Friday, October 29, 2010

The Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Cups of Coffee

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of
coffee....

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty
mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.
He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the
golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and
poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space
between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things---God, your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favourite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else---the small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you. "Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18.

There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

Saturday, July 24, 2010

All About Attitude

Jerry is the manager of a restaurant.

He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would always reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!" Many of the waiters at his restaurant quit their jobs when he changed jobs so they could follow him around from restaurant to restaurant.


The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude.


He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was always there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation. Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, "I don't get it! No one can be a positive person all of the time.


How do you do it?"


Jerry replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, I have two choices today. I can choose to be in a good mood or I can choose to be in a bad mood. I always choose to be in a good mood.

"Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I always choose to learn from it.”

"Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I always choose the positive side of life."

"But it's not always that easy," I protested.

"Yes, it is," Jerry said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice.”

"You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or a bad mood. It's your choice how you live your life."

Several years later, I heard that Jerry accidentally did something you are never supposed to do in the restaurant business. He left the back door of his restaurant open one morning and was robbed by three armed men.

While trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking from nervousness slipped off the combination. The robbers panicked and shot him.

Luckily, Jerry was found quickly and rushed to the hospital. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body.

I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Want to see my scars?" I declined to see his wounds but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place.

"The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door," Jerry replied. "Then, after they shot me, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or choose to die. I chose to live."

"Weren't you scared?" I asked. Jerry continued, "The paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the Emergency Room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared.

"In their eyes, I read, 'He's a dead man.' I knew I needed to take action."

"What did you do?" I asked. "Well, there was a big nurse shouting questions at me," said Jerry. "She asked if I was allergic to anything."

'Yes,' I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Bullets!'

"Over their laughter, I told them, 'I am choosing to live. Please operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.'"

Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day you have the choice to either enjoy your life or to hate it.

The only thing that is truly yours that no one can control or take from you - is your attitude, so if you can take care of that, everything else in life becomes much easier.

~Author Unknown~

source: http://www.allmoneymatters.com.au

Monday, July 5, 2010

How to start a salon business

Almost every mall in Metro Manila is said to have two to eight beauty salons.

According to the 1999 Job Demand Survey of the Levittown Beauty Academy, salon owners receive an average of 174 clients a week. But a chair, a mirror and a pair of scissors are not the only things you’ll need if you want to start a salon business.

Lidwina Morales, owner of Lid Salon in Malate, Manila, invested P500,000 initially on equipment and her parlor’s interior. Janett Pineda, a franchisee of David’s Salon in San Pedro, Laguna, bought the franchise for P2 million and took over the parlor in November 2002.

But you need not spend big bucks right away. Patrick Bishop, author of Money-tree Marketing, says “Don’t overspend. Buy used equipment or rent a space that was a beauty salon previously, but is vacant and includes all the equipment.”

Pick your location well

In a salon business, you must pick your location carefully. One won’t go wrong picking a mall. You'd also want to cater from Class A to C. Spend time looking for a good location and an area that would give you a comfortable size. Consider a place near a restaurant so that it would be convenience for your customers to buy snacks in case they get hungry. It’s also a good idea to pick an area with lots of foot traffic if you think you’ll depend on walk-in clients.

Invest in good equipment

It’s better to buy good used equipment if you can get it. If you prefer new supplies, shops like Hortaleza and Accessories and Beauty Equipment stock everything you are likely to need. It is also important to buy high-quality shampoos and chemicals for nail care, hair treatment and coloring to please your clients. Try to charge reasonable rates, but do not compromise on quality.

Train your staff

Now it’s time to recruit good people for your parlor. Your staff should have the technical expertise especially in hair coloring and styling using international standards as a benchmark. They have to undergo regular training to update them on new products, hairstyles and customer service.

Ricky Reyes Learning Institute offers a three-month cosmetology course that costs P14,900 and includes hair cutting, coloring, perming, styling, make-up, manicure and facial treatment. The Classic School of Cosmetology in Binondo, Manila, offers short courses in hair coloring, blow drying and scalp manipulation, among other things, for P1,500 to P4,000.

Salon franchises take care of personnel training and provide equipment and supplies. They take care of almost everything—even bookkeeping and accounting and the preparation of the payroll. You just wait for your monthly dividend. It’s up to the owner if he wants to visit the parlor once in a while.

It’s important to keep your employees happy to avoid high staff turnover. You may consider giving them salaries apart from commissions. Salon Studio follows a chart system where suppliers reward parlor staff selling their products.

Price your services well

Salon Studio uses celebrities like MTV videodisc jockey Donita Rose and former Binibining Pilipinas-World Daisy Reyes to promote the chain. Reyes Haircutters believes in charging minimal fees for maximum profit. Continuous research is very important to know the latest trends. Think how can you innovate.

