Friday, August 7, 2009

franciskong.com - inspiring excellence : BETWEEN ALGEBRA AND GEOMETRY

Between Algebra & Geometry
By Francis Kong

I remember the battle cry of the 80’s and the 90’s was: “Quality!”

Consultants were busy and excited in bringing out cases after cases of Japanese businesses that modeled quality of which Toyota reigned king!

Even Filipinos and American executives engaged themselves in corporate babble using Japanese words and terminologies of which the word “Kaizen” was chief. Quality was the buzzword. You may be familiar with other words like TQM. Six Zigma. Zero Defect.

Quality rules.

And then something happened. Computers and technology came into the picture. Suddenly all the management programs become commoditized. Companies with money buy the same program which in effect led to consumer’s benefits as products and services improved dramatically. However, quality now no longer becomes cutting edge. Quality now becomes minimum entry requirement in order to survive the highly global competitive world.

Suddenly the business world realizes that quality alone will not give them the competitive edge. Enters creativity. Design. Innovation. And quite frankly, while engineers take over the world of a “Quality” centered environment, it is a rare occurrence to have engineers involve themselves with the creative part of business. The former is extremely right brained while the latter requires a lot of left brain activity.

Creativity today comes into play.

The important question we need to ask today is “How can I be creative?”

Creativity doesn't mean being a Picasso or da Vinci. Today business people sigh and say, “But there can only be one creative genius like Steve Jobs.” Agree. But you and I need to realize that every day, everyone can be a little creative is simple and small ways.

A receptionist who discovers time-saving ways to send out communications to people from different departments is using as much creativity as the head of research and development of a medical facility who has discovered the cure for the famous Swine flu epidemic.

I hated math. Still do today but I love fiddling around with words and crafting them into thoughts and ideas. I read a lot. And now that I have Kindle – that beautiful Book Reader invention from Amazon it has inspired me to read a lot more. But once in a while I would look into my old files tucked into the deep recesses of my computer archives and I was fascinated with a study that was conducted in the 90’s found in an old book entitled “Wisdom Inc.”

The president and founder of a market research firm uses mathematics to illustrate creativity. In fact he prefers employees who are better at geometry than algebra. This marketing research executive says algebra does not have much to do with creativity. But geometry does. “Creativity has to come from the paradigm from which you look at business. Geometry has more to do with spatial perception.” And the same executive says “I don't look for geometry geniuses, but art directors and other creative people who tend to be good at geometry."

One boss defines a creative employee as someone able to think beyond the obvious. "If I tell her to go from A to B to C in order to reach D, she's liable to go from A to it" and then back to her destination. That's very valuable, because people who manage businesses are often prisoners of their own reality. The creative person gives you another lens to look through, which energizes the dialogue, enriches the process, and makes the product better.''

Here is my take on this.

Initiative always precedes innovation and creativity.

We need to inspire, challenge, motivate and engage our people into taking the initiative to be creative. To give more ideas. To challenge the norm. To leave their comfort zones and not to think out of the box but to get out of the box and so some thinking.

God is the Creator and the Master Designer. It’s always laziness that usually puts on a lid on what man can accomplish. I wish I had taken geometry seriously. Every time there was a test, the only items I got right was the “Given” and it frustrated my math teachers. Be creative and be innovative as this will be the competitive edge you will have in these exciting times.

franciskong.com - inspiring excellence : “BE A POSITIVE PERSUADER” plus 1 more

Be a positive persuader

Posted: 29 Jul 2009 02:10 PM PDT

A married couple was driving down the highway doing 90 kilometers per hour. The wife wanted to persuade her husband to agree for a separation.

The husband was behind the wheel.

His wife looked over at him and said, "Honey, I know we've been married for 15 years, but, I want to separate."

The husband said nothing, but slowly increases speed to 100 kilometers per hour.

She continued to persuade her husband.

She then said, "I don't want you to try to talk me out of it, because I've been having an affair with your best friend, and he's a better lover than you."

Again the husband was not persuaded.

He stayed quiet and just sped up as he clenched his hands on the wheel.

She said, "I want the house." Again the husband speeds up, and now was doing 110 kilometers per hour.

She said, "I want the kids too."

The husband just keeps driving faster, and faster, until he's up to 120 kilometers per hour.

She said, "I want the car, the checking account, and all the credit cards too." The husband slowly started to veer toward a bridge overpass piling, as she said, "Is there anything you want?"

The husband said, "No, I've got everything I need right here."

She asked, "What's that?"

The husband replied just before they hit the wall at 130 kilometers per hour,

"I've got the airbag and you don’t" One thing for sure here is that the wife is lousy when it comes to persuasion.

