Filipino Motivational & Leadership Speaker - Sean Si

All about Sean Si and his thoughts on entrepreneurship, public speaking and leadership

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Hello

Why did you Decide to Start your Own Business Instead of Taking Over your Family Business?

7 MIN READ

June 27, 2019 By Sean Leave a Comment

Sean Si Q&A PMI


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Transcription / Summary

 

For my second podcast, I’ll be focusing on answering a few questions that were given to me in my recent talk with Philip Morris International. My talk was about Intentional learning which means actively choosing what it is you’re putting into your mind.

Bear in mind that when you’re continually putting unnecessary information, like the random things that you find on Facebook, then you’re not really going to grow in the way that you want to grow.

You won’t be able to achieve your personal goal.

The most upvoted question dealt with missing opportunities.

Some participants wanted to know what to do when they know where they want to be, but there’s just no opportunity that lets them get there.

For me, I think you can only go about this in two ways. You can take the safe route and just stay where you are. Or you can take a risk and jump ship.

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I’ve experienced this when I realized that the IT industry wasn’t for me. During that time, I took the riskier option of starting up a company and becoming an entrepreneur. 

It was not easy.

I had to work a lot, sacrifice a lot, and get tired a lot. All for the sake of doing what I want to do and finding success through it.

Speaking of risks, some of the audience also inquired about how exactly they can motivate themselves to take them.

I motivate my self to take risks when I know that these are calculated.

In terms of business, the main way I motivate myself is through making sure that I’m providing a solution to an ongoing problem.

One example is my recent startup Leadership Stack. It’s my solution to an otherwise unknown problem. 

I am a speaker, and I have my own rates, as we are paid by the hour. In most cases, it’s the HR representative that hires me, but after the whole seminar, they won’t have anything to show their boss but the assumption that the people in the audience were motivated by it.

Leadership Stack takes in data within the seminar and records them so that the HR can have a better understanding of what they can do to further better their company.

In life, my greatest driving factor has always been my faith in God. 

To put it into perspective, I wanted to be married at 25 years old. It was funny to some, but it was a really big deal for me. 

I didn’t have a girlfriend at the time. But believe it or not, my wife was my first and only girlfriend. When I met her, I knew she was the one.

It was divine intervention. Divine appointment in all of this aside from my concrete goal of getting married at 25.

My goal of getting settled by 25 was a huge driving factor for me, but what really pushed it was the faith I had that everything will be okay by then.

Success is something that is relative to people. To me, it’s doing something you love that glorifies God.

So as long as you’re doing something that you love today and it glorifies God—that, for me, is already a sign that you’re successful.

There’s also the notion of me being able to provide for me and my family. I no longer have to worry about m retirement, how to feed my children, how I can take care of them growing up, and how to support my parents when they’re old.

There are also a few people that are curious about who are the people that helped me set up my business. In all honesty, I had a lot of help. My first hires were basically my brother and a few of my close friends. When things became serious, I never did anything alone.

Keep in mind that as good as you are at anything, you can’t do everything. Each person is limited to the 24 hours that we have in a day.

In cases where you don’t know what you want to be, the only thing that I can tell you is to be adventurous. You won’t be able to find what you want if you haven’t tried anything.

Exploring more can get let you experience more things such as the arts, tech stuff, business, marketing, etc. by knowing them, you’ll be able to figure out what you really want to do.

And you can figure out better what you want to be.

Most people think that I’m someone that can be seen as very successful. However, I don’t consider myself as there yet—That I’m a successful person.

That being said, my next goal is to make sure that my two startups this year would become successful.

SEO Hacker is now being handled by Apple and Kevin. Right now, I only come by the business when there’s a special client that I handle personally and for the nitty gritty stuff. Or if there’s a roadblock in the strategies. 

However, there’s not much that keeps the company moving because the team is doing a fantastic job as it is.

Leadership Stack has broken ground and is making a profit but not yet stable, while Teamstrr is still being polished to the point where it can make a profit.

For the people that think I settled down too early, bear in mind that early is relative. 

I didn’t think it was early. One of my mentors got married when he was 25. And since he was a really good example, I wanted to live my life like him. And so, I thought, when I get married at 25, I think that’s really good.

I know it sounds like a shallow reason, but the impact it had in me was phenomenal. I really look up to my mentor and I consider him as my spiritual father.

I am no means a master of my craft. I’m still learning today. In my industry, you must be able to get in pace with Google because they change every so often.

Sometimes they announce these changes, while most of the time, the changes aren’t announced. 

The best way to learn about them is to read, to listen, and to do your own experiments.

Finally, there were people who wanted to know my mindset when I chose to make my own business instead of taking over what my family had.

My dad was a businessman—but not by choice. He didn’t graduate college, and the only reason why he went into the hardware industry was because he needed to provide for us, his family.

He actually suggested that I climb the corporate ladder instead because doing business is hard. It takes a lot of hard work, it brings a lot of headaches and you need to deal with a lot of bigger institutions.

I tried working for some other companies, I had an argument with him regarding me choosing to leave my work and start my own company instead.

