If you are here because you want to start or grow your business, you are in the right place. Many of us have long realized that only a small fraction of professionals get wealthy as employees. But it seemed that there is no other way but to spend more than half of our waking hours for someone else’s business.
Someone whose salary is 20,000 pesos each month earns 125 pesos an hour, about a cup of Starbucks coffee. But most of us earn less than 100 pesos an hour. On the other hand, we know of small business owners who earn 10,000 a day.
But many people are afraid to start a business.
They have fears, most of which are based on wrong assumptions about building a successful business.
They say they are not business oriented. This can be true. But many business persons are not business-oriented too. What they had was the eagerness to survive.
For example, during the pandemic, many employees lost their jobs. And some were forced to start their small business. I met someone who now earns in a day his monthly salary.
They say they have no business education. A business degree may help you have the courage to start a business, however, most successful business people have no business education too.
Consider Bill Gates, Michael Dell, and Mark Zuckerberg. And there are millions of successful business people who don’t have business degrees too. I am not saying that these people have no business education today. They had no business education when they started.
Some say they don’t have the resources to start a business. You may need tens of millions to start a Jollibee franchise or a gas station. But you can always start small.
For example, Sherwin and Beverly Aquino did not have one million pesos to start Lugaw Queen. Their initial capital was 1,100 pesos.
I am not going to say that starting a business is for everyone.
I’ve been to many business-oriented meetings with network marketers. They often say that anyone can start a business.
Starting and growing a business is not for everyone.
This is not for those who want to get rich quickly by recruiting people to sell expensive products with dubious claims.
It is not for those lazy people who want to work smart, not hard. The smartest way to start a business is to understand that it needs hard work.
A business is an idea that helps people.
A business is our way of helping others solve their problems Or help them get what they desire.
If you want to create products and services that solve people’s problems, you can learn creative ways to find the best products for your customers. You will also understand how to reach your best customers.
If you are the kind of person who wants to establish a business to help others get jobs, you can learn ways to equip and inspire your people.
A Practical Business Education
I frequently receive invitations from colleges and universities to speak about entrepreneurship. I often declined, especially when I am asked to talk about esoteric topics. As much as I love reading business books, I go for actionable ideas.
I am puzzled by the fact that many of those who teach entrepreneurship have not started a business. They tend to regurgitate the ideas from Harvard Business Review, without understanding. You cannot really describe how a coffee tastes by looking at it.
My articles and courses cannot give you the equivalent of a four-year college degree.
I have no patience in teaching business theories and principles. If you need a business degree before you can start a business, I recommend that you enroll in an MBA or entrepreneurship course.
A business degree can help you get employed. It will help you run someone else’s big business. You may also start your own business using the best practices you’ve learned.
I can only offer lessons from doing business.
Whatever I learned about business, I learned through experience. At first, I thought that it was easy. It looks easy when reading books and attending seminars.
But I failed many times. And each time I failed, I learn better ways.
Therefore, I write about easy and faster ways to do business. I teach how to generate business models, design customer experiences, and create marketing engines.