Speaker and motivator Charlie "Tremendous" Jones talks about persuasion. He says: All our lives we encounter persuaders. Those who were successful are largely responsible for the way we are. Because some of us are exposed to some positive persuaders we are drawn to become positive persuaders. I believe all successful persuaders are a result of having been successfully persuaded at some time in their lives.

What a strange world it would be if there were no persuaders. Life is one continuous series of persuasions. At home it is the parent persuading the child, the child persuading the parent, the salesman persuading the prospect, the lawyer persuading the jury, the boy persuading the girl or the politician persuading his constituency. And so on and on.

To be a persuader you must be persuaded and in order to continue to grow we must practice the art of persuasion. The old saying, "Nothing succeeds like Success," fits the persuader perfectly. The earlier in life you begin, the fuller your life will become. It is only in sharing and giving that we realize what we have, and we can give nothing better than persuading others to worthwhile goals, right motives and eternal values.

I think it is safe to say that sometimes in our lives we will be persuaded to become positive persuaders seeking to give and share, or we'll not be persuaded and spend the rest of our lives waiting for a break, taking and keeping.

I hope these thoughts on persuasion have increased your awareness of the great privilege and obligation of the persuader. The world needs one more positive persuader. It is you?

Jones is right on the dot. I’ve been featured in many of the country’s major business conferences and conventions and I have had people come to me and say, “I heard you speak 2 years a go and followed your advice. I read books, I exercise and I live my life correctly. I just want to thank you for changing my life.” It’s such a great thing. I have had people write me e-mails or fax me letters saying, “I had forgotten God and my life began to spiral downwards. Thanks for reminding me to return to Him.” And for me this is a great reward God has given me to confirm that what I am doing is within His Will and to encourage me to continue doing what I’m doing.

Be a positive persuader. Change lives.

The greatest witness to God’s Goodness is to live a life that shows it.

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You’re Invited!

Posted: 28 Jul 2009 05:53 PM PDT

Culture of Personal Excellence Poster

September 4, 2009; 9am to 5.30pm at SMX

Culture of Personal Excellence by Francis J. Kong

What separates you from who you are and the best that you can be?

Excellence

Discover how Francis J. Kong - the country's foremost inspirational speaker - made it to the pinnacle of excellence in this remarkable experiential learning event.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Invitation: Become a passive owner/investor of apartments

An invitation to me by Michael Kimble

In just a moment, you’ll see a video of my wife.

She will offer you an invitation to become an Owner/Investor of
commercial real estate. As you’ll see, NO experience is required…
because she will do ALL the work for you.

I’d like to introduce my wife… Linda Kimble. She has a very unique
opportunity for you to make money with commercial real estate AND
acquire knowledge and experience along the way, AND... she does
all the heavy lifting for you.

Linda is a commercial real estate investor. She invests in
commercial properties, primarily apartment complexes and
self-storage facilities within emerging markets of Texas.

Linda has over 20 years experience in commercial real estate.
She’s even a CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member) and a
CPM (Certified Property Manager) making her a recognized expert in
the disciplines of commercial and investment real estate.

Her strategy for investing in commercial real estate is pretty
simple…

Find properties that cash flow at purchase, yet still have multiple
opportunities to increase value during the ‘hold’ period. She
makes commercial properties available to private investors (you)
who want to diversify their active or retirement portfolios with
real estate and get all the benefits of ownership, without the
headaches.

She oversees the management of the properties acquired, and then
usually, 4 to 6 years and later, sells the property… where the
Owners/Investors in the property (you) earn a HUGE profit.

Linda and her company, Anew Realty Group, LLC, have an established
program we call “Commercial Real Estate Investing Done For You.”

This program allows you, the private investor, to receive ALL the
benefits of multi-family/commercial investing and ownership… with
Linda and her team doing ALL the work for you!

One of the many benefits of investing in commercial real estate is
you get paid in SEVERAL ways!

Here’s how…

1. Starting in DAY ONE, you begin earning a monthly cash flow and
get paid quarterly.

2. If the property is refinanced, you are repaid a portion or ALL
of your initial investment… and you still maintain all of your
equity portion and share of the appreciation when the property is
sold! This means that if you own 10 percent of the property at the
beginning, you’ll still own 10% of the property and will continue
to be paid on that percentage of ownership (even after you are
re-paid your initial investment!).

3. When the property is sold (usually in about 5 years), you get
paid AGAIN… this time on your share of all the appreciation. This
is where there’s potential for HUGE returns!

