Reflection (July 06, 2015)



Last July 6, 2015, we had our third meeting in our Technopreneurship class. I and my classmates are already inside the IC Lab 1. That day, pitching scheduled was settled. We are all excited to present our unique and new ideas. Later on, our facilitator, Dr. Randy S. Gamboa showed up and we are starting to get nervous as we look upon the face of our facilitator. We thought that it was our first day of pitching but our facilitator, Dr. Randy S. Gamboa, noticed that no one is ready to present because we are still making our presentation.  So he planned to use our time for lecture and discussions. The schedule of our pitching was postponed to another day because of what happened. Every one of us didn’t think ahead the requirements for presenting or even ask our facilitator ahead of time. We thought that our facilitator would be mad because we didn’t prepare our slides for presentation of our ideas.

Dr. Randy S. Gamboa started his discussed with different picture. We just had a lecture in continuation on what we’ve discussed last meeting. All of the images were all connected on what’s happening in our society.  His lecture was very inspiring, educational and motivating. Our topics were focused on our future job and on how are we going to handle it. Dr. Randy S. Gamboa also taught us how to become a successful Technopreneur soon as we go on our lives. Many of us are wondering on what will be the discussion of our facilitator.

 What I liked most?

            First, we discussed about the Technopreneurship Ecosystem, the upcoming startup competition and the business model canvass. Our facilitator, Dr. Randy S. Gamboa, first discussed about the Technoprenuership Ecosystem and he gave us three different kinds of situations. The first situation shown was a girl who cooked a food, the second was constructing a “Bahay Kubo” or Nipa Hut and the last situation shown was a person who was repairing his computer. As I perceived in the situations that were shown to us, it were all about doing their tasks that should be done. Before doing such things, we should have money to complete the ingredients, materials, and tools as well as manpower to accomplish our work. It is just like in venturing into business or should I say Technopreneurial ventures, we should have the required prerequisite like resources, environment and support for us to establish, to develop and to accomplish something in our business. Our facilitator, Dr. Randy S. Gamboa, stressed out that H.E.L.F is one of the key to be a successful Technopreneur. HELF is part of the Technopreneurship Ecosystem.  H in HELF stands for Human Resources. Human Resources includes the researchers who thinks and generate ideas, innovators, developers that develops and implements, technical individuals, marketing individuals, finance individuals, and etc. In any kind of business it is really needed to have human resources to run a business. The letter E in HELF means Environment Component. Environment like an Incubator Center, PSI some Academic Institutions where doing some research and development centers can be done, Internet Access, Geographic Accessibility, Communication and many more services.

 Environment component is very much important because it will help us to foster our abilities and idea through science parks, incubation centers and academic institutions. The letter L in HELF stands for Laws and Policies. As what I have understood when I heard about laws and policies, it is all about the legal services and rights that should be followed and implemented in a venture and in all kinds of services. And the last letter in the word HELF is no other than the letter F which it is stands for Financial Component. In financial component, it comprises of a venture capitalists, investors, business sectors and funding agencies. As our facilitator, Dr. Randy S. Gamboa, said, idea alone does not make any money but instead we should convert it into business, and because of that, financial components will really help us. They are very much important when we engage in a business ventures because they are the one who will support us in our ideas. When putting up a business venture, it is not always a success that you will encounter. It is not always pleasures and congratulations you will receive. There were always difficulties you will meet along the way. All difficulties and troubles are not that disadvantageous to us. In fact, these troubles will make us stronger and braver. It will make us find ourselves who we really are when facing problems. To be able to be an effective techonopreneur, we should know how to dream because our journey of being a successful one will always start through dreaming and aiming. If we want to achieve the success that we really aim for, then we should be willing to move forward and take the opportunity. We should not be afraid to fail because through failure will motivate us and it will make us grow. Also, it will make us to strive hard and make us inspire to do the things to avoid failure.

Business ventures were the one who has a big contribution in terms of financial aspect. So these are the some important factors in setting the goal. So the question is Why Techno? The very simple answer is that Technopreneurship gives an opportunity to all who wants to have a business and be an employer. In our generation, technologies have big impact in our lives in fact it makes our lives worth easier. But how it will take long? There are things that should be considered. First, is to construct an idea. There are different ways in getting an idea like active search for a problem, or by chance even with the experience we can make it. After gathering or brainstorming of an idea, the best way to do it is to showcase it through joining different competition and this is called the triggering event. It has to be implemented and it will grow as follow. Basically, idea alone is not enough; it needs to be on market. And idea alone cannot make money. It needs dedication and hard work. 

 Second, our facilitator, Dr. Randy S. Gamboa, discussed the business model canvass. According to Steve Blank, “It’s basically a visual template that allows you to create a shared language and it gets your idea out of your head onto the poster or a piece of paper to make it crystal-clear. … You capture the idea, you tell the story very quickly on one piece of paper. Then the Lean Startup comes in … you take this one piece of paper and then immediately go test it out. You start rough, you test quickly and you refine only when you have more evidence from the market that your idea could work.” 

            As I have understood about business model canvas, it is really a big help for those people who will establish their own business through their ideas. It is a kind of startup template that could direct us on the things that we should do in starting up a business. It has also a nine building blocks and each of the building blocks has its own business functions. So this business model canvass lets us analyze and scrutinize every distinct component of our business and it allows us to evaluate the strong and the weak points of the business. In addition, we can assess the development of the business. If ever I will have the opportunity to establish my own business someday, I will definitely apply this kind of tool because as I have understood on this tool, we must go through the first building block before we will proceed to other building blocks or in other words, we must take it step by step. Everything in the business model canvass is a hypothesis, and if we take it gradually, we can formulate our ideas and thoughts into reality.

