Seeking Business Opportunities Workshop

As I've mentioned in my last post, I love attending seminars not just for freebies but for the added knowledge that could boost my confidence as a person. Last Saturday, Feb. 1, 2014, I attended a workshop. This time it's not about parenting but about a more serious stuff: Business. I graduated a college course in Entrepreneurship but I'm embarrassed to share that I haven't applied or haven't ventured into being an entrepreneur yet. I envy and look up to those people who have their own businesses, has a direction in life and let money work for them. I've been meaning to become a mom-preneur but didn't know how or where to start. I was so excited to listen to this seminar, hoping that it could change my life somehow or at least my attitude.

The title of the event is Seeking Business Opportunities. Let me share with you the things that I've learned or noted down from the lecture of Mr. Jeff Cua. Pardon my poor note-taking skills. These were the only things I have picked up. And also because I came in late that's why I wasn't able to get the earlier parts of the talk.

As lifted from the hand-out, Opportunity Seeking was defined as:
- a quality that enables the entrepreneur to see and act upon new business opportunities even in situations where other people see nothing but problems or hopelessness only
- encourages him/her to seize unusual opportunities for obtaining the necessary resources such as financing, equipment, land, workspace, technical assistance which will enable him/her to implement his/her business ideas

Part I: There are Two (2) Sources of Ideas: Problems and Untapped Resources. 

1. Look for Problems such as: 

• Dislike - think of something that people or you yourself dislike about
• Missing - think of something that is still missing or not yet available
• Hard - think of something that is difficult, complicated, time-consuming, burdensome
• Lack - think of something that is still lacking or incomplete
• Bother - think of something that irritates or annoys you
• Time - busy or no time to do this or that
• Knowledge - knows a little or nothing about a certain topic
• Reach - not accessible
• Novelty - something new or different/unique

2. Look into your Untapped Resources such as:

• Network - those you frequently interact with
• Skills - share what your talents or skills are
• Hobbies - share the things that you love to do, your passion
• Knowledge - share what you know or things you want to impart that can benefit others
• Experience - share your experience or what you have gone through

Part II: Create a Differentiated Solution.

1. Product in terms of new Feature, Performance, Style or Design 
    - should be distinct or has a unique identity
2. Service in terms of its Speed, Convenience or Careful Delivery - i.e. Zalora vs Sulit.com
3. Channel in terms of Coverage, Expertise or Performance - i.e. SM vs Shop Mom & Pop

Part III: Turning Ideas to Opportunity

1. Who and how many customers need it (Look for your Target Market)
2. Flow on how business works:

    a. Need Recognition
    b. General Need Description
    c. Product Specification
    d. Supplier Search
    e. Proposal Solicitation
     f. Supplier Selection
    g. Order Routine Specification
    h. Performance Review

Here are some of my take-home personal learning:


* Problems are found in the community or found everywhere.

* In seeking business opportunities, you should be in the know. You should know the current events or latest news.

* Always begin with the problem because problems will lead you to customers.

* It's an opportunity if there's money there. 

* Think of something you've never seen before.

* Follow the basic supply and demand principle.


So there you go. Enough of the serious stuffs, let me show you some of the photos that I was able to take during the event.

Attendees seated in a conference room inside the Ortigas Foundation Library after the break.

People from PRU LIFE U.K. gave a speech and invited everyone to attend their "Build Your Business" event.

PRU LIFE also raffled off some prizes to lucky attendees, such as umbrellas and planners.

Picture with the speaker Mr. Jeff Cua and distribution of Certificate of Attendance.

Group picture. Pardon the angle of the shot, I can't blame the person who took this photo, hehe. :)

Ofcourse, picture with the organizer and owner of Manila Workshops, Mommy Ginger.

Picture with the oh-so-cute fashionista Baby Zeeka! I missed my baby.

It was my first time to know about this place, Ortigas Foundation Library.

Thank you Manila Workshops and Innove Creative Entrepreneurship for coming up with this kind of seminars. Please click the link and connect with them through their Facebook Page to know more about their upcoming events.

Mommy Sally

Seeing Doubles: Support Group for Moms with Multiples

Medela House, where Medela Moms (Ms. Maricel Cua and Ms. Beng Feliciano) fulfill their advocacy, had been very instrumental and played a big role in my motherhood journey. It was where I first learned all about breastfeeding and got inspired to choose only this option in feeding my baby. I have been a loyal or frequent participant of their numerous parenting classes up until now. 

