rags to riches stories

[imyoursweetheart]

well, i just wanna share my parents' experience. they are now very successful and marami na rin naipundar.

nung una, ang mom ko, isa lang siyang regular employee sa office sa makati. ang dad ko naman, nagwowork as mekaniko. magaling at masipag ang papa ko.. nung bata kami, nakita ko kung pano kami tumira sa maliit na bahay. ang mom ko, napakasupportive niya sa papa ko. ang papa ko, naging dealer ng mga parts ng sasakyan hanggang sa nagkaroon siya ng mga kakilala at di nag-laon, nagkaroon ng iba-ibang suki. medyo lumalaki na kita non ng papa ko. and they decided to put up a business. since meron na siyang mga kakilala na pwede magsupply sa kanya, nagtayo siya ng business dito sa province namin. ang mom ko non, siya ang nagbebenta ng items. meron siyang isang kasama. ang nangyari, bago sila makapagpatayo ng business, yung mga kapatid  and tatay ng mom ko, binenta nila mostly ang assets nila at pinautang sa mom ko. kaya nagkaroon kami ng maliit na tindahan ng auto supply. hindi naglaon, after 6 months, nabawi agad yung pinuhunan. at nakapagipon, at nakabayad ng utang. hanggang sa lumaki ng lumaki yung tindahan namin kasi lumipat ng pwesto yung mom and dad ko. nakita ko kung pano nagsikap ang mama at papa ko. dati, ang liit lang ng bahay namin na halos singlaki lang ng kwarto ko ngayon. mag 10 years na business ng parents ko at maari kong sabihin na pwede pa rin at kumikita pa rin sila. pero medyo mahina ngayon compare sa dati. lumaki ako na nakita ko kung pano yung parents ko nagsumikap at masaya ako dahil napakabusiness oriented nilang tao. at ako, ganon din, hindi ko binabalak na maging empleyado lang o kaya patulong-tulong sa business namin. kaya hanggat bata pa ako, gusto ko magkabusiness kahit maliit lang.

kayo, meron ba kayong alam na rags to riches na story? aside from henry sy, lucio tan, manny villar, gokongwei, and others?

sana makashare kayo.

another story, i consider this as rags to riches also. this is my ex's story. dati junk shop lang siya pero nalugi kasi hindi siya ang namamalakad pero yung friend niya. nakita niya kung pano sila nalugi at dahil hindi naman niya alam ang business na ganon, hinayaan niya na ang kaibigan niya. pero nung palugi na, try niya pa rin na isave yung business pero hindi na talaga kinaya dahil nag-away sila nung friend niya. 1 month after, umuwi siya sa tito niya. nagwork siya don for 2 months. pero sa 2 months na yon, naghanap siya ng pwesto niya na pwede siya magtayo ng business. forte niya ang hardware kaya yun ang gusto niya. after 2 months, nag-open siya ng business niya. maaga siya gumigising, late din nagsasara. 60-40 ang hati. 60% sa tito niya, 40% sa kanya. after 3 months, nagclick ang business niya at nagtayo ulit ng bago. hati ulit sila ng tito niya. 50-50 naman. after 4 months, dumating yung friend niya from china at nagtayo sila ng business niya sa province. same business, hardware pa din. ang hati 70-30. 70% sa kanya, 30% sa friend niya. tapos yun.. ngayon, sobrang click ang business niya. obviously, he's very diligent. pansin ko na aga palagi siya gumising.. ngayon, nakabili na siya ng laptop niya, own car, gadgets, at magandang cellphone. masaya ako para sa kanya kasi nung time na naghiwalay kami, okay na siya at medyo stable na siya.

for me, basta masipag ka at matyaga, meron ka talagang mapapala.

