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WHAT WAS your first job? Mine was as junior auditor at an accounting firm in Makati and I was paid P700+ a month. Yeah, I am no spring chicken now since that was back in 1987 when I was fresh out of business school and raring to make a mark in the working world. I’ve been through many other jobs since then, finally settling on a career I love: journalism. I have learned many things on the job that I didn’t learn in school, from doing what it takes to meet your goal to handling office politics and difficult bosses, among others. New graduates are more fortunate now to have a plethora of information available to them as these can help them hurdle the challenges of their working life better. One of these is the little book Your First Job: A Practical Guide to Success by Nelson T. Dy published last year by OMF Literature Inc. In eight easy-to-read short chapters, Dy tackles principles for success in the workplace. He starts out by encouraging readers to ask themselves why they work, where they want to go in their career, and what their plans are to get there. Dy recounts that he studied chemical engineering at De La Salle University but wanted to get into marketing. So he took his MBA at the Asian Institute of Management then joined the marketing department of a big chemical firm upon his graduation. Clueless as to what career to take? Thelma Meneses, HR director of Unilever Philippines and one of those interviewed by Dy in the book, advises young people to assess their strengths and weaknesses, and seek a job that would fit them, rather that their skills. Using the story of Joseph in the Bible, Dy also tackles the importance of earning your boss’s trust through integrity, helping people on your way up, sharpening your skills, and letting go of emotional baggage. To illustrate the principles, the author features interviews with successful people such as Raffy dela Rosa, former president and CEO of Chowking Food Corporation; Alex Castillo, former president of Del Monte Philippines; Tony Meloto, former executive director of Gawad Kalinga; and Ardy Roberto, CEO of Salt and Light Ventures. Although the book is targeted toward fresh graduates starting out in their careers, it can also be enjoyed by those already working for a long time, even entrepreneurs like you. For instance, in the book, Roberto advises entrepreneurs to get out of the “one man show” trap common among new entrepreneurs—when they do everything from sales to administration to accounting to collection, etcetera, leaving them pooped at the end of a 12-hour workday. How to get out of this rut? “Think that one day your business can be a franchise,” Roberto says. Make an operations manual. Train people well so your business can run on a system even when you’re not there. This little book is full of helpful advice. Get it at your favorite bookstore or buy it at the OMF Lit e-store.

UPDATE: Editor's note: Added video taken by INQUIRER.net business editor Ma. Salve Duplito. COMTEQ COMPUTER & Business College is one growing enterprise in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. Started in 1990 as an institution offering computer literacy courses to high school students, it has now become a full college offering bachelor’s degree courses in Computer Science, Information Technology, Accountancy, and Business Administration. It also offers shorter two- and three-year courses in computer programming, animation, and electronics technology, among others. Hundreds of students now go to Comteq wanting to be equipped with the technological know-how needed in the marketplace. What attracts the students to Comteq is the school’s strong on-the-job (OJT) training program and affordable tuition fees. “We want our graduates na may alam na paglabas [ng school] because of OJT,” says John Bayarong, Comteq’s dean. In fact, students have already done websites for organizations. The students have also been joining competitions and have in fact won in some contests already. Here's a video taken by INQUIRER.net business editor Ma. Salve Duplito. Bayarong and Ausbert Joaquin of Comteq Computer & Business College listen with Allan Cruz of Business Mentors Inc. to mentor Willy Arcilla (not in video) as Arcilla advises strengthening Comteq's hold in the market first before venturing into franchising. Because of the projected increase in enrollees, Comteq, a non-stock, nonprofit company, wants to expand the business, either by franchising it or by inviting new investors. They also want to bring the concept to other areas of the country and have Comteq campuses there. They have seen the concept work and know that it will help a lot of students. John says they have the business model but there are still some areas that need fixing. For instance, Comteq does not have a marketing officer. The recruitment of human resources also needs to be improved as they just get fresh people internally; they know that people with external experience will bring a lot of needed insight to the company. Mentor Arcilla suggests focusing on strengthening Comteq as a company first. “Ayusin muna ang operations to be able to franchise later,” he says. Once Comteq’s operations are problem-free, Willy says the people will be the one to go to them to ask for a franchise. "Make Comteq the leading computer and technical school for the masa first." Here are Willy’s other recommendations: 1. Make the mission and vision sharper and clearer. 2. Fix the operations bug. Recruit more highly qualified staff. 3. Go aggressive in marketing. Go on campus tours and target the best students in high school. Take part in symposia to let more students to know about Comteq. 4. Rebrand the OJT program as “Comteq Incubation Lab” or something like that. For every website done by students for organizations, brand this as “Powered by Comteq Incubation Lab.” This is a marketing strategy. 5. Make a business plan. 6. Look into availing of educational grants or fund assistance. Franchising is a fast way of getting the needed funds to expand a business. But there’s a right time and a right way to do it. Let’s follow Comteq’s actions in the coming months and see if they’re on the right track.

