Happy New Year! Kung Hei Fat Choi!

Happy New Year indeed!

It's been over six (6) months. I should be flagged in public for neglecting my blogging duties. WIll you forgive me if i promise that i still think about writing everyday but life has overtaken me and my best intentions.

Yet i'm still hungry for more. Yes, more. More of what, you ask. Here, lemme enumerate what I have so far:

1. The business is up. Agahan already is. While not yet doing brisk business, we have made our presence felt, and everyday is a new opportunity to do so. For more on what's going on there (which takes up 97.25% of my time. Kidding! I can never be mathematically precise like that!), you can check it here.

2. Personal life is going well. Minor bumps on the road, but no road is eternally smooth, isn't it?

3. Blogging. Major flunk (!) as you already know. I should write more. So I will get into the habit.

4. Health. Ah. This is one area which I should address this year. Doctor, exercise, right food.

Well, that's it for now. I do have to take it slow. I might over-exert my brains. LOL

I should write more about my business permit adventure next time. This is supposed to be that kind of blog anyway. Or maybe not. Looks like I'm evolving. Nothing wrong with that, right?

Happy New Year to me! Looking forward to feeding my soul this year and continually hungering for more from life. And myself.

Should I Hire You?

Employees. They can make or break you. I should know. I have been and can be a bane or boon to an employer. But let's not discuss me.

Employees are a walking and talking representation of your company. It is through them that people form impression of who the company is, what it stands for. So, as with almost all aspects of building a business, hiring the right people is also very crucial.

In a previous entry, I have mentioned that I have already "hired" two people. That's with quotation marks because we have not really signed anything. What we have is basically an understanding. But that will change very soon. (And that's another topic.)

I have decided to focus on hiring today because earlier this week, I conducted my first interview as a potential employer. It was quite a revelation for me too. While we were talking, it was only then that I realized that I actually have thought about this topic more than I thought I did.

And I also became more conscious about the idea that how i conduct my interview already sets the tone of the culture and environment I want to instill into Agahan.

First, I opted not to sit. I asked Gen, the interviewee, to walk around with me. Yes, it means I do not give myself opportunity to look him straight in the eye.

Second, I focused on my reaction to him. I consider my instincts to be on the money 80% of the time, so I rely on it heavily, especially in decisions where leap of fate and major risk are involved.

Third, I laid out my plans for my employees. Having been a long-time employee (I have been part of the work force for 19 years), I have resolved that I will be a fair employer. I will not discuss the benefit package I'm setting up. But if you're interested, send me a PM and I will be very happy to talk to you about that.

Fourth, I enumerated my expectations. Again, I drew from my own experience as an employee and have resolved that I will not ask anything from my employee anything that I, myself, will not be willing to give as one.

Anyway, I came out of the exercise intimidated by what lies ahead, surprised at myself for the convictions I didn't even realize I have, excited that the future is already manifesting itself through the actions I am committing now, and thankful that God is allowing me this opportunity.

Another thing that made me zero in on hiring is also because this week, I took advantage of Jobstreet's offer for a Free One Month job posting. I admit to thinking that God sent me this small help because I had been wondering how to find more people.

You see, when you're opening a restaurant, it's very important to have the right number of people. And this is determined by two main factors: number of seats and operating hours.

Agahan will have 36 seats. This means that at its full capacity, there are 36 people requiring service. Due to this, I have decided on having at least five people per shift. This means that there are two in the dining, two in the kitchen and the fifth mans the counter. Then I have to add one more person, because by law, employees cannot be made to work without at least one day off. So, to ensure that at any given time, I will have at least five people at the store, that's six people per shift.

Then operating hours is from 7am to 10pm. That's 15 hours of operations. By law, full-time employees are only allowed to work for eight hours, anything beyond that is subject to overtime pay. So this means Agahan will have two shifts.

So there. six staff members per shift, multiplied by two shifts, equals 12 employees.

Anyway, going back to Jobstreet. Like I said, they have an offer for potential first-time advertisers. So since it's free (I reckon that I will imbibe the free-is-great mentality of business owners. I have already started with this!), and I really do need it, why will I not take advantage of the offer.

I have finished the documentary requirements today. And they have already sent me the necessary links and urls for posting tutorials. Now you know what I will be doing this weekend.

Sowee!!!

Okay, the Hungry Woman is apologetic. I’m sorry that I’m not posting as much as I should.

This blog is supposed to be a chronicle my adventures as I shift from employee to business owner. When I started this, I had envisioned that I will have an entry every day, once a week in the least. Alas, I have not been able to fulfil that.

I do not exonerate myself from blame. I could really be more active here than I am. Though, I also must admit that part of the reason is the very slow development of things. How boring it would be if my blog read Day 1 – nothing happened. Day 2 – nope, nothing new. Day 3 – still nothing. Day 4 – yes, nothing.