If there's one decision that I was able to make it right, it was purchasing my Medela breast pump directly from them, the Philippines' authorized distributor. Not only am I ensured of the quality of their products, they even offer to their valued customers free seats to some of their workshops as part of the perks. Aside from organizing learning events, they also offer breastfeeding counseling and help pool breast milk donations whenever necessary, among other things. 

Knowledge is very important that's why I enjoyed attending seminars in order to equip and update myself on the modern ways of parenting. One of the most sought-after topic is breastfeeding. Everyone knows that breastfeeding can be challenging and demanding, what more if you are nursing multiples, i.e. twins, triplets. But according to them, double the effort, double the fun too. 

Medela Moms is inviting all couples who are expecting twins or multiples to come to Medela House this Saturday, February 8, 2014 as they launch their first-ever Support Group for Moms with Multiples entitled Seeing Doubles. Medela Mom Beng would be there to share her first-hand experience of her own set of double blessings. This is the best time for parents with multiples to raise their questions and concerns and meet with other fellow "multiples moms".

Alongside the launch of "Seeing Doubles', there are also other exciting programs lined up for moms. These include:

• launching of SweatPea Nursingwear and showcasing of Walnut Melbourne Philippines stylish kiddie shoes through a fashion show featuring celebrity moms Amanda Griffin-Jacob and Marilen Faustino-Montenegro and kids. Listen too as they share their own modern day mom breastfeeding experiences.
• book signing by Amanda Jacob's Project Mom Book, co-authored by Bianca Araneta-Elizalde and a limited number of books will be available for selling.

This event is free of charge but attendees are required to pre-register by texting Medela Moms at 0917-8110821 or sending an email to medelamoms@gmail.com.

Event: Seeing Doubles: A Multiples Support Group
Date: Feb. 8, 2014 (Saturday)
Time: 9:00 to 11:00 am
Venue: Medela House

I know how important a support group is. I, myself, am very thankful for having mommy friends who have babies with same age as mine because we support each other especially in breastfeeding. And I'm happy that I am still breastfeeding my 14-month old.

Sign up now to experience the first support group for mommies of multiples in the country!

Giveaways, special promos, candy buffet, and other treats are in store for participating mommies. See you there!

Mommy Sally

Grand Baby Fair 2014

Since the time Baby A came to our life, my shopping agenda and pocket money was all for baby. Last year, when I found out about the Grand Baby Fair, I and my two other mommy friends went to Megamall to check it out. We had so much fun despite going there on the last day because there were lots of freebies, last minute mark down, and the most-awaited SWAG bag!

Last year Grand Baby Fair 2013's SWAG bag.

And as soon as the announcement of the Grand Baby Fair schedule for this year 2014 came out, I immediately informed my 2 mommy friends to go and visit the fair again. Online registration came out just one week before the fair and luckily I was able to register early. What's good about registering online and a Mom Card holder is the added perks of getting coupons via email to be printed out and presented on selected booths to redeem the freebies. The email looked like this.

 

There were five coupons.

 

Grand Baby Fair 2014 poster.

Their theme was Under the Sea-ty. 

This is their entrance, for walk-in registrants.

 
 

I'm a certified Mom Card holder!

I wasn't able to take photos of the booths because I'm busy enjoying the fair myself and on the look-out for great finds. Here are some of the booths that I was only able to take upon passing by.

Pigeon booth.

Cycles and Cradle booth.

Swimava booth.

I redeemed my free candies here.

Evian booth.

Picture taking with the backdrop and costumed people.

Picture with Cid, mascot of Lactacyd.

I took a picture of this helpful Baby Company staff. Look at the very long lines on the first day.

I played the Panchinco and was able to redeem a Zoo Bin.

Fisher-Price booth.

Me and my friend Mommy G bought lots of goodies home. We enjoyed it again this time!

We arrived there around 5:30pm and went home by 10:30pm after our dinner at Chili's. Thank you to Mommy Edel for the ride and for her hubby Doc A for helping us push our carts in line while we continue strolling around. We forced ourselves to reach the minimum purchase of P3,000 so that we could get home a SWAG bag. Yey!

