My purpose for attending the Sulong Negosyo at Market! Market! was to meet Lynn, the owner of Crazy Choco. She sells Chocolate Fountain and fondue… Read More »Sulong Negosyo at Market! Market!
J. Angelo Racoma entry on PayPal: One Great Way to Improve the Philippine Economy makes sense. If only we had PayPal in the Philippines, then… Read More »Paypal for the Philippines
Aside from this blog, I maintain a few websites and blogs for pro-blogging purposes. Don’t get me wrong, I blog for fun and with a goal in mind but if one can make money on the side, it’s an added bonus. ( If you have no idea what a pro-blogging is, read “How Bloggers Make Money Online“.) I became a pro-blogger by accident only this year after reading up on Google adsense and reviving abandoned domains left behind by my daughter. To my amazement, I discovered that my daughter’s Photo Gallery (which she started in 2001) raked in a modest Google Adsense income. The photos in demand are mainly food and Philippine scenery photos. Our lonely overseas Filipinos must be missing our lechon (roast pig) , barbecue and other Filipino dishes. Comments like “I can just taste it” or “How can I order this lechon?” etcetera prompted me to launch a Pinoy Food Photo Blog and Manila’s Daily Grind (sights and sounds). Taking amateurish photos is also a passion which I took after my father. Oh how I remember him saying “kodak . kodak! Picture! Picture!” even if I haven’t even imbibed the breathtaking scenery of wherever we were travelling at that time. And because of the random photos that dad took, I learned to beam a “closeup” smile. A picture is forever so why not give your best smile. Sadly enough, I took after my dad’s obsessive photography and now my daughters do the same… posing their pearly whites in the best smile they can ever emote.
You will always see me armed with my Canon Powershot and my cellphone camera ready to take photos that amuse or entertain me. My photos have inside stories that I’d like to share. I am also curious if my fellow photo bloggers encounter the same experiences like me.
(enlarge)
At the Fil-negosyo expo, the owner (partly shown above) of the booth asks:
“What is the photo for?”
“Oh, this is for my blog.”
“What is a blog?”
“I write about things on the internet. It’s like a website.”
(How do I explain it in layman terms?)
“Oh, you’re a columnist”
“Sort of. I write in my blog.” (Stumped. Lost in explanation)
Lesson: Not many people know what blog means. So don’t try.
Remember that tasteless Bayantel billboard ad photo which I blogged early June ? Surprise! The new Bayantel ad now shows a cute kid happily eating… Read More »Bayantel ad now shows a satisfied kid
In my previous job as a researcher and consultant to small and medium businesses, I knew that most of the entrepreneurs’ business orginated from a hobby. Much as I wanted to be an entrepreneur, I didn’t have the guts or the hobby. Sure, I had the management skills. Ten years ago, I discovered the internet and web design. It was a whole new world and I got obsessed with it. Reading this article Accidental Tech Entrepreneurs Turn Their Hobbies Into Livelihoods made me smile. Basically, the article reveals some of the common features from its interview of 5 accidental tech Enterpreneurs:
1. They all possess [tag]Information Technology[/tag] backgrounds
2. They all were in the right place at the right time with the right product/service
3 They have supportive people around them (i.e. life and business partners)
4 They all faced a moment of truth, when they had to screw up courage and stake their financial futures on their new businesses.
