Boom tarat!

The other day, my two-year-old daughter was singing Willie Revilame’s Boom Tarat song. I found it funny – how a two-year old kid would be able to learn Wowowee’s famous song. Apparently, she watches the show with her yayas and they teach her the song.

I seldom watch TV and when I do, I would focus on Bloomberg and CNBC, which my kids find boring. At times, I try to update myself by watching the talk shows and noontime shows. There were a couple of times when I was able to catch Wowowee.

I found it really amazing how popular the show is, as well as its host, Willie Revillame, and how much people in the show like him.

When our yayas found out that Willie was coming over at our house for dinner, they were so excited that they had my daughter sing the song frequently. Just out of the blue, she would sing it. It sounds so funny, but cute. My whole household went crazy after knowing that Willy was coming.

As for the skeptics out there – no, he did not come over for us to discuss his endorsement for me. As I keep telling friends, I have NO intentions of running for any position in this coming election. Go Negosyo’s objectives can only be accomplished by a living example of a practicing entrepreneur, with no vested interest.

My sisters also wondered why on earth would I be meeting Willie. Aside from the fact that we discuss business opportunities, he says he appreciates my inputs on some of his transactions. Willie is also one of the best persons today who understand mass-based marketing. As he leads a successful show running for more than five years, he has gotten to understand how the mass-market thinks. He knows how to have a people-oriented show. People look at him as someone who gives them hope and who makes them laugh. Willie is someone who can take them away from their daily problems, even just for a moment.

Willie is also a perfect Go Negosyo story. He came from a broken family living under extreme poverty. This is why he understands how the yayas, drivers, small business owners, and OFWs feel. He is also a great marketing guy, being able to build his brand, which is his name – WILLIE. People have asked him to endorse so many brands – cologne, watch, and so many others. He is one of the highest paid ABS-CBN talents today.

We come from different backgrounds, but we are able to learn much from each other. I learned from him some of the best lessons I ever got about mass-based marketing.

I also mentioned to Willie that it would be a good idea to have negosyo franchises as prizes in his show. This would help people get started with their own business. I am sure that a lot of legitimate negosyo franchise carts out there can be persuaded to support the program. People like Les Reyes of Reyes Haircutters give the franchise fee for free. I suggested maybe even a game portion with micro and small entrepreneurs as participants. The cash they get can

help them in their working capital. The show can consider sari-sari store owners, wet market stall retailers, vendors, carinderia owners, tricycle owners, and other micro and small business owners who need capital to grow their business. Then, Go Negosyo can provide a free Negosyo Seminar to the winners, to teach them how to fish. Through this, capital goes hand in hand with mentorship.

During our dinner, he told me that when he was in Boracay, my daughter came up to him and requested for a picture-taking for her yaya. She told him that it was her yaya’s dream to have a photo with Willie. He said that he hardly encounters kids from wealthy families who would also care for their yayas. I told him that my kids’ yayas have been with us for so long that we treat them as family. Our dinner ended, of course, with our yayas having a picture-taking with him. He also greeted the whole household in his show.

Willie’s story is one of the many out there that shows that if one is tired of being poor, he can definitely succeed and beat poverty. Luck follows and comes for those who work hard. Willie does acknowledge that one has to have the right attitude. Manny Villar would say: sipag at tiyaga. And, in Go Negosyo, we would always say: Not all can be entrepreneurs, but everyone can be enterprising”. That’s having the right attitude, skills and creativity, combined with passion and persistence to bring about a greater chance for success.

The inspiring story of Willie Revillame and so many others who have beaten poverty despite the odds are great stories of inspiration and motivation for those who want to succeed in life.

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Our Bataan Caravan we had last Friday was very successful, with close to 10 thousand people filling up the Bataan People’s Center. It was very hot, as the gym did not have airconditioning, but people did stay.

PGMA arrived to give the awards to the Most Inspiring Bataeño Entrepreneurs and even volunteered to give a brief inspiring message to the Bataenos. She even stayed to have lunch with us and the Garcia family of Bataan.

I have to say that Govenor Tet and the Garcia’s children, who are being trained to take over, are doing a good job. Mayor Joet Garcia and Congressman Abet Garcia are really after a progressive Bataan. They believe that if the citizens of Bataan can be more entrepreneurial, then more negosyo opportunities will be created thereby creating more jobs. They have a vision of creating Bataan into a University hub. They also honored Senator Dick Gordon for being very instrumental in the passage of the new law creating the Freeport Area of Bataan. This would definitely push faster the growth in the region.

Go Negosyo has adopted a formula that gives a better chance for success. We are working closely with local government officials as Go Negosyo champions, together with DTI and local business chambers providing the support. I am amazed how Go Negosyo was embraced by the

people of Bataan. They now understand that Filipinos are not born or destined to be poor; that everyone has the right to have a better life; and that being enterprising is what helps one to succeed. It is only through the creation of more negosyos that poverty can ultimately be beaten.

Congratulations to the people of Bataan!

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For feedback, email me at [email protected], or thru my Joey Concepcion Facebook account, or thru SMS at 09189656333. For free business advice, visit www.gonegosyo.net. Watch the GO NEGOSYO: Kaya Mo! Show in QTV, every Saturday and Sunday 8 to 8:30 a.m., with replays in NBN every Sunday 9:15 to 10 p.m.