But I guess my guilt feelings about neglecting my blogging duties have started to get the better of me. I mean I could write about my still-ongoing quest to find the best dalandan juice. Or I could write about my experience trying to balance a job (for the money), the nitty-gritties of starting a restaurant (for my dream), and accepting short jobs (for my soul). But is this something that will interest you?

I actually have a pretty good sense of humor. A friend doesn’t call me the mayor of crazy town for nothing. But as try to look at my life from outside, I look boring to me. I have wished so many times that I can record the commentaries in my head while the things I’m seeing or happening to me are well, happening.

So anyway, I finally found something to say, before I derailed myself with my pity party. This thought took a month to get itself realized.

Last month, I had my first lesson in securing permits.

Step 1 – get a notarized lease contract from your landlord

Step 2 – submit a copy of the lease contract and the business registration to your barangay for construction/renovation clearance

Step 3 – submit the barangay clearance together with a copy of the lease contract, copy of the business registration, 7 copies of the blue prints to secure the locational clearance, fire safety clearance and the electrical clearance from the municipal office to get the permit to construct/renovate

According to the guy from the barangay who took the time to explain things to me, once I have the permit to construct, it’s only then that I can apply for a business clearance from the barangay, which is required for the municipal office to give me a business permit.

And it is only after I have secured the business permit can I start applying for BIR, SSS, Philhealth and other gov’t requirements and employee benefits.

This is as far as I have gone.

On the side, I have almost finalized the menu (after 4 product tests), contacted countless suppliers (which I still need to organize, by the way) for the different ingredients for the menu items, signed up for a free one month job posting at jobstreet.com, unofficially hired the two team leaders, and agreed to interview two more for crew (because I need to hire 10 more people).

Earlier today, I got word that we might get the Fire Safety clearance tomorrow. Next stop, renovation clearance!!! Yipee!!!

How is the Hungry Woman?

The Hungry Woman is stressed and, though she will not readily admit it, a little apprehensive. But let’s not be alarmed, folks. It’s nothing I can’t handle. I’m just more aware of myself because I am monitoring it. This is not the time to be lax about one’s emotional and mental state.

Last week, I wrote PDCs (that’s post-dated checks), totaling approximately over half a million. My hands were slightly shaking the whole time because the checks represent money I’m supposed to pay my landlord, money I am projecting I will have.

This may seem funny, but my heartbeat at the time was faster than when I used to sneak into the house near midnight during my younger days!

And then, I learned that the cost of the construction is 3x my original projection. And just to lay it a bit thicker, the construction cost alone is more than the capital that we prepared. My faster beating heart sank a couple of notches.

Putting up a business, it’s quite an experience, and I’m still right in the middle of it.

Since this idea came about, I have been excited, challenged, apprehensive, disappointed, and happy. Nope, no sadness. I don’t want to make room for that. There are days when I feel so positive that it would seem that the store will build itself for free. And there are days when I question my own adequacies.

Once in a while, I even ask myself if I had made the right decision, taking a chance on myself and what life may throw at me outside of employment. This decision affects not just me, but people whose lives I have crossed or will cross. But when it happens, something comes reminding me that yes, I am where I am meant to be.

So I will forge on.

(Not that I have any other choice, heheh. I have already made deposit and advance payments on the location. and I have already committed employment to two people. heheh.)

(image from www.gettyimages.com)

Location, Location, Location

Location is the key to most businesses. - Phyllis Schlafly  (American political activist)

Mr. Breton didn't know about location, location, location.  - Daniel Pinkwater (author)

Looking for the right location for Agahan was frustrating, exciting, overwhelming and exhausting. I had a general idea where i wanted it. For almost two months, i spent time and money hunting.

This is a crucial part of starting a business. Unless you are so sure that you have a product or products people will trek mountains to have, it's best to find a place that is accessible an attracts your target market. No amount of ingenious marketing will improve a horrifyingly wrong location.

Anyway, I looked at several options. I started in early February, the very same week I got my cousin's yes. I logged on the net, bought Buy & Sell,  drove around the areas I wanted Agahan to be. But nothing was quite right.

In all that has happened to me so far, the smallest baby step, (you may not believe me but) I always felt that God's hand was in it. When something happens or does not happen, it's like i hear an unidentifiable voice in my head. This is it or not yet, it says. So despite external anxiety, I feel a certain calmness in my core.

Then on March 26, I was supposed to go to Ayala. But that morning, instead of taking any of my two usual routes, I took another, more roundabout one.

And that's when it happened.

I passed by this commercial building along Metropolitan Avenue. And there it was! A sign saying FOR RENT and there were a couple of numbers to call. After I was done with my errand (which was the reason for the drive to Ayala), I made the call.

Before I continue, a short note on this building. I had been passing by it so many times since I first saw it being constructed. As i pass by, I would look for a number to call so I can ask if they are entertaining inquiries. Didn't see any all those times.

