Stoke that fire in the belly

I was fascinated meeting an entrepreneur who proudly gave birth to a new business because of the pandemic. Since his retail outlets were in malls and had to close during the first few months of the pandemic, he instead looked at streetside locations. But not just any streetside. As he is a biker, he would bike around the outskirts of the metro and found spots to put up a new concept like a garden café. He had to think al fresco, COVID protocols, safety for his staff and this was the answer. Lots of outdoor seating, open to families and couples and, most of all, millennials. Though he’s a Gen-X baby, he had to think like a millennial.

He found a vacant lot, put up a structure in a few months and he was on his way to recovery. He did close some stores but he thought positive. He repurposed the extra materials, equipment and other “spoils of war” and in less than a year has put up two other branches of this garden café. Add to that, he now is thinking of an additional business format, an events place as the economy is starting to open up.

It is this fire in the belly that entrepreneurs are made of and it is not easy to find. He came from nothing, got swindled at the tender age of 24, and at 49 is raring to go places even with the constant threat of failure. Here are some tips I got from this positive thinker and mover:

•           Never give up. “I started with nothing, I can lose everything and start over.”

•           He has no separation anxiety with possessions. You can let go of anything physical as that can be replaced when times are better.

•           He empowers his people. He also treats them well. Like family.

•           He uses all his travel experience to give him inspiration and then applies it locally to new business concepts.

•           He keeps thinking of answers to new post-pandemic challenges – expensive retail space, community needs that are unmet, decreased mobility of markets, etc.

I was fascinated by his fire, his passion and most of all, his humility. One can tell when humility is not fake or put on. His was natural and encouraging.

In contrast, there are business people who see only challenges and issues during the pandemic. They keep trying the traditional ways and are convinced that the normal has come back. So they do everything the same way and surely profits (if any) are going to be just marginal. Just “keeping the head above water” as they say. But time is never on our side. We must transform and keep trying new ways to deliver product or service in this new world.

And like a painter that keeps painting, an entrepreneur keeps creating. And as you make one idea happen, it gives birth to other ideas for new businesses because that fire cannot be quenched.

Another new friend I met has her own story. Their family wanted to build a subdivision in a forested part of Laguna and had roads made to start the project. BUT as she toured the property she saw old native trees that dotted the landscape. She could not bear to cut them or remove them to make way for a profitable venture. After all, they already have enough in their list of businesses. Plus, since her father used to be in logging, she thought this would be a better and more dramatic way to pay back what the father’s business already enjoyed – so she wanted to save the forest. And even as she approaches her golden years, she treks, makes foot trails and actively gets involved in knowing what trees will be saved by her decision. So it gave birth to a modest plan of conducting eco-tours, forest bathing and tree-hugging included.

She does corporate work during weekdays but drives over to the forest area on weekends to supervise her new baby project. She also plants organic vegetables that feeds her family and is a side business that pays for itself. Not everything she does now is for a huge profit but more for the environment and sustainability. After all, their other businesses are almost like institutions already, having been there for more than two generations. So she gives back by donning her hiking boots and saving the forest.

The common quality of these two entrepreneurs is HUMILITY. They are both humble to accept their fate, and humble to spread the word about what they do: they take care of their people, they share values in how to run their projects and they enjoy doing what they have to do.

It is not everyday that you meet two people coming from opposite sides of the economic spectrum yet share a passion for entrepreneurship. They both are on fire, thinking of new ideas for their projects or enterprise.

What keeps them going? You almost want to ask, what juice did they both drink? Why are they so driven while others wish to give up, others have given up and others just totally lost it mentally?

The fire in the belly feeds itself. Just like a real fire, one idea sparks another. And like-minded people really get along and do different things but for a common good. He bikes and makes trails, she enables him to express his passion in her eco-farm or forest. He is a keen and astute restaurant operator, she is a smart thoughtful business partner providing the space.

One feeds the other. And the fire becomes a positive solution to the problems brought about by the COVID pandemic. When you speak to impassioned people like these two, you know there is a positive development in this crisis we are facing.

So for those still wanting to go back to the traditional ways, think again. Maybe it’s time to check your fire and redirect it for a good purpose and find like-minded people to partner with or complement you in your next journey.