AT THE DANGWA Flower Market, some 50-plus vendors sell an array of fresh cut flowers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This market has been there for more than 30 years. Retail buyers and those with floral businesses flock to this market for their floral needs. Jay Domingo and his wife Gina run a branch of Pat’s Flowers & Supplies in Dangwa. The main outlet located in Quiapo was put up by Gina’s grandmother in the early ‘70s. It still exists today. As the name suggests, Pat’s Flowers & Supplies does more than just provide flowers: They also make available to flower shops the supplies they need, from pots, ribbons, and other tools of the trade. But five years ago, they started doing retail floral arrangements for consumers. They called this business Flora Grande. Business is brisk on Valentine’s and All Saint’s Day, when sales would be ten times higher than a normal day’s sales. Flora Grande also gets a lot of requests for sympathy floral arrangements, wedding arrangements, and arrangements to decorate stages during school affairs. Jay said they would like to expand the business by putting up a website offering gifts and flowers so OFWs abroad can send these to their relatives in the Philippines. They can even do exports. There is a lot of competition now for Pat’s Flowers & Supplies in Dangwa, and profit margins have become leaner. Jay and Gina are thus faced with a dilemma: Should they still continue Pat’s Flowers & Supplies in Dangwa? Or should they just close it and focus on Flora Grande? The thing holding them back is sentimentality. Gina was raised by her grandmother Pat, and so is reluctant to let go of the business. The couple is also reluctant to take that step as they will not be able to absorb the 12 people employed -- all old-timers -- by Pat’s Flowers & Supplies. Mentor Willy Arcilla sums this up as the couple’s “fear factor -- fear of the future.” How can Jay and Gina address this dilemma? Willy suggests the following: 1. Define your mission and vision. Ask yourself: What do you want to be? A business with P50 million as long as grandma is happy, or a business with P100 million even without grandma’s business? 2. Make a business plan. Putting it on paper will force you to think. “A business plan is not just for multinationals,” says Willy. Study the cost benefit of keeping or letting go of one business. 3. Find out how you can differentiate yourself from other vendors in Dangwa. Jay and Gina said the flowers they use for Flora Grande’s arrangements are different from others’. That can already be the company’s competitive edge. 4. Segment the market. Decide whether you want to focus on institutional customers or retail customers, and whether you want to focus on sympathy, romance, or wedding arrangements. Decide which market you want. “You cannot be everything to everybody,” says Willy. 5. Know your consumer. Once you have identified your target market, find out what he/she likes: his/her favorite color and favorite flowers, then prepare arrangements to suit his/her likes. 6. When putting up the website, beat the top competitor. Show the flowers and the benefit one can get from them. “Find the human emotion -- it is the highest form of consumer need.” Think of Kodak offering not just photos, but memories. What would happen if Jay and Gina follow Willy’s recommendations? Abangan! :) Editor's note: Photo courtesy of Jay Domingo