            Third, the part of the sharing that I liked most is the business model. It is the one that gives me an idea that I can be a creator of something new in the world. By the way do know what is business model? Business model is a company creates value itself while delivering products or service for customers.  Also it has 9 components which are the customer relationship, customer segments, channel, cost structure, revenue dreams, key resources, key partners, and key activities. We talk about the customer relationship. It is how we interact or engage with our customers, and how are we going to make bond with them to build trust and loyalty. It will be a helpful strategy to gain customers and make them want your products again and again. Customers segment is one of the factors that we need to focus. For example: You are selling luxurious cars and then you are displaying it to a rural places and who is going to buy that expensive car? That illustrates the meaning of customers segment in my own words. Next, is the channel—it is how we are going to make those people know your products and how it can benefit them. Cost structure is the one that balance your money and your business.

A business model is the conceptual structure supporting the viability of a business, including its purpose, its goals and its ongoing plans for achieving them. At its simplest, a business model is a specification describing how an organization fulfills its purpose. All business processes and policies are part of that model. According to management expert Peter Drucker, a business model answers the following questions: Who is your customer, what does the customer value and how do you deliver value at an appropriate cost? A business model is similar to a business plan in its makeup and content. However, a business plan specifies all the elements required to demonstrate the feasibility of a prospective business, while a business model demonstrates the elements that make an existing business work successfully. The benefits of business model documentation include maintaining a focus on corporate goals, reviewing operational practices and ensuring that the two are congruent. A representation of a company's business model can be incorporated into public relations material and is useful to share with customers and partners. A mission statement or vision statement may be included in a business model. Traditionally, financial goals have been the main focus of such models but business sustainability and corporate culture have become increasingly integral to business plans in recent years.

 The owners must estimate the cost of business that they are going to take up or what business they can do with an amount of money they have. Revenue stream is one who represents how to get or generate money from your products. The ways that will generate money from your product like selling t-shirts that have the photo of your products and many more ways that we can make to have or produce money in a legal way not in an illegal way. Key resources are the key to make the business model work and ready to sell. What is the purpose of those peripherals that you spread if you do not have the product to sell to the customers, right? Then, key partners are the one who make the company moving and rolling to generate revenue. It also stands as the function of the business to work properly with no hassle. Lastly, key activities are the task that the company needed to succeed.

 Lastly, the discussion was all about the start-up business. Start-up is a temporary organization designed to search for a repeatable and scalable business model. And business model is part of the strategy. It describes and classifies the business or the product that includes the value propositions, customer segments, channels, partners and etc. And that is the business model search is the basis of the rest of the class. These are some important tips for those people who want to build their own business. To have an excellent marketing, it should have the timing. The basic understanding of the start-up business and business model helps the individuals to consider the possible output of their business. 

Start-up is a company that is in the first stage of its operations. These companies are often initially bank rolled by their Technopreneurial founders as they attempt to capitalize on developing a product or service for which they believe there is a demand. Due to limited revenue or high costs, most of these small scale operations are not sustainable in the long term without additional funding from venture Technopreneurs. 

Also, our facilitator told us about the advantages and disadvantages about startup companies and existing companies. A startup company begins with a series of unknowns. They need to research to make their company grow. Existing companies deals with execution of known usually if they have the idea and sees it unique they will execute it or built it to make it their products.

Many people have a vision of starting and running their own businesses during their life-times. For many people, creating a product or service that is enjoyed or utilized by customers will provide a very satisfying sense of accomplishment. This feeling cannot be met at a job in which they work for someone else. Nearly one million individuals start their own business every year. Starting a business takes more than an idea. It takes certain kinds of people and proper planning. It takes financial funding and hard work. I will describe what it takes to be an Technopreneur and making the decision to be a business owner for a career is a big decision. Before a person even attempts to start a business, a person should decide whether or not he or she has the kind of personality and skills to be a successful Technopreneur.

 According to The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Starting Your Own Business, If you like the stability of working 9 to 5, well stop that because owning your own business means that you don’t have set hours because you’ll be working close to 24 hours a day to get things going. This is a true statement. Starting and running a business may very well take more work than the average job of being an employee. The welfare of an Technopreneur will depend on the success of the business. He or she will have to work hard to keep it other than being a hard-worker, another trait a person should have is passionate about their business. If you do not care about what you are creating, you will probably not be successful.

  I can’t imagine devoting so much time and effort to something they don’t like. Obviously, a person better go into a business you have a personal interest in and care about. Not only will that business owner probably be unsuccessful, but they may end up making themselves miserable in the process. Most business owners are also risk-takers who can make confident decisions. Just starting a business is a calculated risk. During their first few years, many businesses fold due to bankruptcy or poor planning. However, you will not want to be the same kind of risk-taker as an impulsive gambler.

An Technopreneur must be able to take calculated risks and only make decisions after they have studied and weighed all the choices. Obviously, making hasty decisions for a business could end up putting a person in the poor-house. So an Technopreneur needs to be a confident person who can make good decisions. A person must have confidence because he or she will be making many decisions regarding their business every day. Those decisions include forming strategy for future success. According to Sue Anderson, You should have vision. A person should need to know what they want to do with their business and then find out how to get there. 

Lastly, a technopreneur should have a solid foundation in every major aspect of business management. A person who does not know anything about business or business management will not be able to be a successful Technopreneur. As Sue Anderson states, I also think a successful business owner will most likely sell their products to the customers with love. 

Succeeding as an Technopreneur takes hard work and persistence because, unfortunately, there is no business-startup fairy who magically bestows success on small businesses and their owners. Most successful Technopreneurs follow comparable patterns and share similar basic characteristics. Hundreds of online articles and published books claim to know the secret of success in business, but for the most part, they boil down to the same major points.

Passion, perseverance and a positive attitude tend to set successful technopreneurs apart.

 What I liked least?