According to Les Reyes, founder of the Reyes Haircutters chain of beauty salons, there are a few things you must know about the business before investing in it:

  • Naming your salon after yourself may not work in the long run. There are icons in the beauty salon business who have successfully built a business around their names. The downside is when they die or grow old, says Les Reyes.
  • Find your niche. Your target market will determine your choice of location, pricing, promotion strategies, and brand image. Reyes Haircutters is very clear about its market positioning—it’s a clean, well-designed salon offering quality services to the masses, and it doesn’t compete directly with Ricky Reyes and David’s.
  • Conduct your promotions during lean hours. Few customers usually come in between nine in the morning and two in the afternoon. To boost business during off-peak hours, Reyes Haircutters offers 40-percent discounts to senior citizens and free haircuts to infants.
  • Keep a profile of each customer. Les Reyes plans to develop a card that will carry valuable facts on each customer. If a client’s regular hairdresser is absent when she visits the salon, whoever assists her simply swipes her card on the computer to obtain information on her preferred services, likes and dislikes.
  • Assign a person to handle inventory control. Assign accountability for releasing parlor supplies to a stock clerk. He alone should have access to your inventory to make it easier to prevent or control pilferage.
  • Measure the amount of chemicals needed for each type of service. Know, for example, the number of haircuts and hot oil treatments you can provide using one bottle of shampoo and moisturizer.
  • Be a hands-on manager. How much money you make is a function of the amount of time you spend in the salon. You have to be there because it will greatly affect the sales, the energy and the customer service, among others.
source: http://www.entrepreneur.com.ph; photo from http://www.cruisereviews.com

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Forex Trading

Forex trading is an international exchange market whose daily average turnover is more than 1.5 trillion dollars. The word “FOREX” is abbreviated as FOREIGN EXCHANGE and in broad manner we would say it’s a market where one currency is traded for another and this is done in the hope that one can make profits on any losses or gains in the movement of currencies.

The trade of currencies is done in pairs i.e., the currency which one buy’s in the belief that in future its price will rise, the trading term related to this is called “the long position” and the other to sell in belief that its value will fall in future and the profit is made by buying it back on the lesser value, and the trading term related to this is called “the short position”.

The whole profit making in FOREX depends upon the movement between the 2 currencies which is not so high, so to make huge profits, one has to buy hundreds of dollars worth of currency at a time. Independent brokers and currency dealers make up a small percentage of FOREX TRADING but the major part comes from the banks, investment management firms and brokerages and according to The Wall Street Journal, the top ten currency traders which includes Deutsche Bank, UBS, HSBC, Barclays, etc., account for almost 73% of trading volume.


The trading can be done 24 hours a day except on the weekends, so it provides great opportunity for FOREX traders to work at their own conveniences. Due to its extreme liquidity and very high trading volume, the foreign exchange market is quite unique, but it said that FOREX TADING is not as easy as it seems so. A person new to FOREX TRADING should brush up his skills before getting his hands wet and should study both fundamental & technical analyses.

source: dailyarticle.com; photo from www.forexbreakthrough.com

Friday, May 21, 2010

Save for your retirement while you are still young

For almost all young adults who have just started their first job, or who are just getting ready to settle down and marry, planning for their retirement is not at all in their minds. For those who have just gotten their first job, the experience of receiving your paycheck is a thrilling and empowering feeling. Now you have money to spend for the things you’ve always wanted to get. Billboards and glitzy print ads beckon you to accumulate all sorts of products and services that make you enjoy the life that you feel entitled to. At last!

But, listen, time waits for no one. Sooner or later, you will find yourself with a closet full of out of fashion clothes, outdated gadgets, and toys that you have outgrown. Worse still, you may still have credit card bills to pay for these things, and zero cash saved up for even your next vacation to Boracay. This time will come, if you’re not careful. And believe me, that time could just be around the corner.


If you’re smart, you should begin to plan for your retirement as soon as you receive your first pay check! Here are ten reasons why you should prepare now:

  1. If you are employed, and your company is setting aside money for your SSS or GSIS or company retirement, guess what? What your company is setting aside is not going to be enough.
  2. Time is in your favor. Who has more time to save for retirement at age 60? You, or your uncle who is 30 years older than you?
  3. Because of # 1, you don’t have to sacrifice a lot in order to save a lot. If you and your uncle wanted to accumulate P1 Million by the time you’re both 60, you would have to save a smaller amount regularly, because you have more time to save. Right?
  4. You can make more aggressive investments now but get rewarded with higher returns. Usually, these higher risk investments have a way of recovering very well over a longer period of time.
  5. Inflation is not in your favor. You know it. Don’t be in denial. It will cost you more to retire than earlier generations ahead of you. So, don’t think that it will be affordable enough for you by that time.
  6. You can start small and grow. Even setting aside a small portion of your paycheck each month will pay off in big pesos later.
  7. It’s easier to develop the habit of saving while you are young and you have no major obligations.
  8. As you accumulate savings over time, your money will start working for you, rather than you working for money.
  9. No matter how much you love your parents, do you like the idea of supporting your parents because they failed to save for their retirement? Well, don’t impose your failure to save on your children. They deserve a life of their own.
  10. It’s great to enjoy your savings! Imagine the nice and easy life you can enjoy when you have saved enough. If you want to keep working even when you’re old, you will go to work because you like to, not because you have to. And – when you have saved enough to take care of a comfortable lifestyle – you can occupy yourself with work which probably won’t pay much, but which will be fun and self-fulfilling.
source: http://www.save-and-learn.com; photo from www.forbes.com

