Online Business Made Easy

Corporations in these days and age, especially those engaged in the trading business employ both traditional and new methods of reaching out to its market. Equally important is a Company’s ability to provide real-time solutions from human’s most basic need to the most bizarre vanity.

When I used to work for a telecommunications company, reaching out to consumers meant going beyond the usual “Customer-Buys-In-Store” concept. The company had to bring the product literally outside the confines of a CUBICLED selling area and offer them in varied of ways which involved “Open-Field Booths” where there were activities that gathered a good number of people, “house-to-house selling”, and initiated promotional activities with combined selling programs.

These sales techniques have been further intensified due to competition. It is also because of intense competition that Companies must be ever present anywhere their products/services are deemed useful and anytime a consumer deems its products/services essential. It is thus of these realizations that Corporations dedicate websites to further the presence however they can including on the World Wide Web. Further enhancing that presence is the ability to trade online with customers.

A useful tool to cater to that ecommerce activity is through shopping carts. An important consideration in choosing for a suitable service provider on hosted shopping cart software is its connectivity with major banks and credit cards, gateways and third party processors including Paypal. The leading provider on a complete solution for merchants to sell online is Ashop Commerce.

Partners that makes ecommerce easier and faster offers wider access to products and services to customers anywhere in the world.

Cebu City Map to Business: Borderless Trading

The world has once again shrunk to a diameter-feet lesser and the CEBU CITY MAP magnified to the world. Paypal just introduced a new innovation by allowing its account owners trunsfer funds to local Philippine banks. What's more exciting about it is that a minimal fee of Php.50 pesos is charged for fund transfers lower than Php.7,000 while free if higher than the latter amount. (Heck, this could be a paid post and me earning! Where are you Blogvertiser! This is Blogvertiser stuff!)

Anyways, this news simply makes money-making online a lot more interesting. Aside from the fact that Blogvertiser makes this stuff a lot cooler. Prior to this, cashing up one's paypal funds ended up with only two easy options, one was opening an account from a specified bank or having it applied to one's visa card. This feature not only opens e-commerce at a personal "blog advertising" driven trading but further gives e-commerce entrepreneurs a wider option to sell to the world. This opportunity creates a borderless CEBU CITY MAP business, or rightly - a MAPLESS CEBU CITY.

Cebu City Map to Business: A Team Effort to Improve

I personally know only two cebuano blog authors so far, the rest - I know them to be either found on a CEBU CITY MAP or cebuano but outside the country through blogging. If I would look at the CEBU CITY MAP, it is undoubtedly a very small place where I can travel anywhere within CEBU CITY from one point to another at no more than 45 minutes, street traffic being normal. It is thus quite surprising how small CEBU CITY is yet not once have there been a meet of cebuano blog owners that I have heard of. Well, at least not one which there have been a public announcement of such.

Blogging, as an organized group interest has not yet been given much attention to put the CEBU CITY MAP on the blogging community. My personal opinion on this is that though people, even cebuanos want to connect with other people online but blogging for a lot of them is simply just that, a personal web log. That being personal, writing an entry therefore require not much of inter-action with other people and not even fellow blog enthusiasts. As a medium of self-expression, a cebuano or blog author in general simply has one consideration in writing a piece and that is himself.

However, I do believe that just like any hobby or passion that has inter-action, a group interest activity may further enhance not just the writer but also the activity itself. CEBU blogging might have a stronger impact to CEBU CITY if this would be geared to an effort on which goal a group directs on. Someone to take the lead may just be what the group needs to draw a blogging CEBU CITY MAP.

I hope ABS-CBN and GMA airs Sinulog

Having been almost at almost the same age as the Sinulog festival itself, I could fairly call myself well-informed of the activity. I remember even the days when I had to sit over my father’s shoulders just to watch the parade pass by us. I have even been a participant at one-time during my elementary, of the grand parade being a part of the "Landonian Tribe" contingent. I've experienced how it was to wear an elaborate costume and at the same time dance the Sinulog beat under the scourging heat of the sun for almost about 10 hours. Interestingly, I remember not ever feeling tired even from the weeks of evening practices up to the grand parade itself.

My mother's side of the family is very active of the Sinulog. My uncles, being kababata to the owners of the renowned San Diego Dance Company made us, which of course include my uncles, me and my cousins, be part of a number of Sinulog parades. Sinulog fiesta is usually the time where we hold our family reunion on my mother's side, since Cebu is really my maternal ancestry is rooted.

Here's my survival list for those who which to join all the activities for the Sinulog starting Saturday up to Sunday.