[cher.liman]

^pareho tayo sis, my father is also a mechanic who rose up to being the CEO of his own company

[leela1025]

my dad had a literally insane mother, as in baliw/luka-luka. he never knew his dad. he was bright enough to have earned a scholarship to study marine in college and so he was able to send himself to school.

after he graduate, he quickly rose from the ranks, becoming a ship captain at a young age of 28. he persevered, worked hard, continued studying his craft, and was able to send his three children to school and graduate from top universities in the country. my siblings and i all learned the value of education from him as we are all now master's degree holders. my eldest brother has two undergrad degrees and two master's in his name.

now, at the age of 69, my dad is fully retired from active seaman duty. but he hasn't slowed down because he's now land-based, working as training manager for a big shipping line here in the country, training and molding the new breeds of seamen.

my dad, with the help of my mom, has several properties in their name, including a farm land in nueva ecija, all fully paid. they also have a nice savings to keep them comfy in their retirement years. yun nga lang, ayaw pa din huminto sa pagtatrabaho ng tatay ko.

[fides00]

ako naman my dad grew up having a fisherman's lifestyle. as in by the sea sila nakatira ng lola ko. tatlo silang magkakapatid and my lola's a single mom. my dad would always tell me that he woke up every 4 am just to help my lola get fish from the pier to sell. after that, pasok na siya. pag uwi niya, mag-aaral siya with a gas lamp by his side. kaya nga daw ang kapal-kapal ng salamin niya ngayon. ganun lifestyle niya hanggang high school. nonetheless, he graduated a valedictorian in both his elementary and high school.

nung college na dad ko, he used to work for our province's governor. patimpla-timpla ng kape...parang messenger siya. he graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics. he was a magna cum laude to boot.

after that he tried his luck with med school pero hindi niya kaya ang tuition. so he opted for law school instead. nag-aral siya sa UP diliman. he was a consistent dean's lister and was part of the top of his graduating class. he was a working student at that time kaya it took him five years to study law.

unang kuha niya ng bar, pasado agad. actually, bago pa siya pumasa ng bar, kinuha na siya ng isang law firm na big time dito sa manila. name partner kasi dun yung prof niya dati sa UP who was so impressed with my dad's skills and smarts. noong panahon na yun, sabi ng dad ko siya lang ang naka uno sa prof na yun. kaya ni-recommend siya. at yun, tanggap agad.

so yun na nga, naging lawyer na siya. in less than 10 years, he managed to become a senior partner of the firm. he was in charge pa of the firm's finances. siya rin nag-iinterview at nag-screen ng mga lawyer applicants. he was even made the campaign manager at the national level when one of his co-senior partners ran for senate. nanalo naman. basta madami nang naging clients na big shot yung dad ko...high society personalities, banks, CEOs, etc. dumami ang connections niya. mga politicians at business tycoons. he handled big cases and almost always won. kaya tiwalang tiwala sa kanya yung mga superiors niya at respetado siya talaga. kahit pa hindi siya kamukha ng ibang abogado sa firm nila dahil hindi siya maputi at tisoy. 

he eventually left the firm to put up his own. ok naman so far. he ventures into businesses every now and then. dati muntik na kami magka-call center pero my dad chose to give that idea up kasi super busy siya with something much more important at that time. now, he's trying to put up a business with his compadres which will be based in italy. he's also into real estate.

i'm just so thankful to have a dad like mine kasi never siyang nanumbat na "nung bata pa ako wala akong ganito..." or" hindi ako nakaranas ng ganyan...". walang ganun. every time he would tell his stories, he would do so to inspire us and not to make us feel guilty of the life that we have now. at never niya kaming nilayo sa kinalakihan niyang buhay. hindi kami pinalaking matapobre. kaya wala kaming kiyeme kahit pa dalhin kami sa mga plighted or remote areas na sobrang layo sa sibilisasyon o sobrang daming mahihirap. walang kaso sa amin kung sa turo-turo lang kami kumain. pina-experience niya rin sa amin kung paano sumakay ng tricycle, ng bus (na walang aircon), ng bus, ng motor. he never shielded us from the reality that life is not as convenient and easy for most people. pero he would always shower us with beautiful and expensive things...he sent us to good schools. he brought us to different countries. he always dines us at posh restaurants. he provided us with a comfortable life.

sipag, talino at lakas ng loob ang puhunan ng papa ko. and i wish someday i would be half as gutsy, smart and driven as he is. as with my mom, masyado nang hahaba yung post ko...kaya hindi ko na ikwekwento story niya. pero my mom has a similar story. rags to riches din. in gist, i'm proud to have parents like mine. i love them to bits. 

