My AGSB Entrep Class

At the beginning of the class, the Professor posed a question to everyone: “Why did we enroll in his class?” My ready answer was: “Apart from the fact that it was the only vacant class I could take as the others had prerequisites. It was also the only subject available every Saturday afternoons, when I am most vacant.” But as I continued to attend the class, I realized it was different from the two other classes I have previously taken. Cliché aside, it was one of the best classes I have had so far. I have not taken that many, in fact it was just my third one, yet I would say that the learning I acquired after every session had more impact and the lessons I learned I am able to apply not only in my career but in other aspects of my life, too.

I was expecting to use more of the book that we were required to purchase prior to our first session. Yet I was not disappointed that this did not happen during class sessions but rather as supplemental readings I did in my convenient time. I am confident to say that I learned more than what the book contained. I now have a better appreciation not only of the word ‘entrepreneurship’ but most especially of the individuals I got to interact with in class. The first session where we shared bits and pieces of ourselves was a revelation time for the others. Now, I just do not look at them as classmates but individuals with aspirations, talents, skills, and rich experiences. For each of the 31 personalities in class, including our Professor, I am able to remember a thing or two about them that even after the semester is over, I would still cherish. I feel privileged to have shared a class of learning with people who are also on the same level of wanting to learn, wanting to be a better person.

Let me enumerate some of the most excellent things I learned from the six people I consider as the best in class.

‘Beat It!’

Dancing to Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It’, Lawrence Ian Gonzalez or Ian as he likes to be called mesmerized the class with his dance moves when he was asked to share a secret about himself. He awed us and inspired the others to be creative as well. In Ian’s less than five-minute ‘boasting time’, he showed everyone what he considered as his ‘darkest secret’ which was dancing to a Michael Jackson tune. He took courage to show everyone that!

As he further shared himself to us, we learned that apart from dancing, he fancies mountain climbing, piano playing, and writing. He is indeed a small yet terribly talented man!

What did I learn from Ian? That life is what you make out of it. Without the COURAGE to strive for more, to improve oneself, to share yourself with other people, you become a lonely person. Ian exemplified a very satisfied and fulfilled individual – ready to take on anything and prepared for things to happen. And he is very happy with all the things he is doing now and is thirsting to do more!

As I relate this to being an entrepreneur, one must definitely look and review risks but should not be hampered to make great and big things just because of what we think the risks may bring. Without trying one thing, we will never know what it will bring us!

‘Harry Potter’

Our class’ GGTW (God’s Gift To Women) as Edwin Hernandez claims it, is someone who is boastful in a good way.
Initially, I personally thought that Edwin was superficial but as we interacted and have witnessed each other more in class, I was able to discover that he was an accomplished man – an executive in the company he works with, an experienced businessman, and lastly a very good potter.

Edwin showed us samples of his pottery through pictures on PowerPoint presentation. Everyone thought that they were wonderful! He shared with us that he started with it as a hobby and what a nice one it is! He went all the way to joining an exhibit in Megamall where a lot of pottery enthusiasts admired and bought his works!

Edwin shows that a person can be anything he desires to be as long as one wills it. For my part, I am a great believer in attitude being everything. Incidentally, this was Edwin’s special report in class. Edwin clearly depicted that to achieve success – one must have a POSITIVE ATTITUDE and apply motivational principles on a daily basis.

An entrepreneur must always be optimistic about situations he may encounter in his business. This is very true, most especially during times when challenges and obstacles would be present. The least person who should be turning away from his goal and being pessimistic is the owner of the business.

‘The Archangel’

The thing that struck me most about Bernard Arcangel was when he disclosed that he used to be more than 200 pounds. Looking at him now, you would not think that he used to be obese!

He mentioned to the class that through strict diet and exercise, he was able to slim down to his ideal weight. What force brought him to do that, he did not say. But one thing’s for sure, I would say that Bernard is a man of DISCIPLINE.

For most of us, losing two pounds, no matter how skinny we already are or how heavy we are, is already considered an achievement, but losing 60 pounds – that would be a feat! I have read a number of articles and books where entrepreneurs are featured and I have yet to encounter an entrepreneur who is not fit. Of course, some of them may be a little overweight, but I have not seen anyone who is extremely overweight or worst case, is obese.

This leads me to a conclusion that entrepreneurs generally lead a healthy lifestyle! Well, apart from the fact that they are hands-on with their business and this is considered as their daily exercise routine, they would always want to keep themselves in good physical shape. Otherwise, they wouldn’t last that long to see the fruits of their labor!

Like Bernard’s discipline on his weight, it takes time to achieve a point in business where everything is considered okay, running smooth – that the business is earning. To instill discipline across everyone working in a company is essential, and who else would a company emulate but the person on top. A good leader takes care of himself, his business, and his team!

‘The Millionaire Next Door’

Josefina Rizalina Guiritan or Datdat as she is fondly called was one of my team mates in the first subject I took up under the Regis program. I must admit, our subject was not the easiest in the same manner that working with our team was not all ‘highs’.

