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myDSL Biz – business solutions for SMEs from PLDT

Roy — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:14:06 +0000

A new and improved myDSL service which was designed for business use was launched last week by the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT). The new service was geared specifically for the small and medium enterprise (SME) segment.

The new myDSL is an internet business solution from PLDT which offers subscribers a full connectivity and computing setup in different packages. It has the new Biz Box which is a wireless router that effectively turns an office into a Wi-Fi hot spot.

The Biz Box is a Wi-Fi capable DSL modem which has four ethernet ports and two USB ports suitable for local area networking. The business solution also throws in for free a Red Fox LCD desktop unit or Neo Basic laptop units to set SMEs up for a higher chances of success.

Examples of business packages are Small Biz Lite (at 3.5 Mbps) subscription for P4,000 is bundled with a desktop, and a Powerpack C (8 Mbps) for P50,000 and comes with four desktops and a laptop.

Other types of myDSL Biz packages are: the Small Biz Junior (4.5 Mbps) for P8,000 with a laptop; the Small Biz Senior (5 Mbps) at P14,500 and comes with a desktop and laptop; the Powerpack A (6 Mbps) for P20,000 with two desktops and one laptop; and the Powerpack B (7 Mbps) at P35,000 and comes with three desktops and a laptop.

PLDT marketing head for SME Group, Jerameel Azurin, said “myDSL has evolved from being a commercial broadband internet service to also as a broadband business solution that can help SMEs streamline their processes, lower their costs, bring up their revenues and increase their online presence.”

The new myDSL Biz was unveiled at the NBC Tent in The Fort, Taguig City by PLDT chairman Manuel Pangilinan, PLDT president and CEO Napoleon Nazareno, and PLDT senior vice president for Corporate Business Group Eric Alberto, in an event that was filled with a crowd dressed in Halloween costumes.

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SB Corp. reports lending to SMEs reached P170 billion

Roy — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:52:35 +0000

Small Business Corp. (SB Corp.), the lead convenor for small and medium enterprises (SME) Unified Lending Opportunities for National Growth (Sulong), said that the lending to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) has reached P170.3 billion in the past five years through the various government agencies. The group said that they alone have extended total loans of P16.2 billion during the same period.

According to the SB Corp. report, as of June 2009, the lending program has benefitted 49,263 MSMEs, supporting about 2.5 million jobs.

SB Corp. President and Sulong finance committee chairman Benel P. Laguna, said, â€œThere are other government and private agencies and stakeholders called participating financial institutions or PFIs, as they expand the outreach of the program since their presence in the rural areas makes it easier of SMEs to access Sulong funds.â€

The Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) has extended a total of P93 billion, while the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) has P54.7 billion in loans. Both were loan figures since 2004.

Other channels, like the Quedan Rural Credit and Guarantee Corp. (Quedancor), have released P3.3 billion; the Philippine Export and Import Credit Agency (PhilExim) accounted for P1.5 billion; the Social Security System (SSS) released P1.2 billion; and the National Livelihood Support Fund (NLSF) have loaned out P294.5 million in retail and wholesale loans to SMEs.

For its part, SB Corp. has various lending programs which were designed for specific sector, like the Rural Micro-Enterprise Promotion Program (RuMEPP) which is a seven-year rural microfinance program lending program for the countryâ€™s 19 poorest provinces with funding from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

By providing credit delivery matched with business development services, RuMEPP complements the governmentâ€™s program for poverty alleviation.

The MSME Retail Lending program of SB Corp. on the other hand, has surpassed the half-billion peso mark. Its wholesale lending program is nearly reaching the P3-billion mark. It has more than a hundred PFIs, fifty percent of which are rural banks.

SB Corp. is also negotiating for partnership with official development assistance (ODA) agencies such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB), InWent, and KfW and GTZ, which are German development-oriented financial institutions.

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Soap-making seminar on September 5, 2009

Roy — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 06:46:45 +0000

Do you want to embark on a new business? How about making different kind of soaps? Just like food, soaps and detergents are an indispensible part of your grocery list. Why not learn to how make them so you wonâ€™t have to pay for them, and have business on the side?

Itâ€™s easy to learn how to make different kinds of soap, and start your own soap business. The Golden Treasure Skills Development Program will be conducting a one-day seminar on soap making on September 5, 2009 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the College of Social Work and Community Development Magsaysay Avenue corner Ylanan St., University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City.

By participating in the said seminar, you will be able to learn different kinds of soaps, households and body products through lectures and hands-on training on how to make liquid dishwashing soap, liquid hand soap, liquid all-purpose soap, bar detergent soap, powder soap, dishwashing paste soap, herbal bath soap, and glycerin (transparent bath soap), liquid bleach, fabric softener, tile and bowl cleaner, glass cleaner, air freshener, car shampoo and tire black.

Participants will also be taught where to source materials and costing of their products. A new bonus course has been to added which include how to make body scrub, foot spa soap, foot spray, foot powder, hair shampoo and hand and body lotion.

Certificates of training will be given to the participants after the seminar. All the materials for the seminar will be provided.

For more information and inquiries, just call 436-78-26; 913-65-51 and 421-15-77 or log on to ww.GoldenTreasureSkills.com.

