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It’s Okay to Fail

Written on February 3, 2012 by JeD Chan in Management, Motivation, Productivity, Self-Improvement

Sean is a kid who would play Plants vs Zombies that when he got a little overwhelmed by the zombies, he would restart the game right away. In keyhero.com, a typing training site, he would press escape even if he just missed a single letter. He is also the type of kid who would cry because he got a 97 in an exam.

He is a kid who’s not yet good with failures.

But I believe Sean’s behavior is completely normal. I too sometimes is guilty of that.

There is a game in Nintendo DS called Brain Age 2. It’s about playing a series of test, and the game will grade you by giving the age of your brain – according to the result of your tests. The ideal brain age is 20. The lower the number, the better.

When I reached a brain age of 25, I thought I got a pretty high grade, and stopped playing the game. The reason? I got comfortable with my success that I fear I may fail the next game, and would get an older brain. Since then I never played the game until recently…..got an age of 46.

The truth is we are so afraid to fail that we actually Fail.

It is OKAY to fail, and there is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.

But there are two failures that are not acceptable: Failure to TRY and Failure to LEARN from your failures.

To close this post, let me leave you with 3 of my favorite quotes about Failure:

“Success is a lousy teacher.” – Bill Gates

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison

“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty six times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan

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How To Have An Effective Workday

Written on November 27, 2011 by JeD Chan in Management, Productivity, Self-Improvement

Photo by rachelsmarties

The future belongs to those who prepare for it today.

We all only have 24 hours a day, and sometimes the difference between success and failure lies thinly on how effective you spend your day. In my current position as a general manager and part-time entrepreneur, 8 to 12 hours of work seems like not enough to carry out all my day’s tasks. I have tried to restructure my daily routine ever since.

I read tips from various articles online and practiced which one works for me. I have formulated a simple routine, that I am using for the past 3 weeks, which gave me better productivity.

1. Before going to bed, Ponder on important tasks that will be accomplished the next day.

By doing so, it will align your mind with your tasks and will greatly help you be more organized the next day. Being organized saves you a lot of time.

2. Divide your day in 2 halves. First half, with routine. Second half, free-for-all.

I usually have my routinary work when I got to the office until lunch time. After lunch I spend the rest of the day: spreading the word about my products, getting involve in trainings, developing our website, meetings, planning and conceptualizing, etc. Basically it depends on my mood, whichever I enjoy doing.

3. Accomplish everything in Bursts. Avoid multi-tasking.

Give pure 10 to 15 minutes in every task. If you’re checking your emails, then just check your mails. Do not invite another task that may intervene with the current one. This way, you are clear about your task’s progress.

The first thing I do when I arrive my office is to check and reply emails. Then open our company’s Chatter to get updated with what happened yesterday and if there are any pending tasks. Then go to our company’s Facebook or Twitter to see if there are any queries. After accomplishing all those online stuffs, I then go ahead to offline matters. It starts by checking out my incoming documents that is needed for review and signature.

After accomplishing those, the number 4 item is what I do next:

4. Delegate.

There are corresponding responsibilities for every department in the company. Be sure to delegate those tasks that are applicable to the department. This not only workout the company’s system, but it also helps you proceed to the next task.

5. Pray.

No matter how good and organized a routine is, your day may be ruined by a single unexpected problem. Be sure to always backup your plans with a prayer.

How about you? How do you make your day effective? Share!

God Bless!

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You Got A Story To Tell

Written on August 25, 2011 by JeD Chan in Business, Motivation

I must admit, my current business is not doing well.

It resulted to:

Delayed issue of salaries.

Failed to fund a couple of checks.

Suppliers withdrawn their products.

Cracked business relationships.

Employees resigning.

and so on..

I think I just hit rock bottom.

It’s sad. It’s tough.

But I should never lose hope.

Should find a way to turn these things around.

I know there’s a way.

I should keep fighting.

It is not the end.

I want to have a happy ending.

An inspiring ending.

Ending it with success!

Because one day I have to tell my story.

To my children.

To my grand children.

Or the public.

How boring and less inspiring it would be if it was pure success from beginning to the end.

On the other hand, it would be just a complete waste if I did not make this story end with success.

Today is the part where the story gets interesting.

Tomorrow is where it will be an Epic!

One day we all are going to tell our story. How will yours go?

—

“I believe man was designed for accomplishment, engineered for success, and endowed with the seeds of greatness.” – Zig Ziglar

Sabi nga nila, Ang bida ay nagpapabugbog muna sa simula. Toinks!

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Filtered

Written on July 21, 2011 by JeD Chan in Business, Management

Just like any other businesses, there are always the “Ups” and the “Downs.” Unfortunately for one of our business, it is currently on the Down side.

Due to financial instability, there are times when salaries and wages of employees comes a bit off-schedule. Even though they do not say anything to me, I can sense their disappointments regarding this matter.

There’s a point in time when everyone is buzzing about resigning from the company due to the delays that happened. One by one I am receiving resignation letters with no indicated reasons at all. Some just left without any advise.

Frankly, it has been very difficult for me knowing that these people are just here for the “Up” side of the company. As I truly believed that everything is well until recently.