Here are some of the benefits you receive when you invest in
properties via Linda’s “Commercial Investing Done For You Program”…

• You can use (by simply repositioning) your IRAs, Keoghs, 401Ks,
CDs, etc., to invest in these deals and receive much higher
returns. (Linda can assist you with transferring these funds.)

• You can invest a modest amount… and still get all the benefits of
owning a large commercial property.

• You receive large income tax benefits and savings because of
interest, expense, and depreciation deductions.

• Your investment is secured by the property, making it extremely
LOW RISK.

• All property management is handled and DONE FOR YOU.

• You can include these commercial properties in your own portfolio
(as you will be an Owner/Investor).

• You will receive a complete education in commercial real estate
investing by “looking over Linda’s shoulder”… as she will keep you
informed every step of the investing/ownership process.

So in a nutshell… as an owner/investor of commercial properties
(with Linda), you can potentially receive returns that are double,
triple or even quadruple the amount of traditional investments, on
your money that’s paid to you quarterly… you receive nice income
tax savings and benefits… when the property is refinanced, you can
receive all or a portion of your original investment back… then,
when the property is sold, you are paid AGAIN with your share of
the profits!

You can start by simply repositioning some of your investments that
are doing poorly right now. And keep in mind, EVERYTHING IS DONE
FOR YOU.

This is a very simple way for you to become a passive
owner/investor of COMMERCIAL real estate with Linda doing ALL the
work for you.

Also, as an investor in her deals, Linda will keep you informed
with the details of the deal every step of the way… giving you a
COMPREHENSIVE education in commercial investing!

Now, let’s talk about how Linda’s “Commercial Real Estate Investing
Done For You” Program works…

1. Anew Realty Group (Linda’s company) researches markets and
properties for you - searching for the best investment deals out
there.

2. Linda identifies a property, negotiates the best possible price,
and puts it under contract.

3. She performs all the due diligence, inspections, financial
audits, etc., and verifies all the important details as well as
obtaining the financing for the property.

4. Linda’s company offers the property to you in an Offering
Memorandum and after you invest, you just sit back… cash your
quarterly cash flow checks… and watch your investment increase in
value.

5. If the property is refinanced, a portion or all of your initial
investment will be returned to you… and you still maintain all of
your equity portion and share of the appreciation -- you still own
the same percentage of the property!!

6. Then when the property is sold, you are paid again on your share
of the profits!

7. Repeat!

It does NOT get any easier than this for you to be an
Owner/Investor of commercial real estate, and receive all the
benefits (including the education!).

For more information about Linda, her company, the opportunities
she offers… AND to get on her “VIP List”… go to the link below…

www.InvestInCRE.com

Once you are on her VIP List, she will notify you each time she has
a commercial deal available that you can invest in.

Also, when you sign-up to be on her list, she will send you her
informative presentation titled, “An Introduction To Building
Wealth With Apartment Investments.”

For more information and to see a brief video of Linda discussing
the benefits you receive as a “Commercial Real Estate Investor &
Owner,” go to the site below. (You’ll also see an example of how
much you can earn on one of these deals… it’s amazing!)

www.InvestinCRE.com

All the best,

Michael Kimble

P.S. Remember, with commercial investing/ownership, you get paid
in SEVERAL ways… (1) Starting in day one, you receive a very nice
monthly cash flow that’s paid to you quarterly; (2) If the
property is refinanced, you are repaid a portion or ALL of your
initial investment; (3) When the property is SOLD you are paid
again... this time your share of all of the profits!

(To see a detailed EXAMPLE of how much you can earn on one of these
deals… along with all the other benefits you receive… please visit
the link below.)

P.P.S. Linda already has an impressive group of private investors
lined up for her deals, and is only looking to accept a few more.
She’s currently accepting new private investors for her commercial
deals on a first-come, first-served basis.

To get on Linda’s “VIP List” with the opportunity to become an
investor and OWNER of commercial properties (with everything done
for you) please go to the site below to see additional information…

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

My Angelpreneurs

My Angelpreneurs
by Joey Concepcion

Last Friday, a good friend, Joey Cuisia, celebrated his 65th birthday and announced his new chapter in life as he retires.

Joey Cuisia is an “intrapreneur”, or an entrepreneurial leader inside a corporate organization. His 16 years as the CEO of PHILAM has brought the company to great heights despite the troubles that the mother company faced overseas. Having served as the head of Central Bank at one point in his life and mentored by one of this country’s top entrepreneurs - Henry Sy, Joey has indeed accomplished a lot. If I placed it all in this column, it won't fit.