Until that fateful morning. Fast forward to March 6, 2011.

That's when I found out that there is only one space left and that it's available to be viewed that day. So I went. And boy! The moment I saw it, I felt a certainty come over me. I had no idea yet how much the rental is nor how big the place is. I just felt it.

So I got the details and requirements. Since it was Saturday afternoon by then, there really wasn't much else to do. Come Monday, I submitted the Letter of Intent (LOI) needed.

The Letter of Intent is the very first step in securing your location. It has to have the following information:

1. The name of the company
2. name of the store
3. the nature of the business
4. how long do you intend to use the area

The following day, I got a phone call saying the owner wishes to speak with me the next day. So I went to the meeting and got a yes to the place with the usual caveat: reservation fee.

This fee depends on the building owner. In my case, it was equivalent to one month's rent. Once this is paid. The place is as good as yours. You can now lead designers and contractors and any other person you need to see, inspect, measure or whatever non-defacing activity should be done on your space.

Another thing you gain once you have paid the reservation fee is the two-week period to ready and pay the deposit and advance for the space. Again, in my case, it's two months worth of deposit and advance. When this is done, you next gain a two-month no-rental-charged period. This is supposed to be your construction time.

Now, since I'm still within the period, this is about all I can tell you yet. let's talk about the construction in a different entry, eh? So stay tuned? I hope?

My Type (aka preparing your articles of incorporation)

     Holy Week was a period of prayer for some, and of rest for others. I did a little of both and added some work in the equation too. It wasn't heavy work, though. Communicated with the two bidding contractors, arranged for meetings for the coming week and typed the article of incorporation, including the bylaws, the treasurer's affidavit and the secretary's certification.

     Yes, typing. As in manual typewriter typing. Well, it wasn't the whole document. (That would have qualified as my penitence if it did!) SEC made it easy for people like me by issuing a pro forma document. we just need to manually type the parts which are applicable to us. Like name of the corporation, the nature of the business, names and details of the incorporators, etc.

     I finished the deed in one afternoon, sacrificing the nails of only two fingers. Yay, for me!

     After this, the next steps are to have the incorporators sign, open an account for the company, get the bank's certification, submit all documents to SEC before May 5, the last day of the 1 month reservation period I paid for.

     Preparing the documents is both easy and hard. The typing part is easy. But deciding on the contents is not. Generally, the names of the incorporators do not need to be decided in the sense that they would have been decided ahead, as they would be the people who have invested in the business. To choose who would be the people you will be in business with is a decision excruciatingly made, almost as, if not more, difficult than choosing who will be your mate.

Next, there is the decision on where the headquarters would be. You can't just put any address. You have to be able to back that up with the necessary papers (lease contract, for example). There are also certain areas which do not allow commercial activities. 

When you fill up the Articles, you have to have the TIN and the Community Tax number of each incorporator. These information form part of the document.

Then, decisions muse be made on who will be the officers of the board. Who will be President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer? The right people must be chose as they will be the people steering the boat that is the business. Their signatures will be required in crucial documents. So it's very important to choose the right people for the job. They must be able to work as a team, have the welfare of the company at heart.

     And when that's done? What's next? Oh, believe me, my friend, so much more.


(photo from www.gadgetchick.com)

What's in a Name?

With my cousin's agreement tucked in my belt, I started to look for a location. I wanted an area near the business district but not too near that the rental rates would be exorbitant.

I told a couple of friends about it. I said it's going to be called Agahan. That name just resonated in me as soon as the word came out of my mouth. Agahan is going to be an all-day breakfast place. 


They advised me to start the papers going.

So I did more research. I must register the name but where is determined by what form the company will take. Single proprietorship means DTI or Department of Trade and Industry. Partnership or corporation means SEC or Securities and Exchange Commission. 


After reading up on the matter, I decided that corporation is the way to go. As I understand the concepts, it seemed most ideal to me. Since you create a new entity when you go corporation, your personal assets are not compromised should things not go according to your hopes. 


Of course, the drawback is that it's more complicated to set up. And also complicated to dissolve. But I figured, I'm here to stay, so why not?


Next question, what's the name of the company? You have to think about this hard. It's a name which will be with you a long time. 


As for me, there are two things I want the name to say: joy and food. So after almost a dozen tries, I found the combination that I'm happy with and passes SEC's name screening.


Also, I wanted a name that I can use beyond Agahan, my chosen trade name.Why? Because I want the option to open another concept food place in the future. So I have a company name and a trade name.


But I didn't start on it right away. 


Sure, I already have the "yes". But I still have no location. And I didn't want to commit to something that is still essentially just an idea. So while I scoured the town for a location, I let my mind wander so I can further refine and put more specifics into Agahan.


And that's how Agahan started to emerge.