            There were things also in the discussion that somehow I like the least. One of this is the Low Economic of the Philippines in exporting compared to other Asian countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan. As we continue our lecture of some business tactics and strategy on how can we handle business ideas, we were able to discuss some things that I really don’t like the most. The things that we were able to discuss were the situation of some countries and what are their status in terms of their population and economy. I was shocked when our facilitator shares the rank of our country that the Philippines had a very large population and it had only a very small amount of money in terms of exportations of some good. I was shocked because Singapore had a very small amount of population but they were able to get the very high rank in exporting goods. I was amazed because on the situation of our country that the Philippines must supposed to be one of the greatest exporting countries because we were able to have a lot of people here that is willing to do the work. But suddenly I was surprised because of the things that our facilitator that shared that because of some people that are not contented with the things that they are doing specially in term of salary distribution. I was upset also because of the people that were able to have some rally and not be contented on what they have. I was sad also because of the things I heard in our facilitator that some of the big business establishments were able to leave the country move out their business here because of the characteristic of the Filipino people. One thing that I don’t like also on the sharing of our facilitator is the activity that we have done in class. The activity was supposed to know if you have the ability and capacity to become a true technopreneur. We were able to answer all thirty two question and know if you have what it takes to become a technopreneur but suddenly I were able to got a neutral result which means I don’t have the skills and capacity to become a true technopreneur. I was sad because of the things that I discovered to myself that maybe because of the default mindset that I have all my life that I were not able to change it and overcome it. I was sad also because it maybe take a lot of time to become a true technopreneur and able to become a successful businessman.

According to the Philippine Economic Update, Economic growth slowed down to 5.3 percent in the third quarter of 2014, due to weak government spending on the demand side and agricultural production on the supply side. Government consumption contracted by 2.6 percent while infrastructure spending fell by 6.2 percent. Contributing to weak government spending are the Supreme Court decision which found some provisions of the Disbursement Acceleration Program unconstitutional, budget execution bottlenecks, and slow disbursement for Typhoon Yolanda reconstruction. Despite the slowdown, more than a million jobs were created in October 2014, although the quality of jobs remains a challenge. The 2013 Annual Poverty Indicator Survey (APIS) finds that real income of the bottom 20 percent grew much faster than the rest of the population. The survey also confirms that the government’s conditional cash transfer program is reaching the poor, as reflected in the substantial growth of domestic cash transfers to the bottom 20 percent. Lower government spending, investment delays and slowdown, and weaker exports are likely to limit economic growth to 6 percent in 2014 and 6.5 percent in 2015. Provided that government can fully commit to utilizing the budget as planned, as well as accelerating reforms, achieving growth of above 6.5 percent can be achieved. Translating higher growth into inclusive growth can help the government achieve its poverty target of 18 to 20 percent by 2016.  Eradicating poverty requires a commitment to implement key reforms in the areas of infrastructure, health and education; enhancing competition to level the playing field; simplifying regulations to promote job creation; and protecting property rights. Higher investments need to be supported by tax policy reforms as tax administration reforms are inadequate to fully fund the investment gap. Worsening port and road congestion and possible power shortages in 2015 underscore the need to urgently raise investments. Tax policy reform should aim for a more equitable, efficient and simpler tax system. Reforms to strengthen tax administration and improve the transparency and accountability of government are essential to make it a success. Key reforms include the passage of the Freedom of Information bill, which institutionalizes open data, enhancing budget reporting, and simplifying tax procedures and processes. Higher investments in infrastructure, health, and education need to be complemented by reforms to enhance competition. Essential reforms include crafting and implementing a clear competition policy, liberalizing key sectors of the economy to directly benefit poor Filipinos, and opening up the economy to more foreign competition.

We can get rid of it by starting to have an innovation from something fresh and unique ideas, and also by helping our countrymen in producing and nurturing their abilities when it comes of thinking new ideas and if then pursued; possibly it could help the economy of our country to boost in the near future. On the other hand, our instructor discussed also the upcoming startup competition in which we are required to participate. So before we can participate in the event, we must present a proposal to our instructor and also together with my classmates, they will vote for it if they are convinced in our presented proposals. For me, it is really hard to think of an idea knowing that Dr. Randy S. Gamboa, is a meticulous type of person. Even if my classmates will vote yes, still the final judgment is in the hands of our facilitator. As our facilitator said, we should think of an idea that could give a solution to the “pain” or to the problems that we are facing in our everyday lives as well as in our society. The idea should be fresh, unique and has a sense and can solve the pain that we are dealing nowadays. I felt pressured and nervous if I could be able to present a proposal that could satisfy the things that our facilitator, wants. I think all I want to do right now is to focus, to do serendipity walks and to observe the environment if there were things that needs changes and improvements. With this, there is a possibility that I could generate ideas and if I will be given a chance, I could now give a solution to the pain I want to resolve.  

Second discussion I liked least is the presentation of the business plan. It is not because we are going to make a submission on scheduled time but I am not sure of my proposal. I know that there are lots of time to propose the proposal but what if all of my ideas will be rejected and the deadline will end so what will I do? Wait for another year to finish the subject and that was the thing I was afraid about. Also preparing a business model is not simple we need to use all the nine element the business proposal have and use it one by one. It is because it will not be called a business plan if the nine elements are not used. A business plan is a written description of your business's future. That's all there is to it--a document that describes what you plan to do and how you plan to do it. If you jot down a paragraph on the back of an envelope describing your business strategy, you've written a plan, or at least the germ of a plan. 

Business plan can help perform a number of tasks for those who write and read them. They're used by investment-seeking entrepreneurs to convey their vision to potential investors. They may also be used by firms that are trying to attract key employees, prospect for new business, deal with suppliers or simply to understand how to manage their companies better.

So what's included in a business plan, and how do you put one together? Simply stated, a business plan conveys your business goals, the strategies you'll use to meet them, potential problems that may confront your business and ways to solve them, the organizational structure of your business (including titles and responsibilities), and finally, the amount of capital required to finance your venture and keep it going until it breaks even.

Sound impressive? It can be, if put together properly. A good business plan follows generally accepted guidelines for both form and content. There are three primary parts to a business plan.

The first is the business concept, where you discuss the industry, your business structure, your particular product or service, and how you plan to make your business a success. The second is the marketplace section, in which you describe and analyze potential customers: who and where they are, what makes them buy and so on. Here, you also describe the competition and how you'll position yourself to beat it. Finally, the financial section contains your income and cash flow statement, balance sheet and other financial ratios, such as break-even analyses. This part may require help from your accountant and a good spreadsheet software program.

