Beginning late December, I started accommodating some micro-entrepreneurs from our town to help them grow their businesses. Fruits and vegetable vendors, meat dealers, rice retailers, construction and hardware suppliers, water-refilling stations, sewers, carinderia, dentist, beautician, teachers selling clothes from Divisoria on the side and many others.
I knew how it was like to be in business with limited capital. We experienced that. My parents did too. There were some opportunities they couldn’t grab for lack of capital.
I found out that these small business people borrowed at 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 % from financiers with usurious interests just to augment their operating capitals.
I thought I would make a difference in their lives by lending them small amounts which they could use to buy more merchandise and supplies. I also gave some advice on how to do business, more on the handling of their finances, collection, etc. Of course it can’t be helped that some would think they could pawn their houses and lots to me. No, I don’t have that kind of money. My resources are limited too. I just wanted to help in a small way.
There’s a guy selling stuff toys. With his P5,000 capital, he travels to Divisoria where he gets his supplies. He only sells from his house where the toys are displayed in his living room. Due to heavy traffic from his barangay to Manila, he is not able to replenish his merchandise soon enough to catch more buyers. With additional capital, he is able to triple his capital so that he would have more items to sell, ready stock, and hopefully more income potential. That is if he would really use the additional funds for capital. Kung pumunta sa SM Angono at magshopping ng bagong rubber shoes and clothes, patay na. Ako ang kawawa.
This would only be a temporary thing and on a limited basis. My target is to be able to help and mentor 100 micro-entrepreneurs in the medium term and so far I’ve helped 72 already. But I am not hopeful that I would reach my goal because so far I have suspended any assistance. To begin with, I have ran out of extra resources. But what hurt me the most was discovering that some really had no intention to use the money for their kaunting negosyo. Some were discovered to have used the money to fund their casino addiction. Nadun sa Thunderbird. That’s another story.
I have ran out of resources to continue this endeavor. If ever I would continue in July to help 28 more, the next batch would be fully scrutinized to make sure that they are responsible and with every desire and goal to succeed thru honest to goodness hard-work. Of course, I can never be sure. Yun iba magaling magsinungaling while I interview them and day one pa lang, gusto na akong lokohin. Kala ko makakatulong ako sa kanila, pero sila pala ang ayaw tulungan ang mga sarili nila. Gusto ko lang makatulong kahit papaano.
Some of this people will not succeed. Why am I so negative? I’ll tell you why… next time.
Hay naku Miss Annie..been there, done that. I realized that there are kinds of people nobody can help. They just don’t make the necessary shift in their attitude in order to make it to the next level. Hope the next 28 people you help really make a difference in their lives. God bless you Miss Annie 🙂
Galing naman, Ms. Annie! My mentality when it comes to endeavor like this: papahiramin ko na kung hindi mabayaran di masyadong sasama ang loob ko parang tulong na lang pero kahit singkong duling di na makakaulit which is the person’s loss. Pero ang galing nyo naman Ms. Annie for doing this. Kudos! Sana madaming nakaangat sa buhay ang makaisip nito!
Hi Annie, baka nag tirimbi , nag ending , nag huweteng , nag piso net , nag sabong . nag lotto, nag cara cruz nag casino
and the worst bumili ng marijuana , tablet ( to make high) and shabu .
Microfinancing together with pawnshops are already regulated by the central bank. They have to put bonds to BSP. i know you mean well but this could be trouble. At hindi pa nga nababawi. Gumawa ako noon ng softwares sa microfinance, kaya nalaman ko, ang one million nila nagiging 3 million sa portfolio kasi daily ang collection at yung available money napapa utang. Hot money ito, pero meron collector binaril. Nalaman ko maramk sa kanila kapit sa patalim din kaya nagsisinungaling.