[shopaholic_in_rehab]

^ It's nice to hear stories like yours. It only shows na tama ang pagpapalaki sa inyo dahil they showed you kung ano talaga ang realidad ng buhay despite of everything that you already have. If i had a dad like yours i'll be very proud too. Sayang nga lang lumaki akong walang daddy.

[fides00]

^ really sis? that's quite sad.  but i bet developed ang character mo. kasi yung mga friends ko na lumaking walang dad, lumaki silang independent.

[kurdapya]

my grandma started as fish vendor. halos araw araw lumuluwas ng manila from batangas.. para  magdeliver ng isda.. rain or shine.  14 ang anak nya... yung mga older  bro and sis.. di na nag aral nag trabaho na lang para mapa-aral yun mga younger sisses and bros.  ang kwento pa nga sa amin yun uncles and aunties ko sa banig natutulog silang magkakapatid tapos agawan pa sa milk bottle. ang milk bottle nila coke bottle. tapos nasunugan pa na halos walang natira na gamit.

then one of my uncle went to the states. filed petition for my grandma and the rest of my uncles and aunties.. then eventually.. after 20 years .. my family owns one of the biggest cargo company in the philippines-usa, foreign exchange, bought pads for rent in rockwell, cockfighting stadium and one of the biggest resort in Batangas.

swerte na lang kaming mga apo at di namin naranasan yun naranasan nila.

[raspberryglace04]

buti pa kayo "rags to riches" na istorya nyo... kami ng family ko parang rags to rags pa din.

pangarap ko sana na mai-ahon ang pamilya ko (sa maternal grandparents side) sa hirap, kasi bata pa ako nakita ko na kung pano kami maliitin ng mga ibang kamag-anak ng lolo ko na mas may sinasabi sa buhay.

nag-pursige akong makatapos, di na ako kailangan piliting mag-aral. i actually graduated cum laude from UP - Manila. pero parang hindi pa din ako sinwerte sa buhay. i even studied law but hindi ko natapos kasi hindi matibay ang sikmura ko sa mga "dealings" ng attys.

pero eto ako... nasa callcenter. couldn't really say na dukhang-dukha ako pero definitely hindi naman ako yung "rags to riches" na.

sana nga tamaan na ako ng matinding swerte! para naman kahit paano marami akong matulungan sa mga kamag-anak ko.

[kutingpie]

nice thread..very inspiring..may pagasa pa kami ni hubby..thanks sa mga story nyo mga sis

[poshgal24]

In laws ko to:

MIL and F-I-L eloped at the age of 19, after they graduated. They lived in a barong barong in Sampaloc and literally, kama daw nila is carton kasi wala sila pambili ng gamit dahil tinakwil sila ng parents.

F-I-L worked as an assistant sa Pier, and MIL was stay at home wife. F-I-L thru hardwork and perseverance slowly learned the tricks of the trade and became a broker then became a prominent brokerage owner at the age of 35. MIL with the money my F-I-L was saving started buying lots at pre-selling prices and opened a small pawnshop and 1 pawnshop became 10 and she also started selling jewelry at that time. Both were working day and night because they have 8 kids to feed.

Now, they could buy anything they want and they are living their dream. Their wealth can support 5 generations without any of them doing anything.  If you think about it, they can retire now but they choose not to, my F-I-L and MIL are still working but on their own time- they work but they are relaxed and no pressure to earn anymore. They fully enjoy working especially now that they do not need to-

A lot of their contemporaries became rich and then lost it to gambling, vices, separation etc but my in laws stayed together and became bigger.