This is a good opportunity for all who wants to become an entrepreneur yet still donâ€™t know what specific type of business they could get into.

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What It Takes to be an Event Planner

PinoyBusiness — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 05:59:09 +0000

A lot of people consider being an event planner, but, what is it really and what does it take to be one? Rob Hard, an author at About.com shares some insights on what is an event planner.

Conventions and meetings bring people together for a common purpose and it is the plannersâ€™ job to make sure that this purpose is achieved faultlessly. Meeting planners coordinate every detail of meetings and conventions, from the speakers and venues to materials and equipment needed. Meeting and convention planners work for nonprofit organizations, professional and similar associations, corporations and the government.

Clearly, the information mentioned above makes it clear that event planners fashion a program that addresses the purpose of a gathering. They work long and non-traditional hours to craft and carry out all the necessary details to do so.

As such, it is important for event planners to develop important skills to be successful. They should be able to communicate effectively, organize and manage their time, do multi-tasking and should understand Microsoft Office applications. They should be detail and deadline-oriented, should have good negotiating and budget management skills and excellent interpersonal skills with the staff and all levels of management.

Successful event planners will develop the knowledge in selecting venues, catering, entertaining, production and gift-giving, transportation, lodging and conference services.

Event planners come from a variety of professions and academic backgrounds. Most employers chose those with a degree in hospitality management, business administration, marketing, public relations or communications though a lot of successful planners begin in other professions or enter through administrative roles which include meeting planning responsibilities.

If you have the skills and the knowledge, you could be a successful event planner, no matter what profession you practice.

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Part Time Jobs You Can Start at Home

PinoyBusiness — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 05:54:41 +0000

Most people dream of being their own boss but are not quite brave enough to give up the security their day job provides.Â Others like to find ways to earn while doing the thing they love and excel at.

About.com author Randy Duermyer lists 9 business ideas one can start from home part time and grow while keeping a full-time job.

Computer Tutor.Â If you know your way around computers and are extremely patient, you may start being a part time computer tutor.Â You may do it during the evenings and weekends to provide extra income.Â You may start with minimal advertising and keeping your services within your area to not incur traveling expenses.
Disc Jockey.Â If youâ€™re a music lover and hobbyist and have invested in music and equipment, why not be an independent disc jockey.Â You can enjoy and earn at the same time.
Home Safety Inspection Business.Â If you are involved with public safety, you would have the knowledge to share with other homeowners.Â You can help them lower their risk of injury in their own homes.Â You may do it after work hours and on weekends when most working homeowners would have the time for meet-ups.
Independent Wine Consultant.Â If you think of yourself as a wine connoisseur and you enjoy hosting parties, you could be an independent wine consultant.Â You may check out the Traveling Vineyard for information on business setups.
Furniture Refinishing Business.Â If youâ€™ve always been creative and good with your hands, you may start a part time furniture refinishing business in your home shop.Â You can set-up to pick up the pieces n the evenings or weekends and do the job on your free time.
Wedding Photographer.Â Why not turn a hobby into a business.Â You may start by offering to do the pictures at your friendâ€™s or relativeâ€™s wedding for a fraction of they price they would normally pay seasoned wedding photographers.Â You can start part time while you are still building your portfolio.
EBay Trading Assistant.Â If you are a successful EBay seller, you could share some tips for others to be just like you.Â As a home-based trading assistant, you usually go to clientâ€™s homes to take pictures and pick-up items.Â You then sell them on EBay on consignment and you will be provided a commission once the item is sold.
Affiliate Marketing Online Home Business.Â If youâ€™re a netlurker and are looking for business opportunities in the net, an affiliate marketing home business may just be for you.
Party Planner.Â If youâ€™re good at planning events, you can take on engagements for a friendâ€™s birthday celebration of a cousinâ€™s wedding.Â If the partyâ€™s a hit, you can start growing your client list through word-of-mouth referrals.

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Rightsizing Your Business

PinoyBusiness — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 06:20:08 +0000

Every business owner comes to a time when he feels that he wants to work less and do other things that are also important to him.Â Heâ€™s not ready to give up the business.Â He just wants to establish a better balance between his work and personal life.

Susan Ward, author at About.com suggests some useful approaches for downscaling your business:

You could start turning down some clients and referring them to others.Â If you are in the service business, look at the hours you work in a typical week and evaluate your client list.Â The easiest way to free up more time is to let the difficult clients go.Â Let them off graciously by delivering on your obligations to them and passing them on to someone else.

You should hire employees to man the store.Â If have a retail business and you are always there to oversee everything, hiring people would be worth the trouble and expense.

You could outsource some functions or aspects of your business.Â There are businesses, like Virtual Assistants and bookkeepers who could do your administrative and office-related tasks.Â You could also subcontract the design and maintenance of your website, if your business has one.

You might want to cut back your hours.Â If you run a store, you could shorten your business hours or decrease your business days.

It wonâ€™t hurt to close your business for a week or two so you could take a well-deserved vacation.Â Take time to let your clients and customers know in advance that you will not be out during those days.

