300

Three hundred versus 10,000 hmmmm…….quite a mismatch wouldn't you say?  Did this really happen? Well, going by world history, it says that yes it did happen.  How can so few stave off an attack of thousands?  Well, I can surmise how.   Lot's of heart, guts and the belief in the cause. 

When we started this company, we set up a team of 6 people. One for marketing, one for operations and the rest are IT specialist.  This January we were down to 4, and today, there are only three.  Three spartans and there are 20 projects.

Heading this team of visionaries is yours truly.  We have a dream.  We will show the corporate world what three people can do.  So far, we have met deadline after deadline after deadline.  Tiring?  You freakin bet your ass it is.   There are times that I begin to question whether what I am doing is for the best.  If it's worth it to go through all this trouble, all this sacrifice, all this stress. The stress has gotten out of hand, that I barely have a restful night's sleep.  In fact it has gotten worse that I notice hair is falling out (though I have no worry about this as I have thick hair and can afford to lose some). There have been times that I lock myself inside the bathroom to mope and cry at the situation I find myself in.  Yet as always, I end up comparing what I am going through to others before me and who are now sitting in their own CEO chairs enjoying the fruits of their labors. 

Who are these people?  Well, I can mention only one name, but the rest I will keep as anonymous.

This one guy was a vendor in the streets of cebu.  Went from house to house selling wares that were consigned to him.  Going to school in ragged clothes and working at the same time.  Today he owns one of the sturdiest and richest conglomerates in the Philippines.  Who else could this be but Mr. John Gokongwei.

Another example is this IT guy who developed financial software.  He believed that his product had the trappings to succeed.  After coming back from a stint in Japan.  He sets up a company of two people.  Him and a research guy. Their first office was a table in one of the offices in makati.  From there they went from building to building, making marketing calls and presentations.  That was 12 years ago, today his company's valuation  is worth more than 250 million.  I forget if this is in dollars or pesos. 

Our next example is a book enthusiast.  He loved books so much that he decided to set up a company that sold books.  From what I know of this guy, he used to buy books from abroad and went from office to office in Makati, selling these books to whoever was interested.  Well guess what……..he now has 8 branches and he just opened a building somewhere in The Fort. 

The similiarities of characteristics  I see with all these guys is the persistence, the determination and belief in what they are doing. Are these mere coincidences?  I highly doubt it.  I believe these are the secrets to success.

Today, the team and I will go and present another project for a different department of the big client.  We already have 17 clients currently and this client will make that number jump to 51  if ever that happens.  Half our body is in but we believe we will get in no matter what. 

Three versus fifty one.  Not the best of odds but damn, it sure is one hell of a challenge.  Do we believe we can do this? Hell yes! Can we sustain it? Hell no! The difference between the king of Sparta and us is that we believe that we are in for the long haul. So with that we are opening our doors for recruitment once again. 

Watch out people.  A star is on the rise.   We have established our momentum and God willing, we will get to our destination before the year is out! 

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May I add that I would like to request for your prayers for a successful presentation  this afternoon at 1pm.   Thanks guys.