Tweet Follow me in twitter @momblogger.I am a firm believer that one of the solutions to our country’s economic woes is that more of us should start a small business and be self-sustaining. With the advent of the internet, business can even start online.

Women entrepreneurs are an ever-growing part of the economy, and one of the best opportunities to start is through online selling on your own platform or using one like eBay. I had the opportunity to talk to eBay Philippines a few weeks back. I discovered that eBay Philippines provided our women to run successful businesses right in the comfort of their own homes.

Three remarkable women – Ms. Maria Rowena Pimentel, Ms. Joanne Lim & Ms. Peapie Ponce shared their entrepreneurship success stories, providing insights on running a business through eBay.

Ms. Maria Rowena Pimentel, who began her run at entrepreneurship five years ago, related how grateful she was that selling through eBay allowed her to be more flexible with her time. Despite managing business operations on a full-time basis, she also has the luxury of being a full-time mom. She left her original workplace to sell iPods and digital cameras through the popular auction site, and it has paid off. “I can guide and teach them and be with them anytime they want while still earning and even receiving higher than what I’ve been getting when I was still working,” a delighted Pimentel shared, “I have a balanced family life, both with my career and kids.”

Ms. Joanne Lim began her entrepreneurship success story five years ago, too, but wasn’t originally looking to make it a full-time business. When her fragrance sales soared, she realized the power potential eBay had as an e-commerce platform. Her home business is running strong to this very day, and she has earned far more than just money. “Thanks to eBay, I am actually able to work at home and I have met many individuals from almost every province, some of who have become very good friends of mine.”

Ms. Peapie Ponce, on the other hand, chose eBay as the main platform for her watch-selling business due to its wealth of features. “I love selling on eBay because of its awesome feedback system. It allowed me to build up my business from scratch. eBay is very easy to use.”

I also got to talk to Mr. Abhimanyu Lal, Business Head of eBay Philippines who was around to celebrate these women entrepreneurs. He went on to commend the Filipino online entrepreneur community as a whole, with more than 3,000 of these bright businesspeople utilizing eBay as their main source of commerce. He continued to encourage entrepreneurship, saying ““With the partnership with Go Negosyo and the organization’s visions of making the Philippines the eCommerce hub of Asia, we believe that many Filipinos will become netpreneurs. We hope to bring the benefits of eCommerce to many citizens.”

According to current trends, Philippine e-commerce is expected to see a 9.3% rise in value. With a platform like eBay Philippines,it makes it easier to start an online business.

How does one start an online business? One just needs to select a category of products to sell, register on eBay and create a listing. In a few minutes, their online storefront is ready for business. All it requires is a computer with a net connection. Online netpreneurs can sell to over 750,000 Filipinos registered on eBay Philippines searching for great deals & a variety of products. Imagine the possibilities of the market.
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You might also want to read Positive Mental Energy and Affirmations and my other blogs like Free Filipino Food Recipes, Shopping Finds, Pinoy Food Photo Blog and Techie Gadgets. Or Follow me in twitter @momblogger.

How about visiting my Beauty over 50 blog?

Hope you can drop by! Thanks for visiting…Noemi Lardizabal-Dado.

Add me in Facebook by introducing yourself. My facebook is at facebook.com/noemidado

Tweet Follow me in twitter @momblogger.Let me interpret regular programming to shamelessly promote my daughter’s online ukay ukay store.

If her Ukay Manila blog is a showcase of amazing ukay finds from places in Manila, the Ukay Manila Store brings the best of the ukay-ukays to you in a dust-free, convenient, and professional environment.

You will be surprised at the lovely finds she discovered all over Manila.

So check the Ukay Manila Store or its mirror site at Ukay Multiply——————————-
You might also want to read Positive Mental Energy and Affirmations and my other blogs like Free Filipino Food Recipes, Shopping Finds, Pinoy Food Photo Blog and Techie Gadgets. Or Follow me in twitter @momblogger.

How about visiting my Beauty over 50 blog?

Hope you can drop by! Thanks for visiting…Noemi Lardizabal-Dado.