He knows that I made the right decision now since I’m the CEO of 5 companies and have around 40 people working under me. He didn’t ask me to take over anymore because he sees that I’m doing great on my own.

 

Hello

How to Quit your Day Job for a Business Opportunity

5 MIN READ

January 16, 2019 By Sean 4 Comments

Quit day job

Starting your own business is a dream that mostly everyone has. After all, a successful mature business brings in passive income on a massive level. However for about 90% of the population, we start out as employees and self-employed. How do we transition from there to our own startup?

Event Coming Up: I have a learning event with Marvin Germo this February 13, 2019 at SMX aura 1pm – 5pm. The title of the event is “Make Money, Grow Money” – we’ll be speaking about business, generating excess revenue, and finally where to invest the excess revenue to maximize your passive income’s profits. Join us by clicking this link!

Author’s Note: This entry is part 5 of the series “Business Myths” if you are curious about starting a business or have some questions to ask about starting one, please leave it in the comments section below. 

If you didn’t know, I started out as an employee too. However unlike most people, I spent only 5 months working for my employer. After which I was given the wisdom to properly leave and build my own startup.

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These are guidelines on how to properly leave your day job and start your own business. All of these are based on my personal experience and knowledge.

1) Don’t Jump the Gun 

A lot of people see or hear an opportunity from others – whether it’s a friend, family member, or colleague – and simply quit their day jobs as soon as they can. This is not good.

There is the right time to leave and if you don’t wait for that time, you’ll get yourself in a financial disaster.

Think of it as jumping to a boat on the dock. If you jump too soon and the boat is still some ways off, you’ll hit the water and get all wet and muddy. It’s going to be a mess.

So how do you measure when the boat has arrived and you can jump? Two ways:

First – make sure you have enough for emergencies as emergencies are things that you MUST pay for and costs a considerable amount and is always unforeseen. These can be in the form of an accident, a broken down car, or even a leak from a hole in your roof. 

Whatever it is, you must have enough cash to take care of these otherwise it will stab your startup business to death.

6 months of your monthly income should suffice to keep emergencies at bay.

Second – make sure you have proof of concept. Perhaps you have made a sale already – or fifty – whatever it is, you have to have your cashflow for the startup running already. Otherwise your business may not be a good idea and there might be no boat at all to jump into.

2) Start Small and Slow

Don’t take risks you can’t measure and you can’t pay for when you’re starting out just because of comfort or ego. If you don’t have a flashy car or watch, you can still make the sale as long as you have value. You don’t need those things!

If you don’t have a carpeted, air conditioned office, that’s okay – you can still make a cashflow positive business without those things!

Small, slow and steady does the job until you graduate from the startup phase to the growth phase.

3) Put in as much Work as you can

This is arguably the only direct factor you can put in in an unpredictable market. If you work harder than your competitors, the chances of you making your startup business successful increases exponentially. 

If you put in 1 more hour of work every day or every night, that’s still 360 hours more than anyone else each year – and that matters. That makes a difference.

A lot of startups fail because the founders have the mindset of business being easier than employment because no one is telling them what to do. Actually the opposite is true. because no one is telling you what to do, laziness kicks in and stares at you in the face everyday, every hour.

Work extremely hard so that when the boat arrives, and you jump from your day job to your startup business, the boat is in tip top shape to take you where you need to go.

4) Let your Employer Know

When you’re working on your startup and it’s affecting your output on your day job, let your employer know what your plans are. This is so that there will be no question marks on your relationship with the people on your day job.

Gossip about you and how your work output isn’t what it used to be is something you don’t need looming over your head as you build a startup.

5) Leave with Honor

Turnover everything from your day job properly so that nothing can be said against you. If you fail to do this, you will be burning bridges. 

And in the case your startup business doesn’t make it, you won’t have a job to come back to and a glowing recommendation if you skip this step.

So there you have it – these are the things you need to do as you consider leaving your day job to jump into a startup business opportunity. If you have some more things you think we can add to this, please leave your thoughts on the comments section below.

Hello

If I Love my Business, I Won’t have to Work Another Day in my Life

2 MIN READ

January 6, 2019 By Sean 2 Comments

A whole lot of people believe that if they finally find a business they love and that makes money, they will be happy – because they won’t have to work another day in their lives. True or Myth?

Author’s Note:This entry is part 3 of the series “Business Myths” if you are curious about starting a business or have some questions to ask about starting one, please leave it in the comments section below.

I have heard this numerous times in Q&A’s in my talks. The truth is, business and work can be enjoyed. But what’s also true is that there will be parts and parcels of your business that you will not enjoy.

And that is where a lot of businesses fail too – because the things that are not enjoyable for the founder are left to rot.

These ‘unenjoyable’ parts are usually legal and accounting – two very critical aspects of a business that cannot be left to rot. If unchecked, these two can come back to bite your business’ head off in time.

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I love doing SEO and I love experimenting and tinkering with technical stuff. I love the competitive nature of my business too. But like any other entrepreneur out there, I hate payroll, I hate legal, I hate accounting – these are just things that are a bother to me.