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Domain Parking

Domain Parking is a simple way to potentially earn money and improve the chances of selling your unused domains.

I started domaining last June 2009 and so far, I have hand-regged 20 domains (very few compared to a real domainer). Most of them are parked at sedo and others at afternic and namedrive. Afternic charges a very hefty escrow fee. I sold my first domain name for $75, but I only received $15 net. Heavy isn't it! At first, I thought there had to be a mistake, but when I reviewed their fees and rules, their escrow fee is 3% or $60 minimum even for an afternicDLS member. Oh well, at least, I was still able to double my investment ($7 reg fee) in less than a year..but still...huh..nevermind.

Last week, I received an offer for my other domain. It was parked at sedo. Price was $150. I was surprised to receive an invoice request from the buyer. I thought sedo handles these things.
The whole point of selling through them is to avoid having to deal with the buyer or seller directly in the first place. Now I can expect an extra day or two for the sales proceeds to be disbursed as this slows down the transaction. Good thing I was able to download a basic invoice template from google docs. Google makes it easy to convert the Doc into a PDF which you can then upload to sedo. Anyway, they (sedo) also made some changes in their fees. They charge 10% commission fee before, but now, they charged me $50 minimum fee. The transfer agent told me that Sedo commission is 10% with a minimum of 50 USD, as outlined in their pricelist, and to qualify for a flat 10% commission, you would need to list a domain at a fixed price, and have it parked with them. That's why last night, I changed my price option to Fixed Price on the rest of my domains. I guess I should check their policies from time to time.

UPDATE (6/25/10)

Just recently, I sold one domain name parked at Sedo. I set it at a fixed price of $75. Sedo's commission was 10%, so I received $67 net. Once you set it a fixed price, your domain cannot be auctioned at the marketplace.




How to make clothing for dogs

Think "fashion designer," but with the pieces about one-third or one-fourth of an adult's size. You will be sketching outfits, matching material, and coming up with seasonal collections for man's best friend!

Materials:
  • Fabric, approximately a yard per outfit
  • Fabric accessories (beads, buttons, fabric paint, Velcro, etc.)
  • Measuring tape
  • Patterns
  • Sewing supplies (fabric glue, paper, pencil, needle, etc.)

*All available in fabric stores as well as in Divisoria

Procedure:

Step 1. Sketch your desired pattern. You can find ideas on the Internet—check out http://sewing.circleofcrafters.com, http://www.make-and-build-dogstuff. com—and just tweak them into your own!

Step 2. Prepare your fabric. Just be sure the material is comfortable for the dog, durable, and washable. To save money, you can also use old clothes you have around to the house. Shop around for desired accessories and details you want to add to the outfit.

Step 3. Using a measuring tape, get measurements around the neck, across the chest (from inner front left leg to inner front right leg), leg, and inseam measurements. The pattern you selected will determine any other measurements you might need.

Step 4. For an easy shirt pattern, fold a piece of fabric in half, lengthwise, and lay it on the table. Measure the dog from across the shoulders, and measure half of that number onto the top edge of the fabric and draw a line. Be sure it curves, as this part of the shirt will go around the neck.

Step 5. Measure from the side neck area to the top front leg area and draw the measurement onto the fabric.

Step 6. Measure from the nape to the mid-back area, adding a couple of inches for hemming, and draw this measurement down the fold part of the fabric.

Step 7. Measure around the dog’s waist, and draw half of that measurement onto the fabric.

Step 8. Then, measure from the midback area to just under the front leg and draw this measurement onto the fabric.

Step 9. Finally, measure around the top portion of the dog’s front leg.

Step 10. Cut the shirt pieces, and sew the garment together—attach the front and back shoulder area, hem the neckline, sew the opposite shoulder pieces together, hem both armhole openings, sew one side seam, hem the bottom, then sew the other side seam. The shirt is now complete!

source: http://www.entrepreneur.com.ph; photo from http://www.mypetswardrobe.com.au

How to make candy bouquets

Candy bouquets are a new take on the candies and flowers we normally give as gifts or tokens to friends and loved ones. And it can be a good sideline business, too, especially on Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and other occasions.

