How do I Manage my Business’ Budget, Expenses and Income

During Juan Great Leap's Open Coffee event

Every one of us has a dozen of business ideas rambling inside our head but not everyone has the financial capacity to transform it into a means to generate profit. Like me I am previously so scared to start one because I don’t want to risk a single peso out of my wallet then end up to nothing. When I started in December, I decided to rely on organic way of search engine optimization to be reached by prospective clients but then I waited every single day, it is like I am waiting for the shooting star in a cloudy night… I haven’t had much.  Then one time I decided to try some online marketing worth P2,500 but it is on promo so I am only asked to pay 500. For me, a 500 peso bill is already big amount because I  am working so hard to get every single of it in my payday. 

Thanks to some online marketing (search engine marketing, social media marketing, etc…)

After a few days, my email started receiving a number of inquiries; my mobile phone kept ringing all day long for calls and text messages. I did not expect this influx considering that I was just starting. I was shocked by the overwhelming response that I am planning anytime soon to get a post-paid mobile service provider plan and a stable Internet connection because I need to be online anytime and anywhere.

Win A 3N Accommodation to Thailand at the Shangri-La Hotel

This contest is open to all residents in Singapore and Philippines of age 18 years and above. The prize is 4 days / 3 nights stay with daily breakfast for 2 persons at the Shangri-La Hotel, Chiang Mai, inclusive of return Chiang Mai Airport/Hotel transfers.

Here’s how to join: 

Like the Tourism Authority of Thailand (Singapore) Facebook Fan Page and answer two very simple questions here. Deadline of this travel promo is on 30 April 2013 at 11:59:59pm Singapore time. Contest results will be announced on 10 May 2013.

Win A Trip to Brazil by Tresemme Brazillian Flair Promo

Do you know that Filipinos do not need a visa to go to Brazil? Now you know! Tresemme Philippines is by the way offering an all-expense paid trip to Brazil. 

Here’s how to join:

1.       Like the Tresemme Philippines Facebook Fan Page

2.       Take a photo of yourself with a Brazillian hairstyle and share what kind Tresemme product you used for that.

3.       Share the photo through FaceBook, Twitter or Instagram account including the hashtag #SalonGorgeous.

4.       Follow Tresemme Philippines’ Twitter account.

So simple right? This travel promo runs from March 15 – May 9, 2013. Check Tresemme Philippines Facebook Fan Page here for more information.

FREE Travel Writing Seminar by Lonely Planet Philippines

Somehow travel writing can be almost as synonymous to the Lonely Planet travel guide book. I mean it is like asking if the grass is green. Local or international travelers, they all have one in common at least once in their life they have flipped through the pages of Lonely Planet book. And what could be more awesome than learning from them directly! I was reviewing my offline twitter feeds yesterday from my mobile app and I read a tweet from Lucy, the online persona of  the Fully Booked Twitter account dated April 4th and this is the most cherished tweet I ever learned that day.

I own a blog which is all about travel and tourism so I NEED to learn travel writing. I have to admit I am struggling on my travel writing skills like how to make the story compelling and the all-time grammar and spelling pain in the a** so and so.

To my felow travel writers, travel bloggers or anyone who loves writing own travel stories, This is one heck of an opportunity not to miss. Plus it is free people so I am posting this for those who “badly” need this. I would like to share to you this free travel writing seminar which is a collaboration of Fully Booked, Writer’s Block Philippines and Lonely Planet: 

Open Coffee Meetup for Entrepreneurs

Never did I ever thought of starting a business out of blogging and travel. To tell you the truth I started blogging because I just want to make use of my online time always spent on nothing and I started travelling because I was inspired of the travelers I met previously. But again selling tour packages? Nunca did I ever thought of doing this. But It was all about perfect timing and chances that paved the way. I would be hypocrite if I say it is not the money that gets me motivated but you know the feeling of going to sleep and waking up always inspired because I have something that I look forward every day doing which makes me happy and gets me   excited big time!

Running a business all alone made me half – proud and half – afraid. Proud because I was able to start something which no one literally helped me through and afraid because I have no solid professional background in this industry. So I read a lot of news, articles, blogs online that would give me information of how to be familiar of anything I need to know and most important I want to reach out to like-minded people who are into the path of entrepreneurship just to feel I am not alone. Now this one I am going to share below is something that I am excited to be part of this coming week and would recommend too.

Win a 2-Week Volunteer Trip to Thailand

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Are you looking for a vacation trip as a volunteer who can do the following: teach English, design English lessons, plant vegetables and care for the gardens, assisting teachers etc.? This is your chance. The International Student Volunteers has partnered with the Tourism Authority of Thailand to encourage tourists to participate in a purposeful vacation like this.

If you win, you will be able to volunteer on one of ISV projects working in Chiang Rai in Northern Thailand -  volunteering in community development with the Akha Hill Tribe Children working with the Education and Training at Mae Kok Foundation.

Just submit a one minute video explaining why you believe you have what it takes to make a better world! Winners will be selected by a panel of judges and who has received the most votes for their video. Submission of videos is March 15^th to May 10th. Finalists will be announced on the May 16^th.  Ten winners will fly to Bangkok on June 16th! To lean more and apply here please click here. 

