ONE STEP UP By Chris Tio (The Freeman) Updated July 24, 2009 12:00 AM
I get a lot of feedback from readers thru email and most recently, thru Facebook. I really appreciate it when readers take the effort to communicate and share their reactions with me. It helps to know what people are thinking and what their opinions are. It helps me to also define the direction of this column to best suit the reader’s needs. Thank you for that.
I get surprised sometimes by the wide variety of feedback as well as the different professions and backgrounds of those that do. I have one particular reader that stands out. She works for the Government. Lillian is connected with the Bureau of Internal Revenue. She wrote me once to tell me that she follows my column. Lillian also wrote to ask if she could share her own thoughts and insights based on her readings, which could also help other readers out.
Recently, Lillian sent me an email on the importance of networking in finding a job and for promoting business. I would like to reprint what she sent me, as it is very helpful especially for young people looking for their first job. Here are the Lillian’s tips:
“First, Circulate. Talk to people. Be where when you can meet a lot of people. Attend conventions, seminars, meetings which are related to your work. Introduce yourself to many people. But it doesn’t mean that you will talk and mingle only with people in your line of work. Mingle with others, too. You will meet these helpful persons everywhere--- the beach, at the park, in the church, in the supermarket. The point is to be acquainted with lots of people. New acquaintances that you meet can open golden chances for you.
Second, Send a letter to the manager of the firm you are interested in. Make the letters as irresistible as possible. So you will not be denied the appointment you greatly desire and express admiration for the person you are writing to.
Another clever idea is to stay in touch with people you know. Let them know you are still around and eager to make the line of communication open. When you are on vacation, send them card and notes. When someone gives you a favor, send a thank-you note immediately. These gestures will not be forgotten. Don’t ever disregard that small, nice touch. It is central to your success.
You may also request referrals. Referrals play a vital role in one’s career. Through three referrals, the networking widens, which leads to more contacts. Remember, no man is an island, you need other people, to survive and succeed.
You may also join organizations where you are sure to meet lots of people. Give calling cards with your address and phone numbers and state your line of work.
Get rid of your shyness. Build up that self-confidence, fast. Sometimes, you fail in an endeavor due to a feeling of insecurity. Instead of going directly to a prospective client, you back out due to feeling of inadequacy, to handle that situation. Smart women know that timidity has no place in effective networking.”
Lillian concludes by writing, “ Networking is reciprocal . You do things for others and they also do good things for you. And there is no such things as useless contact. Even if real benefits are not yet apparent, something will crop up sooner or later. Take good care of all your contacts, everyday of your life, add more to the network, especially if you are looking for a good job. Many people get their jobs through this networking, a powerful strategy to reach your goals and dreams.”
Thank you Lillian for caring enough to share with us your thoughts. A lot of us are familiar with the saying, “Its who you know that makes a difference.” That alone shows the value of networking. I want to share what Bob Burg added to that, he thoughtfully said, “It isn't just what you know, and it isn't just who you know. It's actually who you know, who knows you, and what you do for a living.”
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
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
A Better Ballpen
ONE STEP UP By Chris Tio (The Freeman) Updated August 21, 2009 12:00 AM
Recently, a number of people have turned to me for advice on their business idea. I would worriedly protest that I was not qualified to give them advice. But they would insist that I hear them out. I realized that I could at least look at their idea from a common sense point of view and ask simple questions based on that. I found out that a lot of people either wanted to start a business because they love the thought of being an entrepreneur or see someone succeeding in one type of business and want to imitate it but do it better.
I get very interesting answers when I hear the answers to one simple question, “Why do you want to do this?” The answers often range from, “Because everybody thinks it’s a good idea…” to “I have some money saved up…” But I often get very little response to the question, “ What is it that you really want to do?, What are you passionate about?” I often get a blank stare and a rebuttal, “Can that be a business?”
One of the common threads in starting small businesses is that we fall in love with imitation, being a copycat. For example, if someone starts a barbeque restaurant featuring fresh seafood, if it becomes successful, the street will soon have several restaurants with the same concept. Not enough people want to start businesses that are unique and creative. The common fear is that it is too risky and nobody wants to be the one to try. After all, they can be the one to follow if it works…
I believe there are many ideas that exist for business that actually fulfill a need, a unique solution that people have failed to recognize. We often fall in love with complex plans or sophisticated solutions when many times, the actual answer was just staring at us in front of our noses.