As what a famous line said “We must have courage to bet on our ideas, to take the calculated risk, and to act. Everyday living requires courage if life is to be effective and bring happiness.” –Maxwell Maltz. Every one of us has the ability to think and to understand things around us. And every time we think our brain react that causes our mind to think fast and to understand things. We can get this idea through different manners from our curiousness, trends and even from our experiences. If we practice ourselves of thinking then basically, we can easily think of something that can solve the problem of our society.

            Every people in this world are intelligent. No one is idiot. It will always depend on how we used our knowledge and where do we use our ideas. Like on what Dr. Randy S. Gamboa said, it is just like he shares his knowledge on us by doing things that people could gain. His principle is indeed worth to be praised. He said it to our class that he does not teach for living, he teaches us because he wants to share his knowledge upon us and he also wants the lives of his students to flourish. With his actions, I think and I am sure that every instructor wants also their students to step out on our cage and face the world. They want us also to learn and to be wise. For him, he don’t mind if his students are intelligent or not, beautiful or not so, but what matter most to him is the attitude or the student’s discipline. It is nonsense if you don’t have a good attitude to act. Our attitude will reflect on who we really are and what we really are towards other people. 

Sir Randy taught us also to dream high and to keep our dreams alive. Not to be contented as an employee but we should aim to own a company. We should not limit ourselves in constructing different kinds of ideas and be open minded on everything; thinking the advantages and disadvantages of doing such things. To go beyond our boundaries and explore new ideas that could help us in producing innovative ideas soon. We should expand our capacity to think. I know that he wanted us to take those opportunities that will surely help us and lead to us to a better future. And I am so lucky and it is also my privilege having Sir Randy as our instructor because a lot of real talk lessons from him I already had put on my mind.  Although he always make punishments on my late comer classmates, but still the lesson why he is doing this is to teach us to be more serious and dedicated when it comes to our study. I could always see lessons behind all the things he had done to us. I want to follow his steps in helping the nation by sharing my knowledge to everyone and pursuing to construct high technology ideas in order to promote Technopreneurship in Davao, and even outside Mindanao. It is so nice to imagine if I can also reach the things that Sir Randy has done to his life. I think a lot of hard works and struggles I will face before I could achieve a bit of the achievements of Sir Randy.  It is funny to imagine that I have a plan to be like a boy version of Sir Randy. But there is nothing wrong to imagine and dream. It is just like I am seeking and wanting beyond the boundaries that I know it is too far to happen from now. And, for me it is good because I have a goal and perspective in life and I just want to apply the alternative mindset on everything I will have done in the future. 

Sir Randy challenged us to join different competitions. We are all pressured. As a student, we handle a lot of pressures. Many people imagine college as a simple time in life for students to be carefree and have fun. In actuality, the majority of students are bogged down in school work rushing to meet deadlines and cramming for exams. The school year can be hard on anyone. Academic stress can build upon self-esteem issues, your family, friends and even yourself. When not taken care of, your performance suffers, your morale suffers, and life just suffers. Instead of being on the brink of a constant freak out, grab life by the horns and get to relaxing. It may be easier than you think. Therefore, this is normally a highly stressful period for most people. Students face several pressures as they enter the college realm, such as peer pressure, self-induced pressure, parental pressure, and economic pressure. Peer pressure is the most common of these. Fellow classmates, dorm residents, and friends around campus can be an enormous influence and can interfere with one’s studies. Persuasion is the key tactic as they manipulate others to go out with them to have a little fun. Partying and drinking statistics are high among college individuals. This causes many of them to veer off the right path and fall behind in school. Failing courses, losing scholarships, and even worse, losing their self dignity become a few scares and burdens upon them. Not only do they have to worry about what others may think of them, but they also tend to worry about themselves. This is commonly known as self-induced pressure. In our society, we have been taught to become the “best” among those around us. We learn the importance of competition at an early age, such as who has the best toys or clothes and who can run faster or climb higher. We are generally judged predominantly by what we have or how we appear on paper instead of as individuals. Because of this, students push themselves to strive harder in order to have the best grades on their transcript, as discussed by William Zinsser in his essay titled “College Pressures”. He states, “The transcript has become a sacred document, the passport to security.” Today, the majority of grad schools determine the best person to accept by this sheet of paper. To cope up pressure, we need to learn to manage your time more efficiently. We should also avoid procrastination which will lead us to cramming.

In the end of the day, I became more challenged and I was really motivated to pursue my dream to become a successful Technopreneur. As what our facilitator said, we must not see things as a problem; instead, we must see it as an opportunity. I guess, it’s an opportunity for me to learn more about this subject even if I will not receive the sweetest yes as an approval in the idea that I will present in the class. It’s also an opportunity to practice myself and to be able to have a thick face which I will use soon in many situations. And the most important part of this is that the experience that I will earn which will be treasured in my trunk of memories.

Reference:

http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/philippines/publication/philippine-economic-update-january-2015
http://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/86200.html
http://www.exampleessays.com/viewpaper/15117.html?page=2
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Meeting (July 4, 2015)



Which part of the sharing you liked the most and liked least?

            July 4 was a blast of practicality. It was not the same as other meetings like what we usually have. Our facilitator, Mr. Randy Gamboa work out the essentials of the topic, organize them according to priorities and logical connections, and establish relationships between the various items. When we, the students already have some knowledge or experience, discussion may be used to develop the main points to be covered in a lesson and to help students apply what they have learned. Our facilitator asks questions, that help students to relate concepts and principles to contexts that are familiar to the them or in which they will ultimately be needed.

            First thing that happened in the meeting was a huge surprise. It started with a quiz. Mr. Randy Gamboa, said that the quiz would be the first and the last of his subject. And this is where I remembered that he hates quizzes, assignments and exams that requires him to check our papers manually, even using the virtual learning environment checking our quizzes, assignments and exams is a thing he does not like. And so I thought, “This is something much related to Technopreneurship”. So instead of reviewing what I have learned in the past discussions, I changed in to focusing myself on what our facilitator would say. However, our facilitator expected the things he knew would come. He told us to get a whole yellow. I ran out of extra papers that time unfortunately and in some way I panicked inside, but bought a paper instead. Most of us were asking for yellow papers from our fellow classmates, even to the ones that we are not close with, since most of us did not have yellow papers. Most of us in IT-3 were having problems about the yellow paper. This is where I realized that our classmate who usually provides us yellow papers in times like this is not yet present. It means that she is late. Good thing is that my seatmate, George, have yellow paper sleeping in his bag, so I bought 1 piece worth 20 pesos.

