Two Boats Are Better Than One

For three consecutive months the JWDR Fishing boat, the boat where I invested my 50k, suffered major losses due to successive bad catch.

 A depressed businessman. Photo Credits

In the first month, the boat docked at Indonesia to comply with the quarterly docking requirement of their fisheries and marine bureau. They were only able to catch few tuna on their way there. The sales that it brought in was only enough to pay for the corresponding dues. Adding to that, the Indonesian Rupiah has a lower value than a Philippine peso. If I'm not mistaken, the equivalent of 1 Philippines peso was 225 Indonesian Rupiah at that time.

What Kind of Plywood Works Best For A Boat

Few days later, Ramil and I searched for the electric chainsaw from hardware and electrical supplies stores in Gensan. We inquired from a lot of stores to compare the prices and we ended up buying one from ECCO Hardware in Pioneer Avenue who offered the lowest price. The last price of their 14-inch Makita Electric Chainsaw was 22k pesos.

14-inch Makita Electric Chainsaw

A couple of days after, Ramil and I delivered the electric chainsaw as requested by our boat builder, Usop. At this time, Usop also informed us that he will be needing the marine plywoods to be used in the icebox and sidings of the boat. We went straight to the neighboring town, Kiamba, to look for the 3/8-inch Santa Clara Marine Plywood. Unfortunately, it was out of stock in all the construction supply stores there. The demand for this kind of marine plywood was very high and boat builders won't use other brands aside from the Santa Clara.

First Visit To The Boatyard

It was not until mid-August that I was able to visit our boatyard in Barangay Lumatil, Maasim, Sarangani Province. Ramil and I drove off very early in the morning with our motorbikes. From our hometown, Polomolok, it took us almost one hour and thirty minutes to arrive at the area.

Motor ride. Photo Credits

From the national highway, we took a turn into a narrow and slippery path leading towards the shore. I saw very tall coconut trees in the area and a lot of goats running around. At a distance, there were small nipa huts that seemed to camouflage with the beauty of nature. We went straight ahead and I just followed Ramil wherever he went.

One Man's Junk Is Another Man's Treasure

Have you seen a bote bakal collector?

Bote Bakal Collector In The Philippines.

For sure, if you live in the Philippines, you often see a lot of them on the streets riding on their pedicab while shouting the words "BOTE(bottle)" and "Bakal(Steel)" over and over. These guys collect recyclable garbage from households like empty bottles, cartons, newspapers, plastic wares, nails, electrical wires, and steel of any form. Right after they've collected sufficient quantity, they deliver it to junk-shops who, in turn, pay them according to the value of the garbage they brought in.

When I was a kid, I've had a lot of friends who worked as bote bakal collectors during summer time for fun. Seeing from the look of their faces, I can say that they had a great time doing it and not even bothering the heat of the sun. Adding to that, they did not only enjoy biking around the town but also made some money out of it at the same time. I even remembered one of my friends treating us with snacks after being paid by the junk-shop owner with 200 pesos (way back then, 200 pesos was already a big amount) when he brought 5 kilos of electrical wires. Later did I know that it was because of the copper found inside the wires.

Get Your Engines Ready

Instead of just two weeks, the hardwood logs arrived one month and two weeks after it was ordered by Ramil. The delay became a blessing in disguise because it gave me enough time to look for the cash needed for the boat building project after Jhoven backed out.

During this time, Ramil and I went to different surplus engine shops to look for an engine that's suitable for our boat. We opted to look for it in surplus shops because brand new engines are unavailable in our area and it's very expensive. Besides, these surplus engines are still in good condition.

Surplus 4DR5 Engine.

How I Raised Money - If There's A Will, There's A Way

Based on Ramil's records, it will take around 2 to 3 months for a boat to be completely built from scratch.

And within that span of time, I needed to raise half of its cost which was estimated to be around 180k pesos.

Piggy Bank Savings. Photo Credits

Summing up all the money from my different bank accounts, I only have 135k pesos and a part of it was already used to pay for the down-payment of the hardwood logs. Thus, I still need 45k pesos more.

I knew that I could not depend on my salary to raise this amount in a very short period. Also, my salary is not that big that I can just use a portion of it without considering a lot of things. Even though I was still living with my parents, I still need money for my basic needs like food, clothing, transportation, and some other necessary things. That leaves me with just a few thousand savings each month.

Never Back Down

Two weeks later, the three of us convened again....

The male casts of 90s tv show "Friends'. Photo Credits

I was hoping to hear some good news about the hardwood logs that was ordered by Ramil.
But when I asked Ramil about its status, he informed us that the loggers were having a hard time transporting down the logs from the mountains due to unfavorable weather conditions.
That was kinda disappointing to hear because it would certainly add more delay to the start of the boat construction.
But, I also understood that those things were beyond our control and we can't blame anyone about it.

We Can Build This Dream Together

Then it was decided...

Paper boat. Photo Credits

That we will build another boat...
Ramil, Johven, and I will be the owners of this boat.
Based on our estimates, the cost of building one boat is 360k Pesos.
So, each of us needs to chip in 120k Pesos.

Is There Really A Truth Behind Every Joke?

The next day...

A typical Filipino lunch. Photo Credits

After I finished taking my delicious 20 pesos lunch, I immediately went to our MIS technical office to share with Ramil about what Jeffrey did to his fishing boats...

I started our conversation saying, "Mil, I have something to share with you about fishing...",
"Oh, really? What is it then?", said Ramil.

You Don't Want To Be Left Behind, Don't You?

