When your business starts to grow, it is the perfect opportunity to revisit your business plan, adjust, and plan for changes with the proper digital solutions to help you operate and prosper. But how do you select the one that will work for you?
In the fourth episode of the online show, “At Your SerBIZ!” two “en-tech-preneurs” upgraded their businesses and sat down with renowned author and speaker Francis Kong to share their top negosyantips on how the right digital solutions helped them manage and exponentially grow their startup tech businesses.
Ginger Arboleda, co-founder of Taxumo, and Oskie King, co-founder of Cleaning Lady PH, solved the challenges in their tech businesses to prove that “tuloy-tuloy na success” is possible with these top tips.
Ginger believes that you must focus your valuable time and energy on the areas that matter most to you and your business to get the best return on your investment. “Conserve it so that you can recharge,” the Taxumo co-founder added.
When Ginger started Taxumo, she had the realization that she wanted to live the life she wanted. After getting pregnant and watching her kids grow, she knows that she wants to be present at every milestone. She made sure to give herself time to re-energize and keep her priorities in mind.
Instead of wasting time filing for taxes, processing payments, and dealing with penalties, Taxumo assists thousands of freelancers, self-employed professionals, small business owners, and corporations to file and pay their taxes from wherever and whenever. As an accredited online tax compliance tool in the Philippines, it allowed Filipino taxpayers to focus on being their best selves by simply diverting their time and energy to more productive things while her business handled their taxes.
“You must continue to understand your business processes better and, at the same time, maging open ka sa improvements,” Oskie said.
Oskie previously worked in an IT company on a graveyard shift, with no time to pursue his hobbies, passions, or spend time with his family. At that point, he wanted to change this situation not just for himself but for others who have no time to deal with time-consuming cleaning. Oskie co-founded Cleaning Lady, a social enterprise that provides Filipino-quality cleaning services that are professional, caring, and warm to condominium dwellers in Metro Manila. He understood the pain that comes when you don’t have the time for yourself to clean your condo unit. And so, Oskie made their digital solutions smooth and easy to book for their clients.
As business changes and consumer expectations rise, entrepreneurs must also be adaptive with digital tools that both their employees and customers can understand and use. Some of the online tools that Oskie recommends are Zoom and Facebook Messenger for work-from-home collaboration, Meta Business for customer inquiries for different businesses, and GCash for receiving and sending payments.
For someone starting a tech business, it might be overwhelming to discover, explore, and try to use digital tools covering various processes, system management, or a specialized function. But as a learner, you should remember that the experts were once novices in these situations.
“When you want to automate your business, it’s very important to research and look at the things around you that can help support your business,” says Ginger, an advocate of continuous learning.
Technology quickly changes. What was convenient yesterday may not be so useful or relevant to your business operations tomorrow. So, an entechpreneur must stay up-to-date and keep track of the latest trends, events, and tools.
Oskie feels strongly about his business and the people he wants to support.
“At the end of the day, it’s not just about earning income or growing the company, but more so, the social impact na tina-try natin to create,” stressed the Cleaning Lady co-founder.
At Cleaning Lady, they empower mothers from underprivileged communities to give their customers time for more productive tasks, all while creating a meaningful difference and positive impact on each other.
“Kailangang mas maraming kababaihan ‘yung ma-upskill pa natin,” Oskie added as he constantly remembers his objectives that will keep him aligned as he grows his business.
Change the way you conduct your business and join the ranks of these successful CEOs and find the best digital solutions that work for you with Globe Business. Catch more episodes of “At Your SerBiz!” here.
What does independence mean to you? While a life of independence may seem glamorous and liberating, it actually entails even more responsibility. Fortunately, it has its share of rewards.
We asked two known Filipino entrepreneurs on how having businesses gave them a sense of freedom, and what struggles they had to go through along the way. How does running their own business help them live a life of independence?
Ginger Arboleda, a tech start-up founder and content creator
As a mom, content creator, and Chief Operations Officer of online tax compliance tool Taxumo, Ginger Arboleda is constantly on her feet every single day looking after her two kids and attending to work-related matters.
“My reason for having a business was initially to have more time for my daughter. I wanted to be present and I wanted to be a hands-on mom. What I enjoy about starting my own business is the time freedom,” Ginger shares. “I can spend more time with my kids and [my schedule can be] flexible.”
Not everything is a walk in the park, of course. Such independence also requires constant proactiveness, energy, knowledge, and passion for learning, Ginger says. It also entailed greater responsibility, making sure that their employees are also well taken care of.
“As the business grew, my reason [for starting the business] grew bigger, too. I found joy in fulfilling my purpose which was to help other people grow and sustain their businesses,” adds Ginger.
One of the things that helps Ginger accomplish this is being able to work from the comfort of her home. Digital solutions such as Discord, Google Drive and apps, Microsoft Solutions, Taxumo, and a stable internet connection boost her productivity and efficiency.
With these tools on hand, Ginger gets to leverage her strengths, such as coming up with innovative ideas, building relationships with partners, and creating the product roadmap of her company.
To aspiring entrepreneurs similarly driven by independence, Ginger emphasizes the realities behind starting a business.
“Starting and building a business is hard work so you need clarity on the reasons why you want it, and it has to be a compelling enough reason,” Ginger notes. “Also, do not compare your entrepreneurship journey with others. We all have our unique journeys and paths to follow.”
Paulo Tibig, award-winning entrepreneur and motivational speaker
Paulo Tibig is in a league of his own. Aside from being a sought-after motivational speaker for corporate and business plenaries, he also manages a logistics company, Vcargo Worldwide. On a typical day, he attends executive meetings, develops content for his talks, and travels to his speaking engagements.
Paulo attributes his enterprising spirit to his upbringing which exposed him to entrepreneurship. With such a background, he was well aware of the benefits of becoming an entrepreneur, such as the freedom to control his schedule and career.
“Being at the helm of my companies gives me the privilege to make game-changing decisions that will benefit everybody,” Paulo says. This freedom, though, comes with responsibility. Paulo cautiously reminds, “For me, when you feel in control you have two choices, you can abuse it or you can use it for the good of everybody.”
He recounts, “Along the way, there are urges to exploit power for my own benefit but thank God I am constantly reminded that I have to stay in my lane, stick to my principles to do ethical business all the time.”
In the early years of his business, Paulo realized that entrepreneurship was even more challenging than life in the corporate world. With hard work and effective time management, however, he soon started reaping the fruits of his labor and experienced greater flexibility and freedom. Technology also became a critical component of his daily work; a must in today’s digital age.
“We use Google products most of the time to manage our schedules, meetings, store files一and of course, backed by solid, high-speed connection from Globe to make every digital job faster,” he says. “Thankful that technology has given us the opportunity to streamline things so we can be highly efficient.”
Seeking and attaining freedom are two different things entirely, a lesson Paulo knows all too well.
“When you work hard, when you are committed to what you do, the feeling of freedom will soon follow. When you are there, never forget your reasons why you wanted independence,” he emphasizes to aspiring entrepreneurs. “Remember that the real prize is the fulfillment of your purpose.”
Like Paulo and Ginger, you can achieve the independence you desire as you start or grow your own business. Globe Business offers digital solutions to empower entrepreneurs like you to live the life you want一and run your business with ease. To know more, click here.
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