Start a Business, No capital needed

There are a lot of reasons why people wanting to start a business, can't. In a conversation of business ideas we almost always hear the line "I/We don't have the money to start", then interest dies down soon after that. Most of the time it's not really a matter of limitation in finances but rather a limitation in attitude.

Remember that capital is an important factor in starting a business, but it is not the only factor. Your products and services, marketing plan, location, are also integral to starting the business. Once you've started you'll then be presented with *heaps* of new problems, some of which won't even be concerning money. The point is, you'll only think about the starting money in the start. If you can't handle that, then it's doubtful you can handle the others that'll come your way.

• Loan money from the bank or other financial institutions. There are companies offering financial services specifically to start-ups and small businesses.
• Invite investors for their expertise, money, or both. Make sure these people can actually contribute to your business. Don't include people "just because", and avoid romantic interests and previous generation relatives.
• Use a business plan requiring the least amount of capital. Sometimes you don't need to have an office, a store, or a warehouse right away. Sell from your home, or use your garage as a workshop. Limit your market to friends and relatives at first if you have to. These people already trust you, if you need it you can ask for payment before you deliver the product.
  
• Use cheap/free channels to advertise like flyers, email (avoid sending spam though), social network websites, and word-of-mouth before budgeting for TV spots and large highway billboard signs. Having a simple website with your own domain can also help alot, there are packages available for around PHP1,000 (US$18) a year.

Being a businessman/woman requires you to have a certain set of skills. These skills, and your nothing-in-hell-can-stop-me attitude, are what will make your business a success.

They say teachers and doctors are noble as they mold our next generation and save the lives of our loved ones. But I'm sure you can also find something noble in providing 25,000 jobs. If you love it: learn it, do it, then you'll have it all.

Chkdsk Woes

Apparently, Windows' Chkdsk can't fix some errors it finds on your hard disk. I recently checked my hard drives and both failed file and directory structure tests in SeaTools, which conveniently directs me to use the operating system's tools to correct the problems. Chkdsk says unallocated sectors are being reported as used, and use /F to fix the MFT. After running Chkdsk /F (scheduled at startup) and Chkdsk to check several times, the same errors were still present. A cousin said this could mean the hard drive's electronics could be failing. Great.

Using Chkdsk /R in the Recovery Console finally worked, I hope. Why do I need /R which locates and tries to fix bad sectors, when my problem is non-physical and with the file system? Shouldn't have /F worked in the first place?

Blog 2006

This year's blog design is more, well, white. This doesn't mean my disposition is ... cleaner, but it pertains to one of my principles on web design: Less is more.

New Year Resolutions... Sooo Last Year

This morning I finally got to do one of my new year's resolutions, that was to swim regularly at our village clubhouse. No cause for much celebration though, as that was part of my *last year's* resolutions. Yep, good ol' 2005! Other physical activities I decided to pursue within the year was shooting(stock .45 caliber), archery, rally driving, Jason Bourne's martial arts (I believe it was Kali), and regular gym workouts (this was the only one I got to do).

This year I'll be taking out archery and rally driving (d**n gas prices), while adding to the list: DSLR photography, regular blogging, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, and German languages. And less procastination I guess. "Don't put of tomorrow/next year what you can do today"

Good and Evil, Whatever

My father always asks "What are you learning from all your playing of PC games?!" So, as the obedient son as I am, I'll be documenting what I'll learn from games whatever format it comes in. If soldiers and airline pilots are trained in simulators similar to video games, what prevents us learning from Crash Bandicoot or Grand Theft Auto?

Experience Points gained from Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: Sith Lords.

What we immediately pick up from watching the Star Wars movies is that the Light side is good, and Dark side bad. Jedi good, Sith bad. Rebellion good, Empire bad. Then good always wins in the end. The game adds immense depth to the good/evil duality through the fallen Jedi Kreia. She shows you that a simple act of kindness of giving money to a beggar, results in his murder by an envious peer. Threatening him will scare him off, but he will pass on your cruelty and murder the other man instead. In another scene where you help a man from thugs, she explains that by helping him you deprived him the opportunity to make himself stronger, leaving him more vulnerable to another threat. How much are we really helping when we give to the needy?