If you have a willing family member, you may bring her into the business to split the work load.Â Eventually, you may be able to teach her to ultimately handle the business on her own.

Lastly, you may lessen the number of products or services you offer.Â You could focus on the most saleable products or services and specialize on them.Â This would simplify your business and make things easier for you.

If you are not sure, whether you should downsize your business, Ms. Ward recommends taking this quick self test “Is It Time To Downsize Your Business”.

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How to Make Profits

PinoyBusiness — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 04:19:13 +0000

The primary goal of a businessman is to make profits. Author and entrepreneur CJ Hayden explains that to post profits, one has to have a good business model. One needs to have a profit-making plan.

Mr. Hayden cites two business models for a business man who is offering his services for $100 per hour. If his business model entails working exclusively for a single major client for weeks or months at a time he would be able to earn a lot. Working four hours everyday, five times a week, every week of the year would allow you to earn $100,000.

However, if your business model entails having a couple of clients and working only two to four hours per month for each, to earn $100,000 you need 20 clients at once and see them an hour per week.

The first business model is sensible as you only need a few clients each year and allows you blocks of time to market yourself. In the second business model, you need steady flow of new clients coming in and you would only have small chunks of time to market yourself.

To fix the second business model, you may think about increasing your hourly fee to $150 or $200 per hour. However, rates like this may be too steep for potential clients. Mr. Hayden explains that increasing rates is not the only way to patch up a broken business model for fee for service business.

He suggests charging by the day or half-a-day. This enforces minimum on your clients and avoids short appointments that chips your work schedule.

He says you could also charge a flat fee per project. This allows you to bill for the time you spend planning, organizing and just going over your clientâ€™s concern.

You can have your client pay you by the month in advance. This assures them that you will be available for them and can ensure you a set number of hours.

Mr. Hayden calls on business men to look into their business models to know why their business is not earning as much as they would like.

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Fortunate Turns

PinoyBusiness — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 02:18:19 +0000

Scott Allen, one of the pioneers of social networking and social media for business, and co-author of The Virtual Handshake: Opening Doors and Closing Deals Online shares how he landed on Googleâ€™s front page for the keyword â€œentrepreneurâ€.

In 1992, the US economy recovering from recession and the demand for Windows-based computer networks was very high. Scott Allen, founder of The Windows Experts thought it was the perfect opportunity. Mr. Allen was deep in Windows networking knowledge, with expert certifications and experience that was unrivaled. Competition was feeble and distracted so he thought he had timing on his side. He took the plunge and established The Windows Experts.

In just a few weeks, client poured in. Most of them however, were small clients. Mr. Allen pursued big clients and when the State of Texas seemed to have the right blend of long-term projects, he left his small clients to work solely for them. However, just after a few weeks, the State of Texas reorganized and his projects were halted. Mr. Allen lost his biggest client and he no longer had small clients to go back to.

Mr. Allen and his wife evaluated the options they had then. They considered restarting the business with small clients but decided against it when they thought about the sacrifices they would have to make. So Mr. Allen shut down The Windows Experts.

He took a full-time job that took care of his expenses and permitted him to discover another passion. A few years after his loss, he launched Link to Your World, a full-service company that helps organizations transform virtual relationships into real business through leveraging social media.

Today, Mr. Allen is one of the top authorities on entrepreneurialism and is a frequent speaker on social media.

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Advertising Services

PinoyBusiness — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 12:31:21 +0000

Filipino Entrepreneurs who are into providing services find it more complicated to promote their business rather than selling products. Some of them have contractors which they pay high percentage but usually care only about the project rather than increasing employee satisfaction. Here are some tips on to sell intangible services.

Determine the Value

Becoming proficient at communicating value is important regardless of what product or services you sell. The two forms of value are tangible and intangible. Compare to an intangible value, tangible value can be easily seen and is easy to measure with the use of an expression in either numbers or percentages such as a 30 percent increase in productivity, a 10 percent increase in revenues and the likes.

On the other hand, intangible value is more difficult to measure. But just like the tangible value, it is as important as well. In intangible value, number is not important because it is primarily expressed with the use of descriptive words and phrases such as lower risk of losing employees, a better impression in the marketplace, enhanced labor relations, and so on.

Make the equation Balance

Making an equation is the next step after you have established the value. Create an equation that will be understood by your prospect and test a balanced reward equation. All you have to focus is creating the right equation and the concern about how the prospects will hear, read or see this statement will fall into its places after.

Compare these two equations:

“Overachieve your time to readiness goals by 15 percent!” vs. “Overachieve time to readiness reduction goals by 15 percent--while at the same time reducing operational expenses by as much as 10 percent.”

The first example demands a lot and leaves questions that are unanswered such as what must be done to achieve the goal, how can additional advertising be performed, should the compensation plan be revamped, and other more which all give a suspicion over the claim to its benefit

Meanwhile, the second example is a balanced equation which is built around tangible value.

