Planning My Next US Visit

Well, it’s confirmed- my flight to LA is on May 30.  That means I have roughly just a little over a month to get ready for it.  This time, I’ll be staying for about a month, then I’ll be flying back with Mom, my sister and maybe a couple more aunts to meet up with the rest of my relatives to attend my brother’s wedding in July.

A month is still quite a bit of time.  And yes, I do have a plan to work out.  The ultimate goal, really, is to prepare for our eventual move to the US- for Cristina and myself.  I’m more like the advance party, to figure out our options and to get some business done.

First of all, I gotta get me a social security number.  I’ll need this to get me a bank account, and get my credit going.

Next, I’ll need to get a license, and hopefully, a car.  I’m thinking of a Honda.  Just a preference, really.  Have you heard? Honda launches VCM 643-  supposedly it’s great on fuel economy.

Then I gotta work on my business prospects- hopefully close a few new accounts, attend a few trade shows, build up a new network of suppliers, contacts and clients.

Lastly, I gotta start considering getting some real estate.  No idea how the market is right now, but I know I’ll have a better feel for it once I’m there.

Definitely there’s lots of stuff going on in-between.  Need to get me a new PC, the DSLR I’ve had my eyes on for so long, a new digital handycam, meet up with some old friends, spend some time with mom and my sister, and just basically have a good time.

Wish me luck

Cheers, everyone!

I Will Start Me A New Life

Well, nothing’s really wrong with the life I have at this point.  But there comes a time when an opportunity stares at you right in the face, and you just have to acknowledge it and take hold of it- simply because it’s just ripe with endless possibilities.

I am taking a trip to the United States once again (in May) to carve out a new life for myself (and for my fiancee).  I’d like to get some business done, check out how the properties are doing, maybe even continue my education, or at least pick up a new skillset or two.

And while I do have family there, the ultimate goal really is to be as independent as possible.  All these years of living on my own has actually done its job to give me that needed boost of confidence and a strong belief that I can handle this without breaking a sweat.

So everything now is geared towards preparing for that trip in May.  I’ve taken a more active effort in stepping up my activity online- because online assets can be managed anywhere in the world- so long as you have a trusty laptop and a decent internet connection.

For me, that means taking in more writing jobs, managing more blogs (clients’ and my own) , dabbling even more with internet marketing, and dipping my fingers into e-commerce as well.

I have to admit: for a while there, I was really iffy about relocating somewhere else, mainly because I saw my personal network of contacts, suppliers and business partners as a key strength, and something that couldn’t come into play if I move to, say, Los Angeles.  Now I realize that, that network of mine can still very much work out for me- if I look at it through entrepreneurs’ eyes.  Especially with the internet and the ease of travel and communication- you just have to look at it differently now.

With that, I start organizing my stuff, deciding which ones I take with me, ship out, store elsewhere, stash away for safekeeping, or just give away.  I’ve been converting all my songs, TV shows, games and movies into digital media- so I could take a couple of hard disks with me instead of a whole slew of CDs and DVDs.

So much needs to be done, but I’m happy I’m doing this.

Cheers, everyone!

The Quest For Financial Independence

As someone who’s been employed straightaway out of college for the past 14 or 15 years (as of this writing), I’d say it’s been quite an experience working for some of the best companies in my chosen industry.

I’m actually thankful for the opportunity to have immersed myself in the frontlines, build up my network, and learn about real-world skills every time I had the chance.

Then again, after a while, you get to realize that, while it has all been very rewarding, maybe it’s time to move on. Maybe it’s time I had a say on exactly what kind of life I want for myself, and not have to conform to the dictates of, say for example, a traditional family-run corporation.

It all boils down to answering a simple question: what exactly is it you want for yourself? For me, the answer was simple. I want control. I’d like to do whatever I want lifestyle-wise and work-wise without having to worry about what people think about how I manage my deadlines and deliverables. I’d like to do the kind of work I want to do- to give myself a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment, rather than giving that to another corporate entity. I’d like to spend time with the ones that matter most to me- my family, my friends, and myself.

But can it be done? I’m sure there have been a lot of other people out there who want to get out of the proverbial rat race. I’ve asked myself that question several times before, but it isn’t until now that I’ve had that perfect moment of clarity, and that I can answer “Yes, it can be done” with a strong sense of conviction and passion.

Yes it can be done.

The path of the entrepreneur is not easy. But it can be done, and it can definitely be very rewarding. Fortune favors the brave, it has been said. So if you want to seize the day, you have to take a leap of faith.

I’ve stared down that precipice several days ago. And I jumped. I have to say, I’ve never felt so liberated in my entire life.

