More than Stars in the Sky.. Tuesday, August 8

In Korea, everything is done yesterday.

In Canada, everything is done tomorrow.

In the Philippines, everything is done in a little while... How long is "a little while"?  Good question.

I'm still trying to get use to the "Island time" practiced in this country but sometimes it drives me bonkers, like today.  Trying to propel my business venture further, into the next step, has been the biggest test on my patience.  So many people are well aware of my business, of Empowered.  They love the idea and think it's amazing but it's securing all the investors that's the really hard part.

I currently have two investors but am needing more.

Tonight I was invited by a business mentor of mine to join him at his lounge.  He was hosting a casual Sake tasting event and he wanted to introduce me to a particular person.  I was told of the person's name, wasn't familiar with who he was, so I Googled him.  Turns out the particular person was quite the famous Filipino actor.  Among his long list of roles and awards won in his acting career, I noticed that he had won the "Best Single Performance by a Lead Actor" for his role as a boxer in a Philippine drama.  So I decided to Google that drama, the specific episode he starred in, and watch it.

Before I headed to the lounge, I stopped by a local restaurant to pick up some light finger food.  I'm familiar with the owner of the restaurant, I pass by his restaurant everyday to and from boxing, and then he decided to be super sweet and drive me over to the lounge.  With plates full of Indian food, I walked into the lounge and was greeted by familiar faces of new friends I've met here in the Philippines who all share one common denominator -- we're all entrepreneurs.  

The particular person I was anticipating to be introduced to arrived fashionably late but had I not had Goggled him there's no way I would have ever suspected him to be quite the Filipino celebrity.  He was a cute, smiley guy with perky cheek bones.  I thought I'd amuse him during our conversation by telling him I had Goggled him.  I told him I was a bit disappointed that he didn't actually box in the episode and he laughed.  Turns out he doesn't do so much acting anymore.  He went a different route and took a good chunk of the money he made acting and invested it into various restaurants and other businesses.  Tonight I shared with him my business venture and he was very supportive of it.  I passed him my business card and then later, after he left, he texted me to tell me it was nice to meet me.  I told him likewise and then told him we should get together after he returns from his trip.  I'd love to pick his brain about my business venture, get his opinion, and perhaps even collaborate with him on something connected with my clubhouse.  In a perfect world, or at least in my perfect world, he'd be an additional investor, but the world isn't perfect but it's pretty open to ample opportunities so you just never know.  The man is very well connected and, for a budding entrepreneur like me, there is a lot of potential here.  If nothing becomes of me meeting him though, I can say it was at least very nice to meet him and it's going to make for a cool story to tell my Filipino friends.  

Tonight I had headed over to the lounge around 7:30pm and it wasn't until about midnight that I returned home but isn't that how the life of an entrepreneur works?!  There are no set work hours, no such things as "normal work hours" because the work never stops.  I can't complain though.  I'm loving being an entrepreneur and all the inspiring fellow entrepreneurs it's bringing into my life.  I am blessed.