The South and West EB of Entreplink Philippines at Han Wok Blue Wave

(The Early Birds: from left - Anna Villanueva, Peter Mariano,
John Santos, Jack Wong, Lawrence Moreno , Gwen Moreno, Rustum Maranan)

Finally! The May 2 South and West EB minutes.

My apologies to all for the long-delayed narrative of what transpired during the May 2 South and West EB held at Han Wok Blue Wave. Things were really hectic at work as we were beefing up our marketing team and I have to coach and train new blood from my posse.

The first South EB would pale in comparison to what transpired during the May 2 South and West EB. We started promptly at 8AM, had breakfast in between laughs, narratives and puns, and continued till 2pm and no one even noticed that we haven't had lunch yet. Thanks to the generosity of Boss Jack Wong, coffee was free-flowing and the courteous staff of Han Wok Blue Wave did not need any impetus to reach for our cups and refill them with freshly-brewed coffee. The serving of the food was, wow, really BIG in proportions that for the price of P99, each had a heavy breakfast that lasted till noon. No wonder no one complained of getting hungry even when it was already 2pm!

I was the first to arrive at the scene, of course (as I was the one kulitizing everyone), and the Han Wok staff were just setting up the store for the breakfast crowd. Everyone was aware that members of Entreplink Philippines were coming. I was about to order coffee when Rustum Maranan came. I knew he was an Entreplinker as he headed straight for Han Wok. We exchanged pleasantries and after a few minutes, Manolo "John" Santos arrived. Coffee was still brewing but our discussions already started getting warm with the excited exchanges of experiences both as entrepreneurs and as individuals.

A couple came in and started viewing occupants in the place, and I knew for a fact that they were Entreplinkers. As expected, they were indeed members of the forum and they were none other than Lawrence and Gwen Moreno. A few minutes later the man himself, Boss Jack Wong, arrived with his brood of cute-looking children all wearing the same Wong Group of Companies uniform. If our discussions were already hot earlier, with Jack Wong in the picture the discussions almost literally caught fire. And as if fun was not yet enough, Anna Villanueva and her lovely daughter Angelica (oops! I mean "sister", because they really looked like sisters – both gorgeous!) finally arrived and we almost could not finish breakfast from laughing as Jack and Doña Anna (as Jack fondly calls her) exchanged jokes and puns and amusing remarks! We were like boisterous drunkards finishing their first case of beer – during breakfast time!

(From Left: Jack's son, Anna's Daughter Angelica, Anna, Pete Mariano,
John Santos, Jack's older son, Jack Wong, Gwen Moreno, Rustum Maranan,
Rolly Pagaspas and Lawrence Moreno)

Our discussions traveled far and wide, and in fact it traveled around the world. Everyone shared their entrepreneurial endeavors, including their past and recent memories about Entreplink Philippines. Jack of course is a franchisee for Han Wok Chinese Cuisine, which is a division for the diverse Wong Group of Companies. Rustum is into wires/cables and accounting services while John was into branded computers and gadgets. Anna owns and operates Star Cove Family Resort in Balayan, Batangas while couples L.A. and Gwen have a Frutas franchise, soft-served ice cream business and is looking into venturing into supplying Cebu lechon! I am a problogger, internet marketer and into business development for the Worldnet Business Center. Soon afterwards, Rolly Pagaspas arrived and added more life to the already lively discussions. He is a professor/consultant for UP and is also the Executive Director for Gabay Foundation.

Topics moved from real estate opportunities in the United States, particularly vacation homes for rent in Florida and in Disney World, to ballpen kleptomaniacs. Jack discussed about swine flu and described a photo he received in the internet about a western child kissing a pig smack in the snout. There was a discussion about the bizarre foods in China and melamine materials in products and how the perpetrators of the melamine-in-milk fiasco in China ended up being executed. There were some minor discussions on current events like Lozada's perjury case and regarding paying of taxes. There were other topics discussed though that I was not able to capture and document, and these would probably fill up pages and pages of website content.

As promised, Jack distributed Han Wok mugs to everyone present, amidst clamor from Anna vehemently asking where Alrey Galang is. As if he sensed our predicament from afar, Boss Alrey sent me an SMS message saying that he will be late. I relayed the message to everyone and no one minded waiting for another hour or so.

(from left: Anna, Pete, John, Jack, Lawrence, Gwen, Alrey Galang, Rustum and Rolly)

Finally, Boss Alrey arrived with daughter Angelica in tow and the first thing she noticed that made her eyes pop wide open was the Hello Kitty ladies' bag Doña Anna was using, complete with matching Hello Kitty accessories of course, as she was sporting the same Hello Kitty paraphernalia herself. Everyone's day was made complete as Boss Alrey finally joined us and drank his first cup of Han Wok's coffee.