This may have been brought about by the fact that we had different personalities and styles in working together in a team. In the end, all of us got good grades, and then we moved on. The reason I mentioned this scenario was to establish the fact that in one way or the other, when we worked as a team during our first encounter, we did not see eye to eye on things. And as I got to know her better during this Entrepreneurship class, I felt a bit guilty that I thought of her differently then.

Datdat shared to the class that she is an independent consultant practicing her field of expertise in SAP systems.
She has been doing this for the past six years already. And as a result of her hard work, she has also successfully acquired assets such as her two condominiums that have been fully paid, a lot in Alabang and another one in Pampanga. Having come in Manila with only a luggage in tow, Datdat has finally arrived.

I would say that disclosing this information to everyone in class was not because Datdat wanted the class to be envious of her achievements, but rather to show that HUMILITY is essential for someone to be successful – whether one is an entrepreneur or an employee. Datdat is a good example of a humble person, yet knows the right time to boast of her achievements in life. Datdat went through a lot of things in the past, yet these did not hinder her from doing her best at work. Her experiences in the past humbled her and made her a better person.

Humility is one of the keys in opening doors to business victory. If one is cocky especially if he is an entrepreneur, he would end up in the losing end. One should never think that once he achieves success that it would all be aces after that.

‘Little Miss Philippines’

If you would observe her the first time, Renee Faeldonea looks like a high school student who made a wrong turn to a university, much less a graduate school at that.

Renee is a petite, young, and good-looking lady. But more importantly than this, she has a lot of KNOWLEDGE on a lot of things that help her achieve her corporate work success she has now. She looks shy and may sometimes come across as timid, yet when one interacts with her, they will discover that she has a sharp wit.

What I could remember about what she shared in class is when she wanted to transfer to another department in her company but her immediate supervisor as well as her department head convinced her not to do so. They saw Renee’s full potential in their group and her obvious significance as she is not just a smart lady – she absolutely is able to put in to the success of their team. As proof of this, she was able to obtain one of the red ID laces that are only given to those who are able to contribute something good and beneficial to the company.

In an entrepreneur’s world, being knowledgeable gives one an edge over his competitors. Being well-informed about one’s business’ market, prices, and customers will definitely make a businessman better at his craft because he is able to forecast trends, improve his products, and think of more ways to service his customers.

Learning should not stop after college or after graduate school, or even when we have reached the age of 80. In every opportunity we are faced with, we could learn a lesson or two. Just by reading books, magazines, and newspapers would help us widen our horizon. To improve one’s self by learning more and being consistent at it should be a habit when a business person wants to be more successful!

‘Fly High’

The stunning Aerlin Ahmad, our Singaporean classmate is another individual who’s sharing and previous experiences have struck me. Her story dates back when she was still working as a stewardess for an airline in her country. She was a manager at that time and was in charge of supervising the flight stewardess and stewards and their operations. In one of the flights she had, there were two instances when she showed her SELFLESSNESS by following her instinct that there was something wrong with the plane they were in and that the pilot should not pursue the flight.

Because of her credibility as well as convincing power, she was able to save hundreds of lives and made her a better manager moving forward. Unlike some people, when we feel that there is something wrong with something we are doing, chances are we would wait and see what would happen. But this does not hold true for Aerlin, who follows her gut feel and persists to have her way. Most if not all the time, she would be correct.

This is also brought about by the fact that she was raised in a very good and disciplined way, thus she is able to carry such culture outside her home. It is a fact that when one is brought up and is shown values as a child, people are able to inculcate this and becomes second nature to them. Aerlin has definitely been hoisted in good ground of selfless behavior. She thinks of how she could be of help and how she could develop things.

Certainly, Aerlin is a portrait of a person who is altruistic and believes in the basic goodness of every person. I put her in this category as I have always observed in class that she has this natural instinct to be sincere and self- sacrificing yet one should not be fooled by it as Aerlin is also fierce – she knows what needs to be done and should be done in a great way!

The Bottom Line So after all these things, what have I actually learned in class? Simple: COURAGE, POSITIVE ATTITUDE, DISCIPLINE, HUMILITY, and SELFLESSNESS are values that each one of us has been gifted except that we are not able to use them at times or better yet, we are aware of them and we do not know how to use them appropriately.

The way these, as well as other learnings, I have acquired presented themselves in this entrepreneurship class not in the book by Bygrave and Zacharakis or not the stories in the syllabus, but rather in and through the people I was with. With whom I have exchanged opinions and collaborated.

It is ironic at the same time amazing how God lets us learn how to live and have a life by bringing people to us that at first we do not seem to give much importance to but only to realize after sometime that they have contributed to what we have or would become – most of the time a better person.

With this class, I sincerely am very thankful not only because I am able to mingle and network with smart people but most especially because I have gained knowledge of the best things in life at the confines of a square room, amongst 31 great persons I will always remember in this lifetime.