Add me in Facebook by introducing yourself. My facebook is at facebook.com/noemidado

Tweet Follow me in twitter @momblogger.Normally, I just let my dollar earnings sit in the bank because I am lazy to visit the bank and have them converted to pesos. Banks also have silly rules on dollar withdrawals. Anyway, the good side on all this is I am able to save for a rainy day. However, the strong peso got me thinking. I started to convert my dollars on “what could have been” at the old exchange rate and the current rates. I refuse to think of “what could have beens” because I should be grateful that I am still liquid. After reading Abe Olandres’ Weakening Dollar hurts Probloggers, I started to think that maybe I need to spend a little more.

That’s a net loss of Php13.13 for every dollar that I have in the bank. That loss closely amounts to a brand new car or a down payment for a house and lot.

Ugh, I did lose a lot on the conversion.

So what did I do? Oh yeah, I went on a mad shopping spree for Christmas presents.

I followed Ely’s advice on What To Do With Your Dollars When The Foreign Exchange Rate Is Hurting You.

Ely says DO buy dollar-based items – those you couldn’t get before because you thought they were too expensive.

Yes, I went gadget shopping which I would never do in the Philippines.

(I hope I don’t appear to be bragging here but I just want to illustrate the bright side of spending in devalued dollars.)

I bought a Black Macbook for myself (giving my white mac to Lauren), an Acer Aspire 4710Z for my mother-in-law so she can blog, an HP 520 for Murielle and a new Nokia E51 for myself. Originally, I wanted an Asus EEE PC for Marielle which was priced at $300 to $400 but it was not yet available in Singapore. Take note, the HP 520 and the Acer 4710Z are the most affordable laptops priced at only 30,000 thousand pesos each. Think about it, if I bought all of these gadgets in the Philippines, I would have missed a vacation with my husband. The savings alone in buying the macbook is 18,000 pesos. The plane fare, travel taxes for both of us amounted to 25,000 pesos ($581.00).

My favorite purchase of all is the Nokia E51, a business smartphone. Why? It’s simple, slim, sleek, and ideal for a user like me wishing to leverage broadband connections to access mobile Internet telephony from homes and hotspots. One of the best feature of all is the SMS Spam Manager which came pre-installed. I had been besieged by spam SMS in the past and I had no way to control it. Fine, Globe said I can report the spammer at the National Telecommunications and Communications (NTC) but nothing came out of my complaint. Am I so glad that I finally have an anti-spam application!

Look, I placed this person’s cellphone number in the backlist rule.

This person has been spamming me with senseless messages containing nothing else but “gma gmd gm…” as if he suffered a muscle tic on his/her fingers. Ugh after my cellphone was flashed at Salamat Doc , a particular stalker caller texts me more than 25 times in a day and or calls 4 times a day. These text messages are either blank or contain garbage words. Mind you, that show was last December 24, 2006. If we can control some spam messages in our email programs why not in cellphones? There are more applications that works out for me such as checking emails, twittering or using the VoIP phone application. (See more photos here). And guess how much? With the GST refund, I got this uber-cool phone for 14,000 pesos or US $325. I bet this would cost 20,000 pesos or more when the Nokia E51 arrives in the Philippines. When I went to SMART Telecom to buy a similar WLAN enabled phone, the cheapest they could offer was an old model worth 25,000 pesos.

Did I go overboard with the shopping? I believe it was a wise move for some of my sleeping, devalued dollars to purchase affordable gadgets that we need not merely “want or like gadgets”. The Nokia E51 will serve as a modem when I need to go online ( I haven’t figured that out yet). Marielle has no laptop and with her exceptional grades, she deserves to own one now. Lauren likes the mac features that enable her to do guitar recordings and podcast. My mother-in-law will definitely find blogging or chatting via webcam very entertaining. The savings alone are worth it.

The best thing of all was I had a great weekend with my dear hubby, dragging him to the Funan Digital Mall, learning a thing or two about computers and indulging in a gastronomic feast after a tiring day of shopping. Now, he yearns to own a macbook to replace his 5 year old durable Thinkpad. Uh-oh.——————————-
You might also want to read Positive Mental Energy and Affirmations and my other blogs like Free Filipino Food Recipes, Shopping Finds, Pinoy Food Photo Blog and Techie Gadgets. Or Follow me in twitter @momblogger.

