20 Jan
Be Younique Blog, Business, Life's Priorities

Common Sense Business

Common sense nowadays is uncommon. It’s common sense to eat healthy food but we pick chocolates over vegetables without blinking. It’s common sense for parents to ask their daughter if the guy who proposed to her is trustworthy and hardworking but the first thing parents ask is what’s his business…It’s the vernacular for Is he wealthy? (Ano bang apelyido nya? Kasi kung ang apelyido may Dating, may Datung!) It’s common sense to put God first in our list of priorities but often he is at the bottom end.

We can tackle a lot about what’s ‘senseful’ and what’s senseless but our topic is about what’s common sense in business. I will be discussing how to’s for a start-up small business.

Let’s start with the most important part of the business. You! Do you have what it takes? Do you have the courage to pursue your dreams in life? Are you ready to be ridiculed by many and criticized by the majority? I’ll be honest with you; it’s not a walk in the park. Between 75% and 90% of all new businesses fail within the first 10 years. Starting a small business seems to be right up there with shark-diving and Race car driving as a dangerous activity that’s best avoided.

The good news is that anyone can build a successful business. Anyone can be successful but not everyone will! Contrary to my prior belief, now I don’t believe that businesses is for everyone. Although I do believe that everyone should try to start and build a business. And the only way for you to find out if a business is for you is to start one. A business is a vehicle to reach your dreams and make it a reality. It’s one of the most exciting things you will ever do in your life.

Here’s a roadmap to our journey: First chapter is about “Building on your best assets.”

1) You

2) Your Employees

3) Your Suppliers

4) Your Capital

5) Your community.

I know it’s odd but I feel like starting first with this before the dreaming stage, which is the conceptualization of your business. I’ll cover it in chapter 2, “The Small Business Cycle.” The third chapter is about “The Small Business Traps.” Last chapter is “What if you failed.” (note: I didn’t include the parts for the succeeding chapters.)

If you plan to be a successful entrepreneur read on. Ready set…

20 Jan
Be Younique Blog, Business

Adversity builds Character

 love this quote by Charles Spurgeon “It is doubtful that God can use a man greatly until he has wounded him deeply.”

A successful businessman who has grown his business from an SME to a Large Corporation told me that in business or life just like in war, you should be proud when you have battle scars, “Lalo kang gumagwapo!” I told him if that was the case…I should look like Brad Pitt by now.

Your character gets stronger through adversity as it reveals to you who you really are as a person. As you squeeze an orange to get its juice; adversity can squeeze life out of you for better or for worse. Because of the trials you are facing, you will discover a part of you that you’ve never known existed…from a child you become a man, from a mouse you become a lion, from being hopeless you become hopeful, and from being fearful you become someone whose fearless!

Nowadays whenever I have big problems, I would just recall my failed business experience and without exception it will bring a smile to my face making me optimistic to deal with the challenges I have today.

20 Jan
Be Younique Blog, Business

Adversity! Friend or Foe?

A question that I’m sure all of us have asked God one way or another is “Why do people have to go through adversity?” More specifically for me, why did our restaurant business fail miserably leaving a trail of despair in it’s midst? Why does God allow such things?

We lost almost P10 million. Blood sweat and tears were all part of the ingredients. It happened at a time when my wife is pregnant with our first baby, at a time when I’ve focused all my efforts in the business while leaving other business opportunities aside. At a time when my mother is in need financially because she was diagnosed with cancer.

I had to talk to investors who lost millions. I had to fend off angry employees. I have to shamelessly negotiate with our leases. I have to beg our suppliers and creditors for extension. I have to borrow money from friends and relatives. Almost everyday I was funding checks that are due. I used up all our savings. I lost almost everything I’ve worked for just to make the business work. It still didn’t. But rather than focus on what the eye can see, I shifted to the things that only the mind and heart can see.

In my search for answers, God has been gracious. I’ve learned more from that single year than all the years of my life combined. One thing that stands out from my recent experience is in making adversity my ally instead of my foe. What did I learn? I’ll be sharing 5 things in the next 5 days about Adversity.

20 Jan
Be Younique Blog, Business

The Best Business Skill (part 2)

This illustration presents the importance of selling skills:

Go to your room and take a look at everything inside. You may see your bed, a chair, desktop computer, lights, cabinet, aircon…everything in the room. Where did all the stuff come from? You may think of 3 sources: 1) You bought it. 2) Someone gave it to you. (The person who gave it to you bought it also) 3) You stole it. I hope this is not part of your answer. Most of our possessions came from someone who sold it to us.

Here’s the big idea: “The more you know how to sell, the more you can buy!” And I’m not just saying selling per se, what I’m saying is learning how to sell ideas.

“You will never be poor in life IF YOU KNOW HOW TO SELL IDEAS.”

Best Business Skill part 1: https://www.jaysonlo.com/blog/the-best-business-skill-part-1/

Best Business Skill part 3: https://www.jaysonlo.com/blog/the-best-business-skill-part-3/

Best Business Skill part 4: https://www.jaysonlo.com/blog/the-best-business-skill-part-4/