Here is an example of an intangible reward equation: “Boost the moral and commitment of employee at the same time as containing your benefit expenses.”
After mastering both tangible and intangible reward equations, it is necessary to add one of the critical element- time. It is important to include time frame at the end of your equations to determine the length of time needed in achieving goals. Here is an example of balanced reward equation with the additional of time element; “Overachieve time to reduce revenue goals by 15 percent, at the same time as reduction of operational expenses up to 10 percent; achieve this goal in less than 120 days.â€

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How to appear like a Multimillion Brand

PinoyBusiness — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:11:57 +0000

First impressions last! A business canâ€™t afford to have a poor impression especially in times like this where the marketplace is highly competitive. Not all customers will know that the products or services that you are offering are great. You have to make your clients believe that where the bigger guys are playing is the same playing field that you are into. Your prospective customers need to be motivated, inspired and impressed by every aspect of your company. Here are the five ways for branding your business to look like you are a global corporation without spending a lot.

Website
The center of your brand universe is your website. To look like big, make it simple. Compare to a 20- page site with long-winded fluff, a 2-page site with useful content and that is easy to navigate will make your company appear more established. Your websiteâ€™s design should be based from the needs of your user.

Soliciting bids from programmers and designers is one solution in case you donâ€™t know how to build your own site. You can also subscribe to service providers like Web.com which offer online tools, templates and hosting packages to small businesses.

Another essential part of the brand positioning strategy is deciding on the right URL. It should be kept short up to 10 characters only because long URL is more difficult to remember. URL that is a phrase should also be avoided. As much as possible, the URL extension should be .com as it is more commonly used than .tv and .net.

Vanity Numbers
Have you observed that phone numbers in an advertisement is always easy to remember? In order to prove effectiveness, a phone number should be catchy, related to your product or services and most important of all, easy to be remembered. Vanity numbers build brand awareness and can increase the sales call volume. There are online services that sell custom vanity number like the TollFreeNumbers.com.

Automated Phone Systems
With the use of automated phone system, small businesses can look like and sound like a company that operates in different locations in the world. The use of this system allow owners and employees of small businesses to accept phone calls and appear to be in their office where in fact they are receiving the calls from their home offices or on their mobile phones.

Virtual Office
Even though using automated phone system allows you to receive calls from home or mobile phones, it is necessary that your customer thinks that they are actually calling your office. Virtual offices, which can be rented for reasonable amount, offers high profile mailing address which also includes receptionists, mail receiving and forwarding services, and a space for on-location meeting if ever needed.

Business Card
With your available website, toll free numbers, and office address ready, this information can now be combined into a single tool. A reflection of you and your company can be instantly seen through business cards. In designing a business card, it is important that you become creative and spend time if necessary to avoid sending the wrong message to prospective clients. A business card should stand out. You can do this by using bold color, having a card with different shape, making it longer and using a thicker card than using the standard size business cards. Though it will cost you more to achieve a quality business card, yet in the long run it will return to you ten times because through your business cards, you will leave an impression to your customers that you can provide a high quality services or products.

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How to make Glutathione Soap

PinoyBusiness — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 07:54:45 +0000

Glutathione is substance present in almost all living organisms. It has many known health benefits including its ability to regulate the action of â€œlesser antioxidant.â€ It is also known to give a fairer and whiter skin. That is why, health, beauty and wellness industry use glutathione as agent to achieve this long aspiration of both men and women to have whiter skin.

However, despite glutathioneâ€™s well known health benefits, still a lot of people are hesitant to take glutathione orally, afraid of the adverse reaction that might occur. Rather, they would prefer using it through external use- by applying to skin. With this, the health, beauty and wellness industry found ways to address these concerns. They have come up with different glutathione- containing products that can be used externally like soap.

This circumstance has been considered as a business opportunity by Leng Aveno, a lecturer about soap making at ESF Cakes and Bread House. She stated that making an herbal soap with glutathione can be a home-based start up business for those who are planning to put up their own business.

In making herbal glutathione soap, the following equipment will be needed:

Pail
hand mixer
Spatula
scraper
Hand mixer
small containers
13.2inches x 16.7 inches mold- this mold will be used to make a long bar soap that could be cut into 60 bar soaps.

â€¢ If mold of this size is not available, you can improvise your own mold.

Materials needed:

Titanium dioxide- 60 ml
Sodium silicate- 60 ml
Moisturizer (castor oil)- 60 ml
cocodiethanolamide (CDEA)- 60 ml
kamias extract (Averrhoa bilimbi)- 60 ml
Apple extract- 60 ml
Evaporated milk- 60 ml
Anti-bacterial liquid- 3 ml
Preservative (phenoxy ethanol) 3 ml
Lye solution (caustic soda) -- 3.2 L
Coconut oil (cooking oil) -- 6 kg
Glutathione capsules- 12 pcs (white capsules)
Fragrance- 100 ml
Distilled water- 4L

Procedures:

