Our Transformation

Looking back, it was mid of 2007 Fely was already notified by her company that her job will be eliminated and thus her position will no longer exist. She was identified for early retirement. So before she actually reached her last day in office, we searched for guidance how we will be able to manage our finances. We bought and read books.

We attended seminars and studied different business options. During this time I was still employed, and Fely was still receiving her monthly salary. There was not as much pressure to embark on a business at this time.

November of that year, we decided to join a company named International Marketing Group-IMG. This is after we learned about it in Bro Bo Sanchez's Truly Rich Coaching Seminar. Our only motivation is for us to become the broker for all our financial services needs such as our investments, property insurance, and healthcare.

We did not seriously consider yet any business as I was still employed and receives my monthly income. We just wanted to make sure we get our finances in order and have the retirement money of Fely invested properly. For me, business takes the back seat. It is not a priority.

However, one year later, “kaboooom”, it was my turn to be retired by the company I worked for. I was forced to put some effort in the business that IMG offered but I was half hearted. I was not focused on business. I still hoped that I could go back to being an employee. Career in manufacturing was my comfort zone. My money mind set has not been fully converted.

I was still programmed to be an employee. My JOB attachments and my brains are too tough to breakdown.

But months passed and I was not lucky, or looking back, I was so lucky I did not find a job!

...to be continued...

Our JOB (Journey Of the Broke)

Fely and I were both first engineers in our respective family.

We were high flyers in Elementary, High School and College. Fely graduated Valedictorian in Elementary and is consistent honor student in High School, while I am always in the Top 5 of the class.

I obtained my Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering on a Scholarship Grant by the National State Scholarship of the Philippine Government.

My studies were motivated by a dream of making it good in school and landing a good job.

My parents wanted me to complete my engineering so I can land a good job in a company. Work on the company and retire in it.

After my graduation (just a few years ago…1978 ehem...), I was taken in as an Instructor in the Mechanical Engineering Department of Adamson University.

For three years I was in the academe and as fate would have it, this university is where Fely and I would meet and fall in love (I still feel the “kilig” even after so many years… ha ha ha!)

My first taste of an industry exposure is at Intel Philippines. It was the largest semiconductor manufacturing company at that time I was employed (May 15, 1981).

After two years in that company, Fely also joined the company too. We were not yet married at that time. We both enjoyed good paying job. We then got married in 1984 and were happy to have our combined income to be more than we need.

We also had the opportunity to travel overseas for training. We were very good in what we do and got ourselves go up the corporate ladder. So who needs to get into business at this state?

Fely stayed on with Intel and completed about 25 years of faithful service. I moved from Intel (10 years) to Amkor (10 years) to Orient Semicon (7 years). For many years, we enjoyed our career growth and our pay increase.

Our major wins and achievements in our job hypnotized us to believe that our jobs can bring us to our comfortable retirement.

We programmed ourselves to retire at age 60 and then enjoy our retirement. Early on with our career, we were high flyers. That was in the first decade 1981-1990.

We were caught in a tumultuous and fast changing decade beginning 2001 to 2010. The decade that saw the world economy giants start to collapse.

Many companies started to do drastic cost cutting measures. Our respective companies started also to shrink their factories, and consolidate their resources.

I faced the greatest fears in my JOB: retrenchment, redundancy, early retirement and outright cutting headcounts (same objectives with different names- reduced manpower).

The third decade was the most disastrous part of our career. What we thought as retirement at age 60 came early. Actually it was too early as Fely was just 48, and I was 52 when the company we worked for retired us.

Fely's retirement was a little more pleasant than mine. She was given at least 6 months of transition prior to her actual separation from her company. Mine was totally different. It was a terrible experience.

INTRODUCTION:


Fely and I had long wanted to have our own business. I know you too want to have your own business before you retire.

In fact many of our friends who got their early retirement money put up on their own business. Unfortunately more than half of the people we know who went into business went bankrupt and lost their money.

Early on in our career in the Semicon Manufacturing we wanted to put up our own business. However, our education set us up for employment.

Our family experience also limited us to “sari-sari store” (convenient store) business. It was the business our parents had. It was short lived and did not even prosper.

For many years, I and Fely's had a great desire to set-up our own business but we were not able to pursue it because of our fear of failure. Besides, our comfort zone was employment.

We are so thankful that with IMG-International Marketing Group. All of this had been changed and our dream of having our own successful business had come true!

We want to share in this book our successful transformation from being an engineer to an entrepreneur in a business that is really Simple Fast Clear and Doable...You Can Do It Too!