Armando O. Bartolome

7 Growth Hacks for Business

News

Oct 242017

Armando Bartolome I have been in the business for more than 20 years, and one thing that I love about my work is being able to meet other people who have inspired me and taught me important lessons about entrepreneurship. How does an entrepreneur make his business flourish among other businesses? Here are a few things I’ve learned. Growth Hack #1 Know your products and services I am sure there was a time you approached a salesperson only to find out that he knew little about what he was selling. That is definitely a no-no in business. Entrepreneurs should know every facet of their business. Even if you have a great team working for you, you should still know what is done in every department. Knowledge is POWER! When people ask what you’re offering, you should be able to tell them exactly what your product or service is. This way, you can encourage them to try it. Read Related Story: 7 Sacrifices Successful Entrepreneurs Make Today for Financial Freedom Tomorrow Growth Hack #2 Be careful with your words It can either build you or destroy you. You may be a funny person who likes to joke around, but when it comes to business, speak to others in a way that that will make them listen and understand your message. Be straightforward. But also be careful lest you come off as sarcastic, proud or offensive. Read Related Story: Grow Your Investment by Growing Your Patience Growth Hack #3 Train your employees Read More …

7 How To Get Rich Tips from Successful People

News

Oct 182017

7 How To Get Rich Tips from Successful People

Armando Bartolome Everyone wants to have a comfortable life and financial independence. The question is: how do you make that happen? Avoiding debt by spending within your means is a start. But there is more to it than merely holding on to your money. How did successful people do it? Here are 7 simple tips. Keep learning. Learning does not stop after you step out of college. It is a continuous process of growing as a person. Joining training workshops allows you to explore new things, which can help you on the road to success. Choose a job that matches your skills. My advice to parents is to talk to their children about choosing a career that will truly fit their skills and complement whatever they learn in school. Become the best person that you can be. Great people always find time to improve themselves. This will assure you of having a better standing in your company. Diversify your income. Getting rich is difficult if you tie yourself to a single income. Consider engaging even in just small businesses like food carts or online selling. The nice thing about these businesses is they don’t require you to shell out a huge sum of money as capital. Invest. Putting money in the stock market may not be that common among average-income families. However, there are other forms of investments which they can take part in. Some of these are: Savings and checking accounts College Investment Fund Retirement Fund Insurance Real Estate Read More …

7 Sacrifices Successful Entrepreneurs Make Today for Financial Freedom Tomorrow

News

Oct 122017

We all dream of becoming successful. While some prefer having a simple life, simply relying on our day job may not be sufficient to secure the future of the family. Sometimes the best way to provide for the needs of the family is to start our own business. Building a business is hard work. You need to figure out the best location for the business, secure permits, hire people; the list goes on. All these tasks require time and effort. To become an entrepreneur means to sacrifice a lot. Leisure Time: Starting a business requires a lot of time. You need to focus not only on one aspect of the business, but the entirety of it. Time with family and friends may be sacrificed. Instead of relaxing and hanging around with friends, entrepreneurs would find themselves working more than 8 hours a day, and sometimes even on weekends. So if you used to be a happy-go-lucky guy, entrepreneurship could be a whole new world which could shock you in the first few months. Money: Starting a business means having to spend your hard-earned money. If you used to party every weekend or go out on trips with your family and friends, that may have to change. Starting a business means having to cut down on your expenses. Every centavo should count as you focus on sustaining the business. Properties and Assets: You may have to let go of some of your possessions as you try to sustain your business. But Read More …

