I have a personal policy. When somebody wants to give me some of their money, I make it as easy as I possibly can for them to do so! I mean, I'm a businessman, and if somebody wants to buy something from me, I try to make it as painless as possible for them! Sometimes, in one of my businesses or another, I will realize that something is set up in a way that makes it difficult for people to purchase from me. When that happens, I do my best to fix it, to make the process easier for the customer. I mean, if they want me to have some of their money, who am I to argue with them? My friend, Dave Starr, and I have been having a little discussion … [Read more...]
Filipino Endeavors
August 30, 2009 By 13 Comments
Sometimes it's really interesting to research and analyze polls in the Philippines. For me, I am still keep on learning when it comes to this country and its people. Sure, many things are known when we let Filipinos talk and explain about the fields of endeavor most Filipinos tend to excel in. Allow me enumerate several examples, and please let me know if they are correct or not. Don't get me wrong, these are examples, which have been voiced out by Filipinos. Love of family is the most important value of Filipinos. This is the reason why Filipinos work hard and grab any opportunity they can, even to the point of leaving behind their love ones, … [Read more...]
The Many Uses of the Calabash Tree!
August 29, 2009 By 8 Comments
The Plants, Trees and Flowers that cover the grounds of Cambridge Farm Hotel are all the handiwork of my wife Ellie as she is the one with the Green Fingers, I am more of a Green Concrete person as this type of garden does not need too much maintenance unlike a living garden which is a full time job! Ellie spends hours outside under the sun watering the garden but she will bully me if I leave the faucet open while brushing my teeth as she says that I am wasting water! When we bought this piece of land in 1989, it was just a rice field but today there are probably hundreds of different types of Trees and Plants growing here! many are just normal … [Read more...]
Maid in the Philippines
August 28, 2009 By 16 Comments
As I mentioned last time I have a big house, and the main reason for this was that the original plan was that my friend from UK, Steve, was going to be moving here too so it make sense to have a bigger place. The collapse of the economy and some of the domino factors involved from that make this a longtime off. Also at the same time I had inherited two Pinoy guys who were staying here and keeping the place clean and looking after me in my naivety, in return for staying. They were great as they did the marketing,cooking,cleaning and errands and made me feel like a king. They took so much pride in making sure that I was happy, that it was a pleasure … [Read more...]
My Island Adventure
August 28, 2009 By 48 Comments
Ah, I just got some serious rest this morning! I needed it, too, because I just got home from an Island Adventure! Specifically, I just got home from visiting Dinagat Island. I've been wanting to go to Dinagat for a year or more now. Why? Well, Dinagat Island is the newest Province of Mindanao. As the Owner/Publisher of Mindanao Magazine, it is my goal to visit each and every Province in Mindanao. There are a total of 26 Provinces that compose Mindanao, and so far, I have visited 24 of them (and I've also visited a few others that used to be Provinces, but no longer exist). Dinagat Island was my 24th Province of Mindanao on which … [Read more...]
College job
August 27, 2009 By 7 Comments
Feyma is working with a LiP reader this week. He is relocating to Davao, and Feyma is assisting him with many of his needs in relocating, things like renting a house, moving in, purchasing his daily living needs and such. She'll be back next week with a new article. For now, enjoy this repeat of an older article of hers! When I completed 2 years in college my brother asked me to stop my schooling to manage his textile business in Manila. I was in Cebu for school. I was in my late teens at that time. He had around 5 different stores, some were managed by his wife's siblings. He also had a dressmaking shop. He had around 4 or 5 seamstresses. … [Read more...]
Hard To Take
August 27, 2009 By 24 Comments
Gee, some things in life are hard to take. I’m not referring to the thunderstorms that frequent this time of year, keeping me mostly indoors. I’m not speaking about repairing the pressure sensor switch on the deep well water pump. Nor am I talking about getting grass to take root and flourish in a back yard that resembles a huge sandbox (a huge pond during rainy season). A fellow takes care of certain chores – maintaining his property and buildings by giving it his best shot before calling in the professionals. Those chores, at times, are some of the simple pleasures of life. At least they are for me; I don’t really enjoy washing … [Read more...]
Best Addresses
August 26, 2009 By 7 Comments
Sometimes I take the little things for granted. Like all of you, I'm a busy person. Most of the time I assume that readers who come here to the Small Business File already have a fair bit of knowledge about small business. That's simply not the case. I know there are people who are just starting out. I remember when I was first getting involved in entrepreneurial activities, and I'm happy to admit, I too was very 'green'. So this week I'm going to offer my views and reviews of three websites I think offer excellent information to people who have recently been bitten by the 'entrepreneurship' bug. I'll revisit this topic at different times in the … [Read more...]
Trying to Cope
August 26, 2009 By 11 Comments
Regular readers might have noticed that my postings have been less frequent recently. Well, quite frankly, you would not know there is an economic crisis given the current state of our business. In fact, I’ve largely typed my articles and responses while waiting around in airports (like now) before moving on to the next place. I’ve talked about the computer systems my company makes in previous articles, but in the last year, demand for our product has skyrocketed. In fact, we are opening large offices in both Japan and Singapore in the very near future, with most non-accounting functions moving to Asia in the next few years. I am talking … [Read more...]
Have I got a plan?
August 25, 2009 By 8 Comments
Plans, why do we bother, as they are doomed to fail, and It’s not like we have to be somewhere on time anyway. Example (1): Just before Christmas (Am I allowed to say Christmas?) I went to Olongapo City to make a deposit at my bank and take my Wife to the Night Market. I parked by OG’s Point Bar on Fender St. and go in for lunch. Bad idea! It was like old home week and the beers were flying, everybody I knew was there, I tried to leave twice and failed. Remember the original plan, Lunch, Bank and the Night Market? I tell my wife at 3:15PM (or 1515) lets go to the bank, and was informed we missed the 3:00PM (1500) closing. Hey I tried! Then … [Read more...]
Recent Comments