When I asked them for their secret, my MIL said:  KEEP THE FAMILY TOGETHER, SAVE FIRST and NEVER INVEST ON ANYTHING YOU HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE ABOUT.

Karamihan daw ng kilala nyang naghirap is when couples separate and nagsuffer ang mga anak. This means don't get married if you are not 100% SURE of the other person.


edited the F I L since the system recognized it as textspeak.

[betty]

nice stories...

[ogre]

sana may mag post pa. very inspiring.

[shopaholic_princess]

it really amazes me when i get to hear stories like this.. most especially the rags to riches stories of the Filipino-Chinese bussiness tycoons here in Philippines.. i really took time to watch the docu of abs last sun. (Walang Iwanan) about the the different sucess stories of our renowned bussinessmen..

[Chili1113]

^^ sis poshgal, nice story. And while i really respect the wisdom of your MIL's advice, I respectfully disagree with the ff:

"Karamihan daw ng kilala nyang naghirap is when couples separate and nagsuffer ang mga anak. This means don't get married if you are not 100% SURE of the other person."

I honestly dont see the connection in what separating has to do with financial success. Although I do agree that statistically people who are happily married with supportive spouses tend to do better in life (as mentioned in the millioraire next door book).

Otherwise, there is no truth to this notion

[poshgal24]

Hehe, malabo ba? Sige sis I will explain why:

When couples separate especially those who migrated abroad, usually mag-aaway yan tapos lahat ng ari-arian nila paghahatian. So imbis na sabihin natin 10 M meron sila together, it becomes 5M + 5M

Imbis na may bahay sila na malaki, they have to downgrade to a smaller house kasi isa na lang ang parent sa bahay. So ibebenta ang malaking bahay at hahatiin ang pera imbis na joint asset sana yun para sa mga bata.

Now, if you have 10M joint savings, mas may leverage ka to engage in business or whatever you want to engage in like time deposit man yan or what, mas malaki ang interest ng 10M kesa 5M

Pag may 10M kayo na joint, mas makaka-loan ka ng malaki sa bank--usually 8M ang maximum loan kung may deposit ka na 10M, again that's leverage for a couple. Mas madali mo mapopondohan ang anumang business or project na gusto mo pagkakitaan.

Ngayon, pag naghihiwalay, mabuti kung parehong magstrive sila para sa anak nila. Usually, isa na lang ang nagsisikap at yun ang parent kung nasan ang mga anak naiwan. 

The other parent, imbis na maging supportive, puwedeng mag-asawa ng iba at magka-anak sa iba so yun na yung focus nya. Minsan pa nga, malululong sa bisyo like babae, alak or sugal dahil shempre malungkot ang mag-isa. Walang drive na magtrabaho kasi nasira ang pamilya. Magaabot kung magkano lang ang kaya sa mga anak na nasa poder ng kabila.  Bottom line miski idemanda mo pa yung other parent for child support, ibibigay lang nya kung ano kaya nya at di mo sha mapipilit. Ganyan nangyari sa kapatid ko kaya nasa US na sha ngayon being a single mom, di nya kinaya support family nya dito she had to work abroad.

Ngayon ang mga anak, lalaking broken family-- pag mahina ang loob at di maganda ang pagpapalaki, masisira pa ang kinabukasan. Magdadrugs or di mag-aaral mabuti. Ending, hindi magiging maunlad ang buhay. Sabihin na nating hindi naman lahat ganyan pero ilang beses na ba tayo nakakita ng batang broken family ang dahilan kung bakit nagpabaya sa sariling buhay? Masasabi ba natin na NEVER itong nangyari? Totoo namang may ganyan di ba.

Ang ending kasi sa broken family, isa sa inyo will act na single parent and mahirap yon. Mas mahirap para sa isang single parent na mapaunlad ang buhay kesa kung may katuwang ka na nagmamahal at sumusuporta sa yo at kasabay mo na nagtatrabaho.