The arrival of Boss Alrey prompted discussions focusing on Entreplink Philippines itself starting with a little bit of history on how the group started, the people behind the formation of the group, the ups and downs that the group experienced particularly on memberships reaching more than 10,000 members at its peak, now down to a mere 2663 members at the time this EB was set.

The following are what the group discussed during the EB, particularly those relating to Entreplink Philippines:

a) Entreplink Philippines should have a regular Business Opportunity meet where members can share their entrepreneurial endeavors and foster cross-networking and possible joint ventures with other members. Jack is offering FREE use of Han Wok Blue Wave's function room – just pay for the food!

b) Almost everyone is receiving Cashflow training invitations soliciting negative, positive and indifferent reactions from the group. As a response, and also to educate members of Entreplink Philippines on Cashflow 101, the group was planning to initiate an Entreplink-initiated Cashflow session, minus the fees (which can be as exorbitant as P1000 as seen from other forums). All that is required of members would be a minimal amount, which they will use to pay for their own food.

c) Spammers and scammers still abound and all Entreplink members should be wary of such ploy from irresponsible forum members. Calls to re-iterate Do's and Don'ts (House Rules), similar to what Boss Alrey has initiated, should be done and imposed.

d) There is a need to establish the service blueprint of Entreplink Philippines, from a mere forum to a possibly established business organization where professionalism in business transactions and dealings amongst members are well established. According to Boss Alrey, he has no objection to such a move and would just go with the flow that active members want to thread.

d) There is a need to streamline the Entreplink Philippines organization, particularly in putting in order the SEC documentations of the group. In this regard, the group is seeking the blessings of founder Charles Aquino and the rest of the Entreplink Board for this direction that many are willing to take. Should there be a need for a new address, we are offering FREE use of the business address for Worldnet Business Center in Makati and will provide a cubicle and own local number for Entreplink Philippines!

e) A core group should be identified who are willing to offer their time, skills and resources to better serve the majority of members. A framework in this regard will be formulated by our expert Rolly, including proper documentations to handle conflict of interest and to establish procedures on how to delineate business/hidden agenda from genuine help. Additional moderators to assist Boss Alrey should also be identified.

f) A website dedicated for Entreplink Philippines should be established, where members can download resources for entrepreneurs and business people to help them in their endeavors. Committees should also be established where members, particularly those who are lurking about and are just waiting for the right opportunity. This would be the best time for you all to come out! Knowing the diversity of each entrepreneur's endeavors, these committees should be sub-divided according to trade or industry.

g) Again, regular meetings should be established to get the ball rolling once again. Each meeting will be a Business Opportunity meet, as we will try to get resource persons to provide mini-talks on tools, trends, technologies and other knowledge that will be a great source of information for entrepreneurs. The next meeting will be on May 23, 11pm at Han Wok Blue Wave. Para matikman naman natin yung lunch menu ng Han Wok!

h) Suggestions for a Grand EB were also put forward. Where? At Doña Anna's Starcove Resort of course! Jack will throw in the use of his Tourist Buses exclusively for Entreplink members!


Best Regards,
Peter Allan Mariano
http://www.worldnetbizcenter.com/
http://www.links2prosperity.org/
Tel: 83000205 to 07 local 19 Cel:09062700376

The EB Participants:

Alrey Galang
Moderator – Entreplink Philippines
alrey.galang@gmail.com
Tekton Business Center
Tel: 9287076 ext 118 Cel:09198795750

Jack Wong
Wong Group of Companies
wongjc@wonggroup.com.ph
http://www.wonggroup.com.ph
Tel: 7103854 Cel: 09228858585

Anna Villanueva
Starcove Resort Hotel
annavillanueva06@yahoo.com
http://www.starcoveresorthotel.com
Manila Office: 8558017 Batangas: (043)9213151

Manolo Santos
Alternative Merchandising
jlpsantos2002@yahoo.com
Tel: 9282352 / 9514342 / 9514323 / 5720228
Cel:09173673982

Rustum Maranan
Norisbay Enterprises
noris2007@yahoo.com
Tel:8206785 Cel:09179990650

Lawrence and Gwen Moreno
International Marketing Group
gwen.mornz@gmail.com
Tel: 8112327 Cel:09283016608 / 09178546447 / 09053925732

Rolly Pagaspas
Gabay Foundation
rollypagaspas@ymail.com
Cel:09205857277


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Live well and prosper!
© 2009




Peter Allan Mariano
Talakayan at Kalusugan - DWAD1098KHz 10-11am Every Tuesday
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