Swag Bag unpacked plus a Goldilocks picture frame. Swag bag has a shoulder strap now.

Inside contents of the Swag Bag.

I think I like this year's Swag bag better because there's a cute bag which made it worth getting.

Freebies redeemed from the coupons. Gerber and Bibibons, I got it from their booths. I love the Zoo Bin and Photo Bag!

Here are the things that I've bought, amounting to P3,167.

Here are my good finds or super-sulit buys:
1. Stacking Soft Toy - P200 only, before was around P800
2. Vtech Mobile Phone - P500 only, before was around P1,300
3. Vtech Animal Alphabet Train - P640 only, before was around P1,800
4. Castle Baby bolster - P200 from around P470
5. Pitter Pat sandals - P100 only from before around P350

You still have until tomorrow to check out the fair! Good luck and enjoy your shopping! 

"Sa breastfeeding, maraming pang-shopping!"  and I will always remember that so that I won't be guilty of spending for baby. :)

Like Baby Company's Facebook Page to get updates on their latest promos and events.

Mommy Sally

Kung Hei Fat Choi 2014

Happy Chinese New Year everyone (新年快樂) ! It's officially Year of the Wooden Horse!

Here's a picture taken at Lucky Chinatown Mall. The mall is so festive. You can really feel the new year celebration and get to feel the Chinese culture here. There's free angpao (with purchase required), lighting of incense, striking a gong, picture with a kalesa statue, rickshaw and other Chinese accents, decorations and programs. 

So come and visit Lucky Chinatown Mall, walk along Ongpin Street and visit Eng Bee Tin for their famous hopia and tikoy, pay a visit to Narra Seng Guan Temple for more luck this year.

The horse is made up of wooden pieces of chopsticks stuck onto the wall by people.

The rickshaw.

Picture with the giant golden bar.

 Wishing you all the wealth and prosperity this year and the years to come. 恭喜發財!

年年有餘！

馬到成功！

萬事如意！

身體健康！

Grand Baby Fair here we come!

Mommy Sally

Celeteque Maternity: Anti-Stretch Mark Cream

Growing up, it was never in my daily regimen to apply beauty products or even put on make-ups. Maybe because I don't see my mom or sisters using them or that often. I also had the impression that the more chemical products I apply onto my skin or take in to my body, the more it could get worse or might even pose some harmful effects instead of good. That's why when I was pregnant, it was not that difficult for me to temporarily refrain from using perfumes or even just a simple lipstick. But despite that, I see to it that I still look good with my natural beauty. 

One of my dreaded part in my pregnancy was getting stretch marks. Because of my being too cautious or should I say stubborn, I gave birth without really being serious in applying topical lotions to prevent stretch marks. I can't believe I started applying only during my 3rd trimester already. Too late!



Here's a glimpse of my big belly at 3rd trimester, full of red newly-developed stretch marks. Yikes!

Why do we get stretch marks?
- having stretch marks is one of the common skin problems experienced by both men and women in their adulthood caused by hormonal changes, fluctuation of weight/size, growth spurts and pregnancy among others
- appear more often in adults because the skin becomes less resilient and collagen production becomes slower as we age

Recently, Unilab's Celeteque brand has come up with a new product to treat stretch marks. It's one of their latest product from their Maternity line, the Anti-Stretch Mark Cream.



Celeteque DermoScience Maternity: Anti-Stretch Mark Cream 100ml

What's good about this product?- first of all, it's OB-certified safe for pregnant women
- it helps strengthen skin elasticity
- it helps prevent future stretch marks
- it helps minimize new and existing stretch marks during and after pregnancy
- proven to reduce visible lines in the abdominal area by 63% by 4th week of usage 

Squirt!

Teacher Yaya: A Workshop

I am very fortunate for being able to stay at home most of the time while keeping my job. I chose to work at home in order to fully breastfeed my baby. However, although I am just at home most of the time, I can't look after my baby-now-a-toddler 100% because I have to finish my work for the day. Therefore, we really need to have a yaya to assist me. 

