MIRACLES do happen.

Each new day in our lives may present miracles in unexpected ways. The most life-turning encounter I had last Jan. 18 touched greatly my spiritual consciousness and served to drill deeper the depths of my faith.

About two weeks past New Year, my 3-year old niece had a serious fall at home that later showed itself as a fatal emergency which sent everyone into panic mode. When she was brought to the nearest hospital, the doctor said she needs to be transferred to a much bigger one in Q.C. for CT-scan and neuro exam. She was exhibiting seizure attacks which terribly scared us all.

In the hospital, I was squeezing in silent earnest prayers and was holding to my rosary while I hurriedly processed all paperworks for her immediate CT-scan tests. The sight of my niece's little and fragile physique giving out bouts of seizure was just too hard to bare. Deep inside me I felt desperate and helpless. I was longing to spend some quiet moments of deep prayer to turn to God for help. I know He's the only one we've got at that crucial time.

Finally, I found this mini-altar for Mama Mary at the end of a secluded hallway just near the CT-scan station. I rushed towards it and succumbed into a silent deep prayer for my niece, asking for God's grace, mercy, and help for her to be cleared from all tests and whatever illness she may have. Then I saw these numerous novena copies to OUR LADY OF VAILANKANNI neatly stacked before Mama Mary's statue, thus making them hard to get unnoticed. Though sounding foreign and unfamiliar, I recited and prayed it as I felt it was the nearest and only lifeline that could bring me closest to God for my prayer.

Before my niece was brought back for a 2nd CT-scan, a woman came beside her stretcher. The woman struck my memory for she was unusually wearing a PINK "belo" and "sistery" attire draped over her street clothes and had "morena" features with the prominent Indian/Muslim circular mark on the forehead. She gazed upon my niece, prayed over her, and marked her forehead with a sign of the cross. Afterwards, she looked at me and uttered "Gagaling na yan!" Then I just faintly smiled back at her for me wanting to thank her but amidst the cloud of thoughts and emotions blurring my head that time.

I only got to sigh with relief when I saw my niece gave out a big yawn after she was pulled out from the CT-scan-- a strong sign her senses are finally back to normal. Thank God! More joy for me when she opened up her eyes into full consciousness as we were wheeling her back to the ward station. And finally when put back to bed, I talked to her lightly and jokingly to gauge her up if she was finally really okay, "Kumusta ka na, anu na pangalan mo?". Then she replied back loudly and clearly with her full name! That sounded like the finest music to my ears which ultimately brought back smiles to our faces. And I thanked God deeply from the silence of my heart. Thank you, thank you Lord!!! My niece recovered amazingly and unscathed from that moment afterwards.

Days after and I finally had the spare time to find out more about the unfamiliar "OUR LADY OF VAILANKANNI". But my Google search results only gave me the goosebumps and led me to tears. She hails with a basilica church from the town of Vailankanni in India. She's known as the Our Lady of Lourdes of the East, Our Lady of Good Health, and Our Lady of Miracles as I also learned later. She also has web images dressed in fuchsia PINK! The Indian features and the pink dress-- all these reminded me of the woman who prayed over my niece. If all those were co-incidental, there surely was some divine intervention. And I fell into tears by myself for I got to thinking Mama Mary may had actually came down before me face-to-face!

Photo courtesy via https://goo.gl/images/Z8lZdA

Photo courtesy via https://goo.gl/images/HSWEsL

Though this writing comes as a much toooo late post, I committed to sharing this experience and NOVENA PRAYER to as many people as I can. It's a pay forward for my niece's answered prayer. It's also my way of helping those who are also currently in deep waters.

Photo courtesy of GoEntrepinay

Never lose faith in God through the loving intercession of Mama Mary. Indeed, GOD IS REAL! I experienced His great miracle and anyone is never far from experiencing His divine love and mercy, too!!! God bless everyone.

It's only the 7th day and so it's better to greet you all now than never at all...
Happy New Year to all Entrepinays!!!  

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

Walk with us in your entrepreneurial journey for 2017.
Keep dreaming big, sissies.
And cheers to your future negosyo enterprise!!!  