Shempre case to case basis yan, but my MIL told her story from her own circle of friends. Kumbaga yun ang common na nangyari sa kilala nya nung time nya.

Ang pinaparating lang ng MIL ko sa amin non is mag-asawa ng taong alam mo na aalagaan ka at mamahalin ka miski ano mangyari, at the same time yung mamahalin mo at aalagaan mo din miski ano mangyari. Mahalaga daw yan sa pagkakaroon ng maganda at masaganang buhay. Kasi hindi madaling makipaghiwalay--madaming consequences na hindi maganda.

How can you say there is NO truth to it when madami nga shang kilala na ganun ang nangyari? Kaya nga nya kinuwento sa min, and sure enough kilala ng family namin yung mga tinukoy nyang tao at naghirap talaga sila.

Maybe you can say ITS NOT ALWAYS TRUE but to say there is NO truth to it is simply wrong. It is TRUE based from her life experience.

Maybe it will be easier if I say what she meant in a different way:

***Mas madali para sa isang pamilya na buo at magkakasama ang umunlad dahil sama sama, tulong tulog at sumusuporta sa isa't isa. Mas inspired magtrabaho therefore mas productive, kesa sa isang pamilya na watak watak.****

Ang payo binibigay yan ng kusa at libre, nasa sa yo kung alin ang gagamitin mo at alin ang hindi di ba? Nevertheless, lahat ng payo pag solicited, I consider them as a gift and Im thankful sa ano mang pinayo nya sa ken. Again, sa AKIN nya yan sinabi at pinayo, hindi sa lahat ng tao. Shinare ko lang dito dahil baka makatulong din sa iba. Now, if it does not help you then by all means, dont use it-

Ang mahalaga, ako alam ko na totoo sha kaya may halaga sa akin yung payong yan.

[realmofadreamer]

thanks to those who shared their stories. Nakakatuwa lang na kahit papaano, natututo din ako sa experience ng iba.

[Chili1113]

^^ yup i get what you mean. Good for you, that you and your MIL understand each other.

I agree 100 percent and it is a no-brainer that families should be supportive of each other. Help one another, and make sacrifices for one another. Of course getting separated or annulled will mean having to divide property or assets.

However the truth is there are a lot of people who prosper even more after going through crises in their personal lives/marriages. And yes, even after going through a separation of property and not getting due child support.

Take a look at the local tycoons and the richest and wealthiest of this country. A lot of them have broken families. Take Lucio Tan himself with the ultimate rags to riches tale. Do u have any idea how many wives/families he has? Another is Tonyboy Cojuangco even with a mistress who brags and spends right and left.

Also, Ive seen many families who are broken apart and sometimes they become more financially successful after. The mom of my friend totally bloomed financially after finally having the guts to leave her shabby husband. So what if they had to divide all their assets? Ill tell you that she made more out of the HALF she got after their separation than she ever did when she had access too double that money after she had gotten away. I guess she made better financial judgments without her husband.

POINT is... a statement is only true IF it always holds true. Otherwise, the statement then becomes a fallacy.  Its good that you qualified what you said earilier otherwise it would have been wrong to make such a generalization and assumption.

Good of you to clear that its on a case to case basis. Just be careful on making statements that are generalizations that are bordering on being judgmental.

Bottom line is... like what you said... the successful one is the one who remains focused and strives, regardless of the circumstances in life, and regardless of whether they stay married or not. IT DOESNT MATTER now whether they re-marry, have other kids, lead a single life, etc etc etc now does it??!

The vices and gambling is another story. Tell your sister who is a single mother and living in the US, those statements of yours and lets see if shell agree with you.

[marief2rnurse]

To succeed in life, you have to have very high ambitions
para kahit half lang mareach mo, maganda na rin yun kasi nga super high naman.

Never forget the people who helped you get to where you are.

Work hard on your goals, di pwedeng dream lang. 

Be honest with your dealings, if product ang tinda mo, kailangan good quality para kahit word of mouth, dagdag benta din yun.