The role of yaya is very crucial because she must act like a second mommy who would always keep an eye wherever baby goes and whatever baby does especially now that baby is learning to walk. I need yaya to assist me in putting baby to sleep, to bathe her, to cook her food, to do baby's laundry and play with her. What I do mostly is breastfeed baby when baby demands for milk and to oversee and look after yaya with baby once in a while. I have tried instructing yaya to read books to baby or teach her to play stacking and sorting toys but to no avail. Worst is that yaya would always open the TV for baby to stay put. That's actually my biggest problem with yaya. I would catch up by reading baby a book and focus on teaching her some skills as soon as I finish my work or before going to sleep.

Thankfully, there's a seminar that came so timely and hopefully would solve my current dilemma. I'm inviting you to this workshop organized by The Learning Basket.

Teacher Yaya: A Workshop 

Date: February 15, 2014 (Saturday)

Time: 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Venue: Medela House (#21 First Street, New Manila, Quezon City)

Learning Fee: P500 (Inclusive of Hand-outs, Snacks and Certificate of Attendance)

This is actually their second-run because it is a much-requested workshop for mommy's assistant, your baby's yaya/nannies. Why do you need to bring them here?

Because sometimes, it is easier to hear the following from somebody other than one's employer/boss:

• Yaya’s special role in your child's life 
• How to understand your child’s actions and not think that he is “naughty”
• How to respond to their alaga
• Why TV and tablets are not good for kids below three (3) years old
• Why and how to play with their alaga depending on age

This workshop would tackle the following:

• The importance of yaya's job
• A more positive way of looking at the children under her care
• A more informed way of caring for your children

To register, please go to this link.

We are our child's first and best teacher...

and Yaya is our assistant! 

Come and let's attend! Please feel free to invite your mommy friends too!

Mommy Sally

What To Know Before Giving Birth

You think you don't need to study anymore after graduating from college? Of course No! Continuous education is a must in order to improve one's self. The moment I knew that I was pregnant last 2012, fear of the unknown got into me especially because I was a first time mom. I was overly stressed with so many things. I had lots of questions in mind, lots of decisions to make, lots of preparations to do, even finding a good OB was my initial concern. Luckily, there are lots of seminars for us to attend and be informed nowadays. It's a mom's responsibility to prepare for the coming of her baby. It pays to be prepared.

This coming Saturday, Jan. 25, 2014, there will be a talk about What To Know Before Giving Birth organized by Manila Workshops in partnership with Medela Moms, Inc. and co-presented by Stemcord Philippines, Inc. This will be their first workshop for 2014 under the First Time Parents (FTP) Series which aims to help first time parents or even experienced-but-need-refreshers parents be equipped with topics on Pre-Birth, Delivery, Newborn Care and Toddler Care and of course Breastfeeding. Succeeding workshops will be announced separately.

What To Know Before Giving Birth will be a 4-hour workshop running from 1:00 to 5:00 in the afternoon to be conducted at the Medela House with address at #29 First Street, New Manila, Quezon City (between Gilmore Street and Robinson's Magnolia).

Topics would include:
    1. What to expect during your OB check-ups and visits
    2. Pain Management
    3. Pregnancy Nutrition
    4. Cord Blood Banking

There will be two speakers for the said workshop.

1. Dr. Diana Liu-Sarmiento, MD, Obstetrics and Gynecology practicing at the Asian Hospital.
    - She is a graduate of the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Medicine and Surgery.
    - She completed her internship and residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the UP-PGH and proceeded with her fellowship in Trophoblastic Diseases also at UP-PGH.
    - She is a consultant at the Asian Hospital Medical Center.
    - She is a writer for the Women’s Health and Wellness section of Yahoo! South East Asia. You may visit her website for helpful information pertaining to Women’s health and pregnancy with an online question-and-answer section called Magtanong Kay Doc.

2. Ms. Cecile Leah T. Bayaga
    - She is a registered nutritionist-dietitian and a full-time faculty at the College of Home Economics, University of the Philippines-Diliman.
    - She has been teaching Principles of Nutrition, Nutrition for the Lifecycle, and Medical Nutrition Therapy for the past 12 years.
    - She has published scientific articles on glycemic index, essential fatty acids for brain development, and clinical nutrition.
    - In 2005, the Nutritionists-Dietitians’ Association of the Philippines awarded her as The Most Promising Nutritionist-Dietitian.
    - She is happily married for 9 years and a mother to their son, Gabby.

