Renzie: One Year Later (Well, Almost…)

Hello blogosphere.

I’ve been away for a rather extended period of time. In fact, a quick look at the articles I’ve posted would reveal that my last entry was late last year– a little more than eight months ago.

I suppose I owe it to my readership to explain my prolonged absence.  Not that I have to, but it’s more of in keeping with the open-ness of this general blog environment here on “The Life and Times of The Renzie Man”.  After all, being an online documentation of my more recent comings and goings, it would only be appropriate to fill in the months-long gap in between posts.

1. I’ve been busy. That’s really the short of it.  How busy?  Well, for starters, I’ve been a lot more involved with a small events and marketing business I set up with a couple other friends.   It’s a teenie little project management venture that we can genuinely call our own, and personally, I don’t mind pouring every bit of time, energy and resource on it, as we all know that- in the end- the rewards are for all of us to reap.

My partners, Gelo and Janeth, stopping for a bite at the Bread Bag, Ortigas Home Depot. July 2010.

There are a couple of other projects and entrepreneurial endeavors besides, but nothing that occupies as much time as the aforementioned business.  There are even a couple of others lined up in the immediate future.

2. I’ve been making new connections. I suppose it can’t be helped.  Not only is it in the very nature of my work to be social (check it: marketing, events, business development, relationship management, new media, promotions– each and every one of them requiring a fairly high level of well, socialization), but from the standpoint of a business owner, a robust network of partners, allies, supporters, suppliers and clients all make for a promising future, with lots of opportunities for everyone involved.

Me, hanging out with JoJo, just before her show, at the Hotel Sofitel Philippine Plaza. March 2010.

I may have talked about taking off for the USA, but with what I’m doing now, it seems I may actually enjoy the best of both worlds. So here I am, back in Metro Manila, building up my personal network from scratch.

3. I finally figured what I want out of life, and- even better- how to go about getting it. How can you not appreciate this clarity of purpose?  What I do right now involves all the things I love: music, marketing and media.

I see a very bright future ahead, with enough hard work and with the right moves along the way.  I really don’t want much– just a comfortable enough lifestyle, a chance to enjoy mini-retirements every now and then, and a chance to keep doing what I’m doing now til when I grow old toothless and senile.

I finally get to do some traveling. I also get to top off a trip every now and then with the occasional awesome sandwich That's me in Bigby's Cagayan de Oro, July 2010.

4. My priorities have changed. The aforementioned clarity has given me vision– a newfound sense of direction, as well as a chance to lay out a grand strategy of sorts.  Which means I have a better idea of sorts on things that are more important to me, and things that aren’t.

Which is a good thing.  I feel old age starting to creep up on me, and I have to admit, I’m not as energetic as I used to be.  Priorities help me determine what needs working on at any given moment: what needs to be developed long-term, what needs to be addressed right away, and what can be completely ruled out as a distraction, and even ignored completely.

5. I’ve learned a lot. And I’ll keep on learning new stuff. I’ve learned not just from my own mistakes, but from the mistakes of others as well.   I learn from my interactions with my newfound friends and allies.

One of the more important things I’ve learned actually: always have an inquisitive mind. Keep asking questions, keep looking for answers. I suppose this part needs a post of its own. Which I should work on in a couple of days.

Oh well, I suppose I should get back to blogging. As soon as I finish this cup of fro-yo. Me enjoying some fro-yo over at Qoola in Greenbelt, Makati.

So where does blogging come in after all this? Well, for one thing, I can process all my thoughts online for free, instead of engaging the services of a psychiatrist. But seriously, after all that I’ve gone through these past several months, I’ve realized that writing (and blogging)serves as a very much-needed outlet to channel expression and creativity and even some stress release. I figured– why not hit the keyboard once more?

Which brings us to here and now. I realize I’ll have to do some housecleaning over the course of the next several days (or weeks- however long it takes, really). But one thing’s for sure, you’re going to be reading a lot more about me once again.

Catch you all again tomorrow, cats and kitties

Cheers, everyone!

Does Renzie Make Money Blogging?

Share This Post: advice on blogging and internet marketing, with Renzie Baluyut.

A friend of mine asked me if I actually made money out of my blogging efforts.

The answer is: yes, I do, but not as much as I would want to. At least not yet.

It is not uncommon for new bloggers to get into the blogging lifestyle for the sole purpose of making money. So let me make one thing clear to all of you: there is no get-rich-quick-formula to blogging, contrary to what you might see in ads, or hear about from some friend of yours, or a friend of a friend of a friend, etc. You get the idea.

But yes, you can make money from your blog. However, just like any serious venture, you have to be willing to put in all the hard work that comes with it. You need to do things the right way, you need diligence, and above all, you need to have a real passion for discovering and sharing.