But I still do them diligently. Because they are critical to my business’ survival and growth.

Don’t be fooled. Work is work – that’s why we call it work and not play. If you don’t have to work for another day in your life, you are either fully retired or unemployed.

Hello

Business Myths Series

2 MIN READ

November 27, 2018 By Sean 2 Comments

Business Myths

There are so many people who start their journey in business on the wrong foot. That spells out D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R! How can you start things right the first time?

Know what’s true about starting a business – and avoid the lies.

Event Coming Up: I have a learning event with Marvin Germo this February 13, 2019 at SMX aura 1pm – 5pm. The title of the event is “Make Money, Grow Money” – we’ll be speaking about business, generating excess revenue, and finally where to invest the excess revenue to maximize your passive income’s profits. Join us by clicking this link!

Author’s Note: Okay so here’s my first ‘accountability’ series in a long time. It’s scary but if it will help a lot of people, then why the heck not.

Myths List:

  1. Doing business means I have more control of my time
  2. 90% of all businesses fail in the first 5 years because of numerous factors
  3. If I’m going to start a business I love and I’m passionate about, I won’t have to work another day in my life
  4. Doing business means I have to be hands-on so I won’t have time for vacations
  5. I can quit my day job anytime I see an opportunity to jump into the business I want
  6. If I just buy into a franchise business, it will be good for me so I can just cruise along
  7. I’ll get better at hiring and managing people over time through experience

I’ll be going through these myths once a week. If you want me to tackle a certain myth first, please do let me know in the comments section below 🙂

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Or if I missed anything and you want to know the truth about a certain myth that’s bothering you, you can also leave a comment so I can address that.

Hello

Giving up on Money

2 MIN READ

October 2, 2015 By Sean 3 Comments

Giving up on Money

“I Sold my Business for 1 peso.”

My heart almost sank. I was seated at the couch of the small, humble office of pastor Joby Soriano at CCF Alabang.

“Why did you do that?” We were just talking about his very successful business when he blurted out that one-liner.

“Because I believe God would take care of me as I entered ministry full-time.”

I pondered a while. Amazed at the towering faith of this man.

I met pastor Joby way back as a Sunday school kid. Well actually ‘met’ may not be the most accurate word. I heard him speak at the pulpit when I was a kid and then really just got to meet and get acquainted with him when I was in my teen years.

A soft-spoken man who will give you an impression that he’s always smiling, pastor Joby is a guy who you wouldn’t think was into business. Ever.

But during the short moments where I got to talk with him as he mentored me about faith and how to manage my startup company, I see him light up. It turns out that pastor Joby was an excellent entrepreneur before he went full-time into ministry.

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He gave it all up for the Lord.

In fact, his business partners thought that something was wrong – hence the 1 peso sale of shares. But there was nothing wrong.

It’s just that his heart was right with the Lord and his calling was clear.

The question that it leaves me now is: Could I do the same someday?

That has yet to be seen. But this I know: Because pastor Joby paved the way for entrepreneurs like me to go full-time with full faith in the Lord, it makes it that much encouraging to leave it all behind.

The last thing I would want to do is to jump in, give it all up and then look back.

“Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” – Luke 9:62

Thanks for showing us the way pastor Joby.

Hello

I Wanted to Become a Pastor. Here’s why I’m a Businessman Today.

3 MIN READ

October 12, 2014 By Sean 4 Comments

Work Ministry

I grew up in church as a Sunday school kid. When I was 13 years old, I met Joash who became a good friend of mine. We both wanted to be full-time ministers in church. I wanted to become a full-time pastor. 13 years have passed since then.

Today, I’m the CEO of 2 start-up internet companies SEO Hacker and Qeryz. Somewhere along the way, I felt as if what I was doing for God was much less than if I would’ve served in the ministry. I couldn’t be more wrong.

Being at the Center of God’s Will

Joash went on to become a full-time campus missionary. A very noble job and something I deeply respect. To be honest, there came a time when I felt like what he was doing was more favorable to the Lord than where I was. I couldn’t be more wrong.

I heard a podcast from Ravi Zacharias wherein he describes work as sacred.

I was stunned.

From that day on, I held a very different perspective about my work.

Ministry by definition means:

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1) The work or vocation of a minister or religion.

2) The action of attending the needs of someone.

That someone is God. It’s always God – wherever you are in your work.

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,  I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?  And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?  And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’  And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” – Matthew 25:35-40

It’s not About the Numbers

There was one night when Apple (my wife) was bothered about her ministry.

“I don’t think I’m doing enough for God.” She said.

I turned to her and told her, “It’s not about whether you’re doing enough for God. It’s IF you’re doing it for God.”

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” – 1 Corinthians 10:31

I realize now that not everyone is meant to be in church as a minister.

“And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;” – Ephesians 4:11-12

If this verse would be expanded I believe it may well include businessmen, managers, social workers, and all other lawful jobs aside.

Remember, it’s not about what or how much you’re doing for God. It’s IF you’re doing it for God.

Your work is sacred.

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