By Michael B. Arevalo, sole proprietor
For the last four months, my attention was focused on accomplishing a number of academic requirements, most of which are essential for my graduation. I started the semester with great enthusiasm. By the end of November, I’ve reached the sales of 9,450 and it went up to 21,630 at the end of last year. But at the beginning of this year, all my hopes crashed as there was a little demand for my products. It had me panicking, taking into consideration the quota that I have to reach to get a high grade in my Income Generating Project subject, which sure matters because it comprises 6 units of my total 24 academic load.
My optimism slowly diminished as lesser demand became very clear. I, for a fact was also busy focusing on attending seminars, doing a lot of projects, finishing my SRA, having myself interviewed by a lot of companies, taking a lot of corporate exams, applying for the civil service exam (which took me 3 days) and all other things that were important for my graduation. My attention was diverted to looking forward with what my life would be after graduation, what company I should go for, and where I would go. Somehow, my enthusiasm to reach the prescribed quota no longer lingered as part of my motivation. I found myself struggling to reach for a better future after graduation.
Lucky for me that Charlie Marvel Enterprise was located in my relative’s residence. Not known to me that all this time, the business was still operational despite me not taking part in it. My uncles and some nephews were still manufacturing and taking orders from our distribution channels. I really appreciate the fact that they were able to understand how hectic my schedule was (and is). As a result, I am so proud to announce that at exactly 5:00 pm of February 29, 2008, the company was able to reach the total sales of 43,707, though 6,420 was still collectible.
The moment I decided to dissolve the SoyWorks partnership, I felt the fear of conducting business on my own and eventually getting solo. I was left in doubt of my capabilities and whether I could venture into a business outside the comfort my friends gave me. I felt the guilt of not believing that the partnership we once had would work and that my partners I have were capable of wholeheartedly doing their part in our business venture.
Now, I have fully realized that it really does not matter if you are on your own or not. What matters is the way you are able to make use of your passion and of what is here and now to run the business. It is not about the presence of other people to watch your back, or the amount of capital investment you are willing to let go. Oftentimes, business is like life. It involves a lot of risks. The problem is some are afraid to take chances because of the fear that their decision would lead to nothing but mistakes. People, sometimes do not believe in the possibility of a good outcome and that they could do something even if they are alone. Everyday won’t be sunny, and sometime, a person would find himself lost in the darkness of despair. However, as they say, it is only at the dark of the night a person sees the stars that would guide him back on track. Once this stage is dealt with, everything else would be easy. Confidence and courage to take risk are nothing but ordinary.
For me, all decisions, be it right or wrong, should never be seen as a thing to be regretted. It makes you stronger than ever. Sometimes, fate lets you experience the feeling of losing to appreciate more the joy of winning. One must never be afraid to make mistakes, because most of the time, the greatest rewards come from doing things that scare people the most. One should always see the positive side of all things. This goes for both business and life. Having a positive mindset and taking risks are qualities that make human fully human and businessman a successful one.
I learned a lot in doing business for the past three semesters, the most crucial of which was the last one. It is because it does not involve mere business operation and gaining higher sales. It made me feel like I was caught in the middle between academic matters and business matters. Being a graduating student, I was bound to face a lot of priorities and weighing which among these priorities I would do first was one major problem. Halfway, my attention my predominantly focused with CM Enterprise but with all things coming out at school, to be honest, I think I have not been able to do as much as I did before. I don’t think people could blame me for that. But I think, still, the responsibility was all mine.
Time Management- this was one of the learning I gained from the whole IGP experience. The value of time anchors other essential values like family, love, and even education. Have you ever been bothered when you went absent in a regular school day? I am. For the record, if there’s one person in the planet who should be awarded as “the all-time most punctual student”, I guess that would be me. I have never been absent in school in my entire life. It’s true even in my four years in college. School is my second home and I consider it an important thing I should devote my time into. That is why I feel really uneasy when I had to forcefully go to the clinic because I am sick (I attend school even when I’m suffering from severe headache, cold, etc.). I feel so troubled when accidents happen and they had to excuse me from class, like when I went into an accident 11 years ago and the doctors had to stitch my forehead because I stumble so hard on the ground. Likewise, I feel so disturbed every time I had to compete outside the school for a poster-making, math quiz bee, slogan-making, science fair, Boy Scout jamboree, and many more. I feel I would lose I lot when I come back and I hate that feeling.
