e-Book Front Cover

Here is the first look of the front cover of my e-book. The design is courtesy of my partner. You can check out her other works at her site. Click her link here.

Anyway, I'd like to hear your feedback. Kindly email me your thoughts again. Thanks, guys! The e-book will be available next week.

My First e-Book

As I have mentioned in my previous blog, there were a lot of reasons why I was not able to write for the past several weeks. One of those reasons was that I was finishing my e-book, The Filipino's Guide To Creating Wealth.

Well, it is just about done. I would want to share with you the introduction of my e-book. If you have any questions or suggestion, please email me at von.capulong@gmail.com...

"I am the eldest in a typical Filipino household, both of my parents were working and I have 2 sisters. My mom is an educator and my dad retired after being in the service for more than two decades. When my sisters and I were growing up, we were advised by our parents and our relatives that we should study hard and get good grades to ensure that we get a good job, earn well and be settled for life. I heard these words not only from those people close to me, but from the parents of friends and even my parents’ friends.

                I had neither formal training nor background in putting-up businesses. The closest thing I had in seeing a family business was helping our grandparents in their onion distribution business. I would help repack the onions into 50 kilo sacks after they arrive in the wee hours of the morning from the provinces. I did this during my summer breaks when I was in primary and secondary levels. I didn’t consider it work at that time, although we were paid by my grandmother, since I was having fun.

                The next family business venture came after more than 10 years when my dad retired. That business venture didn’t last long since we both didn’t know anything about the industry. We started out like any would-be entrepreneur. We were full of high hopes; we expected that people will go to us when we set-up the business but they didn’t. Unfortunately, we didn’t realize that there were a lot of things we did not see. I learned a lot from that experience. The business failed miserably.

                These experiences didn’t stop me from venturing into other businesses. Instead, I used what I learned from those failed ventures to make the other businesses I put-up successful.

                The purpose of this book is let people know that anyone can go into business. Formal training is not required. But a very good mentor is a great help. I have chosen to work for business-owners or entrepreneurs. When my batch mates in college were earning big bucks working for multinationals, I was stuck in a small office working for a business with no more than 50 employees, learning their methods, systems and trying to imbibe their mindset."

 You will be able to download my e-book in the next couple of days.

Trade Area Analysis

I have never realized that a lot of people would be asking me questions regarding finding the right location for their business. I have always thought that choosing the ideal location is easy as ABC. However, I have received queries through my email how to choose the right location for their businesses. They have emailed me asking if I can give concrete examples or tips on how to pick a spot for their business.

image from http://www.investmentrealtyresources.com/

Since I don't want to answer all the emails individually, I have decided that I will write about this and post it my blog in the next couple of days. I am also going to put illustrations or clear examples which will better serve people on how to pick the right location for their shops.

Just to start this lesson, I would like to tell our reader that choosing the right location for your shop all boils down to how well you know your target market. The first rule on choosing the ideal location is making sure that your shop is near your target market. You might be located near the place they hang-out or they frequently go to.

I want to also reiterate that there are several things you need to focus on and look at. These things are accessibility, barriers to entry, presence of competition among others. You can check it in my previous blogs.

Lastly, I will make this lesson into an e-book which you can download and use as a guide when you are going to expand your business. This e-book will be free of charge. I only pray that you share it with others in the hope that this will drive businesses to grow. We need more businessmen and entrepreneurs to move this country forward.

Thank you very much for all your emails and feedback.