May nakilala ako, dating tindera yung wife, yung guy naman kargador sa divisoria.  They got involved in Avon until they had their own branch in España, biglaan nga daw yun eh.  Kasi diba sa Avon if you sell a certain amount each month 50% discount na sayo, eh they have a lot of people under them making 25% so if one is making a certain amount, they also make that same amount dahil nga sa combined sales.  I know this is not for everybody, I don't like the idea either kasi nagpapautang sila ng 30 days.  They do a background check and go to the applicant's house bago nila bigyan ng credit line.  Ako pa naman ayaw na ayaw ko nagpapautang.  Pero swertehan lang din, imagine from tindera sa kalsada and kargador sa Divi, they now have a car, a business, are able to send their kids to good colleges...

Ako, I started from nothing.  When I gave up my life in America, naging PaL ako.  Until my mom decided to stop sending me money kasi 33 na raw ako.  I tried online selling.  Honestly mga una kong benta, after the buyer paid me, I went to buy the item then sent it the same day.  Dumami nagtrust sa akin until I was able to save up so much, now I can buy almost anything I desire.  Ang ugali ko, I make sure pag sinabi ko, ginagawa ko kasi ayoko masisira sa buyer.  I can still remember when I used to search the net and could only dream of buying things, now ako pa nakakapagpadala sa mom ko.  Magsipag talaga, magtiyaga.  Pag maikli pa ang kumot, diba pagkasyahin.  And when you're earning, always pray and thank God for your blessings.  Pag aralan mabuti ang mga gustong gawin bago gawin.  Goodluck!

[poshgal24]

^^

E Kaya nga iisa lang si Lucio Tan sa mundo, dahil kakaiba ang galing nya. Yung mga sinasabi mong tycoons, ilan lang yan- mabibilang lang yan sa daliri compared sa sea of people na di umunlad dahil nasira ang pamilya.

Di ko alam kung anong issue mo with regards to what I said dahil wala naman ako sinabing TOTOO YAN PARA SA LAHAT pero yung sinabi mo HINDI TOTOO YUNG SINABI NG MIL KO e medyo foul yun.

As I have said, you can say its NOT ALWAYS TRUE. Hindi mo naman pwede igeneralize lahat ng bagay 100%, may exceptions lagi ang lahat ng bagay.

And yes, my sister agrees with me dahil the reason she's in the states is she lost everything dahil sa paglaban sa kaso ng child support sa ex-husband nya who is by the way a rich man also. He harassed my sister for 6 years sa kaso ng child support and refused to give support to their 2 daughters. He filed for bankruptcy, miski hindi totoo. My sister spent 2 million in that case alone, 6 years hearing dito, hearing don.

My pamangkins had to transfer from Poveda to another school dahil hindi na kaya ng ate ko ang gastos. My sister had to sell her house to move to the US. Now my pamangkins study abroad dahil yun ang mas practical sa ate ko dahil libre school don.

October 1 lang natapos yung case, walang nakuha ang ate ko-  dahil dismissed ang case after 6 years sa sobrang lakas maglagay ng ex-husband nya. Hindi rin talaga mapipilit yung husband nya magbigay ng financial support dahil civil case lang yan, walang kulong. Ako nagasikaso nyan dahil 3 years nang wala dito ate ko. She wasted 2Million and 6 years of stress on that case only to lose and for her kids to get traumatized dahil pati sila pina-appear sa court hearing. Muntik pa silang kidnappin-

Now you understand why I believe its true?

[whimsyme]

hi!  keep the stories coming. i'm inspired by your stories      i want to put up my own business someday.  i know i have to start small muna to minimize the risk but i'm still clueless about what business to venture into.  I have ideas but nothing definite yet.  i come from a middle class family and with some properties.  sadly, nobody in the family is entrepreneurial so there's nobody to turn to in terms of that.  one thig is for sure though, i'll do whatever is necessary for me to achieve this