18 Benefits of Having and Being a Mentor

News

Oct 072017

18 Benefits of Having and Being a Mentor

Armando Bartolome You may be familiar with the popular book “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” written by Robert Kiyosaki. I often cite this book as an example of how people have differing views about life. Parents always remind their kids about the value of education. For sure, when we don’t take education seriously, we lose much from life. But success in any business is a combination of many factors. One of the keys to success is learning more and more about your business. Not everything is learned in school and learning does not stop when you step out of the classroom. The wealth of experience of certain individuals is a good source of wisdom for entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs alike. What is a mentor? A mentor is a professional who shares knowledge and advice and helps a business grow. The relationship benefits entrepreneurs, employees and the mentor in many ways. My years of being in the business has allowed me to help many who, I am proud to say, have established well-known brands in the Philippines. This is the reason why I love what I do. A mentor acts as a guide and provides valuable information that can help an entrepreneur manage his business better. Here are some of the things a mentor does: Educates the mentee on how to accept feedback in important areas, such as communications, technical abilities, change management, and leadership skills Helps the mentee better understand the organization’s culture and unspoken rules, both of which can be Read More …

5 Advantages of Young Entrepreneurs

News

Oct 022017

Armando Bartolome We all want to live with a sense of purpose. We want better lives for our families, as well as happiness and satisfaction with the things that we do. Having a business helps us do these things. Some of us, at a very young age, may have already realized that we want to start our own business. The reasons for wanting to plunge into entrepreneurship may be motivated by financial need, the desire to be your own boss, involvement in the family business, or the drive for a sense of accomplishment. College students taking up a business course are expected to come up with their own unique business as part of their school requirements. Many of these students realize that these concepts can actually be profitable, and they turn them into real businesses as soon as they graduate from college. Many of these small businesses that we see today are owned by young entrepreneurs. Some of the most successful businesses also started out as small enterprises being run by young people. What are the advantages building your own business at a young age? There are several, some of which are: Young entrepreneurs can more easily adapt to any kind of environment, age, and culture. Young entrepreneurs have more energy, motivation, enthusiasm and creativity. The younger you are, the better you are at tolerating risk. Young people are also more resilient and are unlikely to give up until they reach their goal. Most young entrepreneurs who truly love what Read More …

6 Ways To Be a Better Engaged Leader

News

Sep 212017

Armando Bartolome Some people wonder if it’s possible for a results-driven leader to build a relationship with his employees and have fun while at work. The drive to see results can make a leader cold-hearted; but thankfully, many successful entrepreneurs have realized that it’s important to have a heart despite having to implement strict rules for the success of the company. Young leaders usually excel in running an effective and fun workplace. Compared to older executives, managers who are 30 years old or younger are at least 2-3 times more likely to be effective at balancing the need to deliver results while still being ‘approachable’ to employees.Additionally, those who are 40 years old and above appear to be more results-driven. You may have witnessed it yourself when you get to talk to young executives or managers–they are easier to talk to compared to older executives. Young managers are also strong-willed but they still make their employees feel valued. Older executives, on the other hand, are more interested in building a strong persona, assuming that this will help them influence others. But older managers would also benefit from improving their people skills, even if they don’t completely realize it. If you want to become a better more engaged leader, here are a few tips. Develop Great Communication Skills Former Apple CEO Gil Amelio wrote that developing excellent communication skills is absolutely essential to effective leadership. “The leader must be able to share knowledge and ideas to transmit a sense of urgency Read More …

9 Tips on How to Avoid Burnout

News

Sep 142017

Starting up a business infuses a lot of energy and enthusiasm in entrepreneurs. But the huge responsibility of running an enterprise, along with the daily grind can also sap your energy and enthusiasm. If you are not careful, you may experience burnout. This is true not just for entrepreneurs, but for their employees as well. When the stress becomes unbearable, entrepreneurs and employees may sometimes feel like they are ready to explode. PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL TOLL Sometimes, 8-hours may not be enough to finish all tasks at hand. It’s understandable when we and our employees work overtime sometimes to meet a deadline. But if overtime happens often, work can get very tiresome and enthusiasm gradually wears out. A burnout is sometimes referred to as an emotional state wherein an individual no longer functions well or performs his work satisfactorily. This is mostly experienced by high-achievers who tend to work long hours and take on an exceedingly heavy workload. They put extreme pressure on themselves to excel. Burnout leads to emotional and physical fatigue. An individual may start to detach himself from others and feel ineffective in everything he does. This does not happen overnight. Below are some of the early signs of an impending burnout. Insomnia Chest pains, palpitations, dizziness, headaches and stomach pains Chronic fatigue Impaired focus and concentration Loss of appetite Anxiety Outbursts of anger Inability to find pleasure in normally enjoyable activities Social isolation and detachment Inability to trust others Poor performance and lack of productivity Cynicism Read More …

