Business planning

The other day I had a meeting with my business coach about my business plan. I have not really had the luxury of time to thoroughly plan the ins and outs of my business (not good I know), but have started taking extra steps recently. My hubby has taken a few weeks off for me to be able to concentrate and seriously think about my action plan.

We've decided to take measures in bringing my skills up in the travel industry by taking online destination and product web trainings. I've also gone and set up some meetings with suppliers to be able to do some bit of networking as well. So far, I have done baby steps, but in time these will make a big difference in increasing my confidence again. After all, I have taken a good one year off to take care of the little one. It's about time I sharpen my dormant skills. Either I do this now, or I will end up wearing scrubs and take on a totally different career in medicine! At least I know the website to source them if needed : http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/ Haha! Of course this career change won't happen in this lifetime. I will leave that to my youngest brother who is about to embark on his medical degree.

Yes, finally

Finally I will be working my hours, wherever I want! Yipee!! Yes, whether I am in Sydney or in Manila for as long as I have my laptop and mobile I will be able to do business. I know I make it sound as if that's easy but really it will be hard work. I will have distractions everywhere... tv, nice weather, laziness, etc.

But I suppose being with my little B the most challenging, since I will need to work my time management. I anticipate times when I will be unable to resist her charms and would like to play with her, in spite of a big First Class enquiry or some random package.

Oh well. Such is life. I wish I can have everything all at once. I wish I could update my blogs as often as I want. Oh, and bake lots and lots of cake and goodies. Hmm.

In between cakes

Oh yes, I have been busy lately. I have baked numerous cakes, cupcakes, mini cakes, muffins, bread, etc. Since my last entry my sister has visited me, stayed for a good month and left. And, my other sister has arrived and leaves next week. So, yes I have been busy. Baby B is still a baby, and we are enjoying quality time with aunts. I wish I can have them stay here for good. SOON, I hope and pray my sister would decide to relocate to Sydney just so we'll have family here and would no longer consider going to Manila for good. (But then again, who knows?!)

This week I am attending a travel agent's workshop for my business and I am hoping to start my own soon thereafter. *Cross fingers* With an infant in tow it will be hard to start my business and even the workshop on it's own is a challenge. My hubby is taking the day off from work so he can stay with bub outside my workshop. So I can still feed Baby on demand. Oh, and we would be checking in into the hotel where my workshop is held.. Ah life. Adjustments with a baby. No complaints. Just adjustments.

I hope to update this blog again soon. For now, it's back to baking. Oh and feeding.

Same old thoughts

With all the things currently going on in the world market, is it wise to start a business? Or is it better to do a bit more of research and possibly just invest in gold or gold bullion? I am still just considering the options as to what to do. Although the latter may be attractive to some, I think I may opt to start my business. It has been a long while since I have been contemplating on this, and with my maternity leave coming up I may actually finally push through with it! It has been seriously lingering in my head, and hubby has been giving me pep talks about how much he believes I can make a big business flourish. I suppose when it all comes down to planning and pushing pens I will be raking my brain and doing my own market research. For now, its all about baby.

When the world says its time for a change.

How do you put into words feelings you don't even understand.

When is news good news? And when is it bad? Can it just be a blessing in disguise?

Just when you thought that you are wanting to try to plan life for the next few months, you are suddenly faced with having to plan a whole lifetime. Or at least, two, three, four, five years down the road.

How does one decide where to steer the wheel? Somehow maybe decisions have already been made due to the circumstance. Is that any easier? Should it be any easier?

Finally, something that has been lingering for the past three years..

Is it really a blessing? For now it is all still feels like a fleeting memory. Distant. Near. Close. Far.

Perhaps this is it. It's time for change.

Could have been a restaurateur

When I was younger and thinking of my career options and all that, I thought about opening a restaurant together with my sibings. I guess, since our family loved to eat good food, dine out and try new restaurants this idea would have been perfect! However, I had some issues that's why I never really pursued this thought. One, I am not a good cook. Never was, and never will be one. It is my other sibling who was good at this so, the restaurant business still could have worked if we pushed through with it. Two, well, I moved overseas. Thus, geographically my sibling and I wouldn't have been able to run this together (she does not live in the same country as me).

Although, just as an imagination exercise, I can try to construct my dream restaurant in my mind again now. As I imagine it, my dream restaurant would have a very relaxed ambience, with matching mood lights and soft, calming music. Cuisine would be simple, no frills food and drinks. Perhaps a lot of sweet stuff, such as dessert. Likewise, a menu of thirst quenching concoction of drinks. I would also serve continental meals, that are not fussy or complex food. As for the actual dining area, I would have the restaurant chair be some sort of a lounge type. It could even be fluffy ones, where one could flop onto and enjoy long conversations and meals with family and friends. Overall, I am thinking casual atmosphere would work for my target market. Oh well, my dream can go on longer, especially if I were talking to my sister!