1. Dissolve 60 grams of titanium dioxide in 1.5L of water and 1 kilo of caustic soda to 2.5 L of water. Distilled water is better used than tap water to avoid contamination.
2. In preparation of the kamias extract, ferment 1 kilo of bilimbi fruit (kamias) in a jar then add 2 tablespoon of salt. Strain it after 24 hours to get the extract.
3. For apple extract, cut and blend one apple. Using cheesecloth, strain to get the extract.
4. Place the coconut oil in a pail.
5. Remove the glutathione powder from the capsule and mix it with the coconut oil until fully dissolved.
6. Put the ingredients into the mix. Make sure you will follow the sequence of placing the ingredients to avoid producing rough soap; sodium silicate, CDEA, moisturizer, kamias extract, apple extract, milk, titanium dioxide, preservative, the anti-bacterial liquid and the fragrance.
7. Using a hand mixer, mix the ingredients properly.
8. While continuously mixing, gradually pour the lye solution into the mixture. Make sure that it will only be mixed in one direction to avoid swirls or cloudy effect on the soap.
9. Continue mixing until the mixture gets finer just like that of a condensed milk.
Note. The soap will feel rough and itchy to the skin if not properly mixed.
10. Place plastic cutouts to the mold to prevent the soup from sticking into the mold
Pour the liquid mixture. Level and smoothen the top portion of the soap with the use of a scraper.
11. Allow five hours to cure once it becomes smooth.
12. Observe for signs of hardening such as change in color and heat released by the soap. If the soap hardens after five hours, wait for it to cool down before removing it to the mold and cutting into smaller pieces. Ensure that the edges of the soap are smooth.
13. Soap can only be used after 24 hours.

The condition of glutathione herbal soaps can last up to 1.5 years. It is better to use soaps which are 8 months old because it has already cured very well. Because no preservatives were used, glutathione herbal soaps will shrink about 5 grams after a year.

Finishing touches on the soap depends on how you would like it to be attractive to other people. It is necessary to include the ingredients in the label of the soap. Prices of glutathione herbal soap range from P100-P130. Marketing strategy will be important in advertising your product. You can use websites as means to promote and sell your product.

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Accounting Checklist

PinoyBusiness — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:54:55 +0000

Every business needs an accounting to determine the inflow and outflow of finances. It would best if the owner himself has his own eyes in the accounting of his own business. But it is not necessarily that the owner himself would do the accounting, rather knowledge on the basics of accounting and the ability on interpreting financial statements is all you need. Regular involvement in the work of the bookkeeper who manages your finances will result to better accounting. Accounting should be done on a daily basis, weekly basis and on a monthly basis.

Daily accounting is done to have the summary of the sales and cash receipts of the day. Daily sales could be the combination of cash sales from complete transactions and from what the customers owe you (receivables). You should have the cash position report reviewed. Cash position report is the record of all the cash ins and outs for the day. Make sure that at the end of the day, the cash on hand and the bank balance are all accounted for. Some adjustments should be done in recording the amount if ever the cash is not on hand or is not deposited on the bank because it was used to pay salaries or other expenses.

Weekend accounting is done to prepare the amount of money that will be needed for expenses such as payroll for the upcoming week, VAT payments and withholding taxes. Payables especially those with cash discounts and those affordable should be done to avoid upset on the suppliers. With the budgeted payments, you will then have the idea of how much money you will need to achieve from the cash sales and from the receivable collections.

Also, through weekend accounting you will be able to identify customers who are not paying on time their receivable accounts. You can have their attention regarding this matter by calling them, visiting or writing them letters.

Monthly accounting will give you an overview on how the business is doing and if necessary adjustments such as price increase or reduction of overhead expenses to increase the income should be done. Performance of the bookkeeper should be reviewed to find out if she has posted on the general ledger all the journal entries with their proper classifications. Once the journal entries have been checked, the bookkeeper should have an income statement readily available 10 to 15 days after the last day of the month.

Aside from the accounting, other things that should be given proper attention in business include:

â€¢ Balance sheet- this where you can review the companyâ€™s financial condition. With the use of the balance sheet, how much assets including the fixed assets and the liabilities to suppliers and banks are compared to the invested capital. Proper adjustment of the two accounts, the bank balance and the cash account, should be done if any timing differences occur.
â€¢ Regular cash count- this is done to check if the petty cash and the total amount of paid slips will fit the budget you have for the month. Surprise cash count can be made to find out if your cashier is honestly maintaining petty cash in the box.
â€¢ Tax Payments- ensure that withholding taxes deducted from salaries and VAT payments are remitted accordingly. VAT computations and remittances are done based on the legally declared sales and expenses.

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How to Start a Water Refilling Station Business

PinoyBusiness — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 05:22:21 +0000

One of the basic needs for survival is water. But because we cannot ensure the safety of water we used to drink coming from wells and from the water being supplied by the government anymore, people found ways on how to provide safe and clean drinking water. This is the reason why, just like mushrooms, a lot of water refilling stations are now found in almost every corner in Manila. Starting this business is an advantage because it not seasonal, water is needed throughout our life. It can give us additional income to up to 40 thousand a month and will only require limited space compare to other business. You can even do this business in your homes.

To start this type of business, you will have to consider the following:

Space/Location

About 25 sq meters of space will be needed. It is not necessarily be along the road for it will only cost you higher price if you will just rent a place. It would be ok even if it is placed inside a subdivision since 90% of the sales will come from deliveries.