Candy bouquets are also hot items for sale in online stores, so check out the Web to earn dollars from retail websites selling padala items.

Jhoanna Gan-So, president and head of research and design at Businessmaker Academy, says candy bouquet making is a good complement business to gift basket making, selling baked goodies and sweets, and doing balloon arrangements.

MATERIALS AND APPROXIMATE PRICES:

  • a pair of scissors
  • measuring tape
  • mini glue gun
  • 1 mini glue stick (P2.46)
  • 7 pieces of chocolates (preferably the Ferrero Rocher brand) (P14.67 each)
  • 7 balloon sticks and caps (P2.75 each set)
  • 1 flower accent (P10 each)
  • 7 flowerets (P3 for a bunch of 5)
  • curling ribbon (11/3-yard long)
  • 0.65 yard ribbons (one-inch wide) (P10.50 per yard)
  • a bow (P11.75)
  • floral tape (3.5-yard long, size 12mm x 33m) (P40 per 33-meter roll)
  • 2 sheets of non-woven wrapper (P16.50 per sheet, which can make 22 pieces)
  • scotch tape (18mm x 25m) (P7 per roll)

PROCEDURE:

Step 1: Cut the balloon stick in two. Glue one end of the stick to a balloon cap.

Step 2: Wrap the balloon stick with floral tape to make it look like a real stem. Stretch the floral tape as you cover the length of the stick to make its adhesive hold more firmly.

Step 3: Glue the tin-wrapped chocolate to its paper wrapper and then to the balloon cap.

Step 4: Cut the non-woven wrapper into 8 cm by 18 cm pieces. Wrap this piece like a cone around the balloon cap. Secure it to the balloon stick with a 17- cm curling ribbon. Curl the ribbon's ends.

Step 5: Glue a floweret between the ribbon curls. Follow the same steps for the number of chocolate flowers you'd like in the bouquet.

Step 6: To make a bouquet, gather several candy flowers and tape the sticks together tightly, forming it into a pyramid.

Step 7: Wrap the candy flowers in two layers of non-woven wrappers to create pleats.

Step 8: Tie an inch-wide ribbon around the bouquet to secure it. Attach a bow over the ribbon.

Step 9: For a fancier bunch, add artificial flowers at the lower portion of the bouquet.

To compute
its selling price, simply add to the production cost a 150-percent mark-up for a per-stick sale, and 40 percent to 75 percent mark-up if sold per bunch. Hence, a candy flower costs P21.97 to make and can be sold for P55. A bunch of seven candy flowers costs P207.40 to make and can be sold for P300 to P350.

TIPS to improve your bouquet-making skills:

  • Experiment with different styles of candy bouquets, using various candies like lollipops.
  • Re-use flower accents, flowerets, bows, and ribbons from old stocks.
  • Take photos of your creations and use these in replicating designs or in presenting to clients.
  • Browse the Web for sites and companies where you can market your product.
  • Buy materials in bulk at Divisoria or Quiapo where these are cheaper.

Contact details:

Businessmaker Academy

Telephones: (02) 687-4445, (02) 687-4645, (02) 687-3416
Website: www.businessmaker-academy.com

source: http://www.entrepreneur.com.ph

Monday, March 29, 2010

Part 2: Stocks Investing

Part II: What is the minimum amount needed to invest in the stock market?

Trading stocks is done though board lot or round lot system, which means there is a minimum number of shares one can buy or sell at a specific price range.

The Board Lot Table determines the minimum number of shares one can purchase or sell at a specific price range. Therefore, the minimum amount needed to invest in the stock market varies and will depend on the market price of the security as well as its corresponding board lot. Prices of stocks move through a scale of minimum price fluctuations.

The Philippine Stock Exchange uses the Board Lot Table.

How can i profit in the stock market?


Investors can profit in the stock market thru any or a combination of the following;
  • Capital Gains - These are profits made due to an increase in the market price of a stock from the buying price.

  • Cash Dividend - A dividend given to shareholders in the form of cash. It is computed by multiplying the number of shares held by the cash dividend rate declared.

  • Stock Dividend - A dividend given to shareholders in the form of additional stocks. It is computed by multiplying the number of shares held by the percentage of the stock dividend declared.

  • Stock Rights - Stock rights offering is the option given to the present shareholders to buy additional shares of stock at a price lower than its market price.

Is there any risk involved in investing?

Yes, since risk is always a part of any investment. And because stock investment is the most volatile, a better attitude would be to limit and manage your risk. A maximum level of gain or loss should be set and calculated decisions should be made when this level is reached.

Do I need to keep track of my investment?

Yes! Having placed some amount in stocks, you should spend some time and effort in studying your investment. You should keep track of the stock price and follow closely the developments of the company. This way, you are able to foresee possible gains or losses that will guide you in making sound and wise investment decisions.