1 - Prayer First
The grand parade happens to be a Sunday so better fulfill your obligation first before the merry making. It would even be better that you attend a mass at the Basilica if you're up to the challenge of haggling amongst the sea of people who attends the masses during that day.

2 - Use Coin Purse
Rather than using your usual wallets, I suggest you use a coin purse just big enough to carry some cash and an Identification Card. The streets will be overflowing with people and you'll be literally face-to-face with a lot strangers so you would rather put your mind on the merry making rather the worrying of pick pockets. Using a coin purse will give you the convenience of tucking it in the front pockets of your pants where it will be safe from strange hands.

3 - A scarf or a sarong would be handy
A sun screen would only last you for at most four hours so it would help if you bring with you a scarf or a sarong to protect you from the sun. Bringing a bottle of sun screen simply takes away the adventures for the day.

4 - Keep dehydrated
That wouldn't be much of a problem as there are plenty of sources for that. Every corner you look, there is most usually bottled waters for sale.

5 - A good pair of shoes
Forget those fancy sandals or expensive high heels. Though you wouldn't be going on a mountain climbing, but your feet will fighting for walking and standing space every now and then during that day so better be equipped with that.
My uncle will be arriving tomorrow together with my lola from abroad, so that simply means that reunion activities kick off.

Business will soon be as easy as ABC

As a person with a career in finance, there are instances that friends ask me on opinions which would relate to their finance needs. One common question that I get from friends which would relate to finance or finance statutory compliance, especially now that it is January, is with regards to Business Permits.

I was able to attend a convention mid-2007 which mentioned about Cebu City’s Business Permits processing steps faster. The topic was handled by the government agency’s head, who incidentally was also a member of the professional organization which I belonged to. By that time then, the presentation focused more on the initial steps being undertaken by the Department of Trade and Industry Region VII, which is located here in Cebu City, to hasten the processing of regulatory requirements in opening a business.

Today I came across an article updating what I have learned of the said endeavor. Let me take you to it:

This project is spearheaded by the Department of Trade and Industry’s National Economic Research and Business Assistance Center in Region 7 (NERBAC). The focus of this department is to streamline business permitting and licensing process to aid new entrepreneurs in complying with government requirements, which is envisioning a one-stop shop for this processing.

Providing a one-stop-shop for business registration (sole proprietorships), permitting and licensing, the department has housed the four mandatory agencies: Social Security System, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Phil Health, and Pag- IBIG under one roof plus the addition of Cebu City government representatives to make processing and procurement of business permit a step easier and more convenient. With this, new applicants for business permits and licenses are spared from the usual tedious process of going from one office to another.

The process that will be undertaken by new registrants would involve registering business names with DTI, registering with the four mandatory agencies and securing a business tax payment certificate that will be needed to later on acquire a Mayor’s permit after certain requirements are complied within 60 days. On this scenario, an applicant can process his application in one day on those five government offices.

This definitely is a clear sign of the government’s desire for entrepreneurs to be globally competitive by reduced cost and less bureaucracy. This is a very welcome news for the City’s business community as this steps are usually the most time consuming process that an a new business undertakes. Further, this will encourage regulatory compliance to even those micro-sized businesses that will in effect benefit the country through its tax and licenses payments. Resorting to fixers to process this mandatory requirement will definitely minimized, if not totally eradicated as this would show entrepreneurs that working out the requirement themselves is not that difficult.

My two thumbs up on this innovative idea!

Updates from the Queen City of the South, Philippines

It is good to note that Cebu City is once again noticed for it's potential for being a Business Hub in Asia, as it ranked eighth of the Top 10 Asian Cities of the Future, in a list by the Finance Direct Investment (FDI) magazine of the Financial Times Group. Cebu City also ranked fourth in the list of 10 most cost-effective cities, seventh in the best quality of life category and second in development and promotion, next only to Singapore. To read more on the story, the link is here.

Preparations for the Sinulog grand parade on Jan. 20 are in place with around 13,000 police officers and deputized volunteers to secure the festivity. As of the last count, there are already 24 contingents which have registered for the grand parade, and a few more expected to sign up in the coming days. It is also final that the inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC), who became famous via YouTube on their "Thriller" dance performance, will not be able to join the Sinulog grand parade citing security reasons by the Cebu City Mayor. Tomorrow, Saturday, and on Sunday will be held the Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Lalawigan and Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Dakbayan, respectively. A parade will kick-off at 1pm on both days from Capitol Site going to the Cebu City Sports Center, upon which the presentations of the various contingents will be held. This would be composed of school children, competing in two categories - the elementary and secondary level categories.

