A couple of days ago , we had our first annual business review of Crocs. Concept store partners and distributors from all over Visayas and Mindanao, as well as principals from Manila, came to Cebu for the meeting which was held at the new Alpa City Suites in Subangdaku, which incidentally is a must try.

Later that night, we had dinner at the recently opened Out Of Africa Restaurant in Nivel Hills. A few columns back, I wrote about the need to master Engage, Delight , and Convert. When I was asked where should we eat, I suggested something new and exciting, and we were not disappointed.

What makes Out Of Africa stand out is the attitude and personality of the general manager, South African Mike Halgreen. He is a fascinating person to know, stumbling upon Cebu a couple of months ago, then planting roots and opening not only this restaurant, but launching a ambitious plan to open 40 more franchised outlets.

He is a man’s man, Crocodile Dundee in the flesh. He greeted us with excitement, welcoming us with drinks and stories. He built up excitement to try the many exotic dishes that were the specialties of the house.

We tried out South African bread which is a must try. We also ordered the pumpkin soup, Mozambique Trinchado, and Cream Dory Fillets. I can’t recall the rest but they were all very good. Mike gave us the full treatment, describing the menu and the food as it arrived. On one dish, a combination of four kinds of kebab skewered on a metal rod, it was set on fire in front of us. When one of my companions observed the need for music to complete the spectacle, Mike suddenly erupted in an African tribal chant, complete with wild swinging arm motions.

After dinner, he again presided over all of us, regaling us with his personality and stories. He taught us what Jagermeister is for and how it should be taken. He then whipped up a round for all of us, making sure that we follow tradition and blow off the dust from our elbows before drinking. Then again, Mike might have been pulling our leg with the elbow thing, who knows.

What Mike has mastered is the principles of Engage, Delight, and Convert. In surviving and prospering in this financial uncertainty, we need to go back to the fundamentals. Mike is showing that it doesn’t take a lot of money, or brilliant architecture, or expensive consultants to achieve EDC. All it takes is an honest and sincere effort to satisfy the consumer.

Engage – Capture the attention.


Delight – Evoke joy and a sense of discovery.

Convert – Harvest reward thru purchase.

The only disappointment for the men and to the joy of the ladies was the unavailability of Crocodile steak. It is a specialty of the house, according to Mike, as he explained the right way to store and cook the Croc. Which led us to propose that we open our first restaurant retail door. We offered to put up a retail stand for Crocs in the restaurant so that Mike can add a bit of spice to his Croc story, “we serve them and you can also walk on them.” Or something like that, huh Mike?

Cheers Mate, Thanks for making our night.

Let’s follow the examples of these ordinary individuals as they strive to make a difference. Each week, lets all get together and share knowledge, stories, experiences, information, all for the sole purpose of getting One Step Up.

 For comments, suggestions or stories that you want to share, email me at stirspecialist@gmail.com ,  or

visit  www.stirspecialist.blogspot.com

I recently attended the 5^th Mindanao Business Management and Youth Council (MBMYC) held last February 6,2009 at the Marco Hotel in Cagayan. It was an uplifting experience to be surrounded with many of the youth of Mindanao, who were very gung-ho about becoming entrepreneurs. I was very impressed with the youthful zeal, idealism, and enthusiasm displayed  by these young people. I want to thank them for a wonderful experience.

One of the great benefits was that I had time to chat with Bam Aquino and the cause of Social Entrepreneurship. Bam, James Fantone and myself were speakers for the portion called “ignite”. Bam gave an inspired speech on the cause of social entrepreneurship, which made everyone sit up and listen.

Social entrepreneurship is defined in simple terms as trying to achieve two goals with one stone, earning profit while trying to help society. In this trying times, more entrepreneurs and would be entrepreneurs need to study and initiate something along these lines.

The example set by Bam is Hapinoy. A program they started that partners with micro-financing institutions to lend money to deserving individuals to start a “Sari-sari” store under the Hapinoy brand. Bam and his company will provide training in managing not only the store but also the inventory. They centralize all their purchases and make “corporate” negotiations with many of the large suppliers. In doing so, they can avail of better pricing for the Hapinoy stores allowing the latter to be not only competitive but also profitable.