5. They all are a little obsessed
The 5 common traits are so true. I don’t earn as much as these interviewed tech pros but being an accidental [tag]Tech enterpreneur[/tag] has given me financial freedom. At the age of 45, I wanted to enter back in the corporate world. Alas, I was not in touch with the latest economic policies. Of course, I didn’t expect a high starting salary but the offers were just a pittance. Sales is not my cup of tea either. So I was left with ways on how to start a business. But what? I’ve already told you how I entered into the IT business. I’d just like to list down how the 5 common traits of the Tech Entrepreneur applies to me:
Read More »Accidental Tech Entrepreneurs Turn Their Hobbies Into Livelihoods
I’m right now at the VOIP conference having a lunch break. Remember that entry I wrote about the Bayantel ad? I visited their Bayantel booth… Read More »Chatting with Bayantel guys
Just came from the First International VoIP Conference in the Philippines at the World Trade Center. The conference is timely because the House of Representatives… Read More »VoIP Conference 2006
Read Danvil Plans, Crown Regency, Nuskin and other Scams
“You have just won a FREE 4 days 3 night package for two including 2 children from Crown Regency Hotel.“, the caller congratulated me. I know there is always a catch to freebies. They got my name from a “raffle stub” that I dropped at the Fil-Negosyo Expo 2006. The lady sounded a bit defensive “There is no catch. The gift certificate is valid for 6 months and you have the choice of staying in our Mactan or Davao Hotel. All you need to bring is a valid ID. You don’t even have to bring cash, credit card or a checkbook“. Something about the “too-good-to-be-true” call piqued my curiosity. This must be a new marketing gimmick which I needed to experience. When I relayed the news to my husband, he immediately thought of a time sharing scheme. When we arrived at the reception area, we found out that we could only get the gift certificate after listening to a 90 minute audio visual presentation. I couldn’t imagine why it would take that long to view the hotel features.
So the catch is this. No, it’s not time sharing. It’s a club membership of sorts. The guy introduces the concept of a dream vacation and the expenses it entails. But with an investment on a lifetime Club Ultima membership, your vacation expenses are not lost forever. One can avail of discounted hotel rates around the world including the Philippines. Their partnership with Interval International is very appealing.
I had a lot of time to kill before picking up my daughters at their dorm yesterday. I knew about the Fil Negosyo Expo 2006 at the 5th floor Megatrade Hall, SM Megamall starting on June 23 till July 2, 2006 . My curiosity got the better of me. What are the latest small business ventures that one can enter to these days? I wanted to see if some existing businesses could complement my ecommerce plans. A quick glance at the booths showed that most of the business ventures didn’t need a lot of capital.
A number of e-load dealers touting “1 SIM Load all” in the expo proved that the e-load retailing is a multi-billion industry. There was the eNegosyo, d-loads, Load Xtreme and Megaload. One thing in common with this business is networking opportunity and low capital requirement . For instance the capital for the retailing with networking business is 500 pesos ($9.40) enegosyo , 800 pesos ($15.00) for d-loads , and 16,000 pesos ($301) for Load Xtreme. Megaload claims it has no networking so its capital outlay is only 299 pesos ($5.60). It looks like Load Xtreme makes a killing just on networking model.
Visit my Pinoy Travel Booking Engine and take that romantic vacation to the Islands of the Philippines. Compare our Cheap Airplane Fares.
Since I already had an eLoad retailing at home, I invested 500 pesos at eNegosyo to complement my existing eload services. Why enegosyo? Though they are relatively new, they had a professional demonstration at their booth. Well, it’s also because their financial goals seemed more realistic. It remains to be seen if they are really reliable but hey, 500 pesos isn’t going to kill me. Take risks, right! (Add me as your sponsor if you’re joining eNegosyo )
Edit (November 27, 2007)- I bought a new Apple MacBook – black (Core 2 Duo 2.2GHz, Mac OSX 10.5 Leopard). View latest Macbook and their prices
Whenever I buy something expensive, I feel guilty . Never mind if I validate it by saying that it is an early birthday gift or a fixed cost for my online business. Excuses , excuses! I strolled Glorietta Mall this afternoon just to check out the BPI Express Credit Card Madness which runs from June 7 to 18. Note, I had no intention of buying anything today. *sigh* At the Power Mac Apple Center, I caught myself staring at the 1.83 GHz, 13-inch white Apple MacBook. The svelte 1.08 inches thin Macbook with the 13 inch widescreen and pretty icons caught my attention. Not to mention my face…haha..Clickety!