Day 21: Business Meeting 2

Business Meeting 2 = alarm bells ringing

Discovered some disconcerting news today during our second business meeting. Can't get into too much detail about what it is. Only thing I can say is that WE HAVE TO SPEED THINGS UP, or else the the venture will lose its edge.

FULL STEAM AHEAD!

Day 20: Philippine Food Expo 2011

Nee and I dutifully did our rounds at the 10th Philippine Food Expo (http://www.philippinefoodexpo.com/), held once again at the World Trade Center. We first attended the seminar on Intellectual Property Rights, which was conducted by Mr. Marlo Carag of the IPO. Such a funny and engaging speaker! Not only did Nee and I had a more thorough understanding of the different categories of IPR, but we heard some interesting trivia. For instance, did you know that San Miguel Corp couldn't get Ginebra (the beverage company) trademarked? Which is why one doesn't see the word Genebra, but GSM instead, in their recent ads, since the latter is its rightful, official, legal name.

Afterward we went to check out the exhibitors. Lo and behold, we found the solution to our beverage problem!

Day 18 + 19: Not really Competition + 2011 Bakery Fair

Day 18: Had a quick lunch at Eastwood to check out a place recommended to Nee. Not really our competition but it has a similar concept. Quite good - tasty and flavorful. Would definitely suit our market. Nee can't help but feel that their concept was 'borrowed' by a successful venture in L.A. Don't they say imitation is the greatest form of flattery? Teehee...

Day 19: As Nee is away frolicking in some part of Asia, I enlisted the company of my cousin to attend the 2011 Bakery Fair (http://www.bakeryfair.org/2011/) held at the World Trade Center. Mainly I wanted to check out the Food Safety seminar (thanks for the tip Ms. D!). Felt a bit overwhelmed by the number of exhibitors but merrily went home with a bag full of brochures for prospective suppliers ranging from kitchen equipment to printing companies. These will definitely come in handy as we further delve into the Planning phase.

Nee don't forget to bring home pasalubong for meeee!!!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7

Day 17: Business Meeting 1 + Competition 4

Had our first business meeting today. Found the company who will be a vital part in helping us execute our concept on Entrepreneur magazine. Went back and forth around Edsa trying to locate the place until finally we called them and found out that the address on the magazine was different from where they're located! Was a bit irked–gasoline doesn't come cheap!!!

We were very pleased with how the meeting went. Have a much better idea of our timeline and how much capital we would need. As with most start up ventures, we would probably have to loan from our parents, which at first glance would seem embarrassing to do but it's the most realistic thing at the moment. After all we were blessed with hardworking parents who can leverage us so why not make the most of this opportunity? Maraming salamat aming minamahal na itay at inay.

After this meeting, things just seem more tangible. It's unavoidable to lose motivation along the way but events such as today help propel us to go on and not give up.

The 'competition' we tried for dinner was good! Better than the previous 3. Getting closer to creating the perfect recipe.

Good night xxx

Day 16: Competition 3 + Happy Valentines!

Left early today and headed out to Angeles City to assess our third competitor. Heard a lot of good things about this place from a couple of people, persuading us to take a three hour drive to this establishment on Valentines day. Nee and I thanked our lucky stars that it was V-day today since it's normally closed on a Monday.

Food was alright but felt it was too authentic for commercial taste.

Margarita for drinks

On our way back home, we noticed lots of foreigners in Angeles City. Specifically old white males hanging around at a seedy bar/club strip with much younger Filipina companions. Oh Manila, you could do so much better! This shouldn't have come as a surprise since Clark used to be a US military facility. Still, it stupefied us a bit as there's nothing much happening around the area though we've yet to explore the city.

Day 15: Meeting 4

Ended the week by meeting yet again another person who gave us counsel on starting up a food business in Manila. Ms. D has been in the biz for a much longer time than the other three and is very successful at what she does. Nee and I have a better sense of what we have to concentrate on after speaking to her, which is good since we felt a bit stuck as to what to do next.

Made an appointment with an accountant/runner next week to discuss legal issues and will be having an out of the city trip to a competing restaurant on Monday. Très excited!

Happy weekend!

Day 14: Meeting 3 + Trial 1

Met another good citizen of Manila, Mr. N, who enthusiastically offered words of wisdom. He and his partner just opened their first restaurant 7 months ago and it's currently doing really well because of the concept's novelty. Very nice of him to give us a free sample of his products! Am itching to promote his restaurant but sadly, no can do at this moment. I promise once we go public, will do a review of his resto.

Much later we conducted our first food trial. Of course Nee and I became our own guinea pigs. It turned out a bit bland for restaurant food standard but nonetheless, we're so happy so be progressing with our business plan. To cap the day off we watched Gossip Girl! Don't think we'll ever outgrow GG!

First food trial

Interestingly the three people we met so far have such distinct personalities. Ms. L was very patient and accommodating; Mr. N was zealous and engaging, and Mr. K was a mixture of both.

We look forward to meeting more diverse people as we progress in our venture.