How about visiting my Beauty over 50 blog?

Hope you can drop by! Thanks for visiting…Noemi Lardizabal-Dado.

Add me in Facebook by introducing yourself. My facebook is at facebook.com/noemidado

Tweet Follow me in twitter @momblogger.A virtual office was in the pipeline while I was still residing at Makati City. But I’ve never gotten around to getting one since I’ve moved homes now. Remember I showed you my Small-Office Home-Office (SOHO) at my old home? Well I’m going to give you a sneak preview of my SOHO over at our cozy home in Pasig City. I don’t know which sounds better. [tag]Home-office, Business-office[/tag] (HOBO) or [tag]Small-office Home-office[/tag] (SOHO) ?

I still have a lot of work to do in the house. I want more decors , furniture here and there. Unfortunately, furnishings, home accessories and other decors are quite expensive so they will have to wait. Right now I just have the bare essentials.

Wi-fi reception was poor in our old home because of the thick concrete walls. I’m quite happy that the Globe Broadband was bundled with a wi-fi router and the reception is pretty strong.

I have four workstations with three Internet Service Providers (Globe Broadband, PLDT MyDSL and Smart Bro) for connection redundancy. I like the idea of variety in my work place. Each of my working space has a purpose. Perhaps I want to blog, work on some papers , websites or just go blog hopping. My mood of the day determines the location of my work.

1. Writing Table at the First Level

This writing table sits at the foot of the stairs . Originally I planned to put a console table here. But see, a console’s purpose in life is decorative . I decided that that every furniture I buy should have functionality.

Working here at my antique narra writing table is best at around 7:00 AM after my dear husband leaves for office . Country angels adorn my table. Hearing the chirping Maya birds and gazing at the greenery of the pocket garden is a good start for the day. This nook works best for me when I am in a calm mood.

I usually stay here until 9:00 AM , checking emails, working on webhosting orders or tickets. Then I get up to check household work for the day. When I come back, the cats decide to invade my table.

Kylee thinks the window view is lovely.

Kylee peeks at my Twitter while Lady naps on my chair.

2. Workstation at the second level

Going up the stairs, the workstation aka mini library greets me at the landing. I want to shield the sunlight with beige Roman Shades but ugh, I still need to save money for that.

Updated (June 28, 2007)

This is my custom-built workstation (built by Connie’s carpenter) where my PLDT mydsl connection is. This is where I stay most of my mornings if I need to pay bills, call people or just do paperwork. As you can see I avoid papers on my desk. They are all inside the drawers . Instead of ugly looking Filing cabinets I had drawers built in the bottom. I use a temporary monobloc chair because I haven’t found the perfect working chair. If I can’t find a white swivel chair then I might as well buy a colored chair. My workaholic mood works best in this working area.

Behind me are Butch books. I keep telling him to sort out his books since it just accumulates dust. It’s one reason I shut the windows in this part of the house.

Usually I go the gym in the late morning once I’ve settled all the work to be done for the day.

3. The couch at the Dining room

The dining room is the favorite part of our home. It’s the soul of the house, a place of conversation. When the kids or my husband are having a snack, I am sometimes found lounging on the couch. If work piles up, I can multitask with my macbook while supervising the food preparation, cooking or house cleaning. Most of the time, I am just doing menial work online while seated here.

4. My bed.

During extremely hot weather, I stay in my bedroom. Turning the airconditioning of the whole house is not a good idea so I prefer to stay in a smaller room where electricity cost won’t be as much. I plan to put a writing table by the bay window as soon as I can save enough for this. I have this thing about windows. I like to pause in between my work hours then look as far as I can .

At night , Butch and I read websites or blog hop before we call it a night. You can see his laptop on his side table.

In the rare occasion that PLDT MyDSL or Globe Broadband is down, I still have one more ISP (SMART BRO) found at the kids’ bedrooms.

Lauren’s blue room and M’s Green room

Now if all three ISP’s are down, I will just sleep, right?

So there you have it. In my ecommerce business , do I really need to lease an office space when I can easily work at my home office? The flexibility of my SOHO allows me to move around as I work . Sitting down in one area stiffles my creativity. I like to work and enjoy the view at the same time.