            This is where things about entrepreneurship comes. Mr. Gamboa said that not everything is free. We are required to pay 20 pesos for each of the yellow paper “sold” to us.The quiz will never be recorded, and I am really, really sure that those yellow papers would go in the trash can soon, leaving us a lesson that we may never forget and can be used in the future. By that, whether it’s for real or not, I will never be hurt in paying because I learned a great lesson.

            Mr. Gamboa then asked those who earned to stand up. Those who sell stood up while taking the payments of those who bought and looked to our facilitator. He then asked them how many papers did they sold and they answered it quickly. They raised their hands showing some paper bills as a proof that they have received payments. Mr. Gamboa then continued the activity.

            Next he told us to right our names in a corresponding manner and I somehow did it well. He then told us to look at the current slide being projected to the screen, and it showed us nine pieces of dots arranged in a three by three manner. At first I was very confused by what it actually was but kind of anticipated what Mr. Gamboa will tell us to do next. Sir said “I want you to trace all the dots using only four lines in which you can’t pass the same dot twice and also not raising your pens.”, or something like that. So I was very composed since I already know how to solve it. I was very assertive about that I got nervous slightly because I might somehow got it wrong. Sir then asked for some students to try and solve the exercise in front and show us how they think they got it. But after a few attempts, more like 2 attempts specifically, there were no right answers. Sir then asked for another volunteer and with all the courage and mightof my classmate sitting in beside Malaya, he raised his right hand and did the activity in front. Sir told the class that he did it correctly and asked him what the activity meant. He responded, “to think out of the box sir.”It’s the time when our facilitator started his discussion about Technopreneurship. And then I thought, what a costly start.

            Back then, I thank Mr. Gamboa to that priceless experience, I now know how to answer these dots. But some of my classmates did not know the answer about this activity. That time also, I learned that I must be always ready anytime. One thing, if I am not ready in the classroom how can I be supposed to excel in the outside world? Almost of the elders that I know always said that we must be ready always because we don’t know what will happen to us, anytime and anywhere. And if we are not ready we will be freaking out on how we will act upon any situation.

            For me we can’t solve the problem as long as we are thinking ‘inside the box’. Once we start to think ‘outside the box’ we open up many more possibilities and it becomes easy to solve the problem. This is true in so many areas of life. Our education, past experiences and habitual thinking patterns keeps us trapped in limiting our ideas. It takes a real effort to think outside the box. This somehow portrays on how people think creatively in solving problems. We have different ways in solving our problems. To be creative we don’t always need to look for an unbelievable or out of the corner ideas.

            According to Drew Boyd, the nine-dot puzzle and the phrase “thinking outside the box” became metaphors for creativity and spread like wildfire in marketing,management, psychology, the creative arts, engineering, and personal improvement circles. There seemed to be no end to the insights that could be offered under the banner of thinking outside the box. Speakers, trainers, training program developers, organizational consultants, and university professors all had much to say about the vast benefits of outside-the-box thinking. It was an appealing and apparently convincing message. That there are things that is waiting to be seen, human do see them but they don’t give them importance. We should see other possible option in life. The world is so wide that our mind cannot reach. Thus, we must think of the other possibilities in doing something.  

            Among the topics that Mr. Randy Gamboa opened up and has shared to us, the one I liked the most was his discussion of how technopreneurship made it here in Davao City. He started it out as when the Australian people invited him to go to their country and talk about the idea of technopreneurship. During that time, obviously hearing that term before does not ring a bell and was still at the brink of becoming popular. Sir continued on and told us that he declined their invitation because it was turning into a hassle and sir had his own reasons and motives to let them down. He explained to us that if the Australians want to show and teach him something, they should be the one who will go to Philippines, in Davao, to be specific. Instead sir invited them and somehow made a reverse psychology to the Australians who invited him. They accepted it and that was the start of history, of how technopreneurship came into Davao City.

            He also have introduce to us what is an incubation hub. The time that I have heard the incubation hub I got really excited because the time that it will be implemented I will be one of the gates of the success, and so Filipinos will have the opportunity to work for their ideas. We all know that our country Philippines is far away to other countries in terms of innovation and technology. And here in Mindanao, we all know that it is far away from the Manila. And hearing about the incubation hub it gives hope so that Davao will grow. He also discuss to us the components of the incubation hub, He told us that the incubation hub is a place that where the people who have an idea to develop. The incubation hub is a container of the ship transportation but despite of that it has all the facilities that the person may need in developing the project that he/she want to achieve. This incubation hub has air-conditioned rooms; they also have computer set, internet and everything needed for a start-up. With this all things the incubation hub helps them to gain more knowledge. And also with this the talented person who have a nice idea, they will grow and learn more in the time they stay in the program. This is also a great opportunities to the young ones so that they have the place with facilities to develop something creative that can help to themselves in achieving their goals. For me I like the idea of the incubation hub, because most of the people nowadays don’t have the fund to develop a project. Money is what you need to develop something nowadays. And in our situation here in the Philippines it is difficult to find money, especially when that somebody don’t have job. We have fewer opportunities to develop the knowledge that we are so post to be developed. I believed that the young ones in our country have the guts to compete to the other countries. But our government don’t have seen it, they don’t give funds to the youths with talents so that they can be successful. Mostly of the Filipino nowadays is poor. And I know that the young ones that are not rich have the best ideas that they can offer to our society. And with the incubation hub, I know that they can develop it in free. For example the person who have the idea don’t have job, they have the opportunity to make that idea possible. And we all know that nothing is impossible only human being make it impossible. If we do our work with happiness and dedication I know that we can make impossible possible. 