The Jedi aspire to be empty of all passion and emotion, no love nor hate, distancing themselves from human nature. It is by this they believe the way to control of the Force and understanding everything. It is these teachings that led to their downfall, when the Order was split between those that wanted to help in the war, and those that wanted peace by doing nothing about it. You cannot after all, achieve peace by countering violence with violence; at the same time, millions of innocents are being slaughtered by Mandalorians. Would you side with peace, abandoning those people to death; or would you side with action, responsible for the death of thousands to save millions?

It doesn't really matter how much we do to save the world, something along the way will eventually happen and mess it all up. We just have to do our best, ignore the critics and cynics, be responsible for our every action, and just learn to deal with the sh** when it comes. Sometimes, the good things are what keeps us from being better. Freedom, for example, prevents order and unity; therefore peace is a long way behind. Or maybe us Filipinos can't handle what we have, yet still clamor for more.

Boom Boom Contest

The fireworks competition being held near the under-construction SM Mall of Asia is *rad*. This photo was taken in the parking lot of Teletech Roxas Blvd., using a Nokia 6020 in night-mode. I was so close, I got sunburn.

Mind-droning traffic already starts from España or Edsa-Ayala. Since my destination was pretty close to the event, I had to persuade several traffic organizers along the way that "Yes, I definitely need to be there; and no, not just to get closer to the lights" and one would hear me say more than once "Don't park there, I'm still going that way, idiot"

Christmas Party @ RSCC

We held our PREX Proj.6 Batch 70 Christmas party at the Nursery Ward of Reception & Study Center for Children, Magbantay, QC last Saturday Dec 17.






Don't they look quite happy to see us? We were informed this ward was visited less frequently than the other wards, as people prefer kids that are older than toddlers.






Thanks to Gardenia for providing the kids with a sleighful of bread, and Philmed for infant multivitamin drops.







"Bata, tatay mo yan oh, hahahaha"
"Huhuhu, bakit mo ako iniwan?"

My Brother the Jedi

It's Jase Windoo! Almost bald, almost black.

The Darth Vader lightsaber I originally bought for him was defective, as was the other Darth Vader lightsabers, so we got Mace Windu's (the only other available was Yoda's, which apparently no one wants)

Happy birthday! May the Force be with you, and in your weapon power cells

ROME

The new series from HBO, well, rocks! The cast, especially Caesar (Ciaran Hind), is absolutely amazing! I have yet to ascertain of its historical accuracy, but it is still impressive even if it has none. Another great production from HBO, joining the ranks of Band of Brothers, Six Feet Under, and Carnivale. The pre-Caesar Republic of Rome is unnervingly familiar, though ; filthy streets, chaotic citizens, squabbling politicians, widespread corruption and immorality, a republic failing its people.

"Our beloved Republic is in the hands of madmen! This is a dark day, and I stand at a fork in the road. I can abide the law and surrender my arms to the Senate - and watch the Republic fall to tyranny and chaos. Or, I can go home with my sword in hand and run those maniacs to the Tarpean Rock!"

GMA Resign?

With a voice as adamant as the rallyists I say, shut the f*ck up! You might be rallying behind a noble cause for truth or for a better Philippines, but without a permit you're both a traffic obstruction and a jaywalker. In some countries we look up to, if I run you over you'll be the one fined and jailed. Also, isn't the People's Court a form of rebellion? That is punishable by life imprisonment?

Poverty and hunger has been a problem even before GMA came into office. If you're so damn hungry then don't waste your energy marching 20kms and then pushing against riot shields and 500 trained policemen. If you're so damn poor then avoid situations where you can end up in a hospital, billing you P10,000 a night because you got pneumonia from getting drenched by a water cannon.

Crime, poverty, corruption, inflation, unemployment; these are serious problems. But these can neither make nor break a country, but LEADERSHIP *can*. A Strong Republic requires a strong leader, who has strong hands to whoop the be-hinds of our spoiled-brat public servants and countrymen who can't stop whining about what they can't have or about how things should be.

Power should not be abused but neither should Freedom.