From Rags-to-Riches in Entrepreneurship
“Entrepreneurship is not for the weak of heart. There is no easy path to success. You will need to work harder than your employees, to keep your mind sharp, and to face your inner fears. In the end, entrepreneurship is not only finding opportunities to create value in the business sense, but also finding the opportunities to be your best self” (Khanser, 2007). John Gokongwei Jr. has everything that a person should possess in order to become a successful entrepreneur. He was confident enough to seek for opportunities, plan creatively/innovatively and intelligently take risks.
A strong desire for achievement that made him responsible and self-directed is also John’s strength. He is also an independent man who has a core capability to solve problems of his business. Gokongwei’s prosperity conveys with it an inexorable story that can motivate each yearning and begin up ambitious people to accompany his course and illustrations. Behind his considerable aggregation of organizations which gave him a shocking total assets of .
2 billion (Forbes, 2013), is a tough rags-to-riches newfound wealth account.
The extravagance that he appreciated all of a sudden vanished when the organizations that his father was obliged to back his organizations seized their lands as installments to the credits that his father made, abandoning them with practically nothing. As a result, John Jr., as the eldest kid and his mother chose to send off his five kin to China where the average cost for basic items is far less unreasonable. At the age of fifteen, he began to participate good to go by offering items in the adjacent towns of Cebu utilizing a bike.
His unanticipated begin in the field of business endeavor with a definitive point of survival and his combats from there on has helped him gotten to be what and who he is today: an extremely fruitful tycoon utilizing many Filipinos and a thankful humanitarian supplying powerful sums to instruction through the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation, Inc. Gokongwei depended on himself alone when he wanted something because he believes that it is best to do so.
“The essential thing to know is that life will dependably bargain us a couple of awful cards. In any case we need to play those cards the best we can. Furthermore we can play to win” (Gokongwei, 2008). Mr. John also feared challenges and struggles of his life, but instead of being doomed and making himself and his family suffer because of his fear, he courageously stood up and took risks. It’s not that he didn’t fear giant competitors of his business, but he armoured himself with great strategies. After being inspired by his story, I came to realize the importance of thrift and frugality. As early as now, I must learn how to save to have capital for future ventures and investments.
Also, the principles of self-determination and confidence should also be practiced. I must first believe in myself, because if I, myself do not, how can others put their trust on my capability? I also believe that I should stop settling myself to what I have today; I must continue to strive hard not only for myself, but for my family and other people as well. And someday, thinking positively and working on it, if I am already considered one of the successful business tycoons, I would love to see the younger generations be inspired of my story as well – a girl who never stopped striving hard, in a good way, for she knows that she can still have better, live better for herself and her family, and give and serve better for other people.
