I prayed for it, but I did not expect winning YES Philippines’ Startup Summit 2016 pitch competition. It is the first time I competed for our startup ResortsGuide, and with this win, we just got our first international recognition.
Fast-forward to our prize, together with Acudeen CEO & Co-Founder Magellan Fetalino, I joined the YE! Entrepreneurship and Leadership Workshops in Stockholm, Sweden last November and was also invited to the 2016 Global Inclusion Awards by The Child and Youth Finance International (CYFI).
It was an honor to be joining other young entrepreneurs from India, Kenya, Kosovo, Jordan, Uganda, Ukraine, and other countries. It was like a physical welcome to the global initiative of CYFI – the YE! Community, which aims to “connect young entrepreneurs around the world and link them to various tools, resources and opportunities to support the growth of their startups.”
Growth and Leadership
Indeed, our trip to Stockholm was full of fun experiences and life-long learning. The two-day workshops were organized by McKinsey & Company, the most trusted management consulting firm, which helps grow the world’s largest companies and institutions. The themes of the workshops were Business Model, Growth Strategy and Centered Leadership.
Through interactive and simulative group activities, we were trained to systematically make business decisions and address critical business problems. McKinsey’s structured approach to problem solving personally equipped me with the skillset I can use not just in growing my company but also in developing myself as the center and leader of my own endeavors.
One key takeaway that’s really valuable for me is the lesson on “energizing”. We learned that for us to be capable to effect change in our organization, we must be able to optimize our personal productivity by balancing our personal energy levels through streamlining the activities we do on a daily basis. I realized that a person’s 24 hours in one day is actually enough to make things happen day by day.
Global Inclusion
The Global Inclusion Awards Ceremony at The Golden Hall of Stockholm City Hall on November 28, 2016, was a wonderful night of recognizing and honoring countries, institutions, civil society organizations and individuals who have made significant impact and innovation in empowering children and youth across the world.
As the founders and leaders of our respective companies and organizations and now being part of the YE! Community and CYFI, we are one in this global movement to ultimately break the poverty cycle by promoting youth financial and economic inclusion and youth entrepreneurship worldwide.
Barsh & Cranston (2009) says, “engaging is where it all comes together – when you choose to cross an invisible line from being a person to whom things happen to becoming a person who makes things happen.”
We have crossed this invisible line when we engaged ourselves in the entrepreneurship path. When I decided to build my own startups, one of which is ResortsGuide, I knew there’s no turning back. I knew that it’s a commitment to build something far beyond my lifetime.
With this, it is in my deepest thanks and appreciation to YES Philippines to have been granted the opportunity to represent our country in this global movement. YES! It is a great time to be an entrepreneur and make things happen.