Tourism and management

So much of the world talk now is about climate change, environmental sustainability and other things that relate to keeping our world a better place to live in. When I was still studying tourism management, we had a few case studies that dealt with companies’ strategy on solid waste management within their business. It is really interesting how some companies try their best to be compliant on this issue, while others are simply uninterested. If I had more time then, I would have been interested in doing an assessment or case study on this topic. Too bad, I am now studying a different area!

Just like job hunting

They say when one goes into a business franchise it should be something that one is passionate about, because diving into a business is meant to be long term. A few or so years ago I was researching the probable best franchise for myself. I saw a couple that really interested me. However, I did not pursue this nor did I even speak with a franchise broker. Perhaps it wasn’t the right time then, or maybe I should have just made an appointment with anyone who may have known about any small business for sale, but I was not in a rush. Only recently did I find out that there is such a site which I know would try their best to match up the potential business owner and direct to the appropriate and suitable business. I think that this is quite a good thing to consider, that the right business for the right person. I mean, it is easy to just invest money but hard to actually invest one’s time and effort into something is something that needs careful consideration.

Something that crossed my mind just now: I think finding the right business for you is like looking for a job and going for interviews. A business idea or proposal may be appealing in the beginning just like the prospect of starting in a new company where it all seems so exciting and promising. However, when it comes to the actual details, we may realize that this employer may not take us to where we want to go in terms of growth and career. Same with a business. Makes me think now, is there something that I may never grow tired to work for? I guess it’s pretty obvious my choice will still be travel.

From an Insider looking at the picture

With all the hullaballoo the financial world is experiencing at the moment we are all affected. I work for quite a big financial company and we too are. Maybe not as much as others, but nonetheless everything is just really entwined and there are things we cannot avoid.



So... Recently I've noticed a lot of clients cancelling their planned holidays because of the current situation. Many of them are not ashamed to tell me the real reason why they are cancelling their trip. On a few occassions, family of five or six travelling to Europe or America for four weeks, would love to push through with their plans but want to pursue a dream holiday not having to think at the back of their mind that when they get back from vacation reality will bite hard. Thus, big families opt to postpone the trip.


Having said that, there are still a number planning and booking holidays. Perhaps they are badly needing one and no cost crisis would hinder them from going on one.


Whatever it is, travel is something inevitable for some. While for others it is something that they can do without for a prolonged period. However way we cope with the changing needs of the world, we know that this situation will end one day, some day. When is the big question.

My cup of IT

Okay, with all these technology propping up here and there in your face, how can one keep up? For a business person I am sure this poses more of a challenge. Especially for those businesses that would like to reach their market through the internet. With software as a service available now, it is easier to create a business plan, or make use of software that works for the business. There is even hosted team foundation server available to those who don’t want to be involved in too much technicalities of a seemingly easy job: maintaining the business and earning the big bucks. At work now, I know that remote access devices are in place for support required from off shore technicians. I also know that they have managed to find cheap web conferencing for those urgent and crucial meetings of minds. I am in awe by all these things available nowadays. Sooner or later the unimaginable would be somewhat ordinary. My appreciation goes out to all those involved in the IT industry who strive to make this world an easier place to live and work in.

Jobs and starting somewhere

I was talking to my colleagues and friends the past month about wanting to look for a side job which will allow me to do other things that would involve anything else but travel, and something that won’t really make me think or use my brain too much. I was telling them that ever since I could all my proper jobs have always been as a travel agent. I didn’t really want to shift careers or anything like that, but just to be able to try something new. In the western world, it is not unusual to know people who have worked in retail, or in fast food, or in some coffee shop or restaurant during their younger years. Since I never really got the chance to do all these, I thought about trying to do some job like: sandwich hand, movie/cinema attendant, video rental check out chick, or a barista. But oh well, since many Starbucks coffee shops are closing down in Australia (read about this in the news) then I have less chance of getting onto this (besides one needs a certification of some sort).

The ‘desire’ to do these odd jobs have waned, and I no longer want to try any of these jobs now. I just go hands down to people who started out as a check out chick, or a assistant junior barista, etc. They have gone through seemingly menial jobs, but really, life is never meant to be easy. I can say they are the ones who appreciate more of what they have now because they know what it is like to strive and work labour job. Well, I started out just ripping off VOID coupons from paper tickets and photocopying documents!! I guess we all have started somewhere somehow.

Work out what's best for your business

When I was starting my career in travel, I’d hear about my friends who were working at call centres. We’d exchange daily stories about my passengers and bookings, while they would share about how they were given a telemarketing list of people to call and quotas to achieve per day. I sometimes think whether I’d survive living in a work environment that works around telemarketing lists. I guess call centre jobs are for some people and not for the others. Having said that though I myself used to work towards a sales target. It was not a very strict goal, but it involved going through my direct mailing list to see who I could send my travel packages to. I suppose in any business, we all work around trying to achieve our goal, however way that is for as long as it is legal and brings in the bacon then is the approach to productive working. What works for your business?