With all his success, for me, his greatest achievement is his family. His love for his family and his wife Vicky led them to raise a wonderful family. His deep sense of spiritual relationship with God has truly blessed him. His spouse Vicky has also always been the right co-pilot for him. His success is accomplishing a balanced life.

I guess one day, we all have to face retirement. However, there is no such thing as real retirement. There just comes a time when we just have to shift gear and start serving a higher level of purpose in life, like spiritual service, community service, among many others. When we have been blessed with so much in our life, it is important that we also try to bless others.

Yesterday, we launched our fourth book - the “GO NEGOSYO: 21 Steps on How to Start Your Own Business”, in a fully packed venue with 300 plus people. The book has not even gotten to the shelves of the bookstores and yet we have been selling very fast in our very recent Negosyo Summit and gatherings when the book was first introduced. We made the book quite unique from all the other How-To books. The authors I chose to help me put this book together are Dean Pax Lapid and Ping Sotto. Pax is the dean of the Entrepreneurs School of Asia founded by Vivienne Tan and Joel Santos. Pax is also an entrepreneur and a very lively teacher. You will not get bored in his sessions. Ping is a self-help guru and motivational speaker. He is also an entrepreneur owning a couple of Shell stations.

From the moment we conceptualized the book, it was important that everything will be very easy to read, understand and apply even for those who did not finish college. The authors adopted the basic principles that give entrepreneurs a higher chance to succeed. You can also finish reading it in one or two days. We also planned to have it sold in the bookstand for a very affordable price of less than Php 200.

Together with the launch of this book, we also launched last night our “Angelpreneurs”. Go Negosyo Angelpreneurs are seasoned entrepreneurship gurus and Go Negosyo mentors, who have the heart to educate and guide existing and budding entrepreneurs in their entrepreneurial journey. They will be the lead lecturers in the Negosyo Seminar Series that we intend to conduct around the country. These would be two-day seminars on the How-To’s in Entrepreneurship. These seminars will therefore complement the How-To book we have introduced to help micro and small negosyantes become more innovative, more strategic and smart.

Let me introduce the Go Negosyo “Angelpreneurs” who are first to join our cause: Mylene Abiva [President, Philippine Marketing Association], Danny Antonio [President of ACE Center for Entrepreneurship and Management Education, Inc.], Jay Bernardo [Director of the ACE Center for Entrepreneurship and Management Education, Inc.], Marites Dimaculangan [Managing Partner, Dimaculangan, Dimaculangan and Co. CPAs and Dimaculangan Consulting Inc.], Nonoy Espileta [President and Chief Operating Officer of Julie's Franchise Corporation (JFC)], Dr. Andy Ferreria [The Entrepreneurship Guru], Illac Diaz [Executive Director, My Shelter Foundation], Rommel Juan [President, Binalot], Johnlu Koa [President and CEO, The French Baker], Benel Lagua [President and COO, Small Business Corporation], Dean Pax Lapid [Dean, Entrepreneurs School of Asia], Jorge Saguinsin [Professor, Ateneo Graduate School of Business], Joel Santos [President, Entrepreneurs School of Asia], Jonas George So riano [Lead Facilitator and Lead Director, Philippine Social Enterprise Network], Ping Sotto [The Self-Help Guru], Henry Tenedero [President of the Center for Learning and Teaching Styles Philippines (CLTS) and MINDful Ideas], Randell Tiongson [Director, Registered Financial Planner Institute (Phils.)], Reuel Virtucio [Executive Director, Punla sa Tao Foundation], and Jorge Wieneke [Program Director, Ateneo Graduate School of Business Center for Continuing Education].

We definitely welcome others who wish to join our Angelpreneurs, as long as they have the expertise and the heart for the advocacy to teach and share their learnings to the marginalized micro and small negosyantes or aspiring entrepreneurs.

On the Negosyo seminars, each session will be an opportunity to learn or revisit the key principles in entrepreneurship: mastering self and the opportunities around to continuously generate relevant innovations; mastering the enterprise from set-up to marketing, product development and managing finance. We are also making this Seminar package available to people or institutions willing to sponsors scholars for this two-day program in their locality. The Seminar package comes with free How-To book for each attendee. We plan to have only around 200 participants per seminar to encourage greater interaction and learnings.

The new How-to book and the Negosyo Seminars aided by Angelpreneurs are part of Go Negosyo’s relentless efforts to see Micro SME’s become stronger negosyantes and find their respective competitive edge. We should all help our micro and small negosyantes to scale-up and soar to greater heights.

It’s time that we just don't teach a nation how to fish, but help this nation learn to fly.