Yes, there are bloggers out there who make a substantial passive income from their blogs. Now you have to imagine the kind of work they must have put in to get to that point. It’s going to take patience and time. And a whole lot of effort.

Do I make money from blogging? A bit, yes. But mostly I get to land blogging gigs, or consultation gigs for clients, as well as get lots of free stuff.

As for me personally, I do make some money with my blogs. But nowhere near the kind of passive income some of my more successful blogging colleagues are making though. My main source of income really is from projects I get when the occasional client likes the way I write, so they ask me to develop content for their sites. Others ask for my help in getting a blog started. Still others enlist my aid on marketing ventures, or for projects that require a great deal of promotion, advertising or events management.

So while I don’t make that much money blogging, I do make cash from all sorts of gigs, projects and business ventures as a result of my efforts. I’d say I make enough. I’ve finally left the corporate world in early 2008, and no, I have no plans of heading back. I love the freedom and flexibility of being a digital entrepreneur, online freelancer and marketing consultant.

Then again, I’m not completely contented with my achievements so far. In fact, my long-term goal is to generate a substantial passive income from my blogs.

As far as making more money for yourself is concerned, there are many ways to go about this with your blog. Plug in all the Adsense/Chitika/Widgetbucks modules all you want, or go ahead and put up an Amazon A-Store or two, sign up for all kinds of affiliate marketing programs– the internet is full of all these make-money-from-your-blog strategies.

For me, I believe it’s still about content. Real stuff. Doesn’t have to be popular stuff, but at least something that appeals to a niche enough audience who are about as passionate as you are with the same things.

And you know what would help as well? A whole deal of internet marketing, search engine optimization, and a great deal of networking.

Tell you what, there are a couple of online talks going down that can really help you out if you’re serious about making money off your blogs.

First up, there is a webinar on how you can make money writing blog reviews and news articles on Sept. 17, 2009 at 7pm, Philippine time (GMT +8:00). It’s an online talk, so you can conveniently plug in from anywhere, as long as you have a decent PC or laptop and a stable internet connection. If you want to make some money blogging, or at least want to find out how, then go ahead and register right here, and attend the workshop once you get the confirmation. This particular webinar is free, so all you have to do really is register for it and attend it.

Next, you have slightly more intensive series of webinars– a certificate course where you can learn some real tips on how to optimize your site and make it more discoverable and search-friendly. I’m attending it myself, as I feel I have a serious need for it. You have a certificate course on Search Optimization Techniques, on October 6 (Tuesday), 8 (Thursday) and 10 (Saturday), 2009. All three classes are scheduled from 6:00PM to 8:00PM Philippine time (GMT +8:00). For that 3-day course, you can register for the series, and know more about payment details here.

Lastly, there is another online certificate course, but this one is all about link-building techniques, and is also spread out over 3 days: October 13 (Tuesday), 15 (Thursday) and 17 (Saturday), from 6 to 8pm. It is a direct continuation of the SEO certificate course, and for this set of webinars, you can register and know more about payment details here.

All of these courses are being conducted by Janette Toral, one of the Philippines’ foremost authorities in e-commerce and internet marketing. So yes, you will be in very capable hands.

So there you have it, if you want to make money from blogging, you’ve got three venues to learn how. I’ll be there myself, so I’ll see you then.

Cheers, everyone.

Renzie Ten Years From Now

a snapshot of a vision inside the head of Renzie Baluyut.

We’ve all been asked, “so how do you see yourself <insert arbitrary number here> years from now?”

One thing I’ve realized is that this seemingly innocent, yet over-asked question, actually gives you a chance to evaluate your Grand Strategy over your life.  And by “Grand Strategy”, I mean a visualization of exactly what you want to achieve within the next- in this case, ten years.

“I want to be rich.”  “I want to be famous.”  “I want to live happy.”  These would be some of the more typical answers to the aforementioned question.  Nothing wrong with wanting to be rich, or famous, or happy, or thinner, or successful, really.  But you have to paint a clearer picture:

How rich is rich?  Do you want your own G5 jet shuttling you back and forth European cities?  A Bentley for each day of the week?  Similarly, how famous is famous?  Having a million followers on Twitter?  Five thousand friends on Facebook?

The point of filling in all these details, is to put together a realistically attainable (yet challenging) scenario of your future self.  If you were an Isaac Mendez- you’d paint this picture out in a mutant power-induced instant.  This is your destiny, one that you will have to carve out for yourself.

On this one particular beautiful spring morning, I decided to answer that over-asked question and fill in the details of my own vision of the future.  Allow me to acknowledge my vision of a typical day in the life of Renzie ten years from now.

Ten years from now will be 2019.

I see in my mind a beautiful 2-storey house that might be in a residential area in Glendale or Long Beach.  The kids are just about heading off to school with lunches I packed them earlier that day.  My wife’s getting ready for work too.  As she drives off for the day, I head on to the adjoining home office to get things done.

