My GoNegosyo Experience At Mensa Day

Updated: April 5, 2015

Last February 22nd, I attended the Mensa Day at Fully Booked, Bonifacio High Street in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig.

The whole day affair was organized by Mensa Philippines and primarily aims to provide an avenue for non-members to get to know and join their organization.

But aside from the testing schedules, games and social activities, Mensa Philippines also invited the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (PCE) to conduct talks about entrepreneurship.

PCE is a non-stock, non-profit organization that advocates for a change in mindset and attitude through its GoNegosyo program. Through forums, expos, seminars, books and multimedia campaigns, PCE hopes to demystify entrepreneurial success and popularize entrepreneurship as an alternative to unemployment, job-seeking or migration.

I arrived at Fully Booked just in time last Sunday to catch all of the GoNegosyo talks which lasted the whole morning until early afternoon. Here are some of the things I learned and experienced that day.

GoNegosyo Forum
The day started with a forum which seeks to inspire the youth. Most of the young people who were waiting for the testing to begin was able to attend this one, along with other Mensa members.

The speakers who shared their stories were Ms. Maoi Arroyo, CEO of Hybridgm Consulting, Inc., Mr. Rommel Juan, President of Binalot Fiesta Foods, Inc., Mr. Ramon Lopez, Executive Director of PCE and Prof. Ma. Luisa Gatchalian, NCR President of the Entrepreneurship Educators’ Association of the Philippines (ENEDA).

The talk was lively and I really enjoyed listening to the stories they shared. Some of the most interesting points that was given that morning were:

• Don’t start a business because you don’t like your boss or you don’t like having a boss. When you put up a business, your clients and suppliers will become your boss. (I remembered my previous post about this)
• We decided to sell food because we like eating. Start a business that’s in line with your passion. Do something you love.
• Entrepreneurship is a mindset not limited to business owners. Everyone, even people working as an employee, should have the entrepreneurial mindset.
• Seek opportunities in times of crisis. Walang krisis sa masipag – The financial crisis does not exist for the industrious.
• Act fast to seize opportunities. A good decision done early is better than a great decision done late. Don’t be afraid to fail. Trust your instincts but verify your assumptions.
• Business is a team sport. Create a good team.

Entrepreneurship 101
Prof. Jorge Saguinsin from the Ateneo Graduate School of Business then conducted a seminar on how to find business ideas and opportunities amidst crisis. This was a very informative talk which showed us how the mind of a businessman thinks and how anyone can train himself to think like an entrepreneur.

Technoprenuership
Mr. Alvin Kingson Tan, President of Technominds, Inc. and Mr. Oliver Kuy of Kuy Digital Design Consultancy, then talked about Technopreneurship. They discussed how technology and entrepreneurial skills can be synergized to come up with new businesses and improve existing business systems.

The most important point that was said during this talk was that businesses should not be afraid to use technology to replace old business processes.

For example, companies should consider implementing a “paperless office” because it will not only lessen expenses in paper supplies, but will also improve the exchange of information within the company.

Social Entrepreneurship
The most passionate and informative talk of the day goes to Mr. Illac Diaz who talked about social entrepreneurship. He is a multi-awarded entrepreneur and executive director of My Shelter Foundation. He called out to all entrepreneurs to redefine how they conduct their businesses.

He emphasized that ventures should not only focus on profits but also consider business sustainability and its impact to the natural environment and society. He encourages entrepreneurs to think of businesses that will answer the problems of poverty and other global issues. I completely agreed with him when he said that a small and simple project that’s sustainable and provides long term benefits can have the power to change society.

Suffice to say, I really enjoyed the GoNegosyo talks during the Mensa Day. However, I still stayed for the rest of the afternoon to attend the other activities specially the blogger seminar given by Winston, Fritz and Coy. Here are some of the other pictures I took that day:

Lastly, I’d like to give my shoutouts to fellow bloggers who was also there – Jonel, Mica, Sire, Kring and Mikko. I hope you also enjoyed the day as much as I did. 🙂

In the next few weeks, I shall discuss more in detail the things that was shared during the different talks. Don’t miss that and to subscribe to Ready To Be Rich.