Win A Trip For Two to Boracay

iGrab.ph, a virtual shopping outlet that offers hand-picked goods and services to today’s top restaurants, hotels, boutiques, and designer brands, at special member prices will send one lucky fan and guest to a trip to Palawan for free!

Mechanics:
1. Like iGrab.PH on Facebook.
2. Enter this registration code during sign up: IGRABTHESUMMER

3. Sign up! Easy!

The winner will be chosen via electronic draw on May 1,2013 and will be announced on May 6, 2013. For more information please click here.

The Story Behind My Magazine Feature

"Rona, how did your face landed in that glossy page of a magazine? Did you paid them or paid them back?" It has been a month since I got featured but I still get the same question as this one I mentioned earlier so I decided I will make a blog post out of it. It was through a forum on Couchsurfing.org, a website for travelers that I learned about Good Housekeeping magazine looking to feature ladies who have travel-related stories that led them to positive life-changing events.

 There were a handful of us who joined as evidenced by the long thread of discussion. I almost did not want to try because I read about suggestions of this lady who just arrived from a 2 year round the world solo trip, these two ladies who own an award-winning travel blog and backpacked asia for 6 months et cetera, et cetera. But then again I tried just for the heck of it.

A week after I got a text message and an email that I was one of the chosen ladies.  Compared to those ladies who have incredible stories, mine is only a dot out of their achievements but I think in every competition or selection process sometimes  it is not the greatness that matters in this case the uniqueness  of the story prevailed.

Win AirAsia Roundtrip Flights in partnership with 711 Philippines to Kuala Lumpur!

Air Asia, the most recent airline to join the bandwagon of budget carriers in the Philippines is sending a Facebook fan and a guest to Kuala Lumpur roundtrip! It partnered with 711 Philippines, one of the leading 24-7 convenience stores in the metro. Currently it's Now why 711? Because this store is Air Asia’s official payment partner in the country. 

Click Like the 7-Eleven and AirAsia Facebook Fan pages then register through the One Awesome Chance tab. Deadline is April 13 2013. Please click here to participate.

Win a Travel Bloggers Expo Slot at Toronto, Canada!

Travel Bloggers Expo (TBEX), the world's largest gathering of travel bloggers, writers, and new media content creators will hold their 2013 North American Conference at the Metro Convention Centre in Toronto, Canada. Now they knew that there are a lot of bloggers who want to join this but are cash- strapped so they will send one lucky blogger on a free trip to TBEX Toronto.

What does a travel blogger can get out of this event?

As described by the event’s website, “This is the place where you learn and improve your blogging skills, meet and network with fellow bloggers, and also meet interesting companies who want to work with you. Whether you are a starting blogger or an established high-profile blogger, chances are you want to work with companies.”

Prizes:

A Travel Blogger Pass to TBEX

Free accommodations at Hostelling International Toronto

A $500 flight voucher from Webjet to help you get to Toronto

Filipinas are the most admired by the rest of Asian women

“Filipina entrepreneurs have a lot to be proud of” said Julia Koh, Director at Brand 360, a marketing and advertising company in Malaysia while showing her Powerpoint presentation in front of fellow aspring and inspiring Filipina entrepreneurs. Then she showed a slide that the Philippines is now in the top 5 global countries with the fastest rising women into entrepreneurship and ranked 8 th in the global gender gap (source: Global Gender Gap Report,2012) . Women globally comprise 40% of the labor force but in our country it comprises 50% and compared to Malaysia, our neighboring country it is only 45%. It seems that gone are the days that our women stay at home to take care of their family.This is a very, very good sign to encourage more women to take the path of entrepreneurship. We will have less and less women especially mothers to go abroad for work thus preventing their family left half- taken care.

Win a 3N stay at Los Cabos, Mexico or Great Barrier Reef, Australia!

Conde Nast Traveler’s website is a prestigious online platform for anything regarding international travel. According to their website, for more than 25 years, Condé Nast Traveler's Readers' Choice Awards have been a coveted seal of approval for hotels, cruise ships, and airlines from the world's most discriminating travelers. Last year there were 47,000 readers who participated just to give you an idea how huge this contest is. Ooops did I just discouraged you for the dot-size chance of winning? Trust me after I tell you the prizes of winning you will take that dot – size chance right away! This is how the prizes are described verbatim from their website.

"Enter the Readers' Choice Survey Sweepstakes.

Tell us where you've traveled and 
what you've loved (or not), 
and you might win  one of two outstanding trips for two"

Serving Two Masters at the Same Time

Keeping my nearly eight – year old night job and my business that requires me to be up all day is NOT easy. If you peep to my mobile inbox it is filled with unnamed numbers from clients with their text messages and call logs, my email Yahoo inbox has dozens of thread emails from clients and partners and Google drive filled with scanned documents of transaction receipts,  hotel rates etc. If ever there is a way to see through my mind, por favor don’t ask me what’s inside! At least I have given you clues already. 

The online searching habit of Filipinos peak from 8AM TO 12NOON and a little less onwards in the afternoon until it declines when the night comes. How come I was able to say this? Well my shift is 10PM – 7AM,  I take a breakfast right away and sleeps until 1PM. Now my sleep has become literally like hell because my mobile phone would ring nonstop from 8AM until I wake up. Now my sleeping habit has been compromised but this is never gonna be the reason I am going to quit.