6 Things I Learned From the 6th Go Negosyo Filipina Entrepreneurship Summit

March 7, 2014 marked the celebration of the Filipina entrepreneurial spirit, as over 130 schools and hundreds of entrepreneurs trooped over at the World Trade Center, for the 6th GoNegosyo Filipina Entrepreneurship Summit. This is spearheaded by Joey Concepcion, founder of Go Negosyo, along with its industry partners.

The Go Negosyo booth

World Trade Center was packed!

  

I was never really the business-minded type, Tatay is the only one who really liked to do business in the family. Mama would have wanted to come but she had work to do, and she was the one who spotted this event at the Manila Bulletin. We came out of curiosity, and in addition to me trying to look for acrylic sheet suppliers for our technopreneurship class.

The booths were quite few, mostly limited to the sponsors. I didn't  find what I was looking for, but what I went home with was something even better - the chance to bond with Tatay and a truckload of inspiration.

Me and Tatay :D

The event featured the likes of  Kris Aquino, Kuya Germs (I wonder if any guesting of his is complete without his stories of That's Entertainment and GMA Supershow lol), Sen. Grace Poe, Karen Davila, Korina Sanchez, Maria Ressa, and many more, including my new favorite - Sen. Cynthia Villar. It was sad that Cong. Leni Robredo wasn't able to come, she's the reason why Tatay wanted to attend. 

Aaand it also featured kids who couldn't get enough of their selfies. I'm sorry I just have to post this haha. He took a photo of himself like 10 times, each time with a flash. Hahahaha.

Pag bored, selfie nalang! hahah

It started with some keynote speeches, and the Go Negosyo awarding of 10 Filipinas to recognize their contribution to the increasingly robust business sector in the country. My favorites were the forums, where established entrepreneurs gathered onstage to discuss their own experiences and answer questions from the audience. Surprisingly, the audience was very participative and asked insightful and practical questions.  

The first half featured the heavyweights, Filipinas who have established themselves in really big and influential industries, like Convergys, Hyundai, Universal Harvester, DHL, and also included Sen. Cynthia Villar and Maria Ressa of Rappler. 

Morning forum with Karen Davila

The second half featured a much younger group, featuring the owners of Serenitea, Kimstore, Mercato, Manang's Chicken, Papemelroti, and many more. It was facilitated by RJ Ledesma and Chal Lontoc.

I won't really go into the details, but I'd like to share here key points that I learned in the event:

1. Integrity is delivering your promise - most of the speakers stressed how integrity is very essential in developing your network. The most powerful referral is by word-of-mouth, when people like your service and can trust you, customers will flock in.

2. The power of prayer - because it was an event honoring Filipina strength, most of them have emphasized how being prayerful has helped women in crucial situations that were no longer in control. Looks like the Guy above is a cool business partner, huh? :)

3. Grab every opportunity to learn - a student asked what she should do if she knows what she wants, but the opportunity in front of her is something else.  Majority of the panel advised her to take it as a learning opportunity, while working on what she really wants or waiting for the right time to come.  I think alot would agree that the modern youth has become quite 'picky' when it comes to jobs. We want instant huge salaries, posh offices, and dream-of-a-lifetime job descriptions. But it doesn't always happen in the real world. These successful women has reminded us of the virtue of patience and perseverance. It pays to start from the ranks, or to first settle for 'so-so'  and then work hard to reach for 'the best'.

4. Uplift the people around you - we noticed that this was a recurring theme from the opening speech of Kris Aquino up to the morning and afternoon forums. When you uplift the people around you, you end up uplifting yourself. When you do business for the service of others - your customers, your suppliers, your employees - you enrich not just your business, but also your heart. 

5. Knowledge is more important that capital - this was mentioned by Sen. Cynthia Villar, and I just have to mention that I am now a fan! She gives the most practical and relatable advices, probably because of all these years of getting in touch with the masses while doing business. This woman surely knows her stuff! She emphasized that you can grow your business with even a very small capital as long as  you are an expert in what you do, so you basically have to start with what you're good at. It would be great to have an original idea, but even if you can't, you can just be hella good at what you do.

6. See the magic - If the other panelists gave practical advice, Maria Ressa went for the virtue of it. She's a very softspoken lady who had a quiet fierce-ness about her. And amid the crazy technicalities of starting a business, her advice was to "See the magic". :) That line just made me smile. I think it's beautiful to never forget the 'soul' of what you are doing, and just appreciate the beauty to brings to the bigger world around you.

The event didn't really go down to the nitty-gritty details of starting a business, but what it did was to nurture a seed of inspiration in all of the participants. There was this one woman from Tacloban, who used to have a restaurant business but was among the millions destroyed by Yolanda. She asked the panel for advise on how to start again. Teary eyed, Karen Davila asked Sen. Cynthia first, and she quickly mentioned that she should start with looking for a house first, her foundation can help her with that, and that she can just start with catering so she won't need to worry about rent. Then this other lady (geez I'm so sorry I forgot her name I believe she's from the construction industry), who suddenly offered that she might start her business in their company to feed their workers! Everyone was eager to help. Imagine, just like that she suddenly had assistance for her home and business! Amazing.

I'm happy to have attended the summit. I'm not entirely sure if I'd be venturing into entrepreneurship anytime soon (we have a photobooth business though! Haha shameless plug), but I think this event isn't solely for business, it's also for anyone who just wants to succeed in whatever they do. Ika nga e, Push lang ng push!