Losing is definitely one of the problems that bother every individual. In fact, it is one consideration of some entrepreneurs. Some are affected so badly that it changes them. Have you ever felt losing a lot? Terrible, isn’t it? I’ve been there a couple of times but I can safely say that it never got into me that bad. In the business operation, I realized that there is no point for people to really be ashamed of losing. I experienced being rejected by a number of customers using different alibis like “I don’t sell candles”, “that’s not in demand here”, “try the other store and see if they would buy”, “we still have a lot of stocks”, “my manager’s not here… come back tomorrow”, and “we don’t buy labeled candles.” Sigh. Sometimes, people can be really irritating. But businessmen must realize that these are very common in the business scenario. But a true businessman must never be affected by these customers. It is their way of saying ‘no’ and we businessmen should respect that. After all, there is whole lot more of customers out there ready for the taking.
I also realized the value of maintaining a smooth interpersonal relationship with the customers. It serves as the foundation of possible future business transaction. Since I was directly involved with the delivery of products, I have experienced talking and making arrangements with business owners. With this firsthand experience, I realized how much businessmen should value their close relationships with suppliers, distribution networks, and whole range of customers.
Being a sole proprietor manufacturing utility and decorative candles, I was able to realize more things about running a business. Being tagged as the ‘captain of my own ship’, I was in charged of all aspects of business particularly production, financial and marketing aspects. All decision I make have a significant impact in the business as I try to achieve the goal of profit realization (short-run) and continuous growth (long-run).
These learning give me a more subtle approach in taking risks in business. It gives me confidence by lessening the fear of failure and by giving me a clear and optimistic foresight of the possible pitfalls that might be a hindrance in the business operation. Knowing my responsibilities and imploring the right approach gives me a greater chance to take action towards success. And that is my burning passion, my motivation and heartfelt desire.
For the last four months, my attention was focused on accomplishing a number of academic requirements, most of which are essential for my graduation. I started the semester with great enthusiasm. By the end of November, I’ve reached the sales of 9,450 and it went up to 21,630 at the end of last year. But at the beginning of this year, all my hopes crashed as there was a little demand for my products. It had me panicking, taking into consideration the quota that I have to reach to get a high grade in my Income Generating Project subject, which sure matters because it comprises 6 units of my total 24 academic load.
My optimism slowly diminished as lesser demand became very clear. I, for a fact was also busy focusing on attending seminars, doing a lot of projects, finishing my SRA, having myself interviewed by a lot of companies, taking a lot of corporate exams, applying for the civil service exam (which took me 3 days) and all other things that were important for my graduation. My attention was diverted to looking forward with what my life would be after graduation, what company I should go for, and where I would go. Somehow, my enthusiasm to reach the prescribed quota no longer lingered as part of my motivation. I found myself struggling to reach for a better future after graduation.
Lucky for me that Charlie Marvel Enterprise was located in my relative’s residence. Not known to me that all this time, the business was still operational despite me not taking part in it. My uncles and some nephews were still manufacturing and taking orders from our distribution channels. I really appreciate the fact that they were able to understand how hectic my schedule was (and is). As a result, I am so proud to announce that at exactly 5:00 pm of February 29, 2008, the company was able to reach the total sales of 43,707, though 6,420 was still collectible.
The moment I decided to dissolve the SoyWorks partnership, I felt the fear of conducting business on my own and eventually getting solo. I was left in doubt of my capabilities and whether I could venture into a business outside the comfort my friends gave me. I felt the guilt of not believing that the partnership we once had would work and that my partners I have were capable of wholeheartedly doing their part in our business venture.