Daily quotations of stock prices can be obtained from your stockbroker or from all leading newspapers. You may also get information from our official website: www.pse.com.ph or from the PSE-Public Information and Assistance Center (PIAC) at telephone numbers 688-7602 to 03.


Source: http://www.pse.com.ph

Part 1: Stocks Investing


What are Stocks? Securities?

Stocks are shares of ownership in a corporation. When you become a stockholder or shareholder of a company, you become part-owner of that company. Securities, on the other hand, are proof of one's ownership or indebtedness in a company. Examples of securities are treasury bills and commercial papers, which are considered as short-term and are traded in the money market; and stocks and bonds, which are long-term and traded in the capital market. Securities are easily bought and sold in the stock market.

What are the types of Securities that I can buy in the Stock Market?

Most of the issues listed in the PSE (Philippine Stock Exchange) are common stocks. Other types of securities such as preferred stocks, warrants, PDRs and bonds are also traded.
  1. Common Stocks - These are usually purchased for participation in the profits and control of ownership and management of the company. Holders of common stocks have voting rights. They are also entitled to an equal pro rata division of profits without preference or advantage over another stockholder. However, they have the last claim on dividends and are the last to collect in case of corporate liquidation.

  2. Preferred Stocks - Its name is derived from preference given to the holders of these stocks over holders of common stocks. Holders of preferred stocks are entitled to receive dividends, to the extent agreed upon, before any dividends are paid to the holders of common stocks. However, preferred stocks usually have a specified limited rate of return or dividend and a specified limited redemption and liquidation price.

  3. Warrants - A corporation can also raise additional capital by issuing warrants. A warrant, normally issued on a detachable basis, allows its holders the right, but not the obligation, to subscribe to new shares at a set price during a specified period of time. It is usually provided free of charge and traded separately in the securities market.

  4. Philippine Deposit Receipts (PDRs) - A PDR is a security which grants the holder the right to the delivery or sale of the underlying share, and to certain other rights including additional PDR or adjustments to the terms or upon the occurrence of certain events in respect of rights issues, capital reorganizations, offers and analogous events or the distribution of cash in the event of a cash dividend on the shares. PDRs are evidences or statements nor certificates of ownership of a foreign/foreign-based corporation. For as long as the PDRs arenot exercised, the shares underlying the PDRs are and will continue to be registered in the name of and owned by and all rights pertaining to the shares shall be exercised by the issuer.

  5. Small-Demominated Treasury Bonds (SDT-Bonds) - The SDT Bonds are long-term and relatively risk-free debt securities issued by the Bureau of Treasury (BTr) of the Republic of the Philippines. The bond is a certificate of indebtedness of the Republic of the Philippines to the owner of the SDT-Bonds.


Where can i buy or sell shares of stocks and/or bonds?

In the Philippines, the only operating stock exchange is the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE). Its main function is to facilitate the buying and selling of stocks and other securities through its accredited trading participants.

The PSE has two trading floors - PSE Centre in Ortigas, Pasig City and PSE Plaza in Ayala, Makati City - where trading participants trade daily - from 9:30 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. except Saturdays, Sundays, legal holidays and days when the Central Bank Clearing Office is closed.

You can purchase shares of stock either through IPO (Initial Public Offering) or through the open market. Shares sold through IPOs are offered for the first time to the public by the company (primary market) whereby proceeds of the sale go directly to the company. Shares of listed or publicly traded companies are bought during trading (open market). These shares have since been transferred from one owner to another (secondary market) and proceeds of the sales do not go directly to the company but to the owners of the shares.

The Trading Cycle

All equity transactions, whether buying or selling has a settlement period of T+3 (trading day + 3 working days). This means that a seller should be able to deliver the stock certificate, if any, to his broker and the buyer must have paid the cost of transaction to his broker within 3 working days after the trade was done. Historically, settlement was done manually (27-day cycle). With the advent of scripless trading wherein settlement is done via the book-entry-system (thru Philippine Central Depository or PCD), transactions are settled on the third day after trade date. Under this system, the investor has the option to hold on to his certificate (uplift) or deposit (lodge) this certificate in PCD through his broker-participant account.

SDT-Bonds transactions, however, are settled on the same day when the trade is transacted (T+0). There shall be no physical transfer of bond certificates. The transfer of securities shall be conducted electronically by the BTr's Registry of Scripless Securities (RoSS). On the other hand, cash settlement will be coursed through the PSE's two settlement banks namely, Equitable-PCI Bank and Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation.

Part II: Minimum Amount Needed to Invest in the Stock Market

Source: http://www.pse.com.ph; photo from freeimages.co.uk

How to Start a Bakery

If you love to bake, have at least P250,000 in capital, know a good location, and are looking to start a business with a steady and growing customer base, then you should consider setting up a bakery.
By Prime Sarmiento


Although bread is only the second staple food for Filipinos, bakeries can be found everywhere in the country – from the neighborhood panaderia where you get your morning pandesal to popular bakeshops in malls selling pastries and cakes of every ingredient and recipe. The Trade and Industry department reports that there are 30,000 bakeshops in the Philippines.