I remember a popular story on how much NASA spent to develop the first gravity ballpen. It seems that it was a big problem that ballpens would not write upside down due to the effects of zero gravity. So not so few million dollars later, a zero gravity pen was made. It was a monumental achievement, one that the Agency was very proud of, until they discovered what the Russians were using: A pencil.
Another humorous story was when a Japanese soap manufacturer was horrified to discover that a customer had bought an empty box of soap. To make sure it never happened again, it directed its engineering team to develop a solution to prevent this occurrence. The team immediately came up with a unique x-ray that was mounted at the end of the assembly line. There, all boxes were immediately scanned to make sure that there was always a bar of soap in every box.
After a successful test run, Tokyo headquarters immediately instructed the engineers to ship the new x-ray machines to all of their factories worldwide. The Japanese president of the Philippine subsidiary was worried about what to do while waiting for the x-ray to arrive. He asked his Filipino engineers to study the problem. They promptly came up with an alternative solution, they mounted a high powered industrial fan at the end of the assembly line to blow away any empty boxes.
There is a lot of room for creativity, passion, innovation and uniqueness in starting a business. It may be risky but when it succeeds, the rewards can be enormous. Google co founder Larry Page once said, “You don’t need a 100-person company to develop that idea.” Remember how Google started? It was a school project, on how to develop a better search engine.
I would like to congratulate the UP TAO Brotherhood and Sisterhood for reaching their 20th anniversary this weekend. I would also like to congratulate the UPS for also achieving this significant milestone. I am proud to have been part of the start of these organizations.
I would also like to congratulate Charmaine Ong on the one year anniversary of the Oras ng Jaycees program on DYRF. Thank you for inviting me to guest and discuss the need for entrepreneurship especially for our youth. Congratulations.
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 .
Recently, a number of people have turned to me for advice on their business idea. I would worriedly protest that I was not qualified to give them advice. But they would insist that I hear them out. I realized that I could at least look at their idea from a common sense point of view and ask simple questions based on that. I found out that a lot of people either wanted to start a business because they love the thought of being an entrepreneur or see someone succeeding in one type of business and want to imitate it but do it better.
I get very interesting answers when I hear the answers to one simple question, “Why do you want to do this?” The answers often range from, “Because everybody thinks it’s a good idea…” to “I have some money saved up…” But I often get very little response to the question, “ What is it that you really want to do?, What are you passionate about?” I often get a blank stare and a rebuttal, “Can that be a business?”
One of the common threads in starting small businesses is that we fall in love with imitation, being a copycat. For example, if someone starts a barbeque restaurant featuring fresh seafood, if it becomes successful, the street will soon have several restaurants with the same concept. Not enough people want to start businesses that are unique and creative. The common fear is that it is too risky and nobody wants to be the one to try. After all, they can be the one to follow if it works…
I believe there are many ideas that exist for business that actually fulfill a need, a unique solution that people have failed to recognize. We often fall in love with complex plans or sophisticated solutions when many times, the actual answer was just staring at us in front of our noses.
I remember a popular story on how much NASA spent to develop the first gravity ballpen. It seems that it was a big problem that ballpens would not write upside down due to the effects of zero gravity. So not so few million dollars later, a zero gravity pen was made. It was a monumental achievement, one that the Agency was very proud of, until they discovered what the Russians were using: A pencil.
Another humorous story was when a Japanese soap manufacturer was horrified to discover that a customer had bought an empty box of soap. To make sure it never happened again, it directed its engineering team to develop a solution to prevent this occurrence. The team immediately came up with a unique x-ray that was mounted at the end of the assembly line. There, all boxes were immediately scanned to make sure that there was always a bar of soap in every box.
After a successful test run, Tokyo headquarters immediately instructed the engineers to ship the new x-ray machines to all of their factories worldwide. The Japanese president of the Philippine subsidiary was worried about what to do while waiting for the x-ray to arrive. He asked his Filipino engineers to study the problem. They promptly came up with an alternative solution, they mounted a high powered industrial fan at the end of the assembly line to blow away any empty boxes.
There is a lot of room for creativity, passion, innovation and uniqueness in starting a business. It may be risky but when it succeeds, the rewards can be enormous. Google co founder Larry Page once said, “You don’t need a 100-person company to develop that idea.” Remember how Google started? It was a school project, on how to develop a better search engine.
