Words of Wisdom from Philippine Restaurant Tycoon, Mr. Enrico “Rikki” Dee

Advertisements   Thanks to the ANVIL Business Club, I had the pleasure of hearing Mr. Enrico “Rikki” Dee, CEO and Founder or Foodee, talk about his success secrets as a restaurant tycoon. The enlightening talk happened last February 19 at the Marco Polo Ortigas. You may find his brands familiar as they are as follows: MESA: […]

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Work Don’t Stop for the Weary

Advertisements I pushed myself too hard. The day after the D&C, I still showed up to my friend’s wedding where my daughter is the flower girl. Sto. Domingo church was not airconned and hot, so I spent the last half hour in the car napping. The doctor said that to prevent spinal anesthesia, to lie […]

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Business Series: Working with Integrity

Advertisements Many businesses take their sweet time in paying their suppliers. For them, the longer they pay, the better it is. If possible, they will try to delay for as long as possible, hoping against hope that you may actually forget that they owe you money. Last year, we rented out a parking space in […]

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When someone doubts your integrity

Advertisements One of my staff got paid her back pay today. The amount was about php39,000, about 3x the minimum wage. Her backpay consisted of one month of wages. She had been with us for 3 years before resigning to get married. The backpay is released two months after the exit interview. This morning, the […]

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When a Deal Falls Apart

Advertisements Last Monday, I signed a one-year lease contract for a small unit my husband owns. I have been showing the unit off a few times, and finally, I was able to lease it out with cash upfront. Of course, I was exhilarated. “I finally closed the deal,” I excitedly called my husband. The amount wasn’t […]

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Why I got into Business

Advertisements A high school student came the other day and asked me about my experience as a businesswoman. His comments made me reflect on the decisions that I’ve made and why I actually got into business. My parents were both businessman. My father was an engineer who never practiced while my mom was a calculus […]

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Leadership Lesson: Be Kind

Advertisements When I was in Hong Kong, I learned how to be a bigger b*tch. Everything was fast paced and everyone was on top of their games. I worked with the best of the best, and loved it. I worked from 7:30am until after midnight, answering queries from my Blackberry. I walked fast, thought fast […]

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Interview Chronicles: Top 5 Red Flags when Interviewing

Advertisements I’ve interviewed thousands of people since our business is in retail and we have been expanding.  When I interview, there’s a few red flags I look out for. The biggest bombs come after the question, “Why did you leave your last employer?”  Here are a few red flags I look out for when I […]

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What is Wrong with Working for Someone Else?

Advertisements Dear Aspiring Entrepreneur, I’ve always found you to be very admirable. For one, you are very optimistic. Being optimistic despite the odds is a very good trait. It shows you have resilience, and have the ability to keep on smiling even when things seem to be against you. Look at the odds of being an […]

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What do you do when good people resign?

Advertisements What do you do if two of your key people resign on the same week? For an office with only seven people, it can be disaster. Let me tell you, there is no worse feeling than getting a resignation letter from a valued employee of the company. To be honest, it fills you with […]

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“I’m sick.”

Advertisements “I’m hungry,” my husband groaned last weekend while we were at SMX at the bridal show. “Uhhhhh… we’re still not yet done setting up,” I said. “But I’m hungry,” he moaned like a ravished child. I need something to eat. I was torn. While I don’t want my husband to be hungry — and grumpy — I do believe there […]

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No Rest for the Weary Entrepreneur

Advertisements I’ve learned a valuable lesson this week. If you are an entrepreneur, theoretically, there is no sleep and there is no rest. When we returned from a one-day vacation last June 2, husband and I were riding high from an awesome December month. Sales were up 16.5% from last year’s high and our stores were humming […]

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