The Builder

Men, Take Charge!

Men think that it is the women’s sole responsibility to make sure that the

family cuts back on unnecessary expenses. Wrong! We men have equal responsibility to teach saving. The Christmas season is a perfect time to educate the family in terms of saving hard earned money.

Christmas is supposed to be a time where families remember that God gave the world the greatest gift of all, His only Son Jesus Christ. But we have all noticed that one of the greatest source of stress during the holidays is the pressure to buy and give gifts. We have our clan reunions where several families come together. Imagine how many gifts have to be given! Thirteenth month bonuses disappear as gifts bought from stores appear and gift tags are filled up with names of nephews and nieces, uncles and aunts.

So how can men take the lead to save this Christmas? Men have to encourage the family to live within the budget. Instead of giving everyone in the clan a gift, why not decide to give each family a single gift.

• This can be a “food item” like cakes or pastries.• It can be a kitchen utensil or a display item for the living room.• It can be framed photos of families that you took last Christmas.Men, communicate with dads in your clan and encourage them to try

this idea. You can also agree that instead of spending so much for gifts, why not pool your money together and give it to a charitable institution. You can also plan your Christmas shopping ahead of time before the month of December, buying one or two gift items at a time. Your creativity is the only limitation you have in coming up with more ideas.

Jesus is the reason for the season; not the giving of gifts, not the get together, or the fun and camaraderie. And when Jesus becomes the center of the celebration, it results in wise holiday spending.

In This Issue:

The BuilderMen, Take Charge!

Real MenBusiness Success and Ethics

You’re the Man!Wise Words for Wise Money Management

Gadgets & GizmosTechWise

by Peter Banzon

“Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.” - Proverbs 9:9

Real Men

Business Success and EthicsMr. Edgardo O. Gomez, is the President of two companies, Grand Marketing Research Plus, Inc.

and Grand Marketing Promotions Plus, Inc. In this interview we asked him to sum up the reasons for his company’s success.

Interview with Mr. Egay Gomez by Alvin Tud

How did you get into marketing research?When I was a sophomore in engineering,

back in 1980, I started doing data tables using calculators. Next, I became a field researcher doing actual data gathering. Later, I was promoted to field manager with the largest marketing research company in the country at that time, Consumer Pulse Research Group. In 1988 my wife, who was working with me, had a chance to subcontract for our company. We saw that there was potential in this business so I asked my bosses to allow me to subcontract myself which was granted in 1992, and the rest is history. Did you always conduct your business ethically?

Although I had become a born-again Christian in 1983, when I got married 2 years after, my faith became secondary. We made many wrong decisions. Things happened that affected our faith. The Lord dealt with us. That was a sad time as well because we lost two of our children. But we think it was God’s preparation for our faith to be strong.

Because of what happened to us, we realized that we were doing things wrong. We decided to serve the Lord with our whole heart. We asked God for a business wherein we could serve Him and not go hungry. We made this the foundation of our business: “Everything we have is from the Lord…and everything we’re doing is for the Lord.” Actually, this is expressed in Psalms 1:3, the righteous man “... like a tree planted by streams of water…whatever he does prospers.”

That does not mean we have had no problems. We had many challenges related to decision making and the business climate. There were times we made wrong investments. Sometimes we lost business when our clients and managers changed.

Likewise, we had problems with government regulators. I listened to ungodly advice from accountants which cost us yearly investigation fees because of unscrupulous practices with tax authorities. True, we were earning but we were not growing. So we decided to fix it. We said, “Enough is enough.” We changed accountants and practices. “Panginoon, sa Iyo ito, straight ako!” At first it was hard, we experienced harassment because we wanted to be different, but it has been years now since we changed.

When did your business really start to grow?With the advent of telecommunications, we

were able to do work with Bayantel and with a fast-moving company like Lucky Me. In the late 90’s, our original employer was sold to a multinational company. This company was in turn purchased by a larger market research company called AC Nielsen. The new owners began to outsource most of their fieldwork activities and we were given the largest chunk of this outsource work. This is our bread and butter now.

Business also started to grow when we gave our correct tithes to the Lord. When we did right, the Lord blessed us tremendously. Our company now has 200 regular employees doing work in Luzon. We are praying that God will give us work throughout the whole Philippines in the next three years.

I feel strongly that to really prosper, you need to strive for excellence, do what is right for your people, and invest your life, not just your money serving others. I serve in the church and teach Bible studies. What advice can you give men who want to succeed yet remain ethical?

Live your life according to God’s plan. Unify your business life and spiritual life. Be a faithful steward. Stick to what the Bible says. Follow godly advice only. Give to God what is God’s and to the government what is theirs.

You know what? I am not especially talented, nor good in communication. I am rough on the edges—the opposite of what my industry is looking for. But, our business is really all God’s work; that is why we are here.

Egay Gomez with wife Nila

You’re The Man!

Wise Words for Wise Money Management

When I was young, I was called “baduy” by a girl I liked, simply because I wore

worn out clothes and shoes. I walked, or sometimes rode in a tricycle to attend my classes because I didn’t have money. But things changed. I graduated and passed the CPA board examination, and later became an assistant bank manager.