I would like to congratulate the UP TAO Brotherhood and Sisterhood for reaching their 20th anniversary this weekend. I would also like to congratulate the UPS for also achieving this significant milestone. I am proud to have been part of the start of these organizations.
I would also like to congratulate Charmaine Ong on the one year anniversary of the Oras ng Jaycees program on DYRF. Thank you for inviting me to guest and discuss the need for entrepreneurship especially for our youth. Congratulations.
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 .
Cebu beats other cities for Bombardier facility
By Rhia de Pablo (The Freeman) Updated April 29, 2009 12:00 AM
CEBU, Philippines – Cebu City was chosen, among 62 metropolises around the globe, as one of the two locations for the global finance shared services center for accounting and reporting of the multi-national transportation company Bombardier Transportation.
In a recent ceremony, Bombardier Transportation formally opened its Global Finance Shared Service Center for Accounting and Reporting here in Cebu at the 14th floor of the new TGU Tower in Asiatown IT Park with 20 employees that is expected to grow by 150 in 2014.
Bombardier Transportation is a world leading manufacturer based in Canada engaged in innovative transportation solutions from commercial aircraft and business jets to rail transportation equipment, systems and services.
Bombardier general manager and director for finance accounting and reporting Heiko Kafer said that after months of training their local based accountants, Bombardier Transportation will migrate transactional activities in Cebu for the English speaking countries and Asian countries this October while the other one located in Cluj, Romania will service European countries requiring different language capabilities.
He said that the primary objective of moving to a Finance Shared Service Approach is to better focus on internal customers, enhance business support, improve and standardize processes, centralize accounting expertise, improve competitiveness and ensure increased quality of balance sheet and financial results delivered to the market.
Meanwhile, the company’s VP Finance Shared Services, Accounting and Reporting Olivier Guitton underscored that their Finance Shared Service center in Cebu will be sustainable and successful because people are the basis of their excellent delivery of services.
“Cebu was chosen among the 62 cities because in Cebu there is an availability of highly qualified accounting staff at competitive cost who are used to a shared service mentality so we can ensure excellent delivery of services and support for our business for the worldwide market,” said Guitton.
Kafer said that the search for the location of their two Finance Shared Service centers started in August of last year and they have searched cities from all over Europe and Asia.
Among the shortlisted countries included Chinea in India and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia but Cebu was chosen because of its customer-oriented and service oriented culture.
Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said the launching stressed that the choice of Bombardier to locate one of its global financial center here in Cebu shows the continued confidence of foreign investors to Cebu as an area of growth.
The presence of Bombardier Transportation in the country has been started since 1996 as the company landed contract for the signalling system of the Metro Railway Transit (MRT) and now they are targeting several projects in Manila which includes the Line 8 project which runs from North Avenue to the East of Manila for rolling stock or the trains itself and the signalling systems.
They have also supplied Q400 and Q300 commercial aircraft to Philippines Airlines’ low cost segment PAL Express.
Bombardier Transportation has presence in over 60 countries and has so far installed base of over 100, 000 vehicles worldwide.
It offers the broadest range of product portfolio and is recognized as the leader in the global rail sector as well as the aerospace industry.
Its revenues for the fiscal year 2008 was at $17.5 billion in which $9.7 billion or 55 percent was gotten from its aerospace segment and $7.8 billion or 45 percent from its total revenues was taken from its transportation segment.
Bombardier Transportation is traded in the Toronto Stock Exchange and is listed as an index component to the Dow Jones Sustainability World and North America Indexes.
CEBU, Philippines – Cebu City was chosen, among 62 metropolises around the globe, as one of the two locations for the global finance shared services center for accounting and reporting of the multi-national transportation company Bombardier Transportation.
In a recent ceremony, Bombardier Transportation formally opened its Global Finance Shared Service Center for Accounting and Reporting here in Cebu at the 14th floor of the new TGU Tower in Asiatown IT Park with 20 employees that is expected to grow by 150 in 2014.
Bombardier Transportation is a world leading manufacturer based in Canada engaged in innovative transportation solutions from commercial aircraft and business jets to rail transportation equipment, systems and services.
Bombardier general manager and director for finance accounting and reporting Heiko Kafer said that after months of training their local based accountants, Bombardier Transportation will migrate transactional activities in Cebu for the English speaking countries and Asian countries this October while the other one located in Cluj, Romania will service European countries requiring different language capabilities.
