Young—and Millionaire Already!

A story that must be told:

Young—and Millionaire Already!

By ANA KRISTINE B. VALENZUELA

MOD August 2010

SUCCESS and wealth are two different things. One might have all the money in the world but not necessarily loving what she does or having worked hard for it. Yet, the important question is: how does one achieve them exactly? It might be being open to new ideas or even learning the value of putting aside some money for future use. Here are two young women managed to hit two birds with just one stone.

Catherine Ilacad

Posh nails owner

“MY dad, who owned Octoarts and Virgin Café, wanted me to head the marketing department of our businesses right after I graduated from college. At first, I was reluctant to the idea of being someone’s boss. So I started out as a marketing assistant.

While doing research for one of our projects, I thought of opening a restaurant or a nail salon crossed mind. My dad agreed to the nail salon venture. At the time, there weren’t many nail salons in Greenhills, where I live. People had to go to parlors just to have their nails done. So I thought, ‘Yeah, this could be a very viable location for a business.’ We got a space in north Greenhills, which served as the first branch of Posh Nails which opened in 2002.

I was only 22 when I started. Age was an issue because I found it hard to put my foot down and implement rules among my employees who were all older then I was and most of the clients would not believe that I owned the place. Thankfully, the nail technicians were all cooperative and our clients were pleased with our services as Posh Nails grew through the years.

We have been in this industry for eight years already. And I can say is that we are a mover for we continuously introduce something new to the market like the concept of couches for comfort for the clients and the themed pedicures. I make it a point to be always one step ahead of everybody, like we already offered green tea pedicures and the competition is only offering it now.

Now, Posh Nails is open to franchising. Today, we have eleven operational branches and only one is company-owned.

Posh Nails grew because I was brave with my idea. A little idea may seem silly, but its’ not. It is how you make it into a reality. Don’t be afraid to try something new. You never know if that might be your money maker, or if that might make you a millionaire. Don’t be afraid to be ahead of the pack. Love your work, and love the people you work with.”

Eleanore :

Stockmarket darling

“SAVING money allowed me to invest in the stock market and now my net worth is more then three million bucks. I really have to thank my mom, because ever since I was a kid, she has imposed upon me to have a compulsory savings plan---set aside a part of my weekly allowance and birthday and Christmas gifts to my own bank account. When I graduated, I was shocked to discover that the amount my mother saved for me was a whopping P136,000.

At first, I was at a crossroads. I didn't know what to do with the huge amount of money. I thought about opening my own business, but the capital required for the business I had in mind was way out of my budget. I thought of letting my savings grow in the bank, but then banks offered only a small interest per annum. So I decided it was best for me to invest my money in stocks as my dad had been trading stocks for almost 25 years. I decided to learn how to invest my pesos properly by attending a stock market seminar and understanding investment methods.

I began slowly, so I first took out P6,000 to put in one company. Then after two months, I slowly bought shares of three good companies consistently, every month. I studied the right investments strategies and was careful on what companies to place my money in. Now, from an initial capital of P136,000, I have a profit of 2,189.70%.

Anyone can invest in the stock market since the required capital is minimum. Most people just listen to tips and buy stocks based on speculation, not on analyzed research. When looking for options to make your money grow, keep yourself well-informed. Choose stocks wisely, make sure that these are fundamentally strong companies and recommended by top stock analysts.”