Now, I have fully realized that it really does not matter if you are on your own or not. What matters is the way you are able to make use of your passion and of what is here and now to run the business. It is not about the presence of other people to watch your back, or the amount of capital investment you are willing to let go. Oftentimes, business is like life. It involves a lot of risks. The problem is some are afraid to take chances because of the fear that their decision would lead to nothing but mistakes. People, sometimes do not believe in the possibility of a good outcome and that they could do something even if they are alone. Everyday won’t be sunny, and sometime, a person would find himself lost in the darkness of despair. However, as they say, it is only at the dark of the night a person sees the stars that would guide him back on track. Once this stage is dealt with, everything else would be easy. Confidence and courage to take risk are nothing but ordinary.
For me, all decisions, be it right or wrong, should never be seen as a thing to be regretted. It makes you stronger than ever. Sometimes, fate lets you experience the feeling of losing to appreciate more the joy of winning. One must never be afraid to make mistakes, because most of the time, the greatest rewards come from doing things that scare people the most. One should always see the positive side of all things. This goes for both business and life. Having a positive mindset and taking risks are qualities that make human fully human and businessman a successful one.
I learned a lot in doing business for the past three semesters, the most crucial of which was the last one. It is because it does not involve mere business operation and gaining higher sales. It made me feel like I was caught in the middle between academic matters and business matters. Being a graduating student, I was bound to face a lot of priorities and weighing which among these priorities I would do first was one major problem. Halfway, my attention my predominantly focused with CM Enterprise but with all things coming out at school, to be honest, I think I have not been able to do as much as I did before. I don’t think people could blame me for that. But I think, still, the responsibility was all mine.
Time Management- this was one of the learning I gained from the whole IGP experience. The value of time anchors other essential values like family, love, and even education. Have you ever been bothered when you went absent in a regular school day? I am. For the record, if there’s one person in the planet who should be awarded as “the all-time most punctual student”, I guess that would be me. I have never been absent in school in my entire life. It’s true even in my four years in college. School is my second home and I consider it an important thing I should devote my time into. That is why I feel really uneasy when I had to forcefully go to the clinic because I am sick (I attend school even when I’m suffering from severe headache, cold, etc.). I feel so troubled when accidents happen and they had to excuse me from class, like when I went into an accident 11 years ago and the doctors had to stitch my forehead because I stumble so hard on the ground. Likewise, I feel so disturbed every time I had to compete outside the school for a poster-making, math quiz bee, slogan-making, science fair, Boy Scout jamboree, and many more. I feel I would lose I lot when I come back and I hate that feeling.
Losing is definitely one of the problems that bother every individual. In fact, it is one consideration of some entrepreneurs. Some are affected so badly that it changes them. Have you ever felt losing a lot? Terrible, isn’t it? I’ve been there a couple of times but I can safely say that it never got into me that bad. In the business operation, I realized that there is no point for people to really be ashamed of losing. I experienced being rejected by a number of customers using different alibis like “I don’t sell candles”, “that’s not in demand here”, “try the other store and see if they would buy”, “we still have a lot of stocks”, “my manager’s not here… come back tomorrow”, and “we don’t buy labeled candles.” Sigh. Sometimes, people can be really irritating. But businessmen must realize that these are very common in the business scenario. But a true businessman must never be affected by these customers. It is their way of saying ‘no’ and we businessmen should respect that. After all, there is whole lot more of customers out there ready for the taking.
I also realized the value of maintaining a smooth interpersonal relationship with the customers. It serves as the foundation of possible future business transaction. Since I was directly involved with the delivery of products, I have experienced talking and making arrangements with business owners. With this firsthand experience, I realized how much businessmen should value their close relationships with suppliers, distribution networks, and whole range of customers.
Being a sole proprietor manufacturing utility and decorative candles, I was able to realize more things about running a business. Being tagged as the ‘captain of my own ship’, I was in charged of all aspects of business particularly production, financial and marketing aspects. All decision I make have a significant impact in the business as I try to achieve the goal of profit realization (short-run) and continuous growth (long-run).
These learning give me a more subtle approach in taking risks in business. It gives me confidence by lessening the fear of failure and by giving me a clear and optimistic foresight of the possible pitfalls that might be a hindrance in the business operation. Knowing my responsibilities and imploring the right approach gives me a greater chance to take action towards success. And that is my burning passion, my motivation and heartfelt desire.
.jpg)
.jpg)