Hey, you can have that beauty makeover too! If you recently went through some life changes or just suddenly felt the urge for a personal style and looks upgrade, then go for it.  Whether heading for a new career shift, celebrating a personal milestone, or simply stressed out with that old hairstyle for years now, a sudden boost of self- confidence from a beauty makeover is all you may need to move over to that next phase of your life. You don't need to spend big bucks to get fab and look with all that glam! With some beauty makeover tricks here and there, go and get yourself a quick but total beauty makeover even when on budget.

Beauty makeover even when on budget
Photo courtesy via Pexels

1.   Tender Loving Care (TLC) for the skin.

Even without make-up, a perfect natural skin can be your best beauty advantage.  Spend some TLC moments for your skin and take steps to turn it flawless with just some additions to your daily home facial regimen for you to come out rejuvenated. 

First, you may consider exfoliating to get rid of old, dull skin cells for a brighter and clearer complexion.  Peeling masks and microdermabrasion products available in the market are easily at hand to help eliminate skin pigmentation from sun exposure for a more even-toned skin.  You may also want to add in your list anti-aging products to help improve skin elasticity and texture.  For skin firming and lifting creams, generous skin massage during application serves as key to enhance absorption as facial lines are softened and blood circulation is increased. When shopping for these products, remember to go for labels that come with natural beauty ingredients which always work best with the skin such as citric acid and fruit extracts.

2.   Lighten up behind that smile.

Whiter teeth can make you younger-and fresher-looking instantly. This one’s absolutely easy by checking out your favorite tooth paste brand with a built-in whitening formula.   Within just weeks, you’re ready to flash a brighter smile of yours to everyone!

  

3.   Get a hair fix.                  

The hair is every woman’s crowning glory.  So if you’re having a bad hair day during most days, it’s time to get your hair fix!  Go out on your search for the next new hairstyle of yours from everywhere -- beauty magazines, style websites, and even TV shows. When you finally find the right hairstyle, bring this to your stylist and set forth a hair rebirth of yours.  

While long hair is believed by many to give a youthful look, short and shoulder-length hair can actually highlight your facial features, thus making you younger-looking.  Layering your hair can also help accentuate your facial shape and provide more body to an otherwise plain hair. When you’re up to some hair coloring, it’s best to keep it within two tones of your hair’s natural shade regardless of the color intensity. This allows you minimal maintenance later on when your hair outgrows to its natural color.  Also, warmer colors such as caramel and honey can be more dramatic than light brown and blonde.

4.   Pop those eyes and brows.

Look more youthful with brighter eyes.  Make your eyes pop instantly with a lash curler, then mascara, and finish off with a lash comb to smoothen out your top lashes.  Eyebrow shaping can also do a lot of wonders to the eye area by making it seem more open and lifted for a younger and more polished look.  But simple maintenance of the brows just requires trimming the brows below and above from hair strays. Lastly, add fullness and depth to those thin brows with any of your favorite eyebrow pencil, gel or extender.

5.   Refresh your makeup.

Not all women like wearing makeup on a daily basis.  Don’t despair if you’re one among this type since the old saying that “less is more” even applies to the use of make-up.  Little efforts, just like the use of a tinted moisturizer and lipstick, can make a big impact on your whole look and even take years off from your face unlike when resorting to layers of makeup.  Discuss with makeup consultants at department stores what look you prefer to get a good pick on what makeup products to use. If you want that perfect pout, do away with expensive lip injections and resort instead to the latest beauty rage-- temporary lip plumping products. Available commercially, these products provide a short-term increased blood flow to the lips for a fuller pout.

6.   Do a wardrobe update.

If you’re heading for a lifestyle change or your wardrobe is simply outdated, it’s time to move on to a new set of clothes!  Think about what are your major activities and look up for outfit solutions that will answer your clothing requirements. Consider likewise your personal style in the upgrading process so you can shop more easily for the clothes you want when you go shopping. Having a style model or inspiration can help you develop and arrive at that personal style you want to achieve and look great with. But not only the clothes, don’t forget shopping for the right shoes, too, that will blend with your new look.

