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| Mang Lino did not let leukemia get in the way of his dreams for his family. |
Being sick is no excuse to just lie down and rely on
others to feed you and provide your other basic needs, even if it is as
serious as leukemia.
Just look at Elino Andres, who was not only able to find ways to keep his rare form of blood cancer at bay, but used his condition as inspiration to establish a business and make it flourish.
Mang Lino, 63, and his wife were working in the Middle East until 2001 when Mang Lino had to come home because he was diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer that sapped his strength.
“I really cried because we had little money and I wanted an education for my children,” says Mang Lino in Filipino.
Despite their dire straits, Mang Lino did not lose hope. And he found ways and means to help him cover his considerable medical expenses and get his strength back.
And instead of just relying on his wife, who had a job in Metro Manila, he ventured on businesses of his own, starting with a kariton or cart filled with about P600 worth of food and snack items he parked in between the public elementary and high schools near his home.
“Once I make money in the morning, I would go back to buy more items, then go back and sell again,” shares Mang Lino, who used his income to buy some medicine, help put food on the table and increase his capital for the food cart.
Then
in December 2006, he got much needed help from Bangko Kabayan, which
provided him with a small loan of P5,000 to augment his capital. He
immediately bought more goods to sell, enabling him to pay it back in
three months as stated in the loan agreement.
As he gained more strength, his business became bigger. From a pushcart, he got a small tricycle, which allowed him to sell items not just in front of the school but also around the neighborhood. Eggs, bread, dried fish, noodles, coffee were among the best sellers.
He even participated in the “Business on Wheels” promo of Nestle Corp. He was lent a motorcycle that he used to sell Nestle products around town and in neighboring villages. Later, he did his own version so that he could sell even non-Nestle products.
Such a fast revenue turnover eventually allowed Mang Lino to expand his business and aggressively pursue his “Text Mo, Deliver Ko” service for sarisari store owners, through which they could just text the items they need from the town center that Mang Lino will deliver in a few days.
From his sales, he was able to put the finishing touches to his home and complete the education of his children.
These days, he and one of his daughters who had just finished her nursing course are busy with an eatery in front of their home to service the laborers who are busy with a major real estate development.
“They have around 40 workers and they will stay for about five years, so they will need an eatery,” says Mang Lino, as he points to his carinderia selling bread, rice and viands, soft drinks, as well as cigarettes and snack items.
Many are amazed at how much Mang Lino has been able to achieve despite his sickness that keeps him at less than 100%. He was even named an inspiring entrepreneur during the Citi Microentrepreneur of the Year Awards of 2008.
Mang Lino says all these were made possible by unwavering faith in a higher power that always looks out for him and his family.
“This is what I teach people in Sunday school, that if they look to Him for help and they work hard enough, then blessings will follow,” says Mang Lino.
http://bit.ly/oqFTdp
Just look at Elino Andres, who was not only able to find ways to keep his rare form of blood cancer at bay, but used his condition as inspiration to establish a business and make it flourish.
Mang Lino, 63, and his wife were working in the Middle East until 2001 when Mang Lino had to come home because he was diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer that sapped his strength.
“I really cried because we had little money and I wanted an education for my children,” says Mang Lino in Filipino.
Despite their dire straits, Mang Lino did not lose hope. And he found ways and means to help him cover his considerable medical expenses and get his strength back.
And instead of just relying on his wife, who had a job in Metro Manila, he ventured on businesses of his own, starting with a kariton or cart filled with about P600 worth of food and snack items he parked in between the public elementary and high schools near his home.
“Once I make money in the morning, I would go back to buy more items, then go back and sell again,” shares Mang Lino, who used his income to buy some medicine, help put food on the table and increase his capital for the food cart.
Then
in December 2006, he got much needed help from Bangko Kabayan, which
provided him with a small loan of P5,000 to augment his capital. He
immediately bought more goods to sell, enabling him to pay it back in
three months as stated in the loan agreement.As he gained more strength, his business became bigger. From a pushcart, he got a small tricycle, which allowed him to sell items not just in front of the school but also around the neighborhood. Eggs, bread, dried fish, noodles, coffee were among the best sellers.
He even participated in the “Business on Wheels” promo of Nestle Corp. He was lent a motorcycle that he used to sell Nestle products around town and in neighboring villages. Later, he did his own version so that he could sell even non-Nestle products.
Such a fast revenue turnover eventually allowed Mang Lino to expand his business and aggressively pursue his “Text Mo, Deliver Ko” service for sarisari store owners, through which they could just text the items they need from the town center that Mang Lino will deliver in a few days.
From his sales, he was able to put the finishing touches to his home and complete the education of his children.
These days, he and one of his daughters who had just finished her nursing course are busy with an eatery in front of their home to service the laborers who are busy with a major real estate development.
“They have around 40 workers and they will stay for about five years, so they will need an eatery,” says Mang Lino, as he points to his carinderia selling bread, rice and viands, soft drinks, as well as cigarettes and snack items.
Many are amazed at how much Mang Lino has been able to achieve despite his sickness that keeps him at less than 100%. He was even named an inspiring entrepreneur during the Citi Microentrepreneur of the Year Awards of 2008.
Mang Lino says all these were made possible by unwavering faith in a higher power that always looks out for him and his family.
“This is what I teach people in Sunday school, that if they look to Him for help and they work hard enough, then blessings will follow,” says Mang Lino.
http://bit.ly/oqFTdp
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