UPDATE: Editor's note: Added video taken by INQUIRER.net business editor Ma. Salve Duplito. DELILAH GALANG is a retiree with a mission. Having seen how cancer can take away the lives of people dear to her, she has, since 2000, embarked on a personal mission to offer Filipinos an alternative way to treat and care for cancer patients. This alternative way is the Gerson therapy introduced by the German physician Max Gerson in the 1920s. Gerson therapy is an all-natural non-toxic treatment program using organic foods, juices, coffee enemas, detoxification and natural supplements. Dr. Gerson founded the Gerson Institute based in San Diego, California to spread the word about Gerson therapy and to train caregivers to administer the therapy program. How she got into Gerson therapy is interesting. Delilah’s nephew was just six years old when he was diagnosed with advanced non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Doctors gave him only a 25-percent chance of survival. He was having chemotherapy every three weeks. After losing her mother to pancreatic cancer, Delilah didn’t want to lose her nephew to the dreaded disease. And so she researched on the Internet and found out about Gerson therapy. The success rate for treating cancer using Gerson therapy is reportedly 85 percent. The more she read, the more she wanted to learn, and so she enrolled in the practitioners’ intensive training program in San Diego. She became the only licensed practitioner here in the Philippines. Applying what she has learned on her nephew, the boy got better. After six months of therapy, his blood was cleared of cancer. Today, he is 19 years old and has not been back to the hospital ever since. If her nephew got well on Gerson therapy, Delilah knew many more people can benefit from the alternative therapy program. And so in 1990 she established the Cancer Council of the Philippines, a charitable organization. The organization has since been providing financial support to indigent patients. Delilah has also been practicing the Gerson therapy program on some patients. Now here’s what she wants to do: Raise enough funds. These funds will be used to train more people as caregivers of the program. She also wants to get government accreditation for that caregiving training. She also wants to have an office and a wellness center where patients can come and relax. The funds will also be used to build the organization’s website so more people can know about it. Right now, Delilah is Cancer Council’s one-woman team. 9( But how does one raise funds for a cause when there is donor fatigue? In the Philippines, alternative therapy is also not as well-received by people as traditional medicine. Mentor Willy Arcilla recommends the following: 1. Raise the level of awareness about Gerson therapy by using mass media: TV, newspapers, and even websites. Doing so will educate people about the benefits of Gerson therapy. 2. Network with other cause-oriented organizations. Some organizations may have needs that Cancer Council of the Philippines may provide, and so a “swap” can be made for funds Cancer Council needs. The business is laudable, says Willy. Let’s hope things work out in the coming months as Delilah does her homework.

