About Me
Discover my quirks and understand why I do what I do — and probably how I do it, too!
I’m impartial to being in the spotlight. Though I’m an extrovert, I enjoy being behind the scenes. Let’s just say I’m more of a director than an actor. And, even though I’m comfortable in dealing with people, I’m also very private. That’s why it’s pretty challenging for me to create that “personal brand.” I’m not a celebrity; I don’t want to be. But I also understand that for me to connect with my readers better, I need to share why I do what I do, and that’s why I’m writing this today.
My journey began when I was a little kid (something you will all know about in my book “Fearless”), and I learned about entrepreneurship from my parents. I came from a humble and happy family, and they have become the foundation of my goals.
As a good student, I’ve developed a fascination with learning. It didn’t matter whether it was about the history of fire or the reasons why the earth rotates; I knew that the world was so big and filled with possibilities.
In college, I enrolled as a Mathematics major, and even though I was good at it, I missed the creative balance I used to have all my life. As a child, I was composing short stories, poems, and songs; not all good, but I had a creative output. Generally, each individual would have a dominant side of the brain. We can be categorized as left or right-brand dominant. For me, I believe I got the balance of both.
I was engaged with the logic and beautified chaos of numbers and a martyr for the arts. From the beginning, I knew I didn’t fit in, and this realization only intensified in college. I got to know people who were amazingly ingenious in the maths I love, and I learned they had an immense passion for it. I also met people with ancient, artistic souls and had been fascinated by their gifts. As for me, I was nowhere to be found.
Like any other middle-class college student, finding adequate funds to support my studies became challenging. So, I used my skills to find multiple part-time jobs as a student. I also knew that entrepreneurship was my one and only path. I have always had a problem with authority, and that’s why I learned how to be a good leader. Whenever I went as an employee, I failed simply because of my indignation at mediocrity and my stubbornness towards the idea of unbound life choices.
I didn’t get it. Life did not give me too many miracles just to be in this state. I truly believe that we are not bound nor limited by anything in life but our choices. In my experience, the actualization of goals is achieved through hard work, consistency, and a tad bit of fate. If I didn’t like anything, I would change it. I didn’t like failing; I’d study more. I didn’t like the lousy influence someone had on me, I’d leave their company. I was struggling with my allowance, but I found a way.
And, this unbarred way of thought has sparked the brewing light I had from the very beginning.
THE START OF THE CLIMB
I’ve always known I wanted to be a businesswoman. When I was in high school, I thought I’d be a “corporate” junkie, and I’d climb my way to the top, but my apparent work history proved me wrong. I was too impatient to wait for the red tape and a little too prideful to be taking orders I disagreed with.
By eighteen, I had met (by reading) Robert Kiyosaki’s “Rich Dad, Poor Dad.” I know Kiyosaki has had controversies over the past years (including his affiliation and seeming support for Donald Trump). Still, I will not dismiss the fact that his book has been the foundation of my business knowledge. Just like what I did with all of the studies I’ve been a fan of, I absorbed thousands and thousands of words and a variety of books and materials about business and investing. Then, I put it into practice.
Did I succeed? Heck no! I failed way more times than I can count with my fingers. I tried this and that and this and that only to find that these did not work and those didn’t match my strengths. I wasn’t passionate enough about pursuing opportunities that seemed good for others and in search of that “thing” that fit me. I was looking for that “gut feel” that feels absolutely breathtaking.
It took me years to create a system, to find ways to fund myself, and sustain reliable operations. I’ve had ups and downs, but each month, each failure sharpened me and made me better. It sounded like a clip from a motivational movie, but that’s what happened. I would fail beyond repair, and each time I got back up, I understood where I went wrong and improved the “prototype” again and again. I improved “me.” The world will stay as is. The clients who said “no” would continue with their businesses, and the only thing I could control was me. Every time I failed was an opportunity to grow, expand, and shed off old, unnecessary habits.
I was an invention-in-the-making (I still am). I would try something out, change, adapt and recalibrate. I trained in journalism, aesthetics and design, marketing, sales, finance, macroeconomics, and psychology. I created a multi-faceted path to entrepreneurship.
Thankfully, I’ve been improving. Progress, at last!
So, over the years, I’ve developed businesses and brands internationally that have two core foundations: excellence and innovation. They reflect my ethos, and I will continue to perpetuate these values in new ventures and partnerships I will venture into.
THE ACT OF GIVING
So, now that you’re a businesswoman, what’s up with the social “thingy?”
As mentioned in this brief bio, I came from a humble family. Yes, we were economically poor, but our household was filled with love, learning, and generosity. I went from a long line of pioneering women, including my grandmother (who adopted street kids fed and bathed street beggars) to my mother, who has been a foundation of our poor community. She taught mothers that poverty would not hinder their children’s success and anyone could thrive for as long as they worked for it.
Growing up, I saw how people’s greed worked. I understood jealousy and indifference. I couldn’t understand at the time how we knew family and friends who were well-off but could not lend a helping hand to my parents. At first, this enraged me, but I used this fire to fill my desire to give more. Yes, profit is essential, but what’s the use of money if all it does is sit in the cupboard?
It’s also one of the rules in business: use money to make money. That’s why I have propagated the brilliance of social entrepreneurship because not only will you use money to make money; you’ll use money to make an impact.
I learned that I didn’t have to wait for me to earn millions or to be featured in a magazine for me to make a change. Even for as little as $30 a month, I could help someone live a little more comfortably. If an individual can make this big of an impact, how much more can businesses do?
So, now, I aim to be a proponent of positive change by helping businesses innovate and evolve into social enterprises. And so far, this is where my journey is.
Yes, I’m a CEO, a creative writer, a financial analyst, an investor, and a mentor, but most importantly, I will always be a work-in-progress. So join me on my journey, and let’s change the world one day at a time!