Equipment

Of course this is the most important thing needed in this kind of business. An approximate of 250,000 Php will be spent for this, which includes:
Filters
â€¢ Granular activated carbon with timer head-10Ã—54â€³FRP (blue10Ã—54â€³ FRP (Blue)
â€¢ Brine tank and Softener with timer head
â€¢ Multimedia filter with timer head- 10Ã—54â€³ FRP (blue)
â€¢ polishing filter-20â€³ slim (blue)
â€¢ 5 micron sediment filter-20â€³ slim (blue)
Reverse osmosis unit
â€¢ 1 -R.O. membrane w/ stainless casing- 2.5Ã—40â€³
â€¢ Â½ hp procon pump
â€¢ Low pressure controller
â€¢ Flow meters- 2
â€¢ Pressure gauges- 2
â€¢ stainless steel frame
â€¢ Control Panel
Water tanks
â€¢ stainless steel raw water tank (210gallons)
â€¢ stainless steel product tank (210 gallons)
Disinfection
â€¢ 5GPM Ultraviolet -- Germicidal
Pumps, motors
â€¢ 0.5hp pumps stainless headed with 21 gallons s/s pressure tank, pressure switch and gauge.
â€¢ 0.5 hp pumps (raw), stainless headed with switch and gauge.

Permits
The next thing needed is permits which will legalize the operation of your business.
â€¢ Barangay permit
â€¢ Sanitary permit from Municipality or DOH
â€¢ Mayorâ€™s permit
â€¢ DTI

Mode of Delivery

You should be able to identify your market. If it is coming from a subdivision, a motorcycle that can carry 25 bottles will do, aside from the fact that it is cheaper in gasoline consumption. You can even use bicycle with side car if possible. And if you will be supplying to greater market, you might need a bigger mode of transportation.

An estimation of 500 Php will be spent in starting this business. This will include expenses for everything; the equipment, permits, water testing, heat gun, containers to be used(100 pcs. each for round and slim), motorcycle with 2 layer side car for delivery, sticker and signboards for promotion, and the renovation of the station.

Upon start of operation, monthly expenses will amount to 28,000 Php including
Electric and telephone bill, water consumption, salary of driver, fuel, maintenance, consumables and including the depreciation value and monthly rent if you donâ€™t own the place. But an estimated gross profit of 91,000 Php per 100 bottles sold a day can be achieved. Less the expenses it will be a net profit of 62,000 Php. Not bad for a starting business.

Related Video:

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The Pasalubong Center in Pangasinan

Roy — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 04:34:40 +0000

If you happened to be in Pangasinan and you are looking for some â€˜pasalubongâ€™ to bring home to your friends and families, be sure to check out the Pangasinan Pasalubong Center. Itâ€™s a place where the products of Pangasinan can be found and bought. The store is strategically located at Barangay Carment East, which is just a hundred meters away from the newly opened shopping mall.

The store just opened in March of this year and store manager Shirley Sison-Morden said that it is the first of its kind in Pangasinan. The store is now a famous source of Pangasinan products like Dagupan boneless bangus (milkfish), Lingayen bagoong (salted fish) and Calasiao puto (rice cake).

Likewise, dried fish from coastal towns of San Fabian and Sual, as well as pickled and dried mangoes processed in Manaoag town are also available in the pasalubong center. Morden said that motorist from Baguio City and other Northern Luzon provinces are dropping by to buy pasalubong as they head home to Metro Manila, and other places south of the province.Â â€œThe most sought after products so far are the boneless bangus, bagoong, puto pickled mangoes and peanut brittle,â€ Morden said.

Morden said that the center was in response to Governor Amado Espinoâ€™s call to have a place that will house all Pangasinan products. It was established as a project of the Pangasinan provincial government, Rosales municipal government and the Abono party list.

Small entrepreneurs from the different towns and cities of the province are supplying the products in the center.

Pangasinan, being the countryâ€™s leading producer of bangus and mangoes, is supplying 41 percent of the countryâ€™s total production, while puto-making is a century-old home-based industry in the town of Calasiao. Other products include duhat (black plum) wine from Dasol and Bugallon towns, muscovado sugar from Mapandan and processed meat from Mangaldan.

A wide parking area have been provided by the provincial government, and a restroom was also constructed. A wall of colorful mural depicting agricultural activities in Pangasinan can also be seen in front of the store. The mural painting is a product of a mural painting competition sponsored by the Abono party-list and the Dagupan Artistsâ€™ Circle just last month.

The pasalubong center has the support of the provincial office of the Department of Trade and Industry, which is promoting its â€œOne Town, One Productâ€ program, said Morden.

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Success in egg business

Roy — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 13:17:36 +0000

Martin Ozaeta, 42, a BatangueÃ±o from Lumil, San Jose learned all about the intricacies of poultry and egg business from his in-laws, Mr. and Mrs. Rolando Virtusio who first ventured into the business. Now that he is managing his own business, Martin makes sure that he attends to his farmâ€™s needs personally.

Through the years, Martin has learned and experienced a number of factors that pose health risks to the chicken, which could lead to infertility or even death. Aside from the problem with the chickenâ€™s welfare, he is very much aware of the presence of hindrances in business. And these he experienced especially when he was just starting. The most difficult problem he encountered, according to him, is maintaining a steady cash flow.

