With just four months after its first date of publication, the GoNegosyo Book of Inspiring Entrepreneurial Stories has reached the top spot of the Bestseller’s List (Non-Fiction Category) in National Bookstore. The GoNegosyo book even topped Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki’s “Why We Want You to Be Rich” which was also in the bestseller list. We are extremely happy of what this book has achieved and that it was able to gather a significant amount of following in just a short span of time. Some people have asked me what inspired me do this book. I guess the introduction in the book explains it all. As a child, I always dreamed of being the cape crusader Batman and in some strange ways the role I am doing in the GoNegosyo advocacy together with hundreds of entrepreneurs is to inspire people to take control of their destiny and rescue them from the villains of our society, THE PESSIMISTS.
This book is a collection of stories which will hopefully inspire Filipinos to believe in the power of determination to reach their entrepreneurial dreams. I personally hand-picked the entrepreneurs featured in the book with the hope that the readers will be inspired with their stories and realize their one big idea. Their stories not only talk about the triumphs but also the major obstacles the entreps had to overcome and the actions taken to reach the pinnacle of success. Aside from memorable quotes from the entreps, the book also features a foreword and useful business insights from entrep guru Andy Ferreria. The book also intended to create icons out of the featured entreps for the readers and young Filipinos to follow as role models.
Due to its increasing popularity, we have a series of book signing sessions all throughout the year to further promote the book, and a good number of entreps in the book make themselves present. We had the first book signing session at the National Bookstore Mall of Asia last March 3, in National Bookstore Megamall last March 15 and the most recent in PTTC during the GoNegosyo Go Gobyerno last May 2. All of them were very well-attended and it also served as a venue for the public to meet and greet their entrep idols whom I believe are the real superstars of this country. In addition, we will also have book signing sessions as part of our GoNegosyo sa Probinsya caravan in key cities all around the Philippines.
We are also in the process of creating the second edition of the book because we realize that there are still a lot of other successful entreps who have inspiring stories to tell. Aside from providing inspiration, we also want to equip Filipinos with the necessary information in running a business which is why we are also thinking of doing a basic “how-to” GoNegosyo guide for entrepreneurs which we can hopefully sell at a very affordable rate.
On behalf of the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship, I would like to thank everyone who became a part of the book especially to the entreps who willingly shared their inspiring stories. We thank Prof. Andy Ferreria for providing the useful business insights, to Philip Cu-unjeng and his team for their interesting write-ups, and of course to our great GoNegosyo supporter and trustee Socorro Ramos for all the support that she and her National Bookstore team, including Powerbooks, have extended to this book project. My heartfelt thanks to everyone who already purchased the book and for those who don’t have one yet, I highly encourage you to get a copy.
Let me share with you an email that was sent to me by an OFW. This is maybe the very reason why the super heroes, the entrepreneurs, should continue to grow in fold because of the countless OFWs who have to work overseas just to sustain their families in the Philippines.
Dear Joey,
I am an accountant working in Oman and a father of two kids. I read your GoNegosyo articles and really appreciate the mentors’ concern about us. It is also my ambition to have a small business so that I can stop working abroad and settle permanently with my family; who I missed so much for having so far from them for almost five years now and may even go further.
It is a terrible thing to think that when the first time I left (2002) our country, my two kids were so small and when I came back sometime in 2005 (two months vacation) & 2006 (1 month vacation) I found them already grown up; sad to say that for the five years I am far, I saw them only for three months and to add, I have never been in those times they were growing up and never been a part of their formative years. My wife became a two-person parent, a father and mother to them.
Your GoNegosyo team and your visions are very good and thought inspiring. I wish that you will succeed and be able to help people like us, OFWs to start a new life in the Philippines because it is the best place in the whole world; and I am proud to say that I would like to die in our place and not in a foreign land.
Educating our people and placing good people in government is the right thing to do. I support you in advocating these visions and it is true that we need people who are themselves pro-economy, pro-entrepreneur and pro-people oriented; in three words help the poor.
It is high time that we should support each other and elected politicians must be servants to people and not a lord over them.
Go ahead of your views and I should say and quite sure that OFWs will support you in your visions; because, never, as a lone OFW, felt this burning desire until I have read your articles and the others’ in GoNegosyo website.
Noel
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Congratulations also to MSME czar and PMS boss Cerge Remonde and his team for successfully mounting, in cooperation with PCE, the GoNegosyo Go Gobyerno last May 2 at the PTTC Manila, and last May 11 at the Cebu International Convention Center. Thanks to PTTC Executive Director Inton, Governor Gwen Garcia and the Marissa Nallana for providing the free venues. Tomorrow, GoNegosyo Go Gobyerno will be in Davao. Organized with the Philippine Government Employees Association headed by Espie Ocampo, this event aims to promote Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), to encourage government employees to develop an entrepreneurial mindset and to present to them business opportunities that their families can avail of.
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Here’s a question for our column readers:
Given that the economy is consistently getting better, do you think the country’s economic progress is for real? What else would you suggest the government and private individuals do to push this country forward?
Tell us what you think. Visit the GoNegosyo website at www.gonegosyo.net, click Joey Concepcion under the Ask-a-Mentor section and send me your answers along with your name address and contact number. THE FIRST 100 RESPONDENTS WILL RECEIVE A FREE COPY OF THE GONEGOSYO BOOK.