OF TREES AND FOREST
People who have suggested that I should retire and just sit back and enjoy the “fruits of my labor” do not really know me. I have been working all my life. Since the first time I walked with my mother from our Tondo house to Divisoria until today, I have always been an entrepreneur. Today, I still start my day with a brisk walk early in the morning. But it is true what I said in past interviews: “I will probably die as an entrepreneur.”
Retirement is a word that I have erased from my personal vocabulary. It is a concept that is alien to me. If it was possible, I would work until my last breath on earth. And I think this is true of many people from my generation especially those who had to work hard and sacrifice their blood, sweat and tears in order to build their dreams from the ground up.
I say this confidently because today I can still feel that fire in my belly. I can still feel the excitement, the fear, and the fire when I took out my first bank loan in order put up a gravel and sand business. I still feel that fire whenever we open a new Coffee Project or when we inaugurate a new real estate project. I am addicted to entrepreneurship.
I thought about these things in December last year when the Asia Pacific Enterprise Awards (APEA) Philippines Chapter bestowed upon me the prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Organized by regional NGO Enterprise Asia, the APEA is Asia’s largest and most prestigious award networking platform, spanning 16 markets annually. Our firm, Vista Land was also cited in the Corporate Excellence category.
In the same week, I was the only Filipino who landed in the 18th annual edition of the Heroes of Philanthropy roster by Forbes Asia. The list cited 15 philanthropists “who have made significant contributions and demonstrated commitment to causes they cherish over the past year.”
I have never been comfortable with personal accolades. I appreciate them, of course, but that has never been my motivation in life. I do not do what I do for the awards and recognition. But to be recognized as “Entrepreneur of the Year” is something I really cherish simply because it is a recognition of my life’s work. I have worn many hats in my life including president of the Philippine Senate and speaker of the House of Representatives but it is the entrepreneurial hat that I am most proud of.
Even when I entered politics reluctantly, my biggest worry was the fact that I was not a politician, I am a businessman. When I finally took the plunge and accepted the challenge of public service, I ran my political campaign like a business organization because that is what I was, that is what I am — I am an entrepreneur.
So when I left politics and went back to managing my business, it was as if I was returning to my first true love. I remember the first few days of my return to Vista Land felt like my first day at school. It felt like I was a young entrepreneur embarking on his first ever venture. I loved that feeling. I guess you can say that I am an entrepreneurial junkie in that sense. It is probably the same adrenaline rush athletes feel before every competition. I remember that rush, that thrill when I sold my first house and lot to an OFW family.
It is an addiction I hope many young Filipinos would embrace instead of drugs or violence. I never took any drugs and I never advocated violence in my life. I get my fix on doing what I truly love — being an entrepreneur.
([email protected] and/or http://www.mannyvillar.com)