Hapinoy is also looking to help local SME’s by allowing local producers to sell their products to the Hapinoy chain. So small manufacturers and producers can now have a viable distribution chain for their products and services.

It is a wonderful program that achieves to my mind two major goals, one, to uplift the lives of the less fortunate, and two, establish a viable business distribution business.

Bam and his partners are literally helping hundreds if not thousands with their business. I was blown away by his passion and determination for the cause. It brought back memories for me. When I was younger, I always wanted to have a chance to speak with  Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino. I wanted to feel his passion and love for our people and our country. I get the same sense from Bam, who being Ninoy’s nephew, is almost a spitting image of him.

Our country needs more social entrepreneurs. It actually makes sense to go into it especially in these trying economic times. When you think about it, if we lose ground on our traditional markets, we need to look for new ones to supplant or supplement our business. Social entrepreneurship opens up a huge untapped potential market.

How much will our country benefit when more social entrepreneurs set up business.  We just need to keep in mind that social is not “sosyal” but providing real benefits to society.

Let’s follow the examples of these ordinary individuals as they strive to make a difference. Each week, lets all get together and share knowledge, stories, experiences, information, all for the sole purpose of getting One Step Up.

For comments, suggestions or stories that you want to share, email me at stirspecialist@gmail.com ,  or visit  www.stirspecialist.blogspot.com

“Don’t stop believing, hold on to that feeling….” Growing up in the eighties, this song and its catchy refrain was played  in the background of many bars and clubs. It became a cult classic and is one of the many hits the band Journey churned out. Recently this song became played continuously again all over the world celebrating the triumph of a small town boy from the Philippines becoming the lead singer of the legendary band Journey. This was the song Arnel Pineda sang in front of thousands of fans in Superbowl 2009.

How does a middle aged Filipino male, who a couple of years ago was belting out copies of different singers to small audiences in Manila , go from that to enthralling thousands in the biggest party of America’s favorite sport? It boggles the mind.

But there is more to the story than what you read in showbiz news, we all have heard versions of how Arnel was discovered by Neal Schon , Co-founder and lead guitarist of Journey, in You Tube. A avid fan had uploaded videos of Arnel and his band Zoo playing gigs in many clubs in Manila, Neal chanced upon it trolling the internet looking for inspiration to the quandary of who their new lead singer should be. He was amazed at the eerie way that Arnel was able to mimic not only the sound but even down to the mannerisms Steve Perry, the most famous lead singer of the band. He watched stupefied as he watched more videos of Arnel doing Toto, and other rock stars almost seamlessly.  When he told his band mates that he had found their new lead singer in Manila, They replied in disbelief, “great, you found us a singer that cant speak English…”

“Just a small town “boy” living in a lonely world, he took the midnight train going anywhere…” The starting words of the song literally describes Arnel’s journey. His mother died when he was thirteen and his father left him with relatives. He decided to live on his own, collecting scrap to get by and sleeping in Luneta. He had a friend who played the guitar and together they practiced. He auditioned for a small band and was told he wasn’t good enough, but one of the band members offered to put him up and pay his salary from his own pocket.

He soon made a name for himself singing covers and popular hits. But this also drove him to boredom. He started to take drugs and party hard, then one day he discovered that he could no longer hit his usual notes. A doctor told him to retire , that his voice was shot, tired from the long nights, abuse, and vices. He was only 27 years old.

He did not lose hope, He went straight, relearned how to sing, and formed a new band called Zoo. That’s where he was discovered and his “journey” began.

This true story is an inspiration to many of today’s youth on possibilities in life. How we should not limit ourselves to self-made or society manufactured glass ceilings.  I would like to pose the question, what is more probable or possible, a middle aged former street child in a third world country becoming the lead singer of one of the world’s legendary bands or becoming a successful entrepreneur? Or one of the best, how about  a man with a Kenyan father and an Asian childhood becoming President of the United States or becoming a successful entrepreneur?

Makes you wonder or ask yourself hard questions. Dreams are free. Hoping is easy. Faith is necessary. Believing is the first step.

