WBW 34: Opportunities are Right in Front of You! It's up to You to Pick Them up!

"Di ako suwerte eh." A lot of us make excuses not to take action on opportunities when presented. Some valid, while most, outright manifestations of self-pity intertwined with the "victim" mindset. Take a step back and reflect on the words you've been telling yourself for such a long time, then look in front of you and see the opportunities seaping through every crevice of the Earth. So open up your eyes and mind, if the opportunity that presents itself is the one for you – you just gotta stop making excuses and take it. In week 1 of 5 of GoNegosyo's Youth Entrepreneurship Summit, Vince Golangco of WhenInManila.com shows us what it means to really go out there, and grab those opportunities.

Who is Vince Golangco?

After receiving his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication with a minor in Business in San Diego State University in California, Vince has been quite the adventure junkie.

He’s in search of his next big adventure, his next crazy story and the best beer in the world! Vince is a surfer at heart and loves hanging out at the beach with friends. He has always had a passion for writing and has articles published in Playboy, Meg, Status, Filipinas Magazine, San Diego Daily Aztec and more. He also has many blogs including VinceGolangco.com, which holds his favorite inspirational tales; while his crazy drunken stories can be found on MotivatedMonkey.com.

His professional experience is very diverse; he served in the United States Navy as an Information Systems Technician, worked as a copywriter for Catalytx Advertising Agency, in Human Resources for the Veteran Affairs Hospital, as a Marketing Assistant for The Make-A-Wish Foundation, as a Senior Media Planner for Bright Box Media and many more.

Today, Vince writes away in hopes of completing his first book. He works as an online marketing consultant and as an events host. Moreover, he is the creative writer, producer and front-man of the first travel video blog and political satire show from the Philippines: WhenInManila.com.

Show notes:

What brings you to this event?  

See what entrepreneurial spirit the Philippines has.

Introduce yourself   

• Self proclaimed entrepreneur or "jobless" - jokingly :)
• Starting first travel video blog in the Philippines at WhenInManila.com
• Currently a free lancer, writing for five magazines, teaches english as well

What made you interested to stay in the Philippines

• A lot of opportunities came his way. One thing led to another
• The fact that Web 2.0 in the Philippines is just evolving
• There are a lot of things he's learned from working from other countries that are just growing in the Philippines waiting to be tapped

What made you interested in web space?

• It started with a travel show.
• They noticed how well blogs are doing here but that there aren't a lot of video blogs.
• There are things you can't capture in a photograph or words. Sometimes you need to see it.
• Example was a recent shot of Zenses, which is restaurant where they cook with nitrogen
• You can take as many pictures as you want or write about it as much as you want but seeing them do it on video is a different experience
• He also enjoys smart comedy
• No real comedic or smart / intellectual venue here in Philippines
• It was really about finding what he was passionate about (smart comedy, traveling) and found a way to make that succeed.

So far, what lessons have you learned regarding the journey of an entrepreneur?

• It takes a lot of discipline

• Finding what you love, what you enjoy and sharing that with people
• With web 2.0, you can find your niche
• It can be anything from knitting, bags, straps to shoelaces

What motivated you to take the entrepreneurial path?    

• He can create his own path as opposed to someone telling him what to, how to do, when to do it
• There is no more glass ceiling. The sky is the limit.
• It's up to him on his drive, on how hard he works, on what he does, on what he reads, what he studies
• He thinks he can succeed much better than working in a corporation

Is it worth it?

• It will be soon. Currently still on starving phase
• But yes, it's worth it. The adventures, the people he's met, the things he's done.
• He would not be doing this if he was stuck in a cubicle 24/7

"The Board" message