I called up a meeting, told everyone that if anyone is just here for the 15th and 30th salary day, anyone who is more concerned about himself rather than the company, anyone who cannot endure the Down times of the company, – perhaps this is not the right company for them, and that I would expect their resignation letters to be tendered 3 days from now.

Surprisingly, no one handed his/her resignation after 3 days. But received two letters after I extended the deadline.

Now, I wish those who left a more fruitful career. For those who stayed, I know that they are the ones who are worth investing for. And I won’t let them down.

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Coffee Franchise Comparison: Figaro, Bo’s Coffee and Country Style

Written on August 13, 2010 by JeD Chan in Business, Food

Coffee franchise comparison: Figaro, Bo’s Coffee and Country Style.

This is an update about my post Jumping To The Coffee Industry, wherein I discussed about our interest on getting to the coffee business.

Here are some datas we gathered so far:

**I’ll sort these datas according to Square Meters (SQM)

CARTS AND KIOSKS COMPARISON: 3 to 20 SQM

Bo's Coffee Logo

Comparison of Figaro, Bo's Coffee and Country Style's Kiosks and Carts.

**Click table to view full size.

ISLANDS AND MEDIUM SIZED SHOPS COMPARISON: 30 to 40 SQM

Bo's Coffee Logo

Figaro, Bo's Coffee and Country Style Island and medium sized shops

**Click table to view full size.

SEMI-FULL AND FULL STORES COMPARISION: 80 to 100 SQM

Bo's Coffee Logo

Figaro, Bo's Coffee and Country Style Full Store and Semi-Full Store

**Click table to view full size.

There are still some missing datas. If you guys have any experiences or inputs about these whole franchising thing, we will really appreciate it if you could share it with us.

Maybe I should also organize a poll about these three coffee companies. But for now, may I ask you guys which among these three companies you like best? Not limited to the datas above, but your experience as a consumer.

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Jumping To The Coffee Industry

Written on August 7, 2010 by JeD Chan in Business, Food

Jumping to the coffee industry.

Not so long ago, we jumped into the automotive industry while maintaining our presence in the service/transport industry. Now, the year 2010, we are now venturing to another industry – The Coffee Industry.

No we are not going to start from scratch, instead we are looking for a coffee company to franchise. To why we are going to franchise or going to the coffee industry, the answer is still quite confidential. I’ll update you guys after we have already set it up.

OUR CURRENT PROSPECTS:

As of now we already contacted three coffee companies and already met some of them. Our first priority is Figaro.

FIGARO

Figaro is a local coffee company and as we see it, their image and menus are good. Plus their coffee is already well known. They also have a new management which we think that the whole company is in a state of “New Beginning.”

But we were quite disappointed to experience two re-schedules of meetings, because they simply overlooked the appointment with us. Professionalism is very important, first impression is often the deciding factor.

Another thing was the presentation they have made did not live to their brand’s image. The power point presentation was mediocre.

**We also heard that some of Figaro’s branches already closed down. We still need to verify.

Figaro’s Franchise Fee: Around Php 1M (Tomorrow I will get the franchise kit to post a more detailed version)

Next prospect is Country Style.

COUNTRY STYLE

I love Country Style’s doughnuts, but I haven’t tried their coffee yet. A number of my friends and acquainted managers recommends this coffee company. I spoke with the company this afternoon and setup another formal meeting sometime next week. I’m still studying about Country Style. I’ll give feedback on my next posts.

Franchise Fee: Around Php 400,000.00

BO’s COFFEE

Bo's Coffee Logo

Bo’s Coffee is another local company with lots of good feedbacks about their image and franchise setup, but not-so-good feedback about their coffee. Among the three companies I spoke with, I say that Bo’s is the most professional. They provide good quality materials and their setup in the Franchise Expo 2010 was really nice. Their ambience is somewhat like Starbucks.

Same as Country Style, I’m still studying about Bo’s as well. I’ll give feedback about my research.

Franchise Fee: Around Php 600,000.00 – Php 650,000.00

I also would like to look into Coffee Bean And Tea Leaf, but I’m not so sure if they are open for franchise. Well let me see..

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Determination + Entertainment = Success

Written on June 4, 2010 by JeD Chan in Business

Determination + Entertainment = Success.

Try to run on a treadmill for 30 minutes while staring on a blank wall. I’ll bet that you will be staring on the clock instead, counting down the minutes that you still have to go. 15 minutes have passed and you are already dying to get off the treadmill. The worst thing that could happen is your determination weakens and you’ll dread your next schedule for workout.

A rundown: You have the determination to work out and burn those calories. The only problem is there isn’t anything to keep you there.

Now try running the treadmill for the same duration, but this time there will be good music all over the room plus a television in front of you. It’ll make you stay there longer, and you won’t mind being in the same place on the next workout.

“If you keep people entertained, they don’t mind the sweat” says Eric Casaburi – Owner, Retrofitness

Determination + Entertainment, a simple recipe that is usually capitalized by companies which are in the fitness industry such as Fitness First and Gold’s Gym.

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Business Opportunities From Typhoon Ondoy

Written on October 4, 2009 by JeD Chan in Business

The Bad News:

A lot of business establishments were suppressed during the day of Typhoon Ondoy. Mostly likely, your business were also affected. You don’t have any choice but to close your shop early and call it a day.

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