All things are possible, no matter how improbable. Always have hope, acquire Faith, and Believe. Arnel said, “My life is a fairy tale but I’m awake and I’m dreaming it.”  Don’t stop believing…. Let’s follow the examples of these ordinary individuals as they strive to make a difference. Each week, lets all get together and share knowledge, stories, experiences, information, all for the sole purpose of getting One Step Up.

For comments, suggestions or stories that you want to share, email me at stirspecialist@gmail.com ,  or visit  www.stirspecialist.blogspot.com

I would like to apologize for the slip up last week. I emailed an old column by mistake. It was an ironic twist when I thought about it, as my writing this column turns one year old today. So it was an embarrassing reminder to me to keep me grounded and responsible. I can’t believe how time has flown. It was not too long ago when I discussed writing again with Nimrod, the next thing I knew, I was already seeing print.

It gladdens my heart when I know that I have made a small difference in shaping perspective as well as encouraging the young to consider entrepreneurship. Our country really needs new entrepreneurs especially in this time of economic hardship. Many have lost jobs and many more are living in fear of what lies ahead. We need to provide incentives as well as make financing, training and support available for new small entrepreneurs to rise up.

I recently met Alex Reyes who started  talking to me about the cause of social entrepreneurship. It is a definite need in our country. One of the most promising programs is Hapinoy which seeks to provide financing, supplies, training and a brand name to the traditional sari sari store. By centralizing and professionalizing the supply and retail chain, the small sari sari owner can reap the benefits of lower costs of products as well as a better inventory and management system. All this under one Hapinoy brand. It gives many small entrepreneurs a fighting chance to not only survive but to prosper.

Jay Aldeguer recently also shared with me a unique project proposal between the tourism players, the Department of Tourism and a major telecom firm. The rationale behind the project is to provide substantial trickle down benefits of tourism to the basic foundation of  Filipino life, again the sari sari store. They aim to provide a “tourist” look as well as standardize and increase some of the products offered for sale. So the basic sari sari store can function as a tourist kiosk offering maps, dictionaries or even basic souvenirs as well as pre paid  cell cards and other accessories. Studies will show that this will increase the basic daily income of theses stores almost four fold, thereby hitting two birds with one stone : Social entrepreneurship and tourism.

There are many critical issues that we need to focus on this year. In the midst of all the gloom and depression in the news, we have to each come into an individual realization that we are responsible to be part of the solution and not merely an observer of events. This is our home, our country, our city, our barangay, our street. We need to be more involved, and it’s a great thing about our people is that we are and we do.

One of those is Joseph, a web development company owner that services a lot of accounts in the US. He has offered to develop a site for One Step Up that will not only feature my writing but also others. It will also feature forums and chat rooms to discuss entrepreneurship as well as providing encouragement and support. Joesph has also offered to host it for free. Thank you Joseph. He himself  is a great story. A former CPA and a lawyer, he used to be  a teacher of accounting at a major university in Cebu. He is now a successful entrepreneur marketing services to the US. 

I asked him why he offered to do this. His reply was, “ I believe in the advocacy of encouraging entrepreneurship, I want to do my part in helping others go one step up.” Kudos to you and thank you.

Next week, I will be flying to Cagayan upon the invitation of the Mindanao Business and Youth Congress who will be holding their 5^th annual convention under the theme, “Igniting the youth to be socially responsible entrepreneurs for sustainable development.”  I would like to thank Daniel Mejia, the conference chairman for inviting me. I am very excited as well as humbled to have been invited to share my thoughts as well as to learn from the youth of Mindanao.

There are many fears today, both real and fiction. We need to continue praying and having Faith.  Let us continue to search for the silver lining in each situation. I am reminded of what American entrepreneur Les Brown once said,  “Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” Let’s follow the examples of these ordinary individuals as they strive to make a difference. Each week, lets all get together and share knowledge, stories, experiences, information, all for the sole purpose of getting One Step Up.

For comments, suggestions or stories that you want to share, email me at  stirspecialist@gmail.com ,  or visit  www.stirspecialist.blogspot.com

I’m going camping with my son today. It is a father and son scout activity at his school designed as a bonding moment. The panic began when I saw the fine print in the circular. The activity begins at 7:30 am and ends at 2:30 Saturday afternoon. “No electronic devices allowed”.

