The future of our nation lies in the hands of our children, and we as parents have great responsibility in raising our children well. Our Go Negosyo 8 Simple Secrets to Raising Entrepreneurs has hit the bestsellers list at National Bookstore, and this is because the book is more than just what it says on its cover. At face value, the book seems to be all about how to raise our kids to become negosyantes in the future. But as many readers have already discovered, the book is also a unique and modern guide to parenting. It offers a different take on how to rear our children.

In the book, author Mrs. Mary Joy Canon-Abaquin, Ed.M., who is also an award-winning educator, entrepreneur and Go Negosyo Angelpreneur, discusses the secrets on how to harness the inherent talents and skills of our children so that they can grow to be successful individuals, whether in negosyo or in other fields.

Congratulations to Mrs. Abaquin for this achievement! We’ve interviewed Mrs. Abaquin – or Teacher Joy to her students – to give her thoughts on the challenges faced by parents of today and the importance of developing an enterprising mindset among our kids.

How is it different raising the kids of today compared to two decades ago?

Children today are growing up in a very different world with different demands to be successful. Technology has changed the way people relate and work. Kids today need to be technologically competent, innovative, creative, good communicators and good team players to be prepared for the demands of the 21st century. As parents, we need to be able to equip our children by helping them gain these skills through exposure, experience and education. It is not only important for kids to be academically competent, but more importantly, they must be good problem-solvers, capable of creating new ideas, new products and new solutions.

What are the most important things parents can do to make sure their kids grow up to be successful?

Parents can help kids be successful by empowering them with an understanding of what their strong intelligences are so that they can find their passion. Parents are a child’s first mentors. Modeling a positive attitude and encouraging children to pursue their interests until it is converted into a skill help children develop the mindset for entrepreneurship. If we want our kids to not only grow up to be successful but also happy, we should, at their early age, help them live a life of purpose by giving them opportunities to use their intelligences to make a difference.

For you, what is the role of entrepreneurship and today’s children in building a better future for the Philippines?

Filipino children are the future of our country. To be competitive globally, we need to encourage our youth to create jobs instead of just be employed. Hopefully, with an entrepreneurial-mind, Filipinos will be able to innovate and create products and services that will put the Philippines in the map!

Thank you Joy for spreading the importance of entrepreneurship to Filipinos! Learn more about the “secrets” of raising entrepreneurial kids in the book.

July has been a month for the MSMEs. Just two weeks ago, the DTI and MSMED Council celebrated its SME week. Today at the World Trade Center, the Association of Filipino Franchisers, Inc. (AFFI) provides another week to celebrate and promote MSMEs and home-grown brands through its 10th Filipino Franchise Show, entitled “Strengthening the Filipino MSME!”

It is a great honor to be joining AFFI’s board of directors in opening the Franchise Show today. The AFFI Executive Board, which is composed of powerhouse entrepreneurs as Ricardo Cuna, Paulo Tibig, Richard Sanz, Francis Glenn Yu, Josephine See, Neil Delgado, Gilbert Jim, Freda Co, and Kamela Seen; together with its board of advisers which includes Armando “Butz” Bartolome, Estrelita Montanido, Erlinda Bartolome, Teresa Laurel, and Teresita Ngan Tian, have organized a week-long event (July 21-24) which will not only showcase hundreds of brand and franchising concepts, but will also be providing lectures and talks from today’s top entrepreneurs.

We invite all aspiring entrepreneurs to join the show, and we hope you can find inspiration for your own negosyo idea from the more than 300 brand and franchising concepts. Go Negosyo and other institutions such as the DTI will be providing seminars on how to start a business, as well as how to pick a franchise. Learn the secrets to successful negosyos with entrepreneurs/lecturers such as Carson Tan of GQWEST, Inc. (developer of Aquabest), Glenn Yu of Sea Oil, Cito Beltran, Susan Ople, and many others.

Kudos to AFFI for sharing the advocacy of entrepreneurship. We are one with AFFI in developing and supporting Filipino brands and SMEs.

Go Negosyo upcoming events for the month of

July

21-24: AFFI 10th Filipino Franchise Show at the World Trade Center

29: NEGOSEM Basics at the RFM Auditorium

August

12-14: Philippine Home-Based Business and Career Summit (PHBBACS) at the Megatrade Hall 3

16: SME Negosyo Caravan at Catarman, Northern Samar (Region 8)

Visit www.gonegosyo.net for more details.

Contact me: feedback@gonegosyo.net or Joey Concepcion Facebook account. Visit www.gonegosyo.net. Watch the top rating entrep show GO NEGOSYO: Kaya Mo! on GMA News TV, Saturday and Sunday 8-8:30 a.m. Get daily Go Negosyo Text Ti