Yep, I have a home-based office, from which I run a network of small business ventures, just after breakfast.

• I have a couple of property management companies- one to oversee the day-to-day operations of a number of apartments along the West Coast, and another buying, selling and renting out real estate in various parts of the Philippines.
• A travel and tours company is just about getting a final count on a number of parties heading out to Blizzcon 2019 at the Anaheim Convention Center.  Tour teams to Disney Resort and Knotts Berry Farm have been prepped and good to go, according to this morning’s report.
• A shipment of anime DVDs, dolls, action figures and other collectibles from Japan will be arriving tomorrow, according to my geek-friendly coffee shop based in Pasadena.  I’ll be dropping by later that afternoon to check out the inventories.

After poring through the rest of the sales figures and reports, signing checks and managing the other online accounts, I head off to town to get even more stuff done.

By 10:30 AM, I’m at the gym, working on tone and cardio for the most part.  I meet up with a client for late lunch, then stop by the coffee shop in Pasadena.  It shares floor space with a hobbies and collectibles shop, and has a nice little niche market of gamers and geeks, both casual and hardcore.

I get a call at 3PM from my wife- reminding me to pick the kids up from school, and to swing by PetSmart for some cat food and litter.  I round up the kids from school and take them out for some ice cream, right before heading off to the store to grab the supplies.

Instead of cooking dinner that night, the kids wanted some pasta and pizza, so we drive on over to a nearby restaraurant and order some carry-out.  My lovely wife is already home, spending some much-needed play time with the cats.

Over dinner, we all talk about school and the latest Twilight movie, which the kids want to see on Friday afternoon, as we would all be out camping over the weekend.  Gotta check on all our gear tomorrow to see what else we might be needing before heading out for the outdoors shop in the afternoon.

As Mom helps out with the kids’ homework, I check my email: approving the copy for a bunch of sales materials for a client due for printing the next day, online brochures for new apartments in Metro Manila, friends confirming game night two weekends from now, a business partner’s itinerary as she flies in from the Philippines next month, and a marketing proposal from a nearby computer shop.  I sync my handheld with my PC, and power down for the evening.

The kids are allowed an hour to play with their XBox 19.  Wife and I retreat to the den and squeeze in an hour of online gaming.  We then get the kids ready for bed and tuck them in.  We get ready for bed as well; she watches her reality shows recorded on DVR while I read a couple of chapters from the latest Robert Greene book.  After making sure the alarms are set right, we both catch some much-needed shuteye to take on a brand new day come morning.

That’s going to be me ten years from now.  A daydream on a blog post perhaps, but also a roadmap.  In my next post, let’s break it all down together, and join me pick on my own brains.

But for now, ask yourself this same question:  How do you see yourself ten years from now?

And this time, really paint yourself a detailed mental picture.

Cheers, everyone!

A Man Walks Into An Immigration Lawyer’s Office…

Ever since my friends have heard me make plans to move here to Los Angeles, I’ve been bombarded with all kinds of questions- from getting a US visa, to living conditions here in California, etc.

Let’s get this out of the way: if you do have plans of coming over to the United States and starting a new life here- which is a plan worth pursuing, btw- do things the right way.  I will also go as far as saying that I do not support any move that requires you to sidestep laws or even bend them to your liking- you don’t have to do those things at all.

Laws exist for a reason, and if you want to fully enjoy a shot of making it big here, then by Bob, do things the right way.

That being said, I now know first hand why so many people want to move here: even in a recession, there’s just so much business going on- much more so compared to our lousy Philippine economy.  More on that later.

Better business means so much more opportunities for professionals and entrepreneurs.  You don’t have to be a caregiver.  Or a nurse.  Don’t get me wrong, I think they’re noble pursuits- but just about EVERYONE wants to be a caregiver or a nurse.  Supply and demand, man.  Plus it ain’t my calling.  Not a field I know I could excel in.

Around here, services are huge.  If you know how to fix stuff (cars, electronics, computers, houses, etc.), or good at manual labor (carpentry, massage, gardening, etc.), or have just about any talent worth making money with (cooking, tutoring, pet-handling, etc.), then you might actually have a good chance to make some cash around here.

Even better: professionals.  If you know how to wire up a network for a home business, or rig up power cables, or neuter dogs, or run a forensics lab, or create programs from scratch, then you can really make yourself a more-than-decent living.

Same can be said for people who can run a business- if you got enough savvy, then you’re aware of what people are looking for and can therefore, address a specific need.  Keep in mind that in order for you to run a successful business here, you’re going to have to build your network from the ground up.  Even if you have a massive network of suppliers and resources from, say, the Philippines, it doesn’t mean that you’d be able to bring all those into play here in the United States.