It has been a while since I have not had an electronic device with me. No laptop, no access to the internet. Not even time to read my newspaper till the next day. But I guess it is a good thing. I get to spend time with my son without any distraction. And I get the chance to reflect on how things have been in the span of one year.

I recently realized that my column writing is turning a year old next week. Time has really flown, and “One Step Up” turns one. It has been a tremendous journey of growth and discovery. I set out writing this column to help encourage entrepreneurship especially among the youth.  Along the way, I too have been encouraged, by successful leaders and entrepreneurs who have allowed me access into their lives and share their stories; by the response and enthusiasm of readers, who have made it a point to read not only my column in The Freeman but even my blog.  Some have made the effort to communicate with me and I am honored and happy to have gained new friends.

One particular reader, Joseph, wrote me to offer his help. Joseph is president of a web development company that services US clients. He made a generous offer to develop One Step Up into an interactive site with chat forums, blogs, etc. He has even offered to host it for free all for the cause of encouraging entrepreneurship and helping others get one step up. This will be a great development and can allow many of us to learn and share together.

One of the effects of the column that I did not expect to happen was the many invitations that  I have received to speak for and in the cause of entrepreneurship. I have happily accepted and tried to share my thoughts and take the opportunity to learn at the same time. The encounters with students of the MBA programs of UP, USJR, student leaders of CNU, among others have given me great hope about the future of this country.

On February 6,2009, I will be sharing in Cagayan at the 5^th Mindanao Business and Management Youth Congress under the theme, “Igniting the youth to be socially responsible entrepreneurs for sustainable development.”  I would like to thank Daniel Mejia, the conference chairman for inviting me. I am curious to discover the thoughts and learn from the youth of Mindanao.

Socially responsible entrepreneur. This is a heavy need in our Country. It is amazing how many of today’s youth have taken up this challenge. I recently met with Alex Reyes who opened my eyes about the need for social entrepreneurship in this country. He talked about Hapinoy , a innovative microlending program designed around professionalizing the Sari-Sari store. I will be discussing this in another column due to the significance and importance of the program.

I set out writing to encourage, but in return I have been encouraged.  Thank you.

Let’s follow the examples of these ordinary individuals as they strive to make a difference. Each week, lets all get together and share knowledge, stories, experiences, information, all for the sole purpose of getting One Step Up.

For comments, suggestions or stories that you want to share, email me at stirspecialist@gmail.com ,  or visit  www.stirspecialist.blogspot.com

Many people seem to be in dread of the new year and what it may bring. The raging financial crisis has given a lot of gloom and despair to many. Many investors and businessmen are at a quandary on what to do. I believe there are silver linings in the dark clouds, that will allow the Cebu economy to showcase its resiliency and innovation.

Local tourism will boost Cebu’s economy – Cebu is now rapidly becoming a complete destination. The opening in 2008 of The Northwing of SM, The Terraces of Ayala, Skyrides of Crown regency, Parkmall, and other smaller destinations has given a whole new reason to rediscover Cebu. The availability of very affordable airfares has given a reason for many Filipinos to travel more. One of the things going for Cebu is the wide variety of accommodations available, the opening of Sugbutel and its php250 per night rate just adds a exclamation point to this variety.

International Tourism will continue – Cebu is poised to take advantage of the political standoff that occurred in Thailand. The takeover of the international airport has given a lot of tourists pause and caused them to consider other destinations. Airfare promotions from the Philippines to other Asian countries will allow tourists to take advantage of the return backload to the Philippines. The key will be to make tourism more intuitive and innovative for the tourist. A great example of this is the Islands Banca Cruises of Jay Aldeguer. They took away a lot of the stress and the hassle of booking a banca allowing a more enjoyable and safer experience.

More Call Centers – There will be more call centers set up due to the US financial crisis and the terrorism incident that occurred in India. A lot of these call centers or BPOs will be smaller, often owned and run by former employees of larger companies. They will take advantage of the cut costs mantra of many US companies. The image of call centers being located in very high profile and expensive real estate may change very rapidly, with costs being a very real factor.

More SME and Small Entrepreneurs – There will be increasing demand for small franchises and other small business opportunities as returning OFWs will be looking to put up businesses to compensate for the lack of ideal local employment opportunities available.