UPDATE: Editor's note: Added video taken by INQUIRER.net business editor Ma. Salve Duplito. FRANCO MESINA is in an enviable position. At twenty-something, his problem is how to keep up with the success of Icylicious, his snow cone business, and how to sustain the seasonal business of FranzAvian Trading Co. Ltd., which supplies equipment to water refilling stations. Franco has been running his businesses with his girlfriend Abby Sarmiento, and they sat down with mentor Willy Arcilla for advice last March for their first mentoring session. Because they had space in front of Fountain Cool, the water refilling station in Binondo he put up with his dad, Franco thought of selling something there. Lots of young people pass by on their way to school. And so Franco and Abby started Icylicious just three months ago. They registered the business with DTI and SEC. They got an electric ice crusher and sourced ready-to-use syrups for the snow cones. To distinguish themselves from other snow cone vendors, Franco and Abby made sure the syrups are delicious and do not leave discoloration in the teeth and mouth. They would sell as much as 1,000 cups of 6-oz. styro cups a day for P15 a cup, so the profits are coming in swiftly. Franco foresees the return on investment to happen in five to six months’ time. Now people have been making inquiries about franchising. One person who inquired said that one obstacle facing them is their company background. "They’re asking, ‘Who are you? What’s your background?’" shares Franco. Is this a good time to franchise? It seems a good time. Willy says, "Milk the market before competitors come in." But Willy is also cautioning the two that there’s a possibility of Icylicious becoming an instant hit like Zagu. The market then became quickly saturated due to the low cost of entry. Here’s Willy’s advice: 1. Think of how to differentiate Icylicious from competitors. Look for the unique selling point. 2. Protect the patent. 3. Touch base with franchising organizations. 4. Don’t be sentimental. If the business loses its luster later on due to mushrooming of competitors, bug out. FranzAvian’s water refilling equipment/assembly business has more favorable long-term prospects. Today they can put up two to three water refilling stations per month. But Franco says if they can streamline procedures, they can even do one water refilling station per week. They can do different setups, from residential to commercial. The company’s competitive edge is in using bigger filters for tanks, and not artificial filters and cartridges that have to be replaced monthly. The problem is that this business is seasonal, and there are many water stations already in Binondo -- few new ones are being put up. Franco sees the need to market their services more effectively to get more customers. Because PET bottles are environmentally damaging, Willy blew Franco’s and Abby’s minds when he said, "Why not filter straight from the source? Imagine the campaign: Dump the Plastic Bottle, Save the Planet." Franco remarked that some have already tried but all failed. Willy responded by quoting Benjamin Franklin: "I have not failed. I have found just 10,000 ways not to do it." And so here’s FranzAvian’s homework: 1. Research and get data about the possibility of filtering water sources. Other countries have clean potable drinking water coming out of their faucets so this is attainable. 2. Don’t commit the same mistakes made by home filtration systems. 3. Test water filtered by FranzAvian and document this. Talk to an engineer, a water expert, and a quality testing company. 4. Be clear about your mission. Don’t be opportunistic. These all sound exciting. Let’s see how FranzAvian and Icylious fare in the coming months.

UPDATE: Editor's note: Added video taken by INQUIRER.net business editor Ma. Salve Duplito. (From left to right, Marvin Natores, Meme Natores, Allan Cruz and Willy Arcilla) Most newbie entrepreneurs rack their brains trying to think of ways to sell more. Marvin and Melani Natores wonder how they can keep up with surging demand for their products and are even struggling with the basic question: “Are we ready to grow the business? Are we ready for wealth? Is it possible to be rich and happy?” Nuts? Foolish? Crazy? Who wouldn’t want to be in their shoes, huh? Believe it or not, it’s a serious matter on their part. They have received queries on franchising, been booked for events outside Metro Manila, toying with other novel product ideas and are wondering whether to consider advertising. But they still come back to that question on whether they are ready to expand. Business mentor Willy Arcilla attacks the issue with sensitivity and understanding. He reminded them that competition comes naturally with business growth and they have to be ready for it. Operations and logistics become more complicated. Finding time to be with family becomes a constant struggle when business keeps you occupied and pre-occupied. There’s also the issue of putting in more money. Expansion without careful thought can be counter-productive. “You have to calibrate your own vision. Are you happy with being a P50-million company or do you want to be the next Hallmark?” says Willy. Konsepto, the company they built only four years ago, makes unique souvenirs for events like weddings, graduations, parties and even corporate events. Fotoloco, their biggest brand, is like a portable photo booth that prints out quality pictures with customized backgrounds all within 10 seconds. Impatient guests get a kick out of the booth and hardly grumble at the delayed bridal entourage and corporate people find it unique and exciting. From just one booth, Konsepto now has four and the husband-and-wife team hasn’t run out of ideas. And yet, like many small businesses, they still don’t have a vision or mission statement. Does it really matter? Aren’t these only meant as impressive decorations in corporate buildings? ? What does a corny mission/vision statement that have to do with growth? Everything, Willy says.

“A vision is good because it’s your guiding star. You will be facing difficulties, competition, employees who run away and steal money and many problems as your business grows. It’s your vision that will keep you focused on your passion” Willy says.