7.   Bling, bling, bling with accessories.

When you’re on stricter budget, consider styling up with accessories.  Even just as tiny pieces, accessories can help make or break your look so take time to choose for items that can be worn on casual, business, and formal outings.  Select from a wide range of jewelry, bags and purses, and belts to add more dash of life to your overall appearance.   

It had been about two weeks since President Duterte formally took oath last June 30 after scoring a landslide win in the May 16 Philippine national polls.  Clearly, it was Duterte’s open battlecry against drug-driven crimes and prevalent government corruption that took him to his gradually slow but sweeping victory in the surveys and elections. 

Hand over to new President Rodrigo Duterte
Photo courtesy of NIB-MALACANANG (Malacañang Photo Bureau) via Wikimedia Commons 

However from the business-economic side, it appeared that much still remained to be opined about and heard from the new President, who himself admitted to being more of a lawyer than of an economist. But then business reservations seemingly settled down as the former’s economic managers bared the Duterte 10-point economic agenda, as reported by Investvine and listed below, days before June 30 strode in. 

·       Continuing and maintaining the current macroeconomic  policies, including fiscal, monetary and            trade policies;

·         Instituting progressive tax reform and more effective tax collection while indexing taxes to inflation, in line with the plan to submit to Congress a tax reform package by September;

·         Increasing competitiveness and the ease of doing business, drawing upon successful models used to attract business to local cities such as Davao, as well as pursuing the relaxation of the constitutional restrictions on foreign ownership, except with regards land ownership, in order to attract foreign direct investments;

·         Accelerating annual infrastructure spending to account for five per cent of the gross domestic product, with public-private partnerships playing a key role;

·         Promoting rural and value chain development toward increasing agricultural and rural enterprise productivity and rural tourism;

·         Ensuring security of land tenure to encourage investments and address bottlenecks in land management and titling agencies;

·         Investing in human capital development, including health and education systems, as well as matching skills and training to meet the demands of businesses and the private sector;

·         Promoting science, technology and the creative arts to enhance innovation and creative capacity towards self-sustaining and inclusive development;

·         Improving social protection programmes, including the government’s conditional cash transfer programme, in order to protect the poor against instability and economic shocks; and

·         Strengthening the implementation of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law to enable, especially, poor couples to make informed choices on financial and family planning

Overall, the country’s economic blueprint under President Duterte’s helm may be summarized as gearing towards poverty reduction, equitable wealth distribution, disbursed economic development to rural folks, and better investment climate.  The fine lines of this 10-point economic agenda may also be translated below to more specific business benefits which business owners, especially the micro, small & medium enterprises (MSMEs), will be happy about.  How about you?  What will you be most happy about the economy in the next six year-stretch?  Read on! 

1. Sustained Business Planning Environment 

One notable accomplishment of previous Aquino government was fueling the Philippine economy to its so far best performance of an average 6.2% GDP growth that led to the country being lauded as South East Asia’s best economy by the Oxford Business Group. This was attributed to the sound economic policies implemented in the monetary, fiscal, and trade sectors.  Deciding to maintain the same macroeconomic framework for the country will keep business plans made by small and big companies within the same environment at smooth sailing and without distortions in timelines.  So there’s no wasted time, effort and money even with the change in political regime. Accordingly from a Business World report, Duterte’s economic team foresees Philippine GDP growth buoying up further from 7% to 8% for the period 2018-2022 after government adjustments in the first two years simmer down.  

2.  Stronger Mass-Consumer Demand

Tax reforms based on progressive income tax scheme and paired with efficient collection system will translate to increased disposable income for a broad stream of the working population.  The working class, composed mostly of minimum wage earners, entry-level, and middle-income workers, are currently slapped with a whopping 32% income tax rate. But with possibly higher incomes net of tax and improved conditional cash transfers for the poor, the business sector can expect a more vibrant and stronger mass demand for various goods and services produced in the market.