Given this number, you might think it’s foolish to go into this business as the market seems to be heaving with loaves and rolls. But master baker Ric Pinca, executive director of the Philippine Association of Flour Millers (PAFMIL) says “there’s dough in the bakery business.” “The bread market in the Philippines is under-utilized,” pointing out that a Filipino consumes only 1.75 piece of bread everyday. Singaporeans and Malaysians eat double this number – up to three pieces of bread per day.

The growing population and a slow yet steady economic growth are boosting the market for bakeries, according to Pinca. Combine this with the fact that you can sell bread and other baked goodies at a markup of 45 to 50 percent and you can see why owning bakeshop is a viable business.

But while profitable, putting up a bakeshop is no piece of cake. You need to invest a substantial amount of time, money, and energy to make it in this highly competitive industry.

The first thing you should do
is to learn how to bake if you don’t know it yet. Rolando Dorado, lecturer at the Asian Baking Institute, says developing a winning recipe is one of the key factors behind a successful bakeshop. You can’t stay in this business unless you can offer a variety of bread products.

“You have to sell cakes, cookies, tasty bread. Kasi ang iba sasabihin, anong klaseng bakery ito, iisa lang ang produkto?” says Dorado. Not only that, you have to constantly change your product offering to keep up with the customers’ changing preferences. And unless you know how to bake, you won’t be able to keep up.

It also means that as an entrepreneur, you can't just rely on your workers to sustain your business. “You must know how to bake your breads even without your baker’s help. Your operation must not be paralyzed if your baker does not show up,” says Nini Reyes, owner of Pan De Anna, a modest neighborhood bakery in Pateros.

Prior to setting up Pan De Anna last year, Reyes didn’t have a clue about baking. But she was looking for a business opportunity to supplement the family income, and she decided to place her bet on a bakery because there was none in their neighborhood. Reyes studied baking at the Technology and Livelihood Resource Center and surfed the Internet to supplement her new-found knowledge.

Unlike Reyes, Aggy Villabona, co-owner of the 17-year-old Aggy’s Cakes & Sweets, grew up having a mother and an aunt who loved to bake and who served as her teachers. Aggy attended a number of seminars to hone her baking skills, and this was not to put up a business as much as to impress her husband Meo, who was then her boyfriend.

Aggy experimented with various recipes, guided in large part by her mother and aunt. Later, she and cousin Audrey put up a home-based bakeshop called Aggy and Aud’s Home Baked Goodies. They stamped their boxes and sold their cakes and pastries to friends and neighbors.

Their baked goodies were so well received that Aggy was getting orders on her honeymoon night. Aggy would continue the business with Meo as her partner and together they were able to lure corporate clients who bought their baked goodies for giveaways. In 1989, Meo and Aggy borrowed P160,000 from their parents to finance their first store in BF Homes, Parañaque.

Since then, the couple had grown the business to three stores. Aggy and Meo put up their second store at the United Parañaque Subdivision in 2004, and their third in Makati a year later. From the six people they hired to man their first store, the Villabonas now count 30 people in their employ.

Dorado says you can start looking for a good location once you’re done formulating your recipes. Once you have several choices, you should visit each one several times to know the area’s foot traffic and who your customers would be. Your customers’ demographics (their income and age group) and their preferences will determine your product line.

But first, don’t forget to file the necessary business papers. You need to register your business name with the DTI and secure a barangay clearance, a certification from the Bureau of Food and Drugs, and cash register, mayor’s, and sanitary permits. You also need to have your receipts registered with the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

You should set aside at least P250,000 to buy the necessary equipment, including a commercial oven, mixer, stainless table, and molder, and ingredients enough to make your initial product batch. If you’re short in cash, you can buy used equipment, but this isn’t a good option. “It’s better to buy new equipment because you don’t know the quirks of the (used equipment). You might end up wasting time (and money) on repairs,” Meo says.

You also need to hire workers because this business is time consuming. “You prepare the dough in the evening, then you sell your pan de sal early the next morning. After that, you look how much pan de sal you sold that morning. Then you start preparing the dough again to be used for other products like monay, ensaymada and cookies. Yun naman ang ibebenta mo para sa merienda. Sa gabi, mag-uumpisa ka na naman,” Pinca says. When she was starting her business, Reyes says she did everything by herself. But after two months, Reyes had to hire a baker, a helper and a front liner so she could take care of her children.

The best marketing strategy in this business is word-of-mouth – which will only happen if your products taste good. Dorado says you could recoup your investment in two to three years, although Aggy and Meo were able to break even in a year’s time due to loyal clients who spread the word.