The couple has agreed that their mission statement is to make people happy. How they do that can be communicated through their vision. A vision statement is not static and should be changed as the business flow expands or contracts. It doesn’t have to be specific. It merely has to be big and bold, Willy says.

“You have to have a dream. Think about your customers; do something for them,” Willy advises.

It all takes a lot of self-searching. Knowing yourself and your product, differentiating yourself from your competitors, finding your core competence – all of the things that matter in creating a strategy that fit business owners like a glove. Such soul searching may also help the Natores couple figure out whether they are ready for the dizzying growth their company is facing and how they are going to deal with it. At the second business mentoring session, Willy assured Marvin that growing both rich and happy is possible -- and finding the right rhythm and balance between the growing business and family is part of it. For the coming month, here are the Natores couple’s homework: 1. Finalize a mission/vision statement 2. Write a business plan 3. Consult lawyers 4. Know more about competitors 5. Working on Willy’s suggestions for product development and marketing strategies (confidential) What are your suggestions for the couple? What are your questions for Willy? (Business Mentoring is a one-year project by Open For Business of INQUIRER.net. Eight businesses that have been chosen by a panel and readers’ votes will be mentored by Willy Arcilla, regional director of ZMG Signium Ward Howell and president of Business Mentors Inc. Willy is an industrial economist from the UA&P-CRC with a 25 year career in corporate planning, marketing, sales and general management across Asia-Pacific, and is a recipient of the Agora Award for Marketing Excellence.)

UPDATE: Editor's note: Added video taken by INQUIRER.net business editor Ma. Salve Duplito. Attention to detail, ability to multi-task, tendency to think hard – many times – before taking a big leap, and that thing called women’s intuition. These things have allowed Filipinas for many decades to excel in entrepreneurship. With the changes of the times, women have become more outspoken, assertive and confident. They are more vocal and visible, proving all the more that in the coming years more and more women will be entering the world of business. The Good News Kapihan yesterday in Makati City was bustling with women power. The speakers themselves were the statement. In this video, Elizabeth Lee (left), executive vice president of Universal Motors Corp. and president of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, and Ma. Aurora Geotina-Garcia, chairman and president of CibaCapital, explain why more women are going into and becoming successful in entrepreneurship. (BootsGeotina-Garcia and Anj Decena) There was Ma. Aurora Geotina-Garcia, former top SGV “honcho” (in quotes because the word sounds so much like “macho”!) who is now president of Women’s Business Council and holds the title chairman and president of CIBACapital Philippines, Inc. The other speakers were Elizabeth Lee, president of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. and executive vice-president of Universal Motors (and you thought trucks and engines are guy things?), and Anj Decena, glowing in her motherly role, but tough as a businesswoman. Anj started Hotshots (flame-grilled burgers, not KFC) but more importantly has a group called Network For Enterprising Women. Check out my article ‘Chauvinism has been broken’ in business – women’s group. Excerpt below:

MANILA, Philippines -- Women in the Philippines are becoming more and more entrenched in business, successfully navigating the world of golf, cigars and big deals, women business leaders said Wednesday. Ma. Aurora Geotina-Garcia, president of the Women’s Business Council, said higher need for double incomes in many Filipino families would pave the way for this trend to continue. “I think the macho chauvinist has been broken,” Garcia said during the Good News Kapihan at Figaro in Makati City. Filipino families are struggling with a worsening job picture and escalating prices, forcing many women to go abroad for better pay. “Now the women does the work and the husband becomes the houseband,” Garcia said. When overseas Filipino workers come home to their families with some savings, a common decision is to set up their own business because local jobs cannot match their overseas income. Pacita Juan, owner of Figaro, a company in a male-dominated industry, pointed out that husbands don’t seem to mind staying home anymore. Elizabeth Lee, president of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc., and executive vice-president of Universal Motors Corp. pointed out that 51 percent of entrepreneurs in the Philippines are women. Read more here.