3. Level Playing Field for MSMEs

Most MSMEs are usually saddled even right during the first step of doing business when applying for business permits due to red tape in the public sector.  With minimal funds to work with, MSMEs can’t be competitive alongside huge corporations when faced with sometimes errant business requirements at government agencies. True to this, the World Bank’s ease of doing business ranking for the Philippines is at a low 106^th place.  The adoption of the Davao business model, which has a standardized 72 hours processing lead time and reduced number of approving signatories for business permits, will truly be a welcome change for all start-up entrepreneurs.

4.  Decongested Metro Manila

With heavy traffic, hard commuting, and environmental pollution, who wouldn’t be relieved of a decongested Metro Manila?  Included in Duterte’s economic plans is bringing development to agriculture, rural enterprises, and rural tourism—bottom line of which will spur jobs in the country side and lessen urban migration.  This will definitely create a win-win scenario for business owners, not only in the provinces, but in Metro Manila as well.  

5. Faster Business Expansion

Aside from improving ease of doing business that will greatly benefit the MSMEs, Duterte is also keen to attract more foreign investments by relaxing foreign ownership restrictions. Currently, industries with limited foreign business access include retail, advertising, pharmaceuticals, shipping, mining, and broadcasting, among others.  

In hand with these, the new government also plans for increased  infrastructure spending that would be reflected by a higher budget shortfall at 2.5% of GDP from 2.0% previously set by Aquino government. More roads and enhanced public utilities in transportation and communication will certainly make it faster for local and foreign business owners to explore and pursue expansionary plans throughout the Philippines. Consequently, this sits well with the newly placed Duterte administration’s move to spread economic growth to the countryside.   

Everyone nowadays may easily warm up to the idea of work-from-home business startup. After all given the wonders of internet, who wouldn’t find the prospect of doing work at home or anywhere outside the office away from horrendous traffic, wearisome public commuting, or even looming health hazards extremely attractive? In fact, working from anywhere and having enough time to pursue one’s passion were the foremost reasons why Filipinos go freelancing.  If you’re one entrepreneur wannabe who desires flexible time schedule, you’ll definitely agree. 

Indeed, exploring this option seems much exciting. It may even be overwhelming when you finally get your way to this new career venture. But wait before you begin shopping for what you think are home office must-haves as later on you may end up stressed out and cash-stripped. Below is a streamlined list of home office essentials to set you off to an efficient startup of your work-from-home business startup space in less time.  

Focus on home office essentials for a Work-from-Home Start-Up
Photo courtesy of Nicolas Huk via Flickr

1.  Your Work Spot

Get a home office location that you can claim for your work alone. It’s impossible to have focus and get productive when you’re a nomadic worker around the house. Ideally, your work area should physically set you apart from communal elements at home -- family members, entertainment living room, and dining counter, etc. just so you may imbibe a full sense and real feeling of working.        

2.  Lighting

Ensure adequate lighting even when you work from home.  Aside from good natural lighting outside, you may consider complementing the room’s main light with a desk lamp or adjustable overhead light. Surely, you wouldn’t want an eye strain or headache from struggling in the dark.  

3. Desk

Of course, you also need a table for you to lay on your paper works and other stuff.  The traditional rectangular wooden desk may suffice, but you may choose from others such as a study with desk overlay and a desk space with overhead shelves in a tower cabinet.

4. Comfy Chair

Getting a chair you’ll feel most comfortable with is worth the time, effort, and money.  You’ll be spending the most of your time finishing up work with your chair so better make sure it’s something you’ll love even up to its minute details. An ergonomic swivel design, head and arm rests, adjustable height, and reasonable cushion may sound like the considerable features for a perfect chair.  Putting your favorite pillow at back of the chair could also save you from annoying back pains due to a full day’s work.

5. Office Supplies

Shop for office supplies the same way as you did when you were a child.  Being a business startup doesn't mean you can't be fun and adventurous.  Go for fancy colors and designs to make each day pleasant and cheerful at work.  Apart from basic pens and stationery, don’t forget the little handy ones—paper and binder clips, fasteners, glue, thumbtacks, ruler, scissors, tape, post-it notes, folders, envelopes, staples, stapler, and calculator. A particular must-have is a personal notebook that comes most useful whenever you think up of something worth jotting down.  