BAKERY SETUP 101


Do you think managing a bakery can be your bread and butter? Here are a few tips to make it a hot business for you:
  • Keep it sweet. Filipinos have a sweet tooth, and Ric Pinca of the Philippine Association of Flour Millers suggests that if you're planning to set up a bakery, make sure that you prepare sweet and soft breads. This is why cakes and donuts are popular in the Philippines.
  • The secret is in the recipe. It's not enough that you know how to bake; you must also come up with your own formulation and keep it a secret, says Rolando Dorado of the Asian Baking Institute. Otherwise, one of your bakers might steal your recipe and use it to set up his own bakeshop. Having your own formula also means you'll always come up with good products no matter what. Bakeshops that close down are the ones that depend on their experienced bakers. When the bakers leave, the taste of the product changes, the business loses its regular customers, and later, the bakery closes down.
  • Look for a good location. The best place to set up is where there's a lot of foot traffic. Pinca says it's good to set up a store near a school, a commercial building, and at bus terminals. A good location doesn't only ensure that your bakeshop will be profitable, but you could also easily sell the business when you're tired of running it. "What will make your business saleable is your good location. In fact, people might wonder why you're selling your shop when you're in a good location," Pinca says.
  • Keep on learning. Consumer trends are always changing, so bakeries have to constantly adapt and innovate. "You don't stop learning in this business. You have to keep studying to stay on top," says Aggy Villabona of Aggy's Cakes & Sweets. Both Aggy and Meo take seminars regularly--from baking to food styling to designing packages--to keep abreast of new developments in the business. They also read a lot of books and magazines.

WHERE TO TRAIN
:

Technology and Livelihood Research Center
Telephone: (02) 727-6205 local 208 or 209

Asian Baking Institute

Telephones: (02) 525-0390; (02) 818-4610

CONTACT DETAILS:


PAN DE ANNA

29 P. Rosales Street, Pateros


AGGY'S CAKES & SWEETS
44F Aguirre Ave., BF Homes, Paranaque Telephone: (02) 807-6674

PHILIPPINE ASSOCIATION OF FLOUR MILLERS

Telephones: (02) 811-4366; (02) 811-4387
Faxes: (02) 810-9462; (02) 811-4033
E-mail: pafmil@mail.com.ph

Source:

http://www.entrepreneur.com.ph; photo from http://bakery-display-case.com/

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Earth Hour 2010

Last night, me and my mom turned off all the lights & switched off all our appliances as our small contribution for our planet. Some of our neighbors too. I just stayed outside and did stargazing which I really enjoyed.

Even the simplest everyday activities can make a real difference to the environment. We can make a big difference in our homes simply by making a few small adjustments to our routines. I've been trying to conserve water and energy, not burning plastic/styro/packaging, recycle what can be recycled and telling my friends to do the same thing.

I would like to share the following tips I read from world wide fund philippines

Save energy
  • Switch off all lights and electrical appliances when not in use – your TV left on standby can still use a quarter of full power
  • Choose energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs
  • Let clothes dry naturally rather than using a tumble drier
  • Keep lids on pans when cooking to prevent your cooker having to work extra hard
  • On average using a gas oven costs a quarter of the price of running an electric one. Switch to gas if you have the option
Save water
  • Fix dripping taps – they can waste up to 13 litres of water a day
  • Don’t leave the tap running while you clean your teeth
  • Take a shower instead of a bath
Save wood and paper
  • Return unwanted mail and ask for your name to be removed from the mailing list
  • Always use both sides of a sheet of paper
  • Use e-mail to stay in touch, including cards, rather than faxing or writing. Re-use envelopes
  • Always recycle paper after use
  • Share magazines with friends and pass them on to the doctor, dentist or local hospital for their waiting rooms
Reuse and recycle
  • Use washable diapers instead of disposables if you can
  • Recycle as much as you can – if there are no recycling facilities near you, contact your local council
  • Give unwanted clothes, toys and books to charity shops or garage sales
  • Use main electricity rather than batteries if possible. If not, use rechargeable batteries
  • Use a solar-powered calculator instead of one with a battery
  • Instead of a plastic ballpoint, use a fountain pen with bottled ink, not plastic cartridges
  • Store food and other products in ceramic containers rather than foil and plastic wrap
Reduce waste and pollution
  • Dispose of old appliances – particularly refrigerators with units containing CFCs – responsibly. You may check envirocycle for more information on e-wastes.
  • Choose environmentally friendly cleaning products containing plant extracts that degrade quickly when washed down the drain
  • Put sanitary waste and wrappings in the dustbin, not down the toilet.
Source:
http://www.wwf.org.ph


Saturday, March 27, 2010

Portable Solar Chargers


A mobile phone going "low-batt" or losing its last bit of power during a crucial business call is a dreadful thing to happen to any entrepreneur. The search for a timely recharging source to allow resumption of the call--whether a wall outlet, a car's cigarette lighter outlet, or a charging station at a mall or convenience store--can be very troublesome as well.