In spite of the viability of his business, he is aware of the factors that affect it like fluctuations in the demand and supply situation. Christmas season would always bring them great demands for eggs, while vacation time would be the lean season for them.

When it come to cash or capital concerns, Martin runs to a number of lending companies, and also relies on government progrmas, including those of the Department of Agriculture (DA), which he is very much thankful for. Martin said that he was able to expand when he availed of the loan from ACEF.

ACEF or Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund was created by Republic Act 8178 or the Agricultural Tarriffication Act of 1996. This is a special purpose fund specifically intended to finance projects and activities to enhance the agriculture and fisheries sectors. It provides financial support to farmers and fisherfolks, cooperatives and agribusiness entrepreneurs in order for them to expand their operate and compte in the domesic and global markets.

Martin also has DA to thank because of its marketing assistance program called Bagsakan Center, where he is assured of a ready market for his produce in Marikina and Quezon City.

Now Martinâ€™s company GEMSUN, has redesigned it building to an AV-type to adapt to the changing environment and climate. He is also adding an automatic drinking apparatus for easier management. He is also employing modern equipments like generators, egg-grading machines, and sprayers to ensure the safe and high quality production of eggs.

His poultry farm stands on a two-hectare lot along Recto Ave. in San Jose, Batangas , and has provided financial stability for his family, as well as to some 55 neighbors who work for them as farm laborers.

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Local animators encouraged to become entrepreneurs

Roy — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 08:58:33 +0000

The animation industry is about to get a boost especially with the formation of the Animation Council of the Philippines (ACP). The groupâ€™s main focus is to encourage more animators to be more enterprising and set up their own studios.

Rowena E. Bagadion, newly-installed president of the organization said, â€œAnimators are creative people. But oftentimes, we are not entrepreneurial enough.â€ She added that the â€œcommon perspective of animators is to become employed, whereas they can actually be the employer by setting up small animation studios or SMEs (small and medium enterprises).â€

The organization is planning to hold regular assemblies and forums to encourage members to set up their own studios, Bagadion said this will make access to funding easier. She also said that cooperatives can also drive down costs as members would have the benefits of shared software and equipments.

Presently, there are around 80 local animation studios in the country, the ACP is looking to double that number by next three years. Bagadion added that of the 10,000 or so local animators, over half just do freelance work.

â€œTo help the industry, what we want is to project the image that we have many suppliers which companies can choose from,â€ Bagadion said. While she pushes for members to become entrepreneurs, she is also encouraging them to produce original materials. â€œThe local animation industry is service-oriented. But to achieve growth, producing content is important as it establishes oneâ€™s brand,â€ she added.

Animation is also one of the industries being widely outsourced in the country, with the existence of talented and creative animators, it is not surprising at all. In the last four years, the industry has more than double its revenues to $110 million, from $52 million in 2004.

Michael Lim is confident that the industry would not be severely affected by the global economic crisis. â€œThe industry will be affected but not much as the need for entertainment will be there even more in recessions,â€ he said. Lim is the deputy executive director of the ACP

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Technology start-up companies now have a cheap facility

Roy — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 14:22:52 +0000

Technology startup companies in the Philippines now have an ally, and a home, with the help of the project that is spearheaded by the Department of Science and Technology together with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA).

This is the incubation facility which would be opened at the University of the Philippines this April which would provide cheap hosting services and research facilities for technology startup companies. This project developed byÂ the DOST and PEZA called the Technology Business Incubation (TBI) will use facilities located beside the science agencyâ€™s Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI).

This bold project of the DOST and PEZA costs them about P10 million, utilizing the 600 square meter facility. Another P15 million were spent for the computer servers and network equipment. But unlike the other incubation facilities, TBI wonâ€™t be using buildings and other fixed structures, instead it will use large container trailers, just like the same ones used by hauling trucks, as housing for the startup companies.

Each of these trailers has at least 20 square meters of floor area, just about the size of a small office. DOST Undersecretary Fortunato de la PeÃ±a, said in an interview, that the agency is still evaluating the monthly rental of the facility for technology startups. It will be an amount that will not cover the use of utilities, such as electricity, water and communications.

De la PeÃ±a assured however that the monthly rental would be cheap for the startup companies since it would also provide technical assistance, through the ASTI, as well as pool for researchers from UP Diliman.

â€œWe already have inquiries about the facility but we still have to release the monthly rental soon. At least 20 startup firms would fit in that facility,â€ de la PeÃ±a said.

This is indeed great news for entrepreneurs who want to start their technology company on â€œshoestring budgetâ€ so to speak.

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An entrepreneur’s succes story from planting vegetables

Roy — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 05:39:35 +0000

Desiree Duran was only able to finish elementary, and for most of her life, she was selling fishballs and isaw to her neighbors in Basuit, San Ildefonso, Bulacan. But this condition is not enough to make Daisy (as Desiree is commonly called) quit her dream of becoming an entrepreneur. Because of her gut-feel and queer determination, the lowly fishball vendor is now a millionaire and is one of the most successful vegetable growers in Bulacan.

