It’s not everyday that a 14 year old kid will go up to you and ask questions like this:
Any tips you can share on how to fortify the value proposition of your brand and how you can protect its equity?
In advertising, how do you strike a balance between conveying the emotional and functional benefit of your product?”
Man! I was tempted to tell her that shouldn’t she be thinking about cartoon shows or boy crushes at her age? Hahaha! Seriously I was really amazed at the level of training these kids are getting. To those who don’t know, I’m in Bagiuo right now for the Teen Negosyo University event. I was invited as a forum panelist to discuss Internet Marketing and Level Up Inc. Let me share some stories and insights after the break.
Remember the 1%?
Remember my previous post about how 1% of Filipinos end up being wealthy? Well… these kids are definitely on track. It’s inspiring to see the fire in their eyes and their passion when they speak and ask questions. I honestly can say that I didn’t feel like talking to a bunch of High School students during the forum. In fact, these kids know more about entrepreneurship compared to a lot of adults I’ve met in the past few years. All they need is guidance, technical skills, and some grace for them to make it big in business.
Different Passions and Businesses
I was able to chat with some of the kids after the forum and I listened to their business ideas. One young girl named Cheena was thinking of putting up a Graphic Design company in her home town of Bohol and she would leverage the low labor cost there to increase her profit margin by taking outsourced job orders from Manila or even abroad. Imagine if she gets proper guidance and she meets the right people? It boggles my mind how complex and business savvy her way of thinking is. Imagine… a 14 year old girl with a good BPO plan? Awesome.
Another young kid explained to me his dreams of setting up a chain of internet cafes similar to Netopia. He relates that there are a lot of problems with Netopia and he knows that he can do it better because he’s a gamer and he knows what gamers want in internet cafes. His business plan revolved around building a COMMUNITY of customers that he can develop by having regular tournaments and in-store promotions and events.
Thank You Go Negosyo
It has been a pleasure and an honor to have been invited to speak at the forum. I actually feel like I gained more than what I gave because I was really inspired by these kids. I just pray that their plans will come to fruition and they will stay resilient as life throws various challenges and obstacles their way. If invited again to other events, I won’t hesitate to say yes because this has definitely been one of the best speaking engagements I’ve been to in a long while.
To the organizers of Go Negosyo, keep up the good work guys. You’re making a difference. 
PS: I’ll be posting some pictures that we took during the trip when I get back home. I left the USB cable of my camera. Argh.
Napa “What” ako sa first question eh. I can sort of understand the terms, but when put together, I’m lost. Haha.
Hi Carlo! That session was really something eh? Like you, I didn’t expect the teens to be so serious since we were to tackle FUN ventures.
I hope you can share photos.
Hi Cris! I will. Will post in a bit.
Nice talk… learned a lot
we learned something that will help us.. thank you:)