He said that the primary objective of moving to a Finance Shared Service Approach is to better focus on internal customers, enhance business support, improve and standardize processes, centralize accounting expertise, improve competitiveness and ensure increased quality of balance sheet and financial results delivered to the market.
Meanwhile, the company’s VP Finance Shared Services, Accounting and Reporting Olivier Guitton underscored that their Finance Shared Service center in Cebu will be sustainable and successful because people are the basis of their excellent delivery of services.
“Cebu was chosen among the 62 cities because in Cebu there is an availability of highly qualified accounting staff at competitive cost who are used to a shared service mentality so we can ensure excellent delivery of services and support for our business for the worldwide market,” said Guitton.
Kafer said that the search for the location of their two Finance Shared Service centers started in August of last year and they have searched cities from all over Europe and Asia.
Among the shortlisted countries included Chinea in India and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia but Cebu was chosen because of its customer-oriented and service oriented culture.
Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said the launching stressed that the choice of Bombardier to locate one of its global financial center here in Cebu shows the continued confidence of foreign investors to Cebu as an area of growth.
The presence of Bombardier Transportation in the country has been started since 1996 as the company landed contract for the signalling system of the Metro Railway Transit (MRT) and now they are targeting several projects in Manila which includes the Line 8 project which runs from North Avenue to the East of Manila for rolling stock or the trains itself and the signalling systems.
They have also supplied Q400 and Q300 commercial aircraft to Philippines Airlines’ low cost segment PAL Express.
Bombardier Transportation has presence in over 60 countries and has so far installed base of over 100, 000 vehicles worldwide.
It offers the broadest range of product portfolio and is recognized as the leader in the global rail sector as well as the aerospace industry.
Its revenues for the fiscal year 2008 was at $17.5 billion in which $9.7 billion or 55 percent was gotten from its aerospace segment and $7.8 billion or 45 percent from its total revenues was taken from its transportation segment.
Bombardier Transportation is traded in the Toronto Stock Exchange and is listed as an index component to the Dow Jones Sustainability World and North America Indexes.
Go signal given for unsolicited proposal on SRP joint venture
(The Freeman) Updated September 09, 2009 12:00 AM
CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City now has the go signal of the Commission on Audit to make use of the submission of unsolicited proposals for the joint venture transactions over the South Road Properties.
Joel Mari Yu, managing director of the Cebu Investment and Promotion Center, said that they now have a go signal from COA to pursue joint venture transactions by asking interested clients to submit unsolicited proposal.
A year ago, Yu said that their attention was called by COA on the said method as it accordingly disregarded the process of public bidding requirement on projects and services.
“At least now they also agree that the publishing of the unsolicited proposal for the joint venture is the same as public bidding since you are also inviting others to submit their respective competitive challenge,” Yu said.
Yu also said that an unsolicited proposal is better than the actual public bidding process considering that everything is negotiated to the disadvantage of the city.
“We don’t just accept their proposal even if the price is right, but we also make sure that we also agree with what they intend to do with the property at SRP,” Yu said.
He further said that the aim of the city government is to let the private sector manage most of the things.
In the SRP, the first joint venture contract is the one with Filinvest Land, Inc. which submitted an unsolicited proposal to pour in P25-billion investment over 50.6 hectares there.
Only the provincial government made intent of submitting a competitive challenge, but was rejected twice because of the lack of jurisdiction or identity.
According to the Joint Venture Selection Committee, Capitol is not a private entity.
Services for water at the SRP are also to be run by the private sector and still under a joint venture agreement.
Cebu City is set to close another deal with a company prior to the end of this year, which is also under joint venture. – Ferliza C. Contratista/MEEV (FREEMAN NEWS)
CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City now has the go signal of the Commission on Audit to make use of the submission of unsolicited proposals for the joint venture transactions over the South Road Properties.
Joel Mari Yu, managing director of the Cebu Investment and Promotion Center, said that they now have a go signal from COA to pursue joint venture transactions by asking interested clients to submit unsolicited proposal.
A year ago, Yu said that their attention was called by COA on the said method as it accordingly disregarded the process of public bidding requirement on projects and services.
“At least now they also agree that the publishing of the unsolicited proposal for the joint venture is the same as public bidding since you are also inviting others to submit their respective competitive challenge,” Yu said.
Yu also said that an unsolicited proposal is better than the actual public bidding process considering that everything is negotiated to the disadvantage of the city.
