How I Took Big Risks In Search Of Big Change

My adventures from a sheltered child growing up in the Philippines to becoming a technology entrepreneur in the United States have taught me many important lessons.

Through it all, my journey has been guided by my desire for continual growth.

When I arrived in the United States, I was overwhelmed with all of the new things I needed to know. But in the process of learning English, learning our nation’s laws, learning how to become a citizen, learning the societal norms… something magical happened:

I learned how to learn.

Fast forward to 2010, I was working as an engineer and developing my technical management skills. I grew fast. I excelled until I came across many bottlenecks that slowed down my growth — mostly bureaucracy and politics.

I did not let those challenges stop me from growing. Rather, I shifted my focus and was able to accomplish one of my goals before I turned thirty — I left my corporate job in search of more.

In the pursuit of growth, I chose to travel the world. It was an eye-opening experience.

People asked me how I did it. I invested my saved resources towards personal growth. I was debt-free, I put away a bunch of money into savings, and I acquired great assets by the age of 27.

It was a tough decision to give up the financial security of a corporate job but it was a good time to leave. I chose growth. 

After my worldly adventures I met my partner, Brad. Who had been building software which aligned with my experiences and goals.

Now, I am helping my partner bootstrap Sitecast and have dove head-first into building our company. We declined venture capital and did not pursue the investors’ route. It is much more challenging to self-fund but in the long run, we will have a better return and a more enjoyable process. Both of us are growing for every decision we make. 

I have learned so much more during the past few years in business than all of the years I spent in the corporate world. 

I am positive we can accomplish anything we put our mind and hearts to — when we work together. 

Being mindful, resourceful, and knowing to prioritize actionable items are extremely important skills. 

The key, I’ve learned, is to have a growth mindset. At times, I let my fear sabotage my critical thinking process but I am still learning. It requires big risks to make big changes. I have to get out of my comfort zone and traverse the areas I’m not familiar with. Brad and I need to be strategic to crush the mounds of tactical work. 

On that note, I am going to continue to focus on becoming a good technology entrepreneur by allocating my time and energy to educate myself through books, developing my skills, and keeping a positive outlook on life.

Keeping a growth mindset, above all, has been the key to my success. It’s not easy, but the struggle is worth it.