18 Tips to Create a Positive Mindset

News

Aug 282017

If there is one thing I am grateful for, it’s my ability to see the beauty that life can offer instead of being disheartened by the obstacles that come my way. Thomas A. Edison once said, “I never did a day's work in my life. It was all fun.” In any kind of business, we will all inevitably come across failure. We will sometimes be disappointed with the results of our efforts. But we need to realize that we can only do so much—that even with a seemingly perfect plan, things could go wrong halfway through the process. So how do we deal with it? As a business mentor, I have met many that inspired me to continue my advocacy of helping Filipinos elevate their status by engaging in businesses, no matter how small. Some of them almost gave up after struggling with the businesses they started. I asked these disheartened entrepreneurs: “What do you think is causing your business to fail?” I was surprised with their reply. I was expecting them to tell me that they didn't know enough about the business they entered. But the reason was: they lacked faith in themselves and had doubts that they could make the business work. When I asked them why, they replied that each struggle with the business seemed to be pulling them down deeper. When a person has a positive attitude in life, trials and tribulations become a “gold mine of learning.” We never really know how much further we Read More …

Are You Ready To Take The Next Business Challenge?

News

Aug 232017

Are You Ready To Take The Next Business Challenge?

Each one of us goes through highs and lows in life. In this imperfect world, we strive to become the best person that we can be. But along the way, we face challenges that could change our lives forever. It is up to us how we look at these challenges. Is the glass half full or half empty? People have different opinions. In my case, I strive to see the beauty in imperfection. I choose to only see the positive side of life because it helps me become more effective at what I do. As a business mentor, I provide encouragement to people. I motivate them to take the leap and stand up. When you face a challenge, there are only two options: grow up, or give up. Which one will you take? GROWING UP Who do you look up to? One may take inspiration from parents who struggle to work abroad to provide a better life for their families, or a boss who was able to climb the ladder to success starting out as a janitor, or the man selling balut across the street who won the lottery and shared his blessings to abandoned elderly, or even the homeless woman who was able to send her children to school with her measly earnings from selling flowers. You may have seen their struggles in life, seen the hardships they had to endure before meeting a better life. As an entrepreneur, going through similar ordeals is part of the process. It Read More …

12 Similarities Between an Entrepreneur and a Parent

News

Aug 172017

12 Similarities Between an Entrepreneur and a Parent

How does one get into the entrepreneurial mindset? Typically, an entrepreneur would create a plan to guide him. An entrepreneur will also continuously assess himself to determine his personal strengths, while making use of the resources available, and responding to unforeseen events. When things don’t go according to plan, an entrepreneur does not give up easily. He weighs all the possibilities — both positive and negative, but still remains calm, persistent, and hopeful that everything he planned will eventually materialize. In a way, becoming an entrepreneur is a lot like becoming a parent. SIMILARITIES BETWEEN A PARENT AND AN ENTREPRENEUR Running a household is like running a company. Why? You never know what’s coming until it strikes you. There are a lot of books that claim to help you get through any situation. But you realize the magnitude of a challenge only when you are already caught up in it. You learn that life is constantly changing. You realize that you need to adapt quickly to the ever-changing world, or you'll get left out and won’t have the faintest idea how to get on with your life. You doubt your own capabilities. You learn through experience to hone your skills and do your job responsibly. You had the no idea who you would become. When you were younger, you may never have imagined putting diapers on your baby as a parent, or being thankful for technology as an entrepreneur. Your thoughts may have been leaning towards a different direction then. Read More …

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