2011 was so far the worst. I have failed left and right. The worst failure was not being able to sell any of products for more than 6 months. Monthly expenses such as utility bills and salaries were eating me alive. That is why I do not have any choice but to cut some of  those expenses by minimizing electricity and water consumption, as well as downsizing.

A number of people in my workforce resigned because even though they like their job, in the end it is about the food they provide on the table. They were greatly affected by delayed issuance of salaries.

I accept failure and only get myself affected by it. But to see people suffer because of my failures, that’s the worst feeling ever. I have to stand for my people but I also have to protect the company. The least I could do was to let go of people who wants to go and treasure those people who are willing and loyal to the company despite the situation. I will surely make it worth for them.

I understand we, entrepreneurs, managers, leaders are only human and is bound to commit mistakes. We are just about 60-70% to make good decisions. But what matters most is how we react on bad decisions.

I may let 10% of my employees down. I’m sorry.

But I will work harder for the 90%.

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

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!

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!

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.

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

**Click table to view full size.

ISLANDS AND MEDIUM SIZED SHOPS COMPARISON: 30 to 40 SQM

**Click table to view full size.

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

**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.

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 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..

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.

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.

The Good News:

Though you have sacrificed a day last week, this week was a great week. Especially when your nature of business are in the Car Wash & Detailing, Automotive Services, Laundry, Grocery, Pharmacy/Drug Store, and Food.

Massive amounts of affected individuals are seeking for your products and services. Perhaps you are now breaking your sales record – probably your all time highest.

The Dilemma:

You saw two opportunities to exploit:

First, you realized that the demand for your service/products is extremely high. So what you did was you raised your rates/prices to maximize your profit. One Time Big Time.

Second, you saw a lot of affected people needs your products/services badly. As a Christian Entrepreneur, you feel what these people are going through so you gave discounts just like what Toyota, Globe and Smart did. You showed true compassion and realized that this is not a good opportunity to maximize sales, but build long term relationship – for hopefully, repeat customers.

The Question:

Which Opportunity would you choose?

******************

Lesson 1:
A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her
shower, when the doorbell rings. The wife quickly wraps herself in a
towel and runs downstairs. When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the
next-door neighbor.
Before she says a word, Bob says, “I’ll give you $800 to drop that
towel.” After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands
naked in front of Bob After a few seconds, Bob hands her $800 and leaves.

The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs. When she
gets to the bathroom, her husband asks, “Who was that?”
“It was Bob the next door neighbor,” she replies.
“Great!” the husband says, “did he say anything about the $800 he
owes me?”

Moral of the story :
If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with
your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent
avoidable exposure.

******************
Lesson 2:
A priest offered a Nun a lift. She got in and crossed her legs,
forcing her gown to reveal a leg. The priest nearly had an accident. After
controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg.

The nun said, “Father, remember Psalm 129?” The priest removed his
hand. But, changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again.
The nun once again said, “Father, remember Psalm 129?”
The priest apologized “Sorry sister but the flesh is weak”
Arriving at the convent, the nun sighed heavily and went on her way.
On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129
It said, “Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory.”
Moral of the story:
If you are not well informed in your job, you might miss a great
opportunity.

*****************************
Lesson 3:
A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to
lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a Genie
comes out.
The Genie says, “I’ll give each of you just one wish.”
“Me first! Me first!” says the admin clerk. “I want to be in the
Bahamas , driving a speedboat, without a care in the world.”
Puff! She’s gone.

“Me next! Me next!” says the sales rep. “I want to be in Hawaii ,
relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of
Pina Coladas and the love of my life.”

Puff! He’s gone.

“OK, you’re up,” the Genie says to the manager.
The manager says, “I want those two back in the office after lunch.”

Moral of the story:
Always let your boss have the first say.
*****************************
Lesson 4
An eagle was sitting on a tree resting, doing nothing. A small rabbit saw the eagle and asked him,

Can I also sit like you and do nothing?”
The eagle answered: “Sure , why not.”
So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle and rested. All of a
sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.

Moral of the story:
To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high > >> up.

******************************
Lesson 5:
A turkey was chatting with a bull. “I would love to be able to get to
the top of that tree,” sighed the turkey, “but I haven’t got the
energy.”
“Well, why don’t you nibble on some of my droppings?” replied the
bull.
They’re packed with nutrients.”
The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him
enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree. The next day,
after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch. Finally
after a fourth night, the turkey was proudly perched at the top of
the tree.
He was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree.

Moral of the story:

Bull might get you to the top, but it won’t keep you there.
***********
Lesson 6:
A little bird was flying south for the Winter. It was so cold the
bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field. While he was lying
there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on him.
As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to
realize how warm he was. The dung was actually thawing him out! He
lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy.

A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate.
Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung,
and promptly dug him out and ate him.

Morals of the story:

(1) Not everyone who s on you is your enemy.
(2) Not everyone who gets you out of is your friend.
(3) And when you’re in deep , it’s best to keep your mouth shut!

THIS ENDS THE 5-MINUTE MANAGEMENT COURSE

Source: http://resources.alibaba.com/topic/34583/5_Minute_Management_Course_.htm