Now tell me, what part of your house is a favorite spot for blogging or surfing sites?

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You might also want to read Positive Mental Energy and Affirmations and my other blogs like Free Filipino Food Recipes, Shopping Finds, Pinoy Food Photo Blog and Techie Gadgets. Or Follow me in twitter @momblogger.

How about visiting my Beauty over 50 blog?

Hope you can drop by! Thanks for visiting…Noemi Lardizabal-Dado.

Add me in Facebook by introducing yourself. My facebook is at facebook.com/noemidado

Tweet Follow me in twitter @momblogger.I was 42 years old and reading the “[tag]Working Mom[/tag]” magazine. I wanted to get back to the corporate world or do research work like I used to do or so I thought. Armed with an MBA, it shouldn’t be a problem, right? Reality sank in that Filipino employers never or rarely hire women past thirty five years old. Look at the classified ads…”not more than 30 years old”…or “not more than 40 years old” as if age diminishes our mental faculties. The problem was I quit the workforce at the age of 30 years old to devote the full time homemaker role to my three children. Those lost years deprived my exposure to business trends and development. I had a part time job though. During those 10 years, I devoted my brains to my husband’s family properties as he could not attend to it. He was a budding lawyer tied down to a law firm. He literally dropped his property management role to me. I had no choice but support his wishes as we derived substantial income from it too.

To add to my credentials, I acquired a license in real estate brokerage in 1989. Things didn’t work out in the end because of misunderstandings which I’d rather not explain further. I resigned in 1998 much to the disappointment of my father-in-law.

I knew I needed something else. A job?

I could get a job through network of friends but what was my specialty? The past years saw me dabbling with the internet and web site development. I was out of the loop in the corporate world.

On that fateful day , I read this article about moms who quit their jobs and went into business. There were 3 women who started a business because they were tired of working

So that was it! Start a business. But what kind of business?

The dream of starting a business started that day. I reflected on my interests and decided that my business should be something I truly enjoy. But I was afraid of the risks, the capital expenditure and the failure. It took me 3 more years at the age of 45 years old to start a small venture through the help of my daughter, Lauren. Armed with my management background, I helped her manage her small webhosting business as she had school to attend. I discovered that I loved the internet and technology. Maybe my “food technology” background helped me understand new technologies.

The road to financial independence proved real slow as I was a poor risk taker. My business model was really conservative. Though financial returns were initially small, the business never incurred losses since it started in 2002. In fact, working funds were derived from net income. The test of the business’ success came when the business paid the bills during a critical financial crisis.

My life had always been comfortable . I never thought of the possibility that money would ran out. During that dreadful 2004, we lost our steady income.The financial struggle seemed endless but there was a redeeming factor… we had this small business. That year, I took the risk and took over Lauren’s business and expanded to more servers. I had no choice. Starve, brood or prosper. I have said before that money isn’t everything but it takes money to solve certain problems. While pondering over my financial problems, I heard God speak to me in that silent voice that whispers gently in our souls

You don’t have to worry about money again not unless you want to. I told you I would take care of you. And I will.

From then on, I lifted all my worries to God and dedicated my work in writing All for Jesus.

This will really sound so cheesy to non-believers but it worked for me. Together with inspiration from role models and prayers, I am on my road to financial independence. Within the following months, my income doubled then tripled after 1 year. Since that day, I have had hard times but I have never had to go without …not for more than a moment in time.

It started with a dream and a prayer to overcome the blocks and barriers in my life to financial success.——————————-
You might also want to read Positive Mental Energy and Affirmations and my other blogs like Free Filipino Food Recipes, Shopping Finds, Pinoy Food Photo Blog and Techie Gadgets. Or Follow me in twitter @momblogger.

How about visiting my Beauty over 50 blog?

Hope you can drop by! Thanks for visiting…Noemi Lardizabal-Dado.