Anyway, I did consult with an Immigration Lawyer- who also turns out to be from the Philippines, and handles a lot of Pinoy cases- and after a nice chat, he gave me my options.

1.  I can have an employer sponsor me for a particular job-role, but it assumes that he’s tried to find other suitable candidates but couldn’t.  This means that it wouldn’t be a simple matter of getting some relative or family friend to hire you- because the employer will eventually have to show proof that he tried to get others, but found you the most qualified for the job offer.

2.  I can set up a business, or even better, buy out an existing business.  With market conditions swaying unfavorably for all kinds of ventures, there are actually a lot of SME’s around that are closing down (but it happens in the Philippines too, so no biggie, really).  Doing so means you’re providing others with a means of employment as well, which would make you look good when the Immigration Board reviews you for a change of status.

3.  Marry someone with a green card, or even better, marry a US citizen.  Strangely enough, there are a lot of shady dealings involving women marrying themselves to some dude with a citizenship in exchange for cash- so they too can get a green card.  That’s just so wrong on so many levels.  If you choose to do marry someone, do so for the right reasons, please.

At this point for me, I could pursue all three options.  But option 2 appeals to me the most.  Option 3 will eventually happen, but why wait when I can have my green card sooner?

If you do have plans of moving to the United States, I advise you to consult with an immigration lawyer, and get your facts straight.  Never completely rely on hearsay, or stories from families and friends.  Options vary from case to case, and you might actually have more feasible courses of action available to you.

More later on as the story continues.  Cheers, everyone.

Living Solo: Cost of Living in Metro Manila?

I had a rather extended conversation with my mom and my sister the other day. Since they were preparing for their own trips to the Philippines (after 15, 16 years?), they naturally wanted to know how much things are back home.

Mom asked me how much my bills were in the Philippines. That made me think, since I don’t really keep a book on these things- I just pay the bills as they come or fork out some cash whenever we make a purchase. So here I am now trying to list down all my monthly expenditures.

Please note that these are MY personal expenditures. Some may actually spend more on certain things, others probably much less. Take this as a rough guide into the spending habits of a 34-year-old single ABC1 male with no kids and no dependents (unless you consider my 2 cats as dependents)…

The Basics

• Rent. A studio down in Mandaluyong. Php5000/month.
• Power. I have a PC that’s on the whole time when I’m at home, plus moderate use of a microwave and an airconditioning unit. Php3000/month.
• Water. Not much. Php75 a month.
• Broadband Internet + Landline. That’s a Globelines setup for ya. Php1700 a month.
• Mobile Phone. A SMART Post-paid account. Php1200/month.
• Cable TV. SkyCable- seriously considering letting go of it since I hardly watch TV anymore. Php1000/month.

So that brings the total amount of bills so far to Php11,975.00. Let’s round it off to Php12,000. And that’s just the basics. More stuff to shell out money for:

Variable Expenses:

• Groceries per Month. Depends, really. But let’s peg it at Php5000/month. That should cover some food, personal care stuff, sundries, snacks, cooking ingredients, etc.
• Daily Allowance. This should cover the cost of transportation, meals and other incidentals. I peg it at Php2500/week. That’s Php10,000/month.
• Weekend Allowance. This should cover eating out, watching movies, buying clothes or whatever. I peg it at Php3000/weekend. Or Php12,000/month.
• Laundry should be Php2000/month.
• A haircut every 3 weeks: Php200, inclusive of tip.
• Cat Supplies. Yes, I do have cats. The cost of litter plus cat food: Php1500/month.

Which means that should bring all those living expenses to Php30,700. Or Php31,000/month, rounded up. Combine that with the basics earlier on, that should be a monthly total of Php43,000.00!

Crap. So that’s where all my money has been going.

Since I’ve started working from home, however, the expenses have considerably gone down:

• The basics- rent, power, water, broadband, phones, cable- remain fairly constant. So it stays at Php12,000/month.
• The variables can be trimmed down to Php13,000/month. I don’t travel as much anymore, nor eat out as much, or have so much laundry done. With just about enough cash left over to enjoy the weekend or buy me stuff I want.
• Grand total monthly expenditures of Php25,000, down more than 41%, for savings of up to Php18,000.00/month.

Amazing how working from home can really cut down on what you spend in a month.

Remember, depending on your lifestyle, or the kind of life that you may be accustomed to, you might spend much more than what I shell out every month, or even less (and good for you!).

Also: this doesn’t cover the cost of other things you allocate money to: savings, seasonal expenses (like Christmas or Valentines), travel, other investments or other monthly/annual obligations.  Though it’s always a good idea to set aside a considerable amount for these.

As long as you can live within your means- meaning, spending well within what you actually make- then everything is just fine.

Cheers, everyone!