Keep office supplies 
in desk organizer or pen holder at the least.
Photo courtesy via Pixabay

6. Desk Organizer

Keep your desk off from clutter with a desk organizer, or with a pen holder at the very least.  Knowing where to pick up your things will allow you to become efficient and prevent you from scrambling at the last minute during a sudden need. 

7. Calendar Planner

There may be digital calendars out there but nothing can psyche you up to plan ahead better than the wall or desk calendar glaring at you.  Calendars that have large boxed- dates with generous space for marking down appointments, deadlines, or special events can be really helpful.      

8. File Storage

Definitely, you wouldn’t want your stuff to grow into a heap of files.  File folders, boxes, and shelf cabinets can help organize and store your documents, supplies, and other work paraphernalia.  Don’t forget to make proper labels to save you time when searching.

9. Computer

Unless you plan to evade the modern world, your home office can’t run operational without a computer.  Choosing between a laptop and desktop will depend on your work style or needs. But whichever you opt for, a computer at your work space completely fits the bill for a home office.  

10. Internet Broadband Connection

Partnering with your computer work station is a fast broadband connection for you to be able to link with the internet and work online at great speed.  This is the way to go if you want to come out reliable and competitive in the online world. 

11. Landline Phone

Landline for a more legit business image
Photo courtesy via Pixabay

Nothing beats the traditional landline phone for taking customer calls as it creates a more professional and legit impression especially for home-based business owners.  For remote personnel working online, the smart alternative may be the internet-based VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol, which usually comes free or has minimal rates.

12. Mobile Smart Phone

Having a landline is good enough, but getting a smart phone will make you even better.  Of course, there will be times when you need to move around the house or go outside for an errand or weekend day-out.  During these moments, you’ll surely love your smart phone for affording you to make instant email checks, social media updates, or internet browsing while at your favorite cafe or shopping mall.  

13. Multi-functional Printer

Aside from usual printing tasks, you may also require making duplicate copies, scanning images, and faxing documents sometimes.  Thanks to multi-functional printers available today which combine all these jobs in just one machine so you won’t have a plethora of devices anymore.  

14. Wide-bowl, Hardworking Coffee Mug

One of the perks of a home office is not missing your breakfast before you kick off the day.  Be sure to grab on to an ideal hardworking coffee mug with a wide bowl that makes it versatile to hold your favorite breakfast cereal, porridge, or beverage, and even any of your quick snacks anytime of the day.   

15. Dash of Inspiration
Lastly, you're just human to be down sometimes too! When that happens, an inspirational source can become a home office business startup essential for you.  A family picture, your life motto, or dream house brochure will keep you driven and help you not miss a work day at home. 

Liked this article so far?  Read more of business startup and entrepreneurial blogs from Go Entrepinay now and explore how you could join the world of entrepreneurship. 

The wedding month of June couldn't pass without its “weddingness” being included as a blog post.  Admit it, Philippine weddings are such soulful celebrations that are not to be taken lightly. If you’re a Pinoy, you yourself may readily agree that Filipinos’ love for family obviously translates to this country’s passion for creating beautiful Philippine wedding events.  Apparently, this could be the very reason that’s also turning the Philippines into one strong contender for destination weddings. From the soon-to-wed couple to family and friends, everyone’s seemingly ready to share a piece of themselves to bridal preparations for crafting the most memorable occasion deemed to be cherished in a lifetime.  It’s not surprising then to find this love for weddings even present in showbiz actress Cristina Gonzales-Romualdez. Cristina’s entrepreneurial trace found its way in putting up a lovely wedding venue, the Patio Victoria. 

Old World Charm from Patio Victoria
Photo courtesy by Judgefloro via Wikimedia Commons

The now Mayor-elect of Tacloban, after her landslide victory in the May 2016 elections, hasn’t ran out of zest for work. Before the call of marriage in 1998, Cristina Gonzales was a popular actress of the 80s and 90s. Alongside marriage and family, she has also gotten her hands into business with the start of Patio Victoria in 2001. With her untiring energy, it isn’t hard to see why Patio Victoria has been in business for more than a decade now. But apart from that, below are several reasons which could be behind Patio Victoria’s enduring appeal to the weddings-events industry that you may also find agreeable, too.