Add me in Facebook by introducing yourself. My facebook is at facebook.com/noemidado

Tweet Follow me in twitter @momblogger.I believe that customer service and satisfaction is critical in my webhosting business. In fact, I offer money-back guarantee and refunds for unused months. That’s how confident I am with my services. Happy customers are loyal and even refer you to potential customers. Word of mouth referrals is a more effective advertising medium in the initial stages of business growth. I make sure that valid customer complaints are addressed to immediately. But we in the service industry are just human. What if the customer is rude and cursing at you?

You people must be stupid. I have had nothing but problems with you idiots. I have asked for information on this account. can’t get it. I tell you I need to pay for the year. Cant’t get it. and you keep turning my shit off. Who do I FUCKING talk to in person to settle this.

Ugh, receiving an email like that makes me want to combust spontaneously. This is an actual query from an irate customer in another business. He’s not from the Philippines. I can’t imagine a local talking like that. So far , Filipino customers are patient and whenever they have a complaint, it’s in a polite tone. When I received the above email, I thought about replying “Um, I’m sorry I can’t help you”. However, I placed myself in his shoes. What did he really mean to say if he wasn’t so angry? Most likely this customer was ignorant and impatient with the steps to take in filing a support request. He didn’t even submit a helpdesk ticket (the standard method of support) and got frustrated when he didn’t receive any reply through emails. I chose the peaceful manner of settling this issue and released an invoice of $100.00. If he wasn’t happy with my service , he can choose to ignore the invoice. What do you know? He paid it. He hasn’t bothered me in months. In fact , he ordered another plan.

Can you imagine if I spoke to this person? Pity the poor call center workers who have to deal with irate customer complaints. It’s alright if the customer is angry but cursing and name calling is a no-no. And then one can be more rude in emails since there is no direct confrontation. That’s so much better than dealing with their ire over the phone.

Is a customer still king? Customer is king as long as they don’t curse and call you idiots.
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You might also want to read Positive Mental Energy and Affirmations and my other blogs like Free Filipino Food Recipes, Shopping Finds, Pinoy Food Photo Blog and Techie Gadgets. Or Follow me in twitter @momblogger.

How about visiting my Beauty over 50 blog?

Hope you can drop by! Thanks for visiting…Noemi Lardizabal-Dado.

Add me in Facebook by introducing yourself. My facebook is at facebook.com/noemidado

Tweet Follow me in twitter @momblogger.As a media partner for the upcoming VoIP Convention in 2007, I was tasked to write articles for their souvenir program. My deadline was yesterday, rather last week. Oh dear, I have limited VOIP knowledge and time at my hands. The first thought that entered my mind was to interview Silverback ASP, the only Filipino-owned VOIP Provider (for outbound VOIP calls). I didn’t know Globe, Bayantel, and PLDT were using VOIP resellers (like Vonage, Packet 8 etc from the USA). I immediately got the appointment with Steve Davis, the CEO of Silverback ASP. As I stepped into their office, I was surprised to see the ITX Cafe/Silverback signage by the large window panes. Oh an internet cafe! As I looked in, I liked what I saw.

An informal ambience of comfortable chairs, swings, gorilla nest and computers in the corner for internet use . I was 30 minutes early for my appointment. You know, I’d rather be early than keep the other party waiting for me. As I eased myself on the chair, I turned on my macbook and was quite pleased that I got a wi-fi connection.

This is my dream business office setup. The virtual office was a plan but a physical office is so much better. Part business office, coffee shop with my baked goodies, and offering free wi-fi to the customers. It’s important to dream about a goal so it can eventually materialize one day. The most important value is having fun and doing business at the same time. Looking at the photos around the ITX cafe, the partners of Silverback ASP appear to be doing both. No wonder they moved to the Philippines and even devloped imindoro.net and providing internet service in Mindoro Island.

No, I won’t to serve alcoholic beverages!

I just love the comfort and informal air around the place. Coffee for only 55 pesos (I got it free though) and chatting via Google Talk with my husband and 2 daughters while waiting for Steve are simple thrills. Move over Starbucks!

The best surprise of all was meeting Steve Davis. See, I only expected to interview him for 30 minutes. But he expanded my VOIP knowledge for two and a half hours. Amazing! He even demonstrated VoiP calls originating from Japan and the USA.

Now that I have some material, all I need to do is make a write-up which I will soon publish in my VoIP blog . I need to get inspired to write. Maybe I will move over to the ITX cafe.