51 percent. That’s a pretty amazing figure. Many businesses are also started by women and taken over by their husbands when the businesses grow bigger. It appears that women are good in creation and men are good with expansion. And to think universities like the University of Asia and the Pacific initially allowed only men to enroll in their entrepreneurship courses! There are still big hurdles, though. Philippine banks require husbands’ signatures in loan documents. So middle ages, huh? Family demands are high on the list, too. For women entrepreneurs out there who want more inspiration and enlightenment, go to the Philippine Trade Training Center today for a whole-day seminar on Women to Women Mentoring organized by the WBC. Speakers include the Philippine-born, US-based industrialist Loida Nicholas-Lewis, Citibank Countery Business Manager Nina Aguas, PNB chairperson Flor Tarriela, Universal Motor’s Lee, Sun Microsystems Cynthia Mamon, ABS-CBN’s Maria Ressa and many more. See you!

Drum rolls please. Here is the final list of Batch 2008. They will be mentored by Willy Arcilla from March 2008 to February 2009. Wilson Sy No More Slipping Inc. Melani and Marvin Natores Konsepto Edwina Leyran Sigel Inc. Delilah Galang Cancer Council of the Philippines John Bayarong Comteq Jay and Gina Domingo III Pat’s Floral Supplies Franco and Abby Mesina Fountain Cool Rose Anne Tomagan-Cruz Jyouhou(joho) See you tomorrow at the first one-on-sessions. The slots are: 8:00 to 9:00 -- first slot 9:15 to 10:15 -- second slot Melani and Marvin Natores snack break 10:30 to 11:30 -- third slot John Bayarong 11: 45 to 12:45 -- fourth slot Eugene Leyran (for Edwina Leyran) lunch break 1:30 to 2:30 –- Delilah Galang 2:45 to 3:45 – Jay and Gina Domingo snack break 4:00 to 5:00 -- seventh slot 5:15 to 6:15 -- eight slot Abby and Franco Mesina Please send me an email or text message on which slot you’re taking. First text, first served. CONGRATULATIONS and thank you to all those who voted. Disclaimer. The business mentoring activity will showcase ordinary businesses' struggles and successes for one year as they are mentored by INQUIRER.net's consultant Willy Arcilla. This will help us focus on their continuing stories, a conscious step away from reportage of spot events with no follow-ups which is the norm in mainstream media. I guess you can say we are trying to prove that media can be cured of short-term and long-term memory loss! :-) However, results of this business mentoring activity will still depend on the owners' ability to use their learnings and market developments that we cannot control.

At the age of 29 in a small shared apartment and a garage in Malate, I began to dream... made it a reality and kept it going. 17 years after, I am lost. I hope you can help me.

Edwina “Weena” Leyran’s call for help made us fish her out of the applications we received for business mentoring. Like many exporters, Weena is hurting from the steep appreciation of the peso against the dollar and the onslaught of a virulent price war with China, which in recent years has become the world’s factory. It hasn’t always been this hard. Weena recalls enjoying plump demand from American importers and department store retailers and confectionary manufacturers who use her boxes as premium packaging for their goods. Her decorative boxes made their way to Spain, France and the Middle East. She believes that the quality of her products, timely deliveries and a good sense of creativity and professionalism allowed the company to breach the $1-million mark in sales in 1999. “The years that followed, however, saw a steady decline in the orders that were coming in. A major cause was the stiff competition with China where our designs and concepts were being copied and sold at as much as 70 percent of our selling price. I believe in our designs and our capabilities but what good will it do if we cannot sell at the right price?” Weena says. She responded to the challenge by trimming down her workforce by more than half and trying to find new niche markets, even locally. Some of her local clients include a wine company which orders wine canisters from her every year, a big pharmaceutical company and a telecoms firm. Weena hopes that the business mentoring activity will help her figure out which road to take through an honest and professional assessment of where it stands. She is hoping that it will inspire the company with fresh marketing direction and revive the glory days of brisk sales.