Should you be interested to attend, kindly click here to register. Learning fee for individual is P600 while couple fee is P1,000. Payment mode is via BPI, Unionbank or Paypal.

Manila Workshops is encouraging everyone to register and pay till Jan. 22 (Wed) so that you can have the Manila Workshops Learning Circle Card.

Payment Details: 
1. For UnionBank Bank Deposits, please deposit to the following account: 
Account Name: Geraldine P. Arboleda 
Account Number: UnionBank EON Savings Account 109452023555 

2. For BPI Bank Deposits, please deposit to the following account: 
Account Name: Geraldine Anne Therese P. Arboleda 
Account Number: BPI Peso Account 1923-1262-59 

3. For Paypal, please make payments to: 
Email Address: gymger80@yahoo.com
*Kindly add the Paypal fee of Php 100 to the price of the workshop 

Good news! Because you have read this event invite from my blog, I will be giving away free seats for three (3) interested couples. Just simply follow the Rafflecopter below. This will only run for a day and will end by 11:55pm of Jan. 22 as I need to submit the names by Jan. 23 to the organizers. Hope you understand. So help me invite your first time parent friends, pregnant friends, or planning to get pregnant friends. Thank you!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Mommy Sally

Philippine Holidays, Festivities, Movies for 2014

It's already past mid-January, time flies. I know many are aware of the list of Holidays, Festivities and Movies for 2014 already but I'm still making a post summarizing on these, anyway, for my own personal reference.

The list of holidays was declared since last year Sept. 25, 2013 by President Benigno Aquino III and there are 18 of them. For the full version of the announcement, you may read Proclamation No. 655. Proclamations declaring national holidays for the observance of Eid'l Fitr and Eidul Adha shall be issued after the dates of Islamic holidays have been determined in accordance with the Islamic calendar. According to Our Awesome Planet, tentative Eid'l Fitr is on July 28 and Eidul Adha is on Oct. 4.

I'm actually excited for the long weekends and there are 4 of them, namely:

    1. Chinese New Year - Jan. 31 to Feb. 2 (Friday to Sunday) - Yehey! I'm going to attend the Grand Baby Fair 2014 and also celebrate the birthdays of my 2 siblings and of course the Chinese New Year here in Binondo!
    2. Holy Week - Apr. 17 to 20 (Thursday to Sunday) - Hmm...I need to ask about this and plan for this with my family asap. I want to attend an Easter Sunday event with my baby! (I also want to attend a Halloween trick or treat event! Oops, this is for October, haha!)
    3. National Heroes Day - Aug. 23 to 25 (Saturday to Monday) - Wow, my birthday falls on a long weekend! I wonder how will I celebrate it this year?
    4. Christmas Day - Dec. 24 to 28 (Wednesday to Sunday) - Hooray, what a sweet Christmas we're going to have this year! Plan plan plan!!!


 Check out this infographic made by the Official Gazette, very user-friendly.

Infographic from the Official Gazette.

Here's a separate table listed based on the type of holidays and shows the days of the week.

Here's an infographic explaining the difference between a Regular Holiday and a Special Non-Working Holiday.

Infographic from the Official Gazette.

You can check out Our Awesome Planet's comprehensive compilation on all Philippine festivities for 2014.

And now, here's an infographic of the top 20 most anticipated movies for 2014 as compiled by Pinoy Exchange. I'm so excited to watch LEGO Movie! I need to persuade, plead and treat my hubby to watch this with me.

Infographic from Pinoy Exchange.

Here are some of the occasions that I need to take note of:
March 5 - Ash Wednesday
March 29 - Earth Hour (Saturday) 8:30pm to 9:30pm
April 13 - Palm Sunday
April 22 - Earth Day
May 11 - Mother's Day
June 14 - Father's Day
July 1 - Hubby's Birthday
Dec 8 - Baby's 2nd Birthday

I hope I could plan and initiate something to make use of these long weekends. I hope that I could be more thoughtful and loving during this year's special occasions. Hoping that 2014 would be a more fun, fruitful and financially-friendly year for me. I also hope that I could have more movie night outs with my hubby, family and friends. I need more Me Time, please! :)


Mommy Sally

A Dolcelatte Brunch Date

Last Sept. 13, 2013, I randomly saw and participated in a quick giveaway announcement from Dolcelatte's Facebook Page. Then surprisingly, my name was chosen out of the 20+ people who liked and shared their post that evening. I thought my slot would have been forfeited or given to somebody else already since I can't avail it that Saturday morning. Fortunately, they still allowed me to make a reschedule. Hooray!

