Make a Million, Make a Difference
There was a buzz in the air as participants poured in to attend the Make a Million, Make a Difference seminar at the AIM Conference Center last Saturday. The first session of Asia Society Philippines’ Success Source Series, “Make a Million, Make a Difference” featured young and successful Filipino leaders who divulged secrets, tips and advice on how to attain one’s financial goals while making a positive difference in the community.
The first speaker, Mr. Rommel Juan, Founder and President of native food chain Binalot Fiesta Foods Inc., stressed the importance of being passionate about one’s work. Mr. Juan built an eco-friendly business using banana leaves instead of polystyrene packaging. By doing so, he created a sustainable income generating program for 30 families in Nagcarlan, Laguna where they grew and managed banana leaves for Binalot Fiesta Foods Inc. Persistence especially after failure is one of the few tips that he shared that led to his success. Other tips include be original, always stay positive and enjoy what you’re doing!
The next speaker was the Chief Financial Officer of SeaOil Inc., Mr. Mark Anthony Yu. With his life story, he showed that earning millions wasn’t fulfilling if you were NOT making a difference in the community. He provided several lessons based on his experience that could be applied to our own lives in order to attain success such as the needed ability to face failure and start again. Quoting the famous words of Thomas Edison, “Vision without execution is hallucination,” Mr. Yu imparted that execution is a very important part of success. One may have several great ideas but without any actual action, nothing will happen. You will be left with what you started with: a great idea. To act on an idea is crucial to success.
Mr. Enrique Gonzalez, the Chief Executive Officer of IP Ventures Inc., spoke last. He talked of IP Ventures Inc., a private holdings company he helped build from scratch a mere 7 years ago. He focused on the Entrepreneurial side of success stating that if you want to succeed, you must have a team that is as focused, driven and obsessed about attaining the goals as you are. Another secret to success, he said, is to have a strong emotional support system whether it be your partner, family or friends. When life’s challenges seem to overwhelm you, it’s important to have people in your life who will be there to strengthen and support you.
The three speakers all highlighted the importance of perseverance and execution, of finding something you love to do and not to give up when failure comes knocking at your door.
There are two more sessions for the Success Source Series dealing on aspects of success in education and travel. For more information, call us at 752-4374 or email [email protected]