“I once dreamed. Now, that dream has been passed on to people who've worked for and with me for so long. Some sixteen years. Most of them, ten to twelve years. I cannot fail them nor wane in hope that there is a way to be back on track,” Weena says.

Is there hope for companies like Sigel and for dreamers like Weena who is pained with the possibility of hanging the towel? If she gets into the business mentoring session, we will all find out *** You may vote for Weena by commenting on this blog and letting your thoughts be heard. Unfortunately, we will only be choosing eight candidates who will be receiving expert advice from our consultant Willy E. Arcilla for one year. Our panel of judges will be choosing the final eight based on their business propositions, overall personalities and commitment to the business and your votes. We will give one last day for voting today and Thursda, we announce the final eight. If you want to review the other candidates, follow the links below. Rica Pawnshop and Jewelry Store Cancer Council of the Philippines QMA Outsource Corp. Konsepto Pat’s Floral Supplies Comteq Computer & Business College Mandilu Jyouhou(joho) Technology Inc. Fountain Cool No More Slipping, Inc. (Business Mentoring is a one-year project by Open For Business of INQUIRER.net. The eight businesses that will be chosen from those who applied by email will be mentored by Willy Arcilla, regional director of ZMG Signium Ward Howell and president of Business Mentors Inc. Willy is an industrial economist from the UA&P-CRC with a 25 year career in corporate planning, marketing, sales and general management across Asia-Pacific, and is a recipient of the Agora Award for Marketing Excellence.)

(Photo courtesy of Gerson Institute). Who ever said retirees should slow down and enjoy the roses does not know Delilah Galang. A 56-year-old retiree from Valdefuente, Cabanatuan City, Delilah has worked for the Australian Bureau of Statistics for many years until her early retirement in July 2007. She decided not to end the productive days of her life the day she left her job. She worked on being an approved Gerson Therapy Specialist and trained in San Diego, USA and in Tijuana, Mexico. A Gerson Therapy Specialist provides care, rehabilitation, education, support and training to people who are afflicted with cancer, as well as their families. Delilah explains that Gerson Therapy is a state of the art, contemporary, wholistic and natural dietary treatment that uses the body’s own healing mechanism in the treatment and cure of chronic illnesses. It was pioneered by Dr. Max Gerson in 1920 and has become the basis of many natural and alternative cancer treatments today. On January 24, 2000, Delilah set up Cancer Council Philippines, Inc. and began serving as its President and founder. Cancer Council is a charitable organization that aims to be an umbrella coalition for combined services and activities of cancer foundations, associations, advocacy and support groups, individuals, and interested health professionals. For the past eight years, the founders of Cancer Council have been financially supporting indigent victims of cancer in the Philippines. Delilah knows that with more and more Filipinos getting sick with cancer, the council needs to do more to reach especially those who are less fortunate.

“We have lots of fund raising ideas but we can not start: firstly, we do not know how, secondly, the small amounts of money we gather together from founders are spent on medications we provide to cancer sufferers, thirdly, we are put off by discouragement of friends that it is difficult to ask money from fellow Filipinos,” Delilah writes.

Delilah hopes that through the business mentoring activity of INQUIRER.net, her organization can find ways to raise funds and provide quality health care to more Filipinos. If you want to vote for Cancer Council, vote through this blog. The other candidates for the activity are: Rica Pawnshop and Jewelry Store QMA Outsource Corp. Konsepto Pat’s Floral Supplies Comteq Computer & Business College Mandilu Jyouhou(joho) Technology Inc. Fountain Cool No More Slipping, Inc. (Business Mentoring is a one-year project by Open For Business of INQUIRER.net. We are choosing eight businesses from the ones that applied by email, who will be mentored by Willy Arcilla, regional director of ZMG Signium Ward Howell and president of Business Mentors Inc. Willy is an industrial economist from the UA&P-CRC with a 25 year career in corporate planning, marketing, sales and general management across Asia-Pacific, and is a recipient of the Agora Award for Marketing Excellence.)