I learned how to have good inter-personal relationships, competence in financial management, strong professional ethics, how to multi-task, and the values of honesty, commitment and integrity.

God is concerned with money and He wants us to be wise in this area.

Suggestions for Wise Money Management:

1. Establish your financial focus.This means understanding your

financial goals and priorities which will determine how much money you need to grow your business to a positive cash flow with an amount set aside for contingencies. Think of short, medium and long term strategic financial planning. 2. Take financial risks to accumulate wealth by establishing your own business or creating opportunities to get promoted.

Make sure any risk you take is a calculated risk so that if you fail, you have fall back. You will never experience the joy and adventure of living by faith and trusting the Lord, nor discover what’s beyond your comfort zone if you don’t take risks. Don’t take short-cuts. Don’t quit! 3. Apply financial integrity at all times through proper control.

Be a man of integrity with any transaction. Never compromise on what is right, just and fair. This attitude builds

Gadgets & Gizmos

TechWise

It’s a common notion that being techy and economical doesn’t always go together.

Cheap gadgets usually don’t work well. If we find a nice looking gadget, it’s usually expensive. There’s a saying that goes – “good thing not cheap, cheap thing not good”. So how do we acquire our gadgets without busting our budget? First, know your budget. How much are you willing to spend? Second, do research on discount or promos. Read up on tech news and social media.

Here are ways techy folks can buy gear even if they are financially constrained:

Choose to save up. If you’re the kind of person who believes in quality over quantity and may have been otherwise burned by cheap purchases, you can opt to save up the hard way. Go one time big time. Quality usually comes with a price and the technology that comes with these gadgets is usually cutting edge. It will take some time before these become obsolete.

Go for 2nd hand or “pre-loved” gadgets. You can buy gadgets at half the price but not necessarily with the latest technology. These gadgets may still have some life in them. You’re relying on technology that is already proven. The downside is that you’re not really sure of how much love your pre-loved gadget has received.

Go for cheap! These are usually the China-made products that claim to do certain functions that can be seen in their more expensive counterparts at the fraction of the price. It’s usually a hit or miss situation. Getting a fully functional gadget at a low price is rewarding in itself, but has risks. You need to get some decent form of guarantee before making the purchase.

You may have to do an inward attitude check before splurging with money which ought to be spent on otherwise more important things. Don’t’ forget that the Master made us stewards of His resources. Gadgets are not for inflating your pride, but tools to serve God and others.

by Tom Dulatas

by Christian Pascual

Continued at the back

Hello MIP Friend! How are you? Did you enjoy the first

two issues of Men in Progress? Were you able to connect with our topics on Issue 1: “Abrod”? Was “Taming the Hulk Within” (Issue 2) helpful in addressing the anger in your life? We hope that this 3rd issue: “The New Wise Men” will help us become smart in money matters.

Men in Progress (MIP) aims to help build Filipino men of character, courage and competence, at work and in the home, through relevant and interesting articles.

In order to do this, we want to hear from you—our readers! We want you, the men, to give us feedback. Tell us what you think and feel about our writings! Send us topics you want to be featured in MIP. We want to become better and serve you well.

Please connect with us through our Facebook page “Men in Progress” or email us at mip@apmedia.org. Let’s journey together as Filipino Men in Progress! Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!

The Editorial Staff

Published quarterly by Asia Pacific Media MinistriesUnit 2608 Raffles Corporate Center, Emerald Avenue, Ortigas Center, 1605 Pasig City, PhilippinesTelephone: 914-9767E-mail: mip@apmedia.orgReproduction of photos and articles is prohibited without permission.

Join us on Facebook! Look for “Men in Progress”.

EDITORIAL STAFF

Editor Alvin Tud

Layout Design Patrick Tan

Distribution Johnson Li

Executive Editor Kim Snider

MIP Editorial Staff:Alvin, Johnson & Patrick

Phot

o by

Don

Dav

id

a good reputation and confidence with your customers, staff and employees. Always pay your debts on time. With proper control, the company’s financial resources will not be mismanaged. 4. Share your financial savings with others.

Learn to express your gratitude to God by sharing your savings with the needy. Don’t be motivated only by profit. I usually set aside a portion of our income, and give our staff incentives (at least 5 to 8% per annum based on a person’s salary) whether or not they ask for wage increase.5. Invest and save for your future.

We live in an ever-changing world—personal, economic, natural and man-made calamities, will happen. If we do not plan and save during the good years, we will starve in the bad years. We need to set aside some finances as provision for

the future. Save now for your children’s education or to capitalize on a business. Spend your time and talents on acquiring knowledge. Lazy hands bring poverty, but hard-working hands bring riches (Prov. 10:4).

I may not be productive 10 to 15 years from now, so I am preparing for the future—SSS and insurance pensions, and fixed income generating business. Today, invest in bonds and stocks, especially now that our country is a good place for investment. Planning also helps you with preparing your tax payment, properly utilizing your assets, and estate.

Lastly, always be grateful to God and to the wonderful people who have loved and guided you. Be strong in your faith. Apply the life principles you have learned. Learn to pray. Keep on dreaming and achieving.

Wise Words, continued.

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