New Market Definitions -

Luxury – Will not be defined by the market for many people but by personal perceptions and preferences. Many people will have new definitions for luxury being directly liked to their incomes and lifestyles.

Feedback – Consumers will be very demonstrative in feedback as they will immediately show with their wallet if their unsatisfied with the product or service. The emergence of blogs, chatrooms and forums will add tremendously to shaping opinions and preferences.

2009 will be a very interesting year. Consumers will be looking for more value and innovation to compensate for shrinking budgets and incomes. The times will allow businessmen who are very innovative to stand out in this economy. New definitions for luxury will allow many local brands to compete and to succeed. Tourism will be big this year. Many local tourist that normally travel abroad will be giving a hard look at Cebu as a alternative shopping, vacation and adventure destination. Asian tourists will be looking for budget destinations that will give the best bang for the buck.

I believe 2009 will be a year of opportunity. The key words to remember: Innovation and Resiliency. Words that have always been associated with Cebu.

Let’s follow the examples of these ordinary individuals as they strive to make a difference. Each week, lets all get together and share knowledge, stories, experiences, information, all for the sole purpose of getting One Step Up.

For comments, suggestions or stories that you want to share, email me at stirspecialist@gmail.com , or visit www.stirspecialist.blogspot.com

A lot of people were encouraged by a column I wrote entitled “Believe in having Faith.” I received a lot of feedback by email and text. The recurring comment was that this was the right message for the time.

I recently began thinking about messages. There are many warnings, prophecies and predictions on what the new year will bring. Majority of the messages center on impending gloom and economic downturn.  I notice that many people have allowed this perception to affect them. They have become very glum and moody, depressed about things that are still predicted to come.

I think we should not focus on negative messages but accentuate the positives. I would like to remind people of the theory of self fulfilling prophecy. The Thomas theorem states that “If men define situations as real, they are real in their consequences.”   Thomas states that we react to situations based on our perceptions and not thru the actual situations. This is one of the basis for the saying, “perception becomes reality.”

Sociologist Robert Merton added to this in his book, “Social Theory and Social Structure”, he said, “            The self-fulfilling prophecy is, in the beginning, a false definition of the situation evoking a new behavior which makes the original false conception come 'true'. This specious validity of the self-fulfilling prophecy perpetuates a reign of error. For the prophet will cite the actual course of events as proof that he was right from the very beginning.”

Simply put, if we perceive today as a bad day, we will put ourselves into that mode and due to the prejudgement, we will end up having one. Does that make sense? If I am told I cannot do it, I will already precondition my mind that I cannot, so I don’t.

Dr. Robert Rosenthal, a Harvard University psychologist conducted a very interesting social experiment to prove the theory. He tied up with a school in the poor district of San Francisco. This area is known for its crime, poverty and general sense of helplessness. He picked out 24 students at random and divided them equally into two groups. He assigned one group to a set of random teachers and told them that the students had amazing potential and it was their responsibility to nurture and develop them. The second group was assigned to another set of teachers who were told that the children lacked any real potential and that it would be difficult to develop them. He then assigned the same set of prescribed lessons and activities to each group to do.

Six months later, the results showed that the first group had developed rapidly and had indeed shown amazing potential and growth. The second group had accomplished very little and were in general, unmotivated, lazy and disillusioned. 

So this Christmas season, Lets focus on positive messages. Let us focus on the real message of Christmas. Let’s tell each other that things will and are getting better. We have survived many a crisis and we will come out of this one better and stronger. Let us be thankful for what we have.

Lets not forget the reason for the season. We are celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. So, go out and celebrate.  Wear a smile, greet everyone sincerely and warmly. Spread Christmas cheer. Renew friendships and relationships. You’re your loved ones. Show faith and confidence that things will get better. By doing so, things will. 

Lets all have a merry Christmas !

Let’s follow the examples of these ordinary individuals as they strive to make a difference. Each week, lets all get together and share knowledge, stories, experiences, information, all for the sole purpose of getting One Step Up.

 For comments, suggestions or stories that you want to share, email me at  stirspecialist@gmail.com ,  or visit  www.stirspecialist.blogspot.com