A photo of the partners are pasted at the wall of the ITX coffee shop. Steve Davis ,below left photo
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You might also want to read Positive Mental Energy and Affirmations and my other blogs like Free Filipino Food Recipes, Shopping Finds, Pinoy Food Photo Blog and Techie Gadgets. Or Follow me in twitter @momblogger.

How about visiting my Beauty over 50 blog?

Hope you can drop by! Thanks for visiting…Noemi Lardizabal-Dado.

Add me in Facebook by introducing yourself. My facebook is at facebook.com/noemidado

Tweet Follow me in twitter @momblogger.

When I started my online business, Globalized E-commerce Online Solutions (GEOS) I didn’t think a business address was necessary. My focus was on building a reputation on being a reliable service provider in the Philippines which can only be tested through time and referrals. Now that I have established some reputation , the thought of a business address was still not a priority. First, a physical office was not necessary when everything is done remotely. Hosting activation, domain registration and other services are done using the web browser. My sys admin is located in Los Angeles together with the support staff. Secondly, my market niche are the small and medium enterprises. Just like them, some of our businesses are based in the place of residence. Third, renting an office raises overhead cost. Usually, when a customer calls me up and inquires about the offices of Pinoy Webhosting, I usually say that it is located in my home. Doesn’t sound professional right? Maybe I should consider a virtual office such as this:

A Regus Virtual Office provides your business with all the benefits of a prime office, without the need to be there! Simply use a business address in one or more of our 750 locations worldwide, ensuring the best impression for your business.

You choose the location and length of term and your new virtual office can be open tomorrow with:

-Phone answering in your company name
-Mail forwarding
-Taking and delivering your messages
-Access to offices, meeting rooms and videoconferencing on a pay-as-you-use basis

From just PHP 2,850 per month.

Yesterday at the Rockwell Center , I met up with a potential customer, a Hongkong Trader who didn’t seem put off that I didn’t have an office address. My office is contained in here, as I removed the immaculate white Apple Macbook from my handbag. Haha. Why do I have to pretend it’s something more sophisticated when online transactions are just a a few keystrokes and clicks? My customer revealed that he had a virtual office in Hongkong and in the Philippines but he didn’t have a website. He felt it was time to have a website because the young professionals often ask him for it. A @yahoo or @gmail email address is not impressive.

We were both amused. He had a virtual office without a website and I had no virtual office but had dozen of websites. It was fun exchanging online business tips. Perhaps a virtual office with a conference room is wonderful interaction with customers since it gives a more personal touch. So yes, a virtual office is my next plan.

The 2850 pesos a month seems reasonable. I wonder if there is a catch. The virtual office is a great idea for the Small Office Home Office (SOHO) or Home Office Business Office (HOBO) type of business. There are a lot of stay-at-home working moms that have micro-enterprises in their place of residence. I guess it’s a stereotype to associate professionalism with an office address. ——————————-
You might also want to read Positive Mental Energy and Affirmations and my other blogs like Free Filipino Food Recipes, Shopping Finds, Pinoy Food Photo Blog and Techie Gadgets. Or Follow me in twitter @momblogger.

How about visiting my Beauty over 50 blog?

Hope you can drop by! Thanks for visiting…Noemi Lardizabal-Dado.

Add me in Facebook by introducing yourself. My facebook is at facebook.com/noemidado

Tweet Follow me in twitter @momblogger.In my previous job as a researcher and consultant to small and medium businesses, I knew that most of the entrepreneurs’ business orginated from a hobby. Much as I wanted to be an entrepreneur, I didn’t have the guts or the hobby. Sure, I had the management skills. Ten years ago, I discovered the internet and web design. It was a whole new world and I got obsessed with it. Reading this article Accidental Tech Entrepreneurs Turn Their Hobbies Into Livelihoods made me smile. Basically, the article reveals some of the common features from its interview of 5 accidental tech Enterpreneurs:

1. They all possess [tag]Information Technology[/tag] backgrounds
2. They all were in the right place at the right time with the right product/service
3 They have supportive people around them (i.e. life and business partners)
4 They all faced a moment of truth, when they had to screw up courage and stake their financial futures on their new businesses.
5. They all are a little obsessed

