There's No Business like....NO Business!

[Dabyano]

The day before yesterday, Wing was looking a little bit sad and depressed. She said, “Sweetheart, I need to tell you a secret that I did not tell you before.” Yes, there did seem to be a loud, clanging alarm complete with flashing red light going off in my head when I heard these words, but I managed to remain calm. I told her that I loved her and that I would not be angry not matter what it was.

She told me that, for the last few months, she had been sending money to her mother in the PI to start a business for her. Ucay-Ucay, Buy and Sell…buying used clothing for a cheap price and selling them for a higher price to make a profit. She wanted to be able to surprise me on our next trip by showing me a business that was in operation and that belonged to us. Long story short, the business never got started….the money went…..who knows where?

She was very disappointed and also embarrassed that her mother had not taken this opportunity to get the business started. I didn’t complain or criticize her. Sometimes it takes a while to learn a lesson.

We had seen the same thing happen to three friends. One Filipina worked very hard, at two jobs in New Jersey, for three years to send money home to her daughter. The daughter was supposed to be using the money to build their house back in Butuan City. When the lady went home to visit, after three years, there was no house, no money and not much in the way of an explanation of what happened.

Another Filipina and her husband had set up an internet café for the family to run back in the PI. A year later, there was no internet café, no PC’s and no money.

Yet another has a successful business here. She was sending money back to her mother in the PI so that her brother could go to college and so the mother could have a "piggery." After four years, she went home to visit and discovered that the brother never went to college, the mother never gave the money to the brother for college and the mother never told the brother that she was sending money, and all of the sows had been sold, before they had litters, no piggery.

To me, these things are so common that I would never send money to start or operate a business. Wing thought things would be different. Now…..things are very tense between her and the family. She feels used and abused.

Making a business work is tough anywhere, and truthfully, not everyone has a good “sense of business.” Going into business with relatives can always be ….a challenge….no matter where you are, but, the chances of success for something like this in the PI are, in my opinion, limited to two outcomes……slim and none.

Daby

[LornaDoone]

I understand her frustration;and its so hurtful to know even our family took advantages of our kindness.
it is hard for them to understand that we don't pick the money from the tree.




I explained to my sisters and brother about life in America is not easy like any other country. they seems understand and know about it. in fact they encourange me to start up a small business like chicken and pig farm. I sent my sister 2000 pesos to buy a pig. actually the pig is big now and they're going to sell it and they will use the money to buy 2 or 3 piglets. they should be 1 male and 2 female piglets. they should be multifly and multifly and multifly. when I am going back this year I will buy a bunch of chicks. also I am thinking saving the profit because I will buy some land.

I think animals farming in PI is a good business. people need meats.


I don't know much about animals farm business but I'm studying about it. I bought books on how to raise chicken and pigs . breed guide and selection,proper care and healthy feeding, building facilities and fencing etc etc.
I am so excited about these things.

although my father own a huge land in Butuan I don't rely on him. I want my "own" land. my other sister think I'm crazy and told me I am just wasting money. to me I don't think so.

[LornaDoone]

I think when you started up to invest business you also need to be there. don't rely or trust too much your relatives or family no matter how nice they are to you. even you know they are good people.

it is good that you know (in your own observation) how the business condition and how its works. what is good and bad; and what you suppose to do about it.



just my thought

[Dabyano]

Originally Posted by LornaDoone

I think when you started up to invest business you also need to be there. don't rely or trust too much your relatives or family no matter how nice they are to you. even you know they are good people.

Lorna,

That is good advice. If it is yours, you have to be there to watch it and take care of it. Probably, that is true everywhere.

Daby

[LornaDoone]

but, the chances of success for something like this in the PI are, in my opinion, limited to two outcomes……slim and none.

There are many people who are started up in small business who are became succesful but we don't hear much about them.

[Dabyano]

Originally Posted by LornaDoone

There are many people who are started up in small business who are became succesful but we don't hear much about them.

We don't hear from them because they are too busy making money to just sit around talking about it.

Daby

[Dabyano]

My sister lives in Manila. She has her house and two rental properties. Also, she had a nice, well-stocked sari-sari (convenience store).

She went back home to Butuan to visit the family for a few months. She left the store and the properties in the hands of her husband's sister, who was supposed to take care of everything while my sister was on vacation.

Yesterday, she returned to Manila. The short story is, she is not pleased with what she found when she returned. The rent money, which should have been over Php 6000 was gone. The sister-in-law had spent the money on......who knows. The store, a really beautiful little place was......empty. The shelves were still there, but that was all. So what happened to the many items and to the money?

My sister's husband had to restrain her or there would have been murder in Manila. The husband is talking to the relatives to try to work something out. My sister has steam coming out of her ears.

A few months back, I read this paper which was written by a Korean student who is studying in the PI. She said some things that my sister and I have talked about. She said that after the war, Korea was nothing but mud. But the people worked hard and pulled together and helped each other and now South Korea is one of the top economies in the world. The Korean student wonders why, with all of the smart people and all of the natural resources the PI has, Filipinos are not dong better.

My sister and I had a long talk today. Of course she is hurt by what she found when she returned. She thought she was doing the sister-in-law a favor by giving her a place to stay and a little commission for looking after the properties and the store. She feels betrayed and cheated. And she says it will be a cold day in hell [yeah, she likes to use American slang] before she tries to help anyone else in the family again.

Daby

[LornaDoone]

She went back home to Butuan to visit the family for a few months. She left the store and the properties in the hands of her husband's sister, who was supposed to take care of everything while my sister was on vacation.

What I do not understand is that she seems to trust her husband's sister (who she's presumably known for only a few years), more than she does her sister, who she presumably knows well (from birth?).

If she doesn't think her own sister can be trusted, why would she think that other people could be trusted?


never ever trust any one most especially when it comes to money. this is nothing to do with trust issue here. I guees some people will not gonna learn until bad things happened to them.

[Dabyano]

Originally Posted by LornaDoone

in fact they encourange me to start up a small business like chicken and pig farm. I sent my sister 2000 pesos to buy a pig. actually the pig is big now and they're going to sell it and they will use the money to buy 2 or 3 piglets. they should be 1 male and 2 female piglets. they should be multifly and multifly and multifly. when I am going back this year I will buy a bunch of chicks. also I am thinking saving the profit because I will buy some land.

I think animals farming in PI is a good business. people need meats.

Maybe we just have bad luck or maybe our relatives are just no good at business. When we were home last year, we got two pigs and some chickens for our brother. Long story, stort - snakes killed the chickens and the pigs are dead, too. Grrrrrr......I think they will alwyas be poor.

We have many ideas for business, back home, but now we will focus only on having business here. We wanted to share with the family, but we have learned the hard way that it will not work with them.

Daby

[LornaDoone]

What I know is that animals can be sick too so the owner needs to pay attention to the animal's health so they can prevent sickness and give them medicine.

perhaps they did not put the chickens in the proper cage where the hawk or snakes or any other predator can't eat or reach the chicken.


well..I'll let you know (once I succed) how my small business does atleast 1 or2 years from now.