One of the biggest challenges of Go Negosyo is to change the mindset of Filipinos towards entrepreneurship. Many are still not convinced that venturing into negosyo can truly help in uplifting their quality of life. Others are hopeful, but they have no idea what negosyo to start. There are also those who are intimidated by the misconceptions that running a negosyo is all about crunching numbers or that only those who have a degree in business will succeed as an entrepreneur.

But most of us who are entrepreneurs know this is not true. Truth is, anyone who has a dream of moving up in life, has ideas and is willing to work hard can be a successful entrepreneur — regardless of status in life, age or even educational background. Let me share with you more stories of successful Filipino entrepreneurs to inspire you to get into negosyo and to prove that life as an entrepreneur can also be exciting and fun.

Carmen Cristina Araneta is not even finished with college but she can now add “entrepreneur” to her list of achievements. Carsy, who has been painting and drawing since she was a kid, celebrated her 21st birthday by launching her very first painting exhibit, aptly titled “21.” It was also her first venture as an entrepreneur as she sold most of her paintings in the first few days of her exhibit, which was held at the Tasting Room at Grey Stone in Makati.

She admitted she was afraid that people might not embrace her art and that her paintings wouldn’t sell. But, just as her family always told her, Carsy worked hard on her pieces, stayed positive, and mustered up enough confidence to complete her first collection. And even with all the stress, Carsy had the time of her life finishing her collection because painting has always been what she enjoys doing.

Walk in the park: Pooch Park Doggy Day Care owner Oliver Tan
For Carsy, receiving her first check was an exciting experience since artwork doesn’t really come cheap. But she shares that, in the future, her priority is to improve her craft and continue to enjoy where her creativity takes her. The best advice she can give to aspiring young artists and entrepreneurs is the same advice her own dad gave her that she follows, and that is to never give up and to always try to reach whatever it is you are aiming for. Like many Filipinos, she, too, was afraid at first but she realized that when you want something so badly, there is really nothing to lose.

Another entrepreneur who has found success and, even, adventure in negosyo is Edmund Mangaser, owner of All Terra Bike Shop. Mon, as friends and bike enthusiasts call him, is an accountant by profession who worked in a logistics company before he decided to put up his own negosyo. He recalled that he started biking to work to be able to squeeze exercise into his busy days when he was still employed. When he realized he enjoyed biking to work more than the work itself, Mon decided it was time to set up his own utility bike shop and gym in Cavite.

In 2004, after a few years of learning the ropes and working with others who are passionate about the sport, Mon had a better plan and opened his first branch of All Terra Bike Shop in Libis. Today, All Terra has three branches that provide other services like bike detailing and a bike spa, and is now a trusted name among bikers here in the country.

When asked about his future plans, Mon revealed that his focus in the next few years will be on promoting the biking lifestyle to more Filipinos, who are getting more aware of the benefits of being fit. He believes that encouraging others to get into the healthy lifestyle of biking will eventually have a positive effect on his negosyo. To give his clients and other bikers a better experience, Mon also set up the All Terra Eco Trails Network, the first mountain bike park in the Philippines.

GetBlued owners Ken Andrew Sy, Kirk Chester Damasco, Kyle Concepcion and Mellany Montemayor first went into the T-shirt negosyo in 2006 as part of the Entrepreneurial Challenge of the Ateneo Management Association during their junior year. Together they put up GetBlued, a company that specializes in stylish and hip Ateneo-themed clothing and accessories. After earning more than P100,000 in two weeks for selling shirts inside campus, the friends decided to turn the friendly competition into a serious negosyo.

Active partners Kirk and Ken then borrowed P5,500 each from their parents to join a school bazaar and were able to double their capital in just four days. This encouraged them to work harder and continue the company even after they graduated in 2008. Today, GetBlued supplies shirts and merchandise to nine Ateneo schools nationwide, including those in Davao, Zamboanga, Cagayan and Cebu. They also revealed that they are not tempted to shift to the corporate world as they are earning pretty well in their own T-shirt negosyo.

Ken shares that running their negosyo is not that difficult because their duties are based on their different inclinations. Ken, who’s into multimedia, handles the design and production, while Kirk, who is more business-minded, takes care of the sales and marketing side of GetBlued. Both of them agree that they are very blessed to be doing what they do. Ken noted, “We wake up each day excited to go to work. In our company, we love Mondays.” Kirk added that they are happy to be helping other people as well. Aside from keeping the school spirit alive and promoting entrepreneurship to the youth, part of their advocacy is to sponsor the education of two students each and they have been doing it for two years now.

aving only a few places in the metro where pets are allowed is what inspired pet-lover Oliver Tan to put up the very first doggy day care in the country, Pooch Park Doggy Day Care. In 2006, he opened a safe and friendly place where busy pet-lovers can leave their pets while running errands or even when going out of town for a few days. Oliver takes pride that his negosyo offers products and services for every stage of your pet’s life. Aside from selling pet products and providing day care and grooming services, Pooch Park also offers cremation services for pets, who have already become an important part of Filipino families. Currently, Oliver has two branches of Pooch Park (one in Ortigas and one in Marikina) and is opening a new one in Cubao in July.

According to Oliver, managing a negosyo is really not that easy as he is hands-on in every aspect of the business and in training his staff. But he noted that it is very important that the pets are well taken care of, as it is the core of his negosyo. He also pointed out that all the hard work is worth it when you see the pets and their owners are happy with your services.

Oliver’s advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is to venture into your hilig or where your passion lies. He notes, “Don’t worry much about the income.” It’s true that when you enjoy what you do and you pour your best into your products and services, people will come to you and income will naturally follow.

Contact me at feedback@gonegosyo.net or my 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 Tips on your mobile phone by sending GONEGO to 2910.