, will leave them behind.

New ideas should not only be encouraged, it should be reported. Who knows, from a seed of an idea will come innovations, evolutions and dynamic changes that can spell the difference between a company’s success and failure.

In my early years in the bank, one of my first assignments was as a CA/SA bookkeeper. One of my duties then was to monitor the balances of checking and savings accounts of our clients. Although I was more particular on the checking accounts, and I have closed quite a number of accounts then because some people don’t how to manage checking accounts.

We all know that a checking account is an important tool to an entrepreneur. Aside from it being a convenient way of paying obligations, it also allows for easier recording and monitoring of expenses. However, as great as a financial tool it is, the checking account can cause the entrepreneur’s downfall when improperly handled.

You really don’t need to have a complicated accounting system to be able to manage your account well. It’s as simple as recording your deposits to your account, as well as your check issuances. That way, you would be able to see at a glance your current balance, and how much you can issue a check to.

Clients who call the bank to ask their balance is a tell-tale sign of an account holder who does not monitor his account well. A simple lapse could cause him to issue a check beyond his account’s balance, and it’s hardly the bank’s fault.

When such a scenario occur, their account would incur an overdraft or a negative balance, and if the needed funds were not deposited within the bank’s allotted time, said check will be returned. Hence the term ‘bouncing check.’

This can cause severe damages to the entrepreneur’s image, as well as finances.

He will be made to pay charges (P1,000 plus 200 per P40,000 per day, plus another P1,000 plus P200 per P40,000 per day if it was returned. Note: Please informed me if it’s already updated), and at the same time the payee of the returned check would have the impression that the entrepreneur (issuer) is not credit worthy.

Frequent occurrences of overdrafts would cause closure of your checking account by the bank. That’s only half of the problem, an account closed due to improper handling would be echoed through other banks, via the negative data bank (NDB). The possibility of opening a new checking account with other banks would be then difficult, if not impossible.

Checking accounts with ATM access too? I would advise against it, unless you really have control over your finances. Because you can withdraw from any ATM anytime, you sometimes forget about the outstanding checks you have issued. This again, could result to an overdraft.

Checks are negotiable instruments and are widely used in business. But opening a checking account is not a privilege that is available to every individual. So if you have one, be sure to manage it wisely. Take note of the precautions stated above.

What could be the difference between the two?

A lot!

I myself could not believe it until it was proven by our facilitator during our Ka-Entrep sessions in 2007 at CSE. Our seminar facilitator asked us one by one, and all the while we thought we were in business, but as it turned out most were just self-employed, we really don’t have a business but just a job at home.

“So what is your business?” The facilitator asked, “I do homemade salad dressings, the feedback I’m getting are good. In fact, I get lots of orders. I can say business is really good” replied the participant.

“You make the salad dressings yourself?” the facilitator continued. “Yes, ma’m!” was the the quick reply “it’s my own formula, my secret recipe.”

“So I take it that you won’t entrust your secret formula to anybody else, so only you must work to do your salad dressings, right?”

“I make personalized items – mugs, plates, t-shirts, keychains, even personalized chocolate bars” when it was my turn.

“Do you have anybody helping you?”

“No ma’m, I do all the work myself.”

She then said “since you’re doing all the work yourself, and you are here attending to this seminar, it only means that there is no production happening in your business now?”

“Yes ma’m, but I have no pending orders anyway”

“aaahhhh, so you have no pending orders right now. I presume you also do the marketing and promotion of your business right?”

Most participants almost have the same flow of discussions. It was then that the difference was made clear to us.

If your business can’t run without you, if your items can’t be produced by someone else, if you’re doing all the work from ordering, purchasing, marketing, production, selling and so on and so forth… then you’re not really an entrepreneur! You don’t have a business!

You just have a job at home.

What if you got sick? Or you have to attend to important matters, like this seminar for example, then your business is put on hold. Business should not be like that! An entrepreneur does not always have to be around for his business to function.

A good quality of an entrepreneur is that he can multiply himself… master the art of delegation, learn how to set specific steps and standards so you can entrust them to somebody and still get the same result as if he did them himself. That is what an entrepreneur is. Only then can he say that he have a business and not just a job at home.

Maybe at the start, it is just home-based work, not yet a real business. With lack of capital, experience and all. It’s understandable, but it should not stay that way. Remember and learn how to apply these three word… leveraging, networking and delegating. And elevate your self-employment status to that of a full-pledged entrepreneur.

The Republic Act 9593, also known as the National Tourism Policy Act 2009, was signed into law by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Tuesday, May 12, 2009 during the culmination of the two-day One Visayas Summit on Climate Change inside the Imperial Palace Waterpark Resort Hotel and Spa in Cebu.

RA 9593 is an act declaring a national policy for tourism as an engine of investment, employment, growth and national development. The law will give a boost the country’s tourism industry, strengthening the Department of Tourism (DOT) and its attached agencies to effectively and efficiently implement tourism policies.

It is also expected that the tourism act will gear the DOT with the necessary tools it needs to turn the Philippines into a world-class tourist’s destination. Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano said that RA 9593 gears the DOT with powerful “jet engines” that would allow it to “fly” closer to its goals.

The new law is expected to be fully implemented by the end of the year through implementing rules and regulations (IRR) that would ensure the “smooth transfer of functions” with regards to agencies to be attached to the DOT under RA 9593.

The new tourism act also reorganizes some agencies, such as the Philippine Convention and Visitors Corp., which will be known as the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB); the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) will become the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (Tieza); and the Duty Free Philippines which will become the Duty Free Philippines Corp. (DFPC).

When is reading books not good? When it’s all that you do… there’s nothing wrong in reading self-help, self-improvements, management and business books. But they are all useless if the learnings that these books are teaching are not applied.

Next to attending seminars and actual classes, reading books is a great way to gain knowledge in anything, whether it be in business, arts, personal development and so on. Books on business and entrepreneurship, as well as management and leadership, are not lacking in titles. From Robert Kiyosaki, Donald Trump, Zig Ziglar, John Maxwell to our very own Francisco Colayco, Francis Kong, Larry Gamboa and even Bo Sanchez! These guys have written books that would help anybody – from the business novice to the seasoned entrepreneur.

However, having the right weapons and the knowledge of properly using them is an entirely different thing. Reading all the books in the world will not make anyone successful… that is if he does not know when to put down the book. These authors would love to have their books read, no doubt about that, but they would be much happier I guess if their book would be applied in real life.

Theories, when applied, gives a much more meaning to what was learned. Only when we take the courage to apply what we have read, can we pay back all the great authors who have unselfishly shared their insights and experiences. Anything learned without being applied is useless – for the best way to learn to do anything is by actually doing it!

So put down that book!

Stop reading and start doing!