Up with 2008 and Money from the Government on the 15th

This is my first post for the year and what a great way to start this with some reminders to my cubicle friends. I suppose our cubicle partners have already registered their books of accounts for the calendar year 2008 and that wouldn't be a concern anymore. So, what activities will keep us busy the coming days will the following:

First, is the renewal of the corporate taxpayer's annual registration which is at 500 pesos. Deadline would be on the 31st of January but that wouldn't actually have to wait until the end of the month. Simply filling up the form (0605) does it. The data to reflect on the form is found in the taxpayer's 2303 or Certificate of Registration, so that shouldn't be much of a bother. Better have this paid now, especially if you're doing manual payment since the queues are really long especially when the deadline's fast approaching.

Second, would have to be the renewal of business permits. This is probably one of the hideous yet simple activities every business establishment goes through every start of the year. I say hideous because of too much red tape for what has been an annual regulatory payment to the establishment's Local Government Unit (LGU) where the Corporation is holding business. This would actually have been simple if LGUs would have maximized computer technology in the implementation of this collection activity but then again, that would have to wait. So I suggest this be right away taken cared off, better yet, assigned to a person to handle this matter. If your company has a Licensing Compliance Department that wouldn't be much of a problem, but if you're company's finance department handles this too, better have this started already as this takes like eternity to finish.

Third would be a compliance requirement of the BIR, our country's taxation agency, which is the Employees Alphabetical Listing. If employees wonder why they need not to file their own income taxes every year, it is because of this - Substituted Filling. What the company does is to report to the government all compensation paid to its employees, including the government deductions made. With that, the employees' taxes are also computed and matched against the taxes withheld by the company for the entire 2007. If withheld taxes, that which is deducted on the employee's pay every payday as advance payment for taxes due to government, shall be refunded or if lesser, will also be accordingly collected from the employee. It would be good to note though that for those which has refundable taxes or excess withheld taxes, that employee will be receiving the excess amount no latter than January 15th, as mandated by the government. So if you know how to compute your tax due for 2007, compare it with the withheld amount collected from you last year and if it's more than what your tax due is, then expect some unexpected blessings on or before this 15th.

Fourth would be the filing of inventory lists of companies as of December 31, 2007. This is to be done by the company's finance department so that should also be planned out already this early. Deadline for the submission of the list to the BIR would also be on the 31st of this month.

That will definitely keep our cubicled finance or accounting warriors busy for the coming days. Anyways at least, we were able to have that much needed rest and relaxation before we head back to our cubicled playgrounds.

So it seems

Blogging have trickled my interest back to programming. I have had a background on a little about programming but that was way too long ago. I was even lucky enough to have had that exposure on a time when schools were still on the crossroad of inculcating computer technology to their curriculum. Luckier that it was in our batch in high school that we already had a one-to-one ratio, where one student would be assigned a computer set. Better was that the subject on computer basics and programming wasn't just an icing topic but we did dwelled deeper on the subject and at the end of the course would be a project incorporating all the basics learned for the semester.

People who are younger than my generation would definitely be amazed at this trivia. Amazed not because of the fact that we had programming in high school but amazed that I had to reach high school to better my knowledge on computer systems and applications. Children nowadays are even learning on some basics on computer technology as early as kindergarten. When we already speak about "mouse" to elementary graders, instincts tells them not anymore of rodents but of a peripheral in a computer set. The only storage devices that children could relate are diskettes but little did they know that diskettes should have been called as micro floppy drives as its predecessor was called as the mini floppy drive.

Technology has really changed since I first encountered the Personal Computer. And I don't see any sign of plateauing anytime soon. So, I'm riding the waves of excitement on the World Wide Web. I am an inch close to putting up my own website. The things that I think I'd learn from such experience are just so tempting. Add to that would be the possibility of earning some bucks while doing it makes it all the more interesting.

The only thing that is holding me back is the thought of what I’ll be putting on my site. Any ideas?

Looking at Life Tomorrow, Today!

There have been things in life that we have to prepare now, for tomorrow might be too late. It is important that we not only prepare for ourselves and our future but most importantly we prepare also for the people we hold dear, our Family. We have give assurance to our families that no matter what happens, we are here – wherever we may be, to take care of them always. As time is a dear friend, time sometimes may also be less forgiving of things we least expect.

If you are looking for someone to make you do that very important decision in your life on how to prepare yourself and your future, then it is time you ask your friends. It is important that you put your trust in people you can count on in time when you need them most. These are things that one prepares for but not necessarily elevate the cost and pressure in preparing for the essentials of life. It is important we know the future by know who to look to.