THE FACES OF CHANGE

Before September ended, I got an email from Earl Valencia of Ideaspace that made me all euphoric! Here's a clip of how his email started:

Before I left for the US, we were able to shoot The Faces of Change video. The interview is worth sharing. It made me recall how I started as a technopreneur as well as the experiences I had in growing the company.

Getting ready for the interview/shoot with Nick Bautista Wilwayco of Ideaspace. 

Nick: Share with us your experience/challenges when you were starting the business.

I can say it was tough; I left graduate school to pursue what my professor rejected as a thesis. I was a scholar then and I was so obsessed with developing something for the mobile platform. Indeed, it was all I could think of. I had no fund, no experience, my kids were so young and still too dependent on me. I had ventured into a male-dominated industry. I experienced power-tripping and being bullied. Some doubted my capability. When I started the business, servers, hosting and bandwidth were expensive and not as readily accessible. There was hardly any framework on hand to rapidly develop my app and I didn't know of a technology community like what we have now that supports and encourages technopreneurs. It was truly TOUGH that way.

Nick: What were the things you hoped you had when you started your business?

At the onset, I was only armed with my passion to develop web and mobile apps. But my desire to pursue that dream was so strong that I did not hope for what I didn't have at the moment. I took advantage of my lack of resources. It drove me to be more creative and learn the different aspects of running a business. I considered that time when I was starting as a preparation for something bigger. 

Nick: What is your advice for new start-ups?

Do that which you love. Don't wait for a better time or better circumstances. Act on your dream now. Be resourceful, resilient and dynamic. Learn the different aspects of the business. Share, socialize and learn from the successes of others. 


Nick: What is the best advice you can give to someone who wants to start a business?

Take advantage of what you have, learn as you go, talk to mentors but have the vision to filter the numerous advice because ultimately, you know your product best.  Not everyone will think you will succeed but it's worth taking the risk.

And we did this clip for fun... but it's my best advice :)

There's a lot more to be done. I still consider myself as a start-up but now I'm wiser, tougher and more capable.

My most recent venture is Youphoric Labs. We envision it to be a framework for anything that you are passionate about and you want to share. We extracted it from Shoephoric. This same framework helped us build Picture Perfect which is Manila Bulletin's social network for photo enthusiasts. We're building other sites in an agile manner. We're excited to experiment and share our results.

At work, we all share the same passion - love for shoes, technology, innovation and social media. It's what brought us together and what keeps us excited to play everyday.

Nick: What’s your aspiration for the Philippine technology community?

I would want for us to be recognized as a vibrant and dynamic technology community. I dream to see an active and connected tech community from up north to down south; with the whole country being a tech hub.

I am proud to be a Pinoy Technopreneur and honored to be one of The Faces of Change. Thank you Ideaspace for supporting and inspiring more technopreneurs in the country.

P.S... we had a photoshoot too! :)

Not modelling the Tab but the Shoephoric sticker! :)

Making the Shoephoric logo with my Christian Louboutin Lady Geek. The perfect heels for a Shoephoric Geek like me!

EUPHORIC IN DAVAO

I was so excited when I got invited by Ideaspace and Smart anew to join them in Davao for the first technopreneur bootcamp outside Manila. My excitement was welcomed by a very enthusiastic group of students and start-ups from Davao. I couldn't be more inspired to share my technopreneur adventure.

Taking the stage, ready to inspire the participants with my technopreneur adventure. . .

Sharing how I followed my heart's desire. . .

Loving the clips as interpreted by Ray Piedra. I want them in canvas :) 

Logos galore... must be a sign of big things to come :) Thanks to Paul Pajo, my mentor/photographer at the event :)

My talk basically started by relating how I followed my heart's desire. I may be a woman in a male-dominated field but this does not stop me from pursuing what I want to do; as much as I did with other things that I love like Art. I may not have an artist's hand but I try to surround myself with art and things of beauty. I love music even when I'm vocally challenged, I try to express my love for it through dance. 

My message was best captured by GMA News Online:

“I decided to be a technopreneur because I know it's where I'm going to succeed and fulfill my passion. I encourage students to just go for it. Your success isn’t determined just by your idea. You have to launch it and let it gain traction.”

I get more inspired to continue working on our projects and ventures everytime I meet and speak to technopreneurs. I know there is so much more to do because technology has provided us with a MYRIAD OF WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITIES. YOU JUST GOT TO WORK, FOCUS AND LOVE WHAT YOU DO.

Fun Bootcamp in Davao with @taCOIyaki @kwittiegirl!
A view of the participants from the panel