This is the day I walk a new path.

And you’re all welcome to walk with me.

Cheers, everyone.

Make Use of Online Directories!

Just like any business entity- your continued success depends on your ability to get more people to know about you and your products, services, activities and ideas. It’s no different for your online assets- a steady stream of new traffic can only be good for you.

This is where internet marketing comes in- there are a lot of things you can do to drive traffic into your sites. You can do advertising- which makes for good results, but can be rather cost-prohibitive (whether you go print, radio or online), particularly if you’re still starting up, or if your promotional budget isn’t enough to support it at the moment.

Still, there are more cost-effective ways to get clients to find you and your website. Personally, I’m trying to find all these online directories to list my blogs in- and one site that looks promising is the Asian Business Directory. There are a whole lot of categories- covering pretty much a wide spectrum of possible businesses, and probably a lot more later on as more people sign up for its service.

Nevertheless, it makes good sense to sign up as early as now- get first-mover advantage, and all that. Take a look, for example, under ‘Blogging’- there are only a few entries under that category- about 15 blogs- when there are thousands of bloggers in the Philippines alone that could make use of a little more online publicity.

Remember that directory listings greatly help not only in generating traffic for your website (or blog), but it also helps boost your Google PageRank and your discoverability. And that can only be a good thing- particularly if you’re more into optimizing your site and monetizing it.

Cheers, everyone!

Fixing and Re-positioning This Blog.

To be completely honest, I may have neglected this blog a bit- it’s been weeks since I last posted anything here. Mainly because I’ve been working on a few other projects these past couple of months.

The good thing is that is has given me a sort of clarity- an understanding of what this blog is supposed to be in the grand order of things.

I was just reading Aaron Wall’s SEO Book the other day (which is a highly recommended read, if you haven’t checked it out yet), and it sorta gave me an idea of how to go about fixing up my site.

Simply put, I have to consider three very basic things:

1. Who’s my target audience? Or more like, who would I want my blog to appeal to?

2. What do I plan to offer? Exactly what kind of content do I plan to put in “The Life and Times of The Renzie Man?”

3. What makes this blog different from all the millions of other blogs out there?

Those things considered, lemme go ahead and figure out what this blog really is all about. Here we go…

My Intended Target Market.

Who do I want to talk to? I want to reach out to an online audience who’d like to know how it is to live in the Philippines, from the point of a 30-something dude. That means reaching out to all kinds of travellers, locals interested in the bachelor lifestyle, my fellow Filipinos abroad who’d like to have a glimpse of home, and pretty much anyone genuinely interested in me- though I can’t imagine who, and exactly what kind of people those would be :).

What Kind of Content Would Be in this Blog?

This blog is a personal blog masquerading as a lifestyle-oriented piece of work. So while it is definitely something for shameless self-promotion, it aims to share useful tips, articles and opinions along the lines of…

• Bachelor Living in Metro Manila.
• Living Life Easier - Work-life Balance Tips and other useful bits of info to get the most out of our 24 hours a day.
• Workplace Woes and Worries- Don’t quit your day job- but don’t let your life revolve around work either.
• A Healthier Lifestyle- my attempt at losing the extra weight at least.
• Fun in Metro Manila- where to dine out, great spas to visit, local destinations, etc.
• My current projects
• Making money online- a little extra cash is always good, wouldn’t you agree?
• What I’m into- again, it’s all about me.

My Unique Selling Proposition.

The truth is, the blog is all about me, and therefore, I am selling me. This blog represents one of my first efforts in blogging. It is a true online journal of me and my little misadventures, not some blog meant positioned towards a particular niche. Of course I will come up with a concept blog from time to time, or pursue some online project- yeah, I’ll be linking it up here, so anyone who’s also interested can also check it out.

Now that I’ve pretty much figured it out, let’s get back to blogging now, shall we?

Blogs, Bloggers and Blogging.

The following post originally came out in one of my other blogs, “Blog. Blogger. Bloggest!”. Check out the rest of that blog for more insights on the world of blogs and blogging. Particularly useful for you who are just starting to blog, and those wanting to build better blogs. Enjoy!

Blogs (short for Web-Logs), are essentially online showcases of a person, usually posted for all the world to see.

See it used to be that all we had were just websites. Only a relative few knew how to set one up and keep things running. Blogs became popular partly because it changed the traditional model somehow- anyone can now have an interactive website, and since you always inject your personality into it, anyone can now have a voice online.

Having your own blog these days is so easy now, since there are a lot of free blog-hosting services available online. All you need really is a few thoughts, and a willingness to share those thoughts to the online community.

Blogging is just like writing something on your journal, except that this journal is now online, and that (dependi