“We don’t just accept their proposal even if the price is right, but we also make sure that we also agree with what they intend to do with the property at SRP,” Yu said.
He further said that the aim of the city government is to let the private sector manage most of the things.
In the SRP, the first joint venture contract is the one with Filinvest Land, Inc. which submitted an unsolicited proposal to pour in P25-billion investment over 50.6 hectares there.
Only the provincial government made intent of submitting a competitive challenge, but was rejected twice because of the lack of jurisdiction or identity.
According to the Joint Venture Selection Committee, Capitol is not a private entity.
Services for water at the SRP are also to be run by the private sector and still under a joint venture agreement.
Cebu City is set to close another deal with a company prior to the end of this year, which is also under joint venture. – Ferliza C. Contratista/MEEV (FREEMAN NEWS)
Skal International eyes Cebu as venue for Asian Congress
By AJ de la Torre (The Freeman) Updated September 09, 2009 12:00 AM
CEBU, Philippines - With Cebu’s thriving efforts in achieving sustainable tourism development without harming the environment, an international tourism organization deems Cebu as a fitting venue for the Skal Asian Area Congress.
Skal International president Hulya Aslantas, during her recent visit in Cebu, said that they are more than eager to hold the Asian Congress in Cebu considering its thriving tourism industry and efforts made by industry players in promoting tourism.
Skål International is the largest group with a civil initiative in travel and tourism made through gathering all branches of this sector in to one,
The Asian Congress, slated on May 29, will have foreign delegates arriving on the 26th with various activities prepared prior to the official start of the gathering.
This will be the 39th Skal Asian Congress and the second to be held in Cebu following the successful hosting back in 1995.
This year’s gathering is expected to be participated in by over 400 members worldwide.
Aslantas shared that in line with the organizations’ advocacy in upholding sustainable tourism that is on ecological tourism, they see how Cebu has worked hard for the development of the tourist spots, most especially the beaches that are well-known by many, but managed to preserve the natural wonders of the environment.
Aslantas said this is one of the components they have seen which makes them very keen on holding the Asian Congress in Cebu.
“Cebu is a beautiful resort destination. It is a place that has grown through sustainable development and has grown in harmony with place. It has facilities and buildings but did not destroy the lifestyle of the people and the environment,” she said.
The organization, which favors ecotourism, has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the United Nations Environmental program that would include Skål members in the effort of protecting the environment through sustainable development.
The congress is said to greatly benefit the provinces’ promotion of tourism in which preparations have already thoroughly started said Charles Lim, the president of Skål International Cebu chapter.
At least three to four million pesos is allocated for the preparations but Lim said that the gain in terms of the boost of the industry that Cebu would be getting would be worth any price.
He also said that this gathering would be one way of sharing experiences and help each other recuperate from the financial crunch that the businesses have felt.
He added that the crisis may have been present but it can not change the tourism sector and how it is patronized by many. Lim added that the budget or the pattern may change, but the travel and tourism industry “would not lose its grip.”
Further, Aslantas said that they are also working on repositioning the organization in order to take further into action their aim in promoting global tourism.
“We really need to position ourselves and show who we are and where we are today,” added Aslantas who shared that there have been a lot of changes in the organization since it was founded in 1934 in Paris by travel managers that initially promoted the idea of gathering to strengthen friendship without doing any business.
But Aslantas said that the notion have already changed and the concept have shifted to “doing business among friends.” However this has not been completely explored thus the need for repositioning the organization.
She mentioned that they have to reposition themselves since they have not fully implemented their missions and visions, which is a waste since they have a lot of strengths as a group like them being the first and the largest of its kind in the promotion of travel and tourism. “The basic worth is already there, it is a matter of using it properly.”
Aslantas said that are already conducting surveys for their members where specific questions are found on how to reposition the organization. They also have created a task force intended for the repositioning and also are revising their present visions and missions.
She said that since the goals of the club is not stressed out, “Skål International is not where it deserves to be and should be positioned somewhere,” and added that “the mission and vision defines who we are and what we offer and why Skål International exists. There is a need of a shared sense of direction among all Skål members, if we have this, imagine what we can do?”
Jenny Franco, president of the National Association of Independent Travel Agencies in the Philippines- Cebu Chapter and former Skål –Cebu chapter president said that the repositioning is a positive step that they need to strengthen the partnership with other countries.
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