Someday… Maybe

Finally I got hold of the book! After zillions of years of hearing the book being advertised over a business radio program, two years to be exact, I finally read it, although it was not the usual verbatim reading style that I do back when I was still part of The Perpetualite.

It’s NeGOsyo, 50 Joey Concepcion’s Inspiring Entrepreneurial Stories- the book that made me wonder if I could be an entrepreneur too someday, a social entrepreneur that is. Well, maybe yes, I don’t know but I believe I had experience then.

Back when I was still in elementary, I remember being a happy go lucky entrepreneur. It started when I and my friend Carlo saw the market for stationeries. I was in Grade 5 then. Our classmates were screaming aficionados of stationeries and so we thought of selling those. Before it was just the two of us, earning around twenty pesos a week (we sold the stationary at 1.00 each no matter how beautiful the design was). We grew into five, and later, almost all of our classmates were selling stationeries. I don’t know what happened but we just stopped selling stationeries. In Grade 6, I started selling cakes and peanuts. It was funny. Even my teachers would buy and even the high school students. Selling was also a way of getting glimpse of my crush J. However, I guess I just did the selling because I know I could earn from that and have an extra baon, but I didn’t have any plans of making it big!

Fast track in college, for the first few weeks, I tried selling a cosmetic brand but ended up not enjoying it. I later engaged in a calendar business, which was really seasonal and so I stopped. I also did selling of shoes but got frustrated when I had to return the shoes again and again because the shoes could not fit my buyer’s. I tried saving money to start up a business- a kakanin business since most of my relatives can cook but ended up not pursuing the business, until I did not sell anymore. The passion of having business just died. Although I still get to listen to Radyo Negosyo (the business program I referred to in the first paragraph) and once planned of having a Creative Production Outfit, the passion just died. I don’t have the capital and I don’t have time.

The first few stories of entrepreneurs featured in the book were like, “Yes.-Of-course-they-could-be-great-entrepreneurs-they-have-the-resources-and-all” but it was the story of Lamoiyan Corporation, the makers of Happee Toothpaste that re-awakened the entrepreneurial spirit. Mr. Cecilo Pedro’s story made me realized that, yes, you can be an entrepreneur and earn but at the same time, reach out to people and glorify God. As what the corporate motto of Lamoiyan is- “To make a difference for the glory of God”, they even have employees who have disabilities. Would you believe that?!?

So here I am, while still waiting for my mom and dad, contemplating on possible enterprise that I will soon have. I don’t have an idea on how big it would be, or what the nature would be, but I’m hoping that I too, can make a difference by having my own business to run to. For the meantime, I’m trying to give my best now with my work and hope that in this way, I can make God Happee as well.