I tried being an entrepreneur in Manila. Trust me – this statement is so damn true. Bat di ako na-interbyu? I could have told them that we even paid Fundador and Lechon delivered directly sa Kapitan. Now, the business license? Grabe ang binayad namen, and we were not allowed to pick it up ourselves dahil Kapitan ang nag-pik-ak. Trabaho daw nila. Get nyo kung anong trabaho?

Hulaan nyo!

Then the problem becomes how to sift and filter the sand so that potential entrepreneurs won’t be consumed by the inertia of the “I’m content to become an employee” system. I believe that, if they can’t rattle the cage from inside, then those of us out here can rattle it for them, too.

Part of my old job was to look into possible business ventures. it was fun doing so but time and time again, the cost of electricity was staggering. A simple one condo unit capable of holding at least 20 employees, 2-3 computers, air-conditioning would at least cost as much as the minimum wage per day.

i know of a few businesses that are on the rise— but they’ve adapted: no business licenses, no taxes, an underground economy is thriving largely because of low threshold to startup. some of them they shift to legitimacy when they’re stable because to grow further you’ve got to go legit.

Starting up a business is always hard, no matter where you are in the world. government is a huge contributing factor that does make it hard (but not as hard as it used to be) to get a business running. though in the department of making it hard to keep a business afloat, government taxes and corruption is a substantial factor. But i must say this, the hardest part in starting a business is always that first step: getting to do it.

Is it a culture thing?

Corruption thrives on incapacity and Poverty, at least in the Philippine context, exist largely because of corruption. One way of fighting incapacity is the building of businesses. Doesn’t matter what kind really— we already know for a fact that market forces can build wealth and sustain it. With wealth and disposable income everything changes.

Filipinos venture abroad because of wealth— it is far easier to be an employee than to try your hand at business or something new, different. For some, that is keeping it real. Some Filipinos are afraid to rattle the cage, or set their eyes on something else. Sometimes, it is also as simple as, “not everyone is fit to be an entrepreneur” much like not everyone can be a doctor or a lawyer. Then again, Entrepreneurs know how to adjust expectations and to borrow an aphorism, “we take what is given” because part of the job description of an Entrepreneur is seeing opportunities and going after those opportunities and thriving no matter the environment. The scariest part of being an Entrepreneur is starting out and that is always a daunting prospect, no matter the race.