            Mr. Gamboa taught us what is the real meaning and the significance of technopreneurship. Though the word “technopreneurship” is not officially recognized by mainstream dictionaries, it generates more than 65 thousand hits on Google and nearly 250 on Google Scholar. This disconnect between linguistic officialdom and the vernacular mirrors the rift between mainstream society and emerging culture. A “technopreneur”, according to internet parlance and renegade virtual publishers, is an entrepreneur who extensively uses or develops information and communications technologies.

            It was inspiring as to how Mr.Gamboa put all of his efforts to make technopreneurship recognized in our region, here in Davao City. He continued telling us about it’s importance and how it could help each and every citizen who make use of it, and us students who get to know how it works at an early age. Coming up with ideas concerning technologies, be it software or hardware, could help us progress ourselves not only by intellect, but also financially and at the same time the ideas that we make could improve our city if we implement it , thus, boosting our economy. Sir further educated us about federalism, that there should be equal sharing of resources in our country, and not only focus in our country’s capital city, which is Manila. Technopreneurship is not just a part of our curriculum; it is more than that, not just an elective and a course. It is a venture. Like the sound of it, it is more of a business course, not a subject where we are forced to learn stuff. This is a course wherein we can learn things that we could make use of when we become professionals or engage ourselves into business, specifically concerning about technological kind of business. Being at a young age, we are very much lucky that we get to do this kind of work to rear and hone our skills more. For me I enjoy this sort of challenge where we show our ideas and plans regarding something that I think would be of great help for the people, it is pretty much a nice way to encourage me to be creative and be aware of my surroundings. I like how the tone of Mr.Gamboa’s voice seem to dare us to be better as a person and as a business person. He does it in a way that he inspires us and give us hope to what we are able to do. I also learned other things as well like what it takes to be an effective technopreneur. First is to come up with a scheme or an idea to change the current norm, specifically, destroy an economic order, this refers to a creative destruction. This could be possibly done by introducing products and services by creating new forms of organization and by exploiting new materials. As a business minded being, you should be able to come up with an innovation or material that could change the way how people live or think of. Innovations that make life more convenient and can make things faster is always better. We should not stick to what we have learned during the past years, instead we should use these past knowledge and experience to further what we currently have right now. Technology is serves a door to opportunities, and us human are the key to opening those door of opportunities and grant ourselves and everyone the advancement of life and things. Generic minds only generate generic things. Thus, all of us should change our outlook in life and be imaginative and be industrious and help each other achieve the things that we want. Limiting ourselves and looking down to everyone will definitely not help us progress. Instead we should take care about each other, share our ideas and start making a change for a better future.

            Another thing that I learned from what Mr. Gamboa taught us is that we should always look-up for an opportunity and make an organization to chase it. 
"Each problem has hidden in it an opportunity so powerful that it literally dwarfs the problem. The greatest success stories were created by people who recognized a problem a turned it into an opportunity." Joseph Sugarman

            Being enthusiastic to our environment is needed if you plan to start something new. You should be observant in many ways as possible to come up with an idea that will be practical and functional that could make a person’s life easier. Landing such an idea is hard in my opinion. As time passes by and new forms of technological advancements arise, it seems that the people inhabiting this world are being distracted by them, making people already lazy and unproductive. I am guilty of this too since I really rely on devices to help me do stuff and entertain me and I think my day won’t be complete if I don’t ever get to use them. But we should be determined and make effort twice as hard to become better. By the help pushing ourselves to learn, and also by our eagerness to learn, we can see and grab opportunities in our life. All of us should strive twice as much to help ourselves be better than we were before, and by doing such, we know we are on a step closer to success.

            Another thing on my list is that we should take risks and do not be afraid of what the possible outcomes will be. As I can observed, most of people avoid taking risks and they just try doing things which they already know how to do well. On the other hand, as far as I am concerned, the successful people are quite different with ordinary people, they take risks and try new things in order to gain profit and achieve their goals. This mentality is not applicable to only people who engage themselves to business and marketing stuff, but also to regular people like us who face bid and small decisions every single day of our lives. I, still studying and stressing out in my journey to graduating in college already takes a lot of effort, what more in finding myself a job to land? It will be whole lot of hassle and will be a competition even, because we all know Philippines, there’s nothing much that it could give us as of now, but I don’t know in the future though. My colleagues have already graduated just recently and now they are all whining about how hard it is find work, let alone a decent one with the good benefits and all. I should take courage as early as now to prepare myself for the worst that are yet to come, and also prepare myself not just mentally, but also physically and spiritually to bear all the difficulties that the world has in store for me. With the help of the people around me and the love that I get from them, I know I will be able to face the challenges and trials and overcome all of them, well, hopefully. We should not dwell in the decisions and choose over what option will lead us to the better, instead we choose quick and if ever we fail, the sense of learning is still there and we could always make an improvement to ourselves.

            I have learned that Technopreneurs distinguish themselves through their ability to accumulate and manage knowledge as well as their ability to mobilize resources to achieve a specified business or social goal. As persons who will be in the venture of business, mostly about technological ideas, we should be smart in managing everything around us. We should maximize our abilities and capabilities and put all of them into good use. Being able to come up with super great ideas is not enough, we should be able to organize our resources as well and be careful on how to handle the things that we do. We should build up our plans carefully and efficiently in a way that it will make the most of what we have. Effectiveness in our plans should always be taken concerned of and be prioritized so everything will follow and be satisfactory. Technopreneurs are bold, imaginative, deviator from established business method and practices who constantly seek the opportunity to commercialize new products, technologies, processes and arrangements. Just like what I have mentioned above, we should defy the norms and be inventive and be original instead. We should gather enough resources to successfully build up new forms of practices that will lead the betterment of all our people. The technologies, processes and arrangements should be unique and useful at the same time, what would its’ point be if it were not right? We should also be open for improvements and not cling to the current ideas, as settling will not help us progress. Technopreneurs distinguishes logic from tradition, tradition from prejudice, prejudice from common sense and common sense from non sense while integrating a variety of ideas from diverse groups and disciplines. Technopreneurs are skilled in applied creativity, thrive in response to challenges and looks for unconventional solutions. They experience challenges, creative visions and then act to be part of the solution. They forge new paths and risk failures, but persistently seeks success.