Here's their Facebook private message to me:

To Ms. Sally Abella-Yu,
You won a FREE BREAKFAST SET! Please SMS 09178738670 for a reschedule.
✔ Winner is entitled to a PLUS ONE ONLY
✔ Breakfast set for the WINNER will include (1) BLUEBERRY PANCAKES and (1) SPANISH SALMON SARDINES
✔ The Breakfast Set for the PLUS ONE will be a choice of (1) Meat Lovers Omelette or (1) Corned Beef Platter*
✔ The WINNER and the PLUS ONE can choose from the HOT DRINKS selection for their beverages (1 drink/person)
✔ Winner must present (1) VALID ID, and BREAKFAST SET to be claimed for DINE IN only at 10AM-11AM only


We went to Dolcelatte last Sept. 22, 2013 Sunday morning to avail our breakfast set. Of course my PLUS ONE is none other than my hubby. He was surprised and thankful for this sumptuous treat.

Me and hubby dining our free gourmet breakfast/lunch treat from Dolcelatte.

Here's the breakfast set for the winner.

One thing that I noticed is that their pancakes are thick and heavy as compared to fast food serving. I realized that I didn't like blueberry on top of pancakes. I prefer syrup and butter.

Blueberry Pancakes - a stack of pancakes topped with blueberry compote. P175

Sorry but I'm not a fan of sardines but I love the fried sunny side-up eggs, as usual with any breakfast meal.

 

Spanish Salmon Sardines - homemade Norwegian salmon in olive oil served with two eggs and garlic rice. P355

Here's the breakfast set for the plus one. My hubby chose the Meat Lovers Omelette. I wasn't able to ask his comment but I think it was good.

Meat Lovers Omelette - three egg omelette with ground beef, ham and bacon served with toast. P255

Here's our choice of hot drinks, two orders of Dolce Latte. I love the heart-shaped design of the froth plus it comes with a biscotti. So nice!

Dolce Latte 8oz hot coffee. P128

When I computed for the total bill, we almost ate a whopping P1,041. Wow! If it weren't free, we won't eat this expensive. My hubby doesn't like me splurging on unnecessary expenses.

And since Dolcelatte is known for their croughnuts (croissant + doughnut), I decided to try one of their best sellers, the Valrhona Crunch. It was my first time to try it and was delightful indeed. By the way, we paid for this order.

 

Valrhona Crunch. P110. It has a chocolate filling inside.

I immediately fell in love with their place. The modern lighting & interior, the relaxing ambiance, the cleanliness of the utensils & the surrounding, friendly & courteous staff, and most especially the food quality & preparation are some of the reasons that makes me want to go back.

Here's a preview of Dolcelatte's dining ambiance. So peaceful and relaxing.

I've been wanting to try out their cakes but too expensive. I'll just wait for my birthday maybe or somebody else's birthday. :)

 

Here's Dolcelatte's menu and cakes by the counter.

I also find their flower centerpiece a perfect accent, adds up to the romantic-feel.

Here are some of Dolcelatte's mouth-watering cakes. Hope to get to try any of these on my birthday this year.

Dolcelatte is just along Quezon Avenue, just before Hi-Top Supermarket when you're coming from Manila.

This is Dolcelatte's entrance.

As my way of thanking Dolcelatte for the hearty and gourmet breakfast treat we had, I would like to invite you to visit their restaurant for a casual fine dining experience. This is a great place to bring your family to celebrate special occasions/gatherings, partners for a date, or hold your business/group meetings. You won't go wrong with the quality of food/pastry they serve.

Dolcelatte Cafe and Gourmet Bakeshop

Address: 1616 Quezon Ave., South Triangle, Quezon City

Landline: 332-3407

Email: info@dolcelatte.ph

Website: http://www.dolcelatte.ph

Facebook: Dolcelatte (Coffee Edition, Inc.)

Instagram: dolcelatteph

Operating Hours:  Mondays to Fridays 9:00am to 10:00pm

                                 Saturdays and Sundays 10:30am to 8:00pm

Mommy Sally