Do not miss the life-changing conference that will help transform Filipinos from Spenders to Savers and ultimately to INVESTORS!

iCon was a long dream of mine because I yearned for the time where more and more Filipinos will be interested in investing for their future. I longed for the day to see long lines of people queuing to enter a financially themed event, the way they do for a block-buster movie. In 2013, the first iCon proved that Filipinos are more receptive to learning finance and investments as 1,000 people flocked to the very first iCon. I was overwhelmed with the site of 1,000 people all eager to take better control of their financial future.

This year, despite the difficulty of mounting an even bigger event, we felt that the Filipinos need an iCon again so we put together even more speakers and an even longer conference time for those attending iCon2014. Our roster of speakers are impressive as they are indeed the subject matter experts of their own fields. However, it is not just the competence of the speakers that made them part of iCon2014 — it is their passion to help Filipino achieve their dreams!

For inquiries and registration, visit http://www.brandspeakasia.com/iconor send an e-mail to [email protected]

In 1997, a very young individual was sitting down in front of me for a job interview. While he had some experience, he was clearly a learner and wanted to use the job experience to achieve his goals in life. The name of the young professional I was interviewing was Paulo Tibig.

Paulo and I worked together for just a year as it was evident that his heart and talents were suited more for the world of entrepreneurship as against corporate employment. When Paulo asked if he can resign to start his own business, I did not even offered him to stay as I knew in my heart this young guy will be better off being his own boss than having one. We remained good friends since then and Paulo became an esteemed colleague and a business mentor of mine.

15 years after, the young professional is now the CEO of V Cargo, one of the country’s biggest logistics and cargo companies and is truly his own boss. He has since been a staunch advocate of entrepreneurship and his audience ranges from captains of the industries, SMEs and even young kids. He is now known as the EntrepChamp and is one of the most recognizable experts in the field of entrepreneurship.

From a big coliseum to a small cafe, Paulo has been teaching & inspiring people to be entrepreneurs and he has truly changed many lives by what he teaches. What is amazing about Paulo is that unlike many business advocates & speakers, Paulo is the real deal in business as he continues to run and grow many enterprises aside from V Cargo. Many speakers speak from their historical experiences but Paulo teaches not just from his past but also from his present endeavors. It is very rare to hear a real captain of the industry spend a lot of time teaching people from all walks of life making him one of the best in his craft.

On July 26, 2013, you can have the opportunity to learn from the EntrepChamp himself along with his guests Chinkee Tan and Boris Joaquin. To inquire, send email to [email protected]

To my friend Paulo Tibig, I am so proud of you and let me congratulate you in advance for adding another feather to your cap with the Big Boss Summit!

In all my talks, I always tell people that the first step to achieving financial peace is to increase cash flow. We do that by making more money and spending less money. In some cases, cash problems arise not because of too much spending — there are many cases that cash flow is restricted because of limited income.

Let me talk on how to increase income for this blog. I have a 2 point attack on how to earn more money — investing on yourself (building competency) and being entrepreneurial and the later will be the focus of this blog.

Have you considered being an entrepreneur? Many people think that entrepreneurship is not for everyone and I do agree. I subscribe to the belief that not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur. It is unfortunate whenever someone goes into business and end up losing money, I guess that’s par for the course. Here’s my big ‘however’… I think many of us think that those of us who can’t go into business is way too over-stated. I’d like to believe that many more Filipinos can go into enterprise. My many runs with Go Negosyo and the Association of Filipino Franchisers (AFFI) made me realize that many of us have to potential to be in business and actually make it big. If we have an open mind, we can try and become an entrepreneur – with God’s grace, you just might make it.

I need to note however, that we must go into business prepared and not blindly. Learn about the business you want to get into, read about it, research, talk to people, observe the market, prepare a written business plan, check on your finance and all that. There are many books on being an entrepreneur – Go Negosyo published many books that are easy to understand and yet detailed enough for you to start with. My friend Paulo Tibig also wrote a very helpful book entitled “Strategies of a Champion Entrepreneur” – a highly recommendable book for those who would to venture into business.

Being entrepreneurial doesn’t mean you need to start a big corporation at once – try some basic buy and sell first or do some commission selling. I am sure there are many opportunities abound for those earnestly seeking. The stories of the many successful entrepreneurs in the country are very encouraging because nearly all of them started very small and have very humble beginnings. Any form of additional income from being entrepreneurial will do wonders to augment your cash flow and that’s when the fun begins.

I once heard Francis Kong say in a seminar, “If you can’t be an entrepreneur, have an entrepreneurial mindset” — wise words to live by indeed.