Daisy started her quest by planting off-season vegetables, after attending a farmersâ€™ training called the â€œUnlad Buhay sa Nayon Program.â€ A program which was then under the Bulacan Agricultural State College, the Provincial government of Bulacan and the municipal government of San Ildefonso.

From that initial attempt, where she planted grafted tomato in 1,000-square meter plot, Daisy was able to earn P70,000. This prompted her to convert a one-hectare family-owned rainfed Riceland into vegetation full of pinakbet ingredients vegetables, such as eggplant, ampalaya, upo and patola. Along with them, she also planted hot and sweet pepper, tomato, cucumber and Sinta papaya.

But it didnâ€™t stop there, as Daisy ventured into another income-generating project with the assistance of the Department of Agriculture (DA), the East-West Seed Co., and the local agriculture offices. The new project saw her producing seedlings which she sells to other vegetable growers in their area. In three-yearâ€™s time, Daisy was titled the Seedling Lady of Bulacan because of her produce.

Her single greenhouse operation expanded into a six-unit complex capable of producing 200,000 assorted vegetable seedlings monthly, which she sold at P2 per seedling.

Because of her success and influence, Daisy was able to help form the Basuit Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative, together with the other vegetable growers in their area. The group was able to get better prices for their produce, and because of the DAâ€™s Direct Market Linkage Program, they were able to sell their vegetables at bagsakan centers and food terminals sans the middlemen which gave them a much higher profit.

Eight years since she started planting off-season vegetables, Daisy is now reaping the fruits of her labor. She was able to acquire a half-hectare land, a truck, an owner type jeep, and a 4×4 pick-up truck, all from her vegetable initiative. Her children went to better schools and she was able to provide employment to the women in their community.

Daisy now also gets to travel as she share her knowledge and story of success, as she gives lectures on her tested technology and marketing strategy.

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DTI conducts free entrepreneurship training

Roy — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 01:02:19 +0000

A free entrepreneurship training was provided by the Department of Trade and industry last January 27 to March 20, 2009 in Western Visayas. In the said program, over 5,021 people avail of the opportunity. According to DTI Information Officer 6 Ruby Melliza, around 112 free entrepreneurship trainings were conducted during the period through the different DTI provincial offices.

Most of the beneficiaries of the program were graduating students, ambulant vendors, employed workers who want to become entrepreneurs, unemployed individuals, Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), housewives, farmers, persons with disability, fisher-folks and sugar workers, and even those who already belong to the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises who want to be capacitated.

“The free trainings are under the Comprehensive Livelihood Emergency Employment Program of the department which is part of the measures of the national government to ensure that the vulnerable sectors are protected from threats and loss of income as a result of the global economic meltdown,” said Melliza.

In the report submitted, Capiz recorded the most number of trainings with 39 and benefitting 2,134 persons, Antique follows with 22 trainings and 822 beneficiaries. Negros Occidental had the lowest number of trainings, but their beneficiaries reached 1,041.

From those who have availed of the program, 145 are now going into business generating more than P1.25 million investments and creating 183 jobs. They are in the food processing, beauty and detergent soap making, trading, processed meat, bakeshop, operation of small eatery or carinderia, household products, handicrafts, pharmaceuticals, junkshops and sari-sari store.

The thrust of the government program now is developing most Filipinos to become entrepreneurs, especially with many workers finding themselves to be out of job because of companies closing down due to the recession.

Those who are interested to avail of the free training of DTI, whether they are groups or associations, may contact the nearest DTI office in their respective areas. For individuals, the free training is conducted every Tuesday at 8:30 to 11:30 AM in all DTI provincial offices.

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The new DTI website

Roy — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 15:19:16 +0000

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has launched its new and updated website. The new DTI website is meant to strengthen the agencyâ€™s presence in the Internet community and also of enhancing the services they provide to their clients.

Powered by ePLDT and Softrigger Interactive, the new DTI website (www.dti.gov.ph) features several enhancements on the old website, online visitors will experience and improved online experience.

For one, there is a splash page that establishes DTIâ€™s corporate identity and provides a handy shortcut of links and information at a glance. Clicking the DTI logo located at the center of the page will bring the visitor to DTI Home Page, should the visitor gets confused and donâ€™t know where to go. â€œBread crumbsâ€ or navigational indicators to ensure that users will be guided while surfing through the site is also added.

Other features of the new DTI website includes: a news ticker showing updates like price monitoring and others; past and upcoming events are also displayed and rotated; various DTI initiatives found on a scrolling banner; and a poll feature to give the site an interactive feel. Soon to be added on the site is an interactive message board that will feature trade and industry related topics.

The DTI website was enhanced and made to cater to broad spectrum of clients, both here and abroad. They bookmarked other local agency sites and trade ministry portals across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to adopt best practices and make the site a useful information tool that is also at par with the constantly advancing technology.

Visitors may either check the sites pages by through the bureaus and offices links on the sites instead of the service. Those who are familiar with DTI can proceed directly to the Bureau Section to browse for information they need.

DTI hopes to contribute to the business and consumerâ€™s sectors clamor for timely information through the new website. They are also seeking to help minimize red tape and uplift overall competitiveness.