The 5 common traits are so true. I don’t earn as much as these interviewed tech pros but being an accidental [tag]Tech enterpreneur[/tag] has given me financial freedom. At the age of 45, I wanted to enter back in the corporate world. Alas, I was not in touch with the latest economic policies. Of course, I didn’t expect a high starting salary but the offers were just a pittance. Sales is not my cup of tea either. So I was left with ways on how to start a business. But what? I’ve already told you how I entered into the IT business. I’d just like to list down how the 5 common traits of the Tech Entrepreneur applies to me:

1. They all possess Information Technology (IT) backgrounds- My IT background was all from self-study. It helped that I was exposed to micro-computers when it first came out in 1979.

2. They all were in the right place at the right time with the right product/service- I was fortunate in the sense that my daughter had quite an internet presence in the early 2000 and the presence of a popular community helped promote sales.

3. They have supportive people around them (i.e. life and business partners)- My husband used to say “Since you’re always at the computer, find out if you can enter into some sort of business.” My husband is quite a marketing man and he’s also helped me in the strategies.

4.They all faced a moment of truth, when they had to screw up courage and stake their financial futures on their new businesses. - When I took over my daughter’s business, I didn’t have the guts to invest in new servers. My husband gave me encouraging and loving words. Then the supplier of the server said “if you have ___ number of customers, you will be able to duplicate that in one year. Both of them were right! I just needed the confidence to bite the bullet.

5. They all are a little obsessed- To succeed, accidental entrepreneurs need a bit of obsessiveness: “It doesn’t ever go away,” Heather Armstrong says. “Some people can walk away from their jobs, but my job follows me into bed at night.” It’s awful how obsessive I can get. I think I have an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I used to sleep at past midnight because I was too engrossed with work. Whenever I am alone at home, I work like mad because I know when the kids and hubby arrive, I have to be there to attend to their needs. I’ve also learned that sitting on the computer chair is unhealthy. That’s why I go to the gym two hours a day.

The fun is in seeing my small investment grow and being happy for whatever comes my way. Do you see yourself as an [tag]entrepreneur[/tag] ?
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You might also want to read Positive Mental Energy and Affirmations and my other blogs like Free Filipino Food Recipes, Shopping Finds, Pinoy Food Photo Blog and Techie Gadgets. Or Follow me in twitter @momblogger.

How about visiting my Beauty over 50 blog?

Hope you can drop by! Thanks for visiting…Noemi Lardizabal-Dado.

Add me in Facebook by introducing yourself. My facebook is at facebook.com/noemidado

Tweet Follow me in twitter @momblogger.This is my [tag]Home-office, Business-office[/tag] (HOBO) or does [tag]Small-office Home-office[/tag] (SOHO) sound better? Whatever you call it, I’ve been a [tag]work-at-home-mom[/tag] since my daughter, Marielle was born in 1987. That’s my working station and right behind it is the kitchen which overlooks the front door of the house. It’s a small nook that allows me to be in touch with kitchen activities and family members hovering behind me.

Everyone is yelling distance away except for my kids if they are in their bedrooms. That’s because the walls of their rooms are almost sound-proof. Nothing to worry about, the Yahoo Messenger is a convenient tool for getting their attention. An example….

My husband goes “What are you doing?”

“Talking to Lauren”

“you’re lazy. Why can’t you just go to her room? ” He teases.

“Yahoo messenger is faster“. I quip.

The girls had their own computer upon reaching college. I believe that young kids should share a family computer so their activities can be monitored. Not that I don’t trust them . Staying too long in the computer is unhealthy.

One of the hazards of an online business is sitting on the computer chair all day long. Not to mention getting afflicted with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. I also tend to get engrossed with work that I forget the time.

Physical activity is limited to finger exercises which does not derive cardio-vascular benefits. Hence, my daily routine entails a two-hour gym workout in between my work. If that’s not possible, the stationary bicycle is a wonderful alternative. As I bike , I watch TV shows at the same time. Computer work also strains my eyes. Just before bedtime, placing a cucumber slices on my eyebags highlights the end of a productive day.

(to be continued…)——————————-
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