            I like these kinds of idea acquiring technopreneurship last meeting in our subject because IT Enterprises nowadays take part in the international current market and impel the particular progress involving economic climate in the local area. It can be consequently wonderful to find out our local IT market roses also it grabs a person's eye involving far more locators and shareholders. Having these kinds of advocacy, our personal graduates can decide to construct and create their particular vocation and occupation within Davao Area. Furthermore, there'll be an opportunity our graduates which eventually left Davao Area will happen again and settle on to start yet again. When our graduates will not migrate to other places and pursue their particular vocation within Davao, there exists an opportunity of which by means of Technopreneurship, Davao Area will become the particular IT center involving Mindanao and perhaps in the Philippines, BIMP-EAGA along with the Asian countries. Furthermore, Davao Area will become the muse and property involving highly skilled and useful IT specialized with noise sociable and honest criteria. As well as producing such graduates, the particular Davao Area can come to be famous around the world. That thinks good any time those activities stated previously can happen. We're not just aiding yourself to get prosperous but in addition, we are aiding our land, the place many of us fit in with become famous throughout the world.

            I was also inspired to do good when our instructor told to us that there are different companies that held a competition that is free. We all know nowadays not all of the technoprenuer wannabe have the opportunity to show their knowledge and skills. Because here in our country there are only several opportunities that are given to the young ones, and also here in the Philippines the competition is not free. And I am very lucky to hear that our instructor told us that there company that the competition is free. And with this, I am honoured that our young ones can show their ideas regarding to help them achieved the success. This competition is such a great opportunity because with this we can discover new talents. And with this I can say that with the good ideas that the contestant might present in the said activity, it may help the society to achieve something. It can help the Philippines to grow in terms of technoprenuer. And also the competition will be a great help so that the mindset of the young ones will change. This may help the youths of my generation to be more knowledgeable regarding to our emerging technology. Instead of doing drugs it will help them to change for a better. I think one of the reasons why youth nowadays try drugs because they don’t have the change to excel in something they want. They think that using drugs, they can be powerful. The companies that are holding the said activity open a new path to the youth to take on. With the guidance of the elders the people that are in the bad side will have the change to change. And I think that this will be a great opportunity to them to start a new life.

            Mr. Gamboa also introduces to us the concept of SEED. The SEED curriculum were based on its four main idea that were classify to give growth and advancement on every person that were brought in and acquainted with this course model. I found interested in the SEED curriculum that our instructor have introduce. Because it is the first time that I have heard about the SEED. The SEED stands for Self Mastery, Environment Mastery, Enterprise Mastery and Development Business Plan. Self Mastery is being knowledgeable about ourselves, our attitude towards work and how we confront our own-selves. We should know our strengths and weaknesses. We should master ourselves in different aspects. Environment Mastery is how we react on things around us, we should know to identify and be fully-aware to what is happening around the society and to what is needed to enhance more and its demand. We should know what opportunities awaits us. The Enterprise Mastery is a mastery that deals on how educated we are when starting a new and innovative business, including the discipline and its principles. And lastly, the Development of a Business Plan, represents how capable we are in planning a business. We should know how to present our ideas and how to implement it. 

            Mr. Gamboa focused more on the incubation hub that were planned. He said that Ateneo first planned to have an incubation hub 10 years ago but know, it has yet to be made, and it is still not available. The Brokenshire College was the first school to create an incubation house in Davao City. It was made of a Container that was used for ship transportation. These are the ones you usually see near at the sea ports that are usually delivered using big trucks that causes traffic when they start to deliver it on a group. They made it as an incubation hub equipped with an air-conditioner since the metal would probably absorb the outside temperature quickly, and computer sets that helps them work and build their dreams. This incubation hub has a goal to make people become successful in the future. It’s just that the dream ended when the President of the school who was there when the incubation hub was created retired and the incubation hub was gone, ended.

            The last thing that I liked was the possibility of USeP building an incubation hub in the future as well as UIC starting to build their own incubation house. It is because our facilitator would like to help us in becoming someone in the future, not an employee, but an employer, not to follow the common mind-set that we Filipinos are following which I will discuss on the things that I disliked when this class happened. He emphasized that the books getting dust and are still clean and straight in the inside are just sitting at the front left side of the room, they were dreams supposed to be real, and they were placed there because they are something good if they got implemented, but no, they were just sitting there like forever. And then our facilitator wanted us that someday, we would use these books to make new ideas and to make them real, and to stop adding the books sitting at that book shelf inside the IC-Lab 2. I clearly understood what he wants us to do and I do believe that incubation houses would be helpful to make jobs here, right here in Davao City. 

            The most important thing that I learned in this session is that I or we should become employers of our fellow Filipinos, give those jobs to earn money, help Davao City and help our own country, Philippines. 

            In other hand, although there were no topics that I actually hated, we were obliged to share which one we liked the least, and for all readers, for your information, it is really hard to pinpoint which one and explain it not less than 2,500 words. I will do my best though. The topic that Mr. Gamboa told us was about the mindset about our education and work, which I can say I least liked.

           Having a mindset what we do first when we have something to achieve. It affects us and the people around us greatly. The kind of mindset that what we have now may also affect our children because it is what we will teach them. First let us talk about the usual mindset. The usual, generic, mindset which the first topic discussed by Mr. Gamboa in the slides that he had shown to us. This kind of mindset is still being practiced up to these days. It actually became our way of life. First is we have to earn money, and then go to school, then get a job to earn money. This cycle never ends. Some people even discriminate others that have not gone or finished school. When you haven’t finished college, it is more likely you will not get a good job even if you got the abilities compared of those who finished college. This example of common mindset is actually adopted in our education and even by our parents as well. Mostly the reason why our parents send us to school is because they want us to learn significant things to be able to get good grades and to have a good job that has a high salary. Implying about whether we will be an employee or an employer. And this kind of mindset is adapted by most student, as far as I can member, was the mindset was the way of thinking of most people. It is not that even to have that old, usual mindset and besides it is not always about getting high salary for being an employee. But we all know that building up our own company and be the CEO of it is always better than settling to be an employee who, most usually, gets a minimum wage and enjoys the least benefits. We should not be satisfied being a employee, if we are. We should now settle for less and do the most of our efforts to be on a higher rank. Being ambitious and inspired will help us get there, but not without work and effort. Majority of the schools today embrace a default mindset which is the employment mindset. I just realized that since we are young, we must put in our mind to aim high, shoot the moon, because when we have that kind of outlook in our life, we are not afraid to try anything just to attain our goals.