But it need not be like that anymore. Portable solar chargers are now available for entrepreneurs who use mobile phones or PDAs (personal digital assistants) extensively while out of the office--and they need not fear running out of electrical "juice" ever again.
Among the sun-powered chargers now in the market are three variants of the GreenMobile brand, which are distributed by a local firm, Tritec Integrated Philippines Inc. The product is targeting businessmen on the go and young people who frequently use mobile devices like digital music players, movie players, handheld video games, and cameras. Another major selling point of these solar chargers, of course, is their use of the sun as a renewable energy source, which thus can show their users' awareness of the need for environmental conservation.

The three variants--the clamshell-like GM30, the GM50 with detachable solar panels, and the pop-up GM90--share several things in common. Each has two mono- or multi-crystalline solar cell panels no wider than a grown-up's palm. The 3.7-volt lithium-ion rechargeable battery that stores the energy converted from sunlight can also be recharged using a USB (universal serial bus) charging cable that comes with the product package. Thus, before hitting the road again, the user can alternatively recharge the GreenMobile by simply plugging it into the USB port of the office computer or Internet cafe‚ PC that he or she happens to be working on.

When fully charged by exposure to sunlight for about 10 hours or via USB for about four hours, each of the three GreenMobile models can provide an output voltage of 5.5 to 6 volts, making them capable of fully recharging a mobile phone in two hours. The GreenMobile charger has an output cable with nine different connectors compatible with most mobile phone brands and digital devices.

Tristan San Buenaventura, president of Tritec, says that with April 22 being "Earth Day", it will be very timely for itinerant entrepreneurs to buy a solar charger this month. Aside from enjoying the convenience it offers, he says, they will have such a handy, highly visible way of showing their concern for the environment.

"We are all worried about global warming and climate change," he explains, "and now we have this amazing, eco-friendly gadget that dramatically reduces the energy cost of running our electronic gadgets. It will encourage and enable people to use renewable energy like solar power. It will allow them to power the billions of gadgets worldwide, thus reducing the use of energy from fossil fuels and helping to actually help fight climate change--one gadget at a time."

TRITEC INTEGRATED PHILIPPINES INC.

Unit I, 7/F Westgate Tower, Investment Drive
Madrigal Business Park,
Ayala Alabang, Muntinlupa City
Telephone: (02) 807-4211
Fax: (02) 807-3819
E-mail: info@gmsolarcharger.com;
tritecintegratedphil@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.gmsolarcharger.com/

Monday, January 4, 2010

How to make beef tapa

Beef tapa can come in several ways —as lunch boxes, sandwiches, frozen bulk purchases, etc.—so you have a number of business options. I so love beef tapa from Jollibee -- it's the best (just me speaking) ;) Very, very tasty and the meat is so tender. Last month, I tried this one with matching fried rice and egg.


Materials needed:

  • Meat pounder, P50 (I also use meat tenderizer)
  • Stainless steel bowl, P150
  • Plastic container, P50
  • Frying pan, P200
  • 1 kg. lean beef (beefsteak cut, round, or rump), sliced ¼ inch thick, P250
  • Salt
  • Ground black pepper
  • Sugar
  • 2 tbsp. finely chopped garlic
  • ½ tsp. MSG
  • 2 tbsp. distilled white vinegar
  • Soy sauce (optional)
  • Vegetable oil


Getting started:

  • Use the meat pounder to tenderize and thin out the meat.
  • Place the meat into the stainless steel bowl, together with salt, pepper, sugar, chopped garlic, MSG, white vinegar, and 3 to 4 tablespoons of soy sauce. Mix well.
  • Transfer everything to a plastic container, and let meat marinate for about 12 hours in the refrigerator. Remove and mix again.
  • You can opt to repack and freeze the meat for a later date. When the meat is ready to be served, fry in a hot pan, using vegetable oil. Enjoy!
source: www.entrepreneur.com.ph

Hand-Painted Pots


Gardening is one of the fastest growing pastimes in most places. For the entrepreneur seeking to capitalize on the huge demand for garden-related products, look no further than starting a business that creates and sells one-of-a-kind, hand-painted clay gardening pots. More and more people are searching for unique and interesting ways in which to display their flowers and shrubs, so why not create extraordinary planting pots for these consumers and start making money. Simply purchase clay planting pots from a local wholesale company and paint and decorate the pots with unique, interesting and colorful themes and designs. Once completed, the flowerpots can be sold in various ways, including directly to specialty retailers and garden centers on a wholesale basis and to residential and commercial interior decorators and garden planners. You can also sell them by renting a sales table at a local craft show or flea market, or by putting the on the internet.

source: www.entrepreneur.com; photo from www.apartmenttherapy.com

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