One more cup of coffee. Photo Credits

One day, me and my friends from my previous employer agreed to meet up at a local coffee shop. It has been quite a while that we haven't seen each other. I felt very happy knowing that my friends didn't forget me although I already transferred to another company. Big buddy Arze and lover boy Jeffrey was there and also our dear friend Dexter.

I was the last one to arrive there and, when I did, I immediately asked each of these guys about what's going on with their lives. Jeffrey and Dexter recently broke up with their girlfriends while Arze is still courting her longtime crush. Aside from their unpredictable love life, I also learned about the new developments in the department where I was previously a part of. While sharing words with them, I recalled the good memories we've had like playing table tennis during coffee breaks and our unplanned escapades.

Bad Times Don't Last Forever

Pouring rain. Photo Credits

Are you familiar with the saying "when it rains, it pours"?
It basically means that when things go wrong, a lot of things go wrong at the same time.
Something like you got fired, your girlfriend broke up you, and you lost your wallet, all in the same week.
You'd feel very heavy as if you are carrying the whole world on your back.
And that's exactly what I felt when our fishing boat docked for three consecutive times without a positive income.

Be Prepared For Repairs

I just came home from an honest day's work and when I was getting off of my motorcycle I felt something vibrate on my left thigh. I knew that it was a message received by my mobile phone and so I grabbed it out of my pocket to check who it was. It was a text message from Ramil informing me that our boat docked earlier in the morning an that it had a good catch.

A guy reading a text message. Photo Credits

"At last! After a few weeks of break-even, I'll finally receive something again.", I said to myself.

A bad catch causes a head scratch

I already got used to receiving small passive income out of my investment in the fishing business for quite some time. Not very big but still better than not having one. Receiving a couple of thousands twice a month was good enough for me. Besides, I am just sitting here and just waiting for the boat to dock - that's why I called it passive income.

A bunch Philippine coins. Photo Credits

But one day, Ramil came in at our office scratching his head...
At that moment I already knew that something bad happened...

Unforgettable experience: First Investment Catch

Two weeks later...

Just like any ordinary day, I came to the office earlier than most of my co-employees. The lights were still off when I came in. If we were given rankings, I will surely be included in the top ten earliest birds. But still, Ramil arrives in the office earlier than me everyday and we both live in the town of polomolok.

After fixing my hair and taking my vitamins at the comfort room, I went back to my desk and fixed my things getting ready to start another day of work. At a distance, I saw Ramil filling his glass of water from the dispenser. When Ramil saw me, he hurriedly went back to his office as if he left something very important.

Working with laptop. Photo Credits

Few minutes later, as I was reading the news over the Internet, I heard the bio-metric fingerprint access on our door beep. When I took a look of who it was, I saw Ramil. And he was wearing a very big smile.

Start Investing: As You Sow, So Shall You Reap

And so I came to a decision to invest on the starting capital of the fishing boat...

Planting Seeds. Photo Credits

WHY?

First, it isn't too expensive for a beginner like me. One fishing boat costs around Php 300,000.00 and I can't afford to raise that amount at that time whereas, for the starting capital, you only need invest Php 50,000.00 to Php 70,000.00. Second, the risk involved if you are a starting capital financier is somewhat lower. Everytime the boat docks, you automatically get 5% from the gross sales. And third, it's safer because if the boat's catch isn't enough to recover the starting expenses, the remaining amount is carried over the succeeding trips until such time that is recovered...

Start Investing On The Starting Capital

So I asked Ramil what a starting capital means in the fishing business...

Here's what I found out...

Starting capital. Photo credits

Just like in any business, for it to start, you need some money to get it off the ground - a starting capital. This capital is also referred to as the seed money and, in a typical brick and mortar business, this is used to pay rent for office space, permits, furniture, equipment, and professional fees of your employees.

To See Is To Believe

Are you the skeptical type of a  person?

Skeptical guy. Photo Credits

Well, I am especially when it comes to money matters. I guess it's just very hard to believe at something immediately. I've had several experiences wherein I was lured to invest at something that promised immediate and big returns. Of course, who wouldn't want such a thing? But, because I didn't know the business venture that I was in, it didn't work for me. That's why every time I encounter people talking about these schemes, I still find it hard to believe although I know that some of them became successful at it.

Hot Deal: To Invest or Not To Invest

One day, I was doing some computer-related stuff and I can't seem to find my external CD-ROM. For those who doesn't know what a CD-ROM is, it is actually the part of your computer where you put your CDs into. So, my last resort was to go to our technical office and borrow from the guys over there. I was pretty sure they have plenty of it.

When I entered the MIS technical office, Johven and Jhames weren't there. It was then that I remembered that the two went out of town. And again, it was only Ramil that was left in their office. Ramil has grown tired of going to our branches every now and then for more than 5 years and so he assigned his subordinates to handle branch servicing tasks.

Fisherman Calling. Photo Credits

What Will You Do With Your Christmas Bonus

Christmas Balls. Photo Credits

And then the "BER" season came...
For us Filipinos, it is the time when we start putting Christmas decorations in our houses.
It also the time when we start counting how many days before the 25th of December.
You can hear Christmas songs being played in almost every corner and every street.
Oh, how i just love to hear those songs that bring back sweet childhood memories...

Success Secrets - Winners Never Quit

By now, it already seemed very normal for me to see Ramil giving his partners the fruits of their investment. And when that happens, the free lunch of goat specialty recipes follows...

But one day, Ramil came in our office with no traces of joy in his face and like something bad happened. And I was correct with what I thought! Their fishing boat docked but the catch wasn't good. Ramil told Wilbert that their fishing boat was able to catch only very few tuna and its sales were not enough to cover the expenses incurred during the trip...

A depressed man. Photo Credits