            The old thinking was kind of related to the activity Mr. Gamboa had us do beforehand, prior to discussion proper in which I already explained in second paragraph. Another mindset that sir enlightened us with is the Alternative Mindset. This mindset has an outlook of “Go to school, get good grades, create and own a company”. School is said to be our second home where we could enhance our physical and mental abilities. In school, everything that you do will be observed, recorded, graded and appreciated. Students must bear in mind to always be excellent in everything they do while in school because the more they strive hard and work hard to be on top, the more chances they could have to get good grades, get on top of the class and have awards and medals. It is always a fulfillment to the parents if they see their children graduated, be professionals and be able to raise money for living. For those students who have high ambitions, they will not be contented on just becoming employees or workers. They will have the vision to have their own company, have their own workers and employees and be known on their expertise. Alternative Mindset is not just focusing on getting good grades and earning a high salary but it is beyond of the boundaries. I said “beyond the boundaries” because we are not sure if we will achieve to create and to own a company. But what matter most is that we have a perspective to reach this kind of goal. Before aiming this kind of objective we should use our knowledge wisely and effectively, as well as our skills, core values, our creativity and passion in order for us to create and innovate technology. This kind of mindset is called as Technopreneurship mindset. Why it is called Technopreneurship mindset? Since it is identified as a technopreneurship mindset, it deals primarily with entrepreneurship implicated in the field of high technology. It is the well relationship of realistic and reasonable technology ideas and skills, as well as entrepreneurial mindset. The things we made will always start with an idea in which if we then pursued, it would change into a feasible technology-based enterprise. Our schools are the bridge to develop and foster this alternative mindset. Having technopreneurship subject in every IT syllabus can develop and educate the students to be potential and promising technopreneurs someday.

            The alternative mindset, is what the 9-dot activity taught us. To think out of the box, just like what I responded to Mr. Gamboa, is the point of it. We should not limit ourselves according to what we are used to, instead we should be critical and come up with new ideas that could further our improvements, in this case, the alternative mindset. Yes we are used to the paradigm of “graduating to college and land a decent job”, which is not a bad thing but limits us to be an employee. While getting out of the box leads us to the better and which also has more sense, the alternative mindset. If I were to be asked, thinking outside of the box should be applied to the most things that we engage. It is a mentality that we should posses so we will always carry in our mind that we are the only ones who limit ourselves from getting somewhere, and we are the only ones who could break out as well and reach for a far more, greater future for ourselves. That is why sometimes, when teachers and facilitators are not so clear of their instructions to us students, I tend to do things that they did not mention that I think could make the things that I do be finished earlier and better. I cope to what I think is applicable and could help myself as well. Limitations are just choices we attach to ourselves. Personally, I can say that the former mindset, the usual mindset is very practical, besides, being an employee is not that bad either. It is pretty much the most applicable mindset for most people, including me. Yes, this is for the type of people who sees risking everything is dangerous and will only be a waste. You can blame those types anyway, instead of taking risks, just do the things as an employee and maybe spark an idea later, right? That might be the mindset I am currently thinking of since it is  very practical and I have plans for my future already, plans that I will plan to take even it does not include me creating and owning my own company. Reality as is it. Frankly, I do not see myself prosper in our own city, or in the Philippines, even. I am planning to be an employee abroad, as basic and poor as that sounds, but that is what my plan is. Saving money and to take care of my parents is what I have planted inside my head. Maybe then I can think of a business, not particularly regarding to technology and stuff, but a simple business that could help me gain more and hope to make it rain. In fact, the alternative mindset is not applicable to all of us, though it is the state of mind I want to follow by taking risks is not my thing. Maybe it is for those types of people who is willing to risk what they have, and do not have anything to lose for anyway, and again, I am not that kind of person. I am not that pure leader part, but whenever I am, I do not want people to face jeopardy because of me. I prefer being compact and sure of the outcomes of the decisions that I make. I pick the decision which I think works better for the most, and if I picked the wrong decision, that is when you can put the blame on me. But then again, I always try to pick an option which offers the safest guarantee for the many. Maybe it is for the people who have support, most especially financial support, to fill their way through the process: that if ever they fail, they could always start again and still have people and funds to support them.

            Education is a rope that can carry us to greatness. Education is very much important to the lives of all the people. As what they have said, it is a treasure that no one could ever steal. Through education, it is a means of improving start-up and technopreneurship industry in our growing country. It is impossible to achieve if we have lack of educational foundation in the sciences and technology. In order for our country to excel and to become a developing country, we need to have a new technology that can access to the global market and most importantly, to have more investments. We should embrace new thinking and a new learning paradigm for us to enhance what we currently have. If we want to improve and develop technopreneurship in our country, we should need to get better with the culture and system in our place because it is useless to deal with if we know that it is still lack of improvement. So aside from constructing infrastructure to chase for a technological education and advancement, our institutions as well as companies here in the Philippines should have to adopt and implement technology to promote and persuade less usual mode of thinking. Another thing is the educational system that is getting vague as of now, the government seemed to rush things saying that schools are ready when in fact still faces problems and in return affects the young students and hinder them from properly learning things. Students and future leaders of our country are affected by all of this, and if they can’t be properly taught and developed, then so is country, too, stuck and underdeveloped.

This part of discussion of Mr. Gamboa was the least I liked.

Source:
http://www.motivatingquotes.com/opportunity.html
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/inside-the-box/201402/thinking-outside-the-box-misguided-idea
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