1.  Seamless Offering

Patio Victoria definitely knows how to stand for its “old world charm” offering.  From its location to amenities, you’ll be taken back to a different setting from a time past. The venue is located within the heart of the historic Spanish walled city of Intramuros, near Manila Cathedral, and just across San Agustin Church.  Inside it are cobblestone paths, old wooden gateways, fountains, flowering foliage, and tall trees to complete the old world ambience.  Even the food menu, which includes callos, lengua, and paella, is reminiscent of old Spanish cuisine.

2.  Venue Choices

Customers are also treated to several venue options in Patio Victoria.  There are the two elegant garden venues named after Cristina’s daughters – Sofia and Diana Gardens.  For more private events, the Sofia Banquet Hall presents an indoor venue with air-condition facility that comes ideal for corporate events and more intimate personal occasions.

3.  Full Service

A hassle-free event is what every party host prays for. Patio Victoria realizes this client need such that from merely just being an events venue, it has expanded itself to offer a full-serviced venue with catering and styling amenities. For those with thematic weddings and events, venue theme styling at Patio Victoria ranges from Black and White, Iridescent, Victorian, Bordeaux, to Town and Country.  

4.  Reasonable Pricing

For all its offerings, Patio Victoria’s venue rental rates and special packages for its clients may be considered reasonable. After all, the experience of an old world vibe for one-day could be even worth more. 

Scouring for back-to-school business ideas this month of June?  Well, your hunches could be on pretty right tracks. Perhaps with prudent management practices plus a huge Philippine youth market to cater to, it’s not hard to see why several Pinoy companies which began from entrepreneurial business start-ups have churned out phenomenal success through the years.  There are the likes of a shoe store turned shopping mall giant, a burger fast food chain catapulted industry leader, and a book store school supplies retailer with national bragging rights, just to name a few. Just imagine 54% of the country’s 100M population in 2011 being comprised by people aged below 25 years old and you definitely have a strong market demand to back you up with. Smart would-be entrepreneurs wouldn’t miss spotting this obvious market opportunity.

Get into youth market with back-to-school business ideas.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay

Truly, Philippines’ predominantly young population has ushered in abundant business possibilities for various industries from food, fashion, leisure, and of course, to learning, among others.  Below are some business ideas in time with school opening season to bring you a steady demand for almost the whole year round.   

1.    Day care or Pre-school

If you love kids, setting up a day care or pre-school may just be the thing for you.  Although a pre-school has stricter regulations than day care, both ventures require you to spend time with children from toddlers to pre-school age.  When setting up location, you need to look out for communities of start-up families or friendly neighbourhood sites near business centers for the convenient drop-off and pick-up of kids usually done by working moms.     

2.    School Supplies Retailing

Sales of paper pads, pens, pencils, crayons, notebooks, and all other school supplies peak especially during school opening but enjoys a steady demand for the rest of the school year from students, school faculty and admin staff.  Putting up your school supplies store near the school would be best. Meanwhile selling additional products or locating beside complementary shops like food snacks, personal care, and gift accessories could help boost your sales further.   

3.    Uniform Sewing and Repair

Do you know how to sew?  Make a business out of your sewing skills by supplying student and teacher uniforms, physical education sports apparel, varsity team jackets, and other items of school clothing ensemble. Aside from custom-fit tailoring, you can also do sewing repair services. You can start by accepting single job orders as your village “modista” but if you’re able to prove your quality services, word-of-mouth advertising from happy customers can lead you to more client referrals or even allow you to bag orders from school and company clients later.

4.    Mobile Food Business

Selling food snacks is a sure-fire back-to-school business formula as kids undoubtedly love eating the most!  Why not get into the latest food craze via the mobile food cart or food truck?  Whether you’re a cooking enthusiast or seasoned chef, the mobile food business could serve well as launch pad and showcase vehicle of your well-loved home recipe or new specialty gourmet recipe.  While business and location permits could be tedious to secure, this let-down is offset by the flexibility that goes with mobile food business. You can easily move around parking locations depending on how well business is doing at allowed sites.    

5.    Academic Tutorial Services

Are you an expert in a particular subject?  Share your knowledge and earn from it at the same time by doing tutorial services.  You may start doing tutorials at homes of your student clients at first. But you can have this turned to a full-blown business with an office of your own once you have a bunch of customers already. What’s good about doing tutorials is you can do this at your spare time outside your regular job. Best of all, it only requires your brain power to start it up.   

6.    Musical Instrument Teacher

While some parents hire tutors to help their kids with the academe, some also pay for teaching lessons in music. If you’re gifted with a bard’s ear when playing the piano, guitar, violin, or other musical instruments, you could also turn this talent into a business. Like academic tutoring, you could teach home lessons to your clients if you don’t have your own instruments at first. Once you’ve saved enough capital, you can start building up your own music school with complete instruments and facilities.  

7.    Sports Mentoring

Even when summer ended, you can still continue with teaching and coaching kids in sports.  Try out as team coach of the varsity team or post at the internet your outstanding sports credentials so student athletes may notice and hire your services as personal trainer. Like academic and music tutoring, this one requires almost nil capital investment except your fitness and sports expertise.   

8.    Internet Shop

Internet shops are most helpful to students for their research needs. To keep up with competition from alternative yet affordable gadgets like smartphones and tablets, you can provide add-on benefits like lay-outing, scanning, typing, printing, and even photo I.D. services. You may even add selling candies to your list for a more enjoyable research work by your student clients.

9.    Books and Magazines Store

Books and magazines covering a wide variety of topics ranging from academic subjects, general reference, specialty fields, niche topics, arts and crafts, and hobbies can attract a large student market. You have the option of running your store the traditional brick and mortar way or online via e-commerce with provision on shipping costs though.  

10. Research Writing Firm

The education industry involves much research work and some definitely seek assistance in this area.  Hence, there’s the great need not only for individuals but also for big companies to contract research services to external parties.  If you’re one who enjoys reading up, learning new things, and has great writing skills for conveying meaningful information, then putting up a research writing firm may be a worthwhile venture for you to earn money while doing that which interests you at the same time.   

11. Bookbinding Shop

Book reports, term papers, research projects, and other work submissions will never run out in the academe. As there’s always the need to collate paper works and so that’s why bookbinding stands as an old but prolific business found at university belts and shopping centers.  Couple with bookbinding the need for making several copies and adding a photocopying service will strengthen your business even more.

12. School Bus Service

If you’re someone who’s always on the go and enjoys your time on the road, driving your way to a school bus company may be your route to entrepreneurship.  With this business, you have to get used though to early morning work hours to get kids on time, vigilant following of weather advisories for typhoon class suspensions, and regulatory compliances under government transport agencies.  While business may be out during summer, you’ve gotten however an assured clientele which brings you cash liquidity for the entire school year. 

PAG-IBIG has another great news for Marikina business-owners who live near at Sto. Nino, Lamuan, Concepcion and Parang areas!  There is now a PAG-IBIG office right at the second floor of Graceland Plaza Marikina located at J.P. Rizal Street or "Lamuan", just across the Shell gas station.  This new PAG-IBIG branch comes as a much welcome addition to the PAG-IBIG office in Marikina City Hall. 

PAG-IBIG now open at Graceland Plaza Marikina
Photo by Go Entrepinay

With the SSS Marikina-Malanday branch situated across at the second floor, the new PAG-IBIG office doubles the delivery of business-related government services to enterpise owners in Marikina. PAG-IBIG Graceland Plaza Marikina branch may be reached via its contact number at 861-4842.

PAG-IBIG Graceland Plaza Marikina across SSS Marikina Malanday Branch
Photo by Go Entrepinay

Surely, this development brings so much convenience to business-owners who wish to pay on time their PAG-IBIG monthly contributions.  But the new PAG-IBIG office in Graceland Plaza Marikina can also process all other concerns of PAG-IBIG members ranging from membership verification services to applications for loans and other benefits. 

PAG-IBIG Graceland Plaza Marikina Member Services
Photo by Go Entrepinay