When God Closes a Door, Somewhere He Opens a Window

Hubby always tells me -- Let go! Snap out of it!

It's been 8 months since I lost Lira, my 2nd daughter. And 8 months since I neglected my flourishing business. In my mind, they were born together. It was last February 2010 when I learned that I will be flying to the Netherlands to be a part of BiD Networks Women in Business competition, a vision that I have been eyeing after Rags2Riches won the grand prize of the BiD Challenge in 2009. By end February, I got pregnant. Last July 17, Lira died at 22 weeks of my pregnancy. My business died with her.

Today, my major retailer decided to pull out my product from their store because of its poor performance. I know why. I stopped marketing it. I stopped being aggressive in making it a global brand. But also today, I got an email from BiD, my sponsor in the Netherlands. My business has been upgraded for matchmaking to investors. One very high end resort also just sent me info on their order of the product. I have a mix of emotions now.

When God Closes a Door, Somewhere He Opens a Window.



Lira, my angel, tell me where to go. I want to snap out of this loss and move on.

Diversity, Gender Gap, and Women Empowerment

When I was in The Hague, one of the important meetings I attended was a Women in Leadership Forum sponsored by the ING Group (a Financial Institution). The presenters were Jacqui Robertson, Head of ING Global Diversity and Amita Ramnarain, an awardee of Entrepreneur of the Year in the Netherlands. The women entrepreneurs who attended came from Colombia, Kenya, Niger, India and the Philippines. The BiD Challenge was dominated by male entrepreneurs, or about 75% if I am not mistaken.





During the training, it was discussed that companies like ING are encouraging the female employees to step up and take important positions in their company. Under usual circumstances, the corporate world is led mostly by males. Amita, on the other hand, shared her story as to how she became a successful entrepreneur and the sacrifices she went through. Thanks for a supportive husband who allowed her to excel in her chosen field.



For me, the most important part of the training was the sharing among the BiD Challenge female entrepreneurs. What struck me and fellow Filipina, Marianne Olano, the most was the fact that women from other countries do not enjoy the same freedom as most Filipinas in their respective careers. Some women had to give up their careers if their spouses are already way behind their achievements. Some cannot even drive newer cars than their husbands! I know this also happens in some families in the Philippines, but I rarely hear about it from the experiences of my own friends and families.

Here's a link on the Gender Gap Report 2009, which was put together by the World Economic Forum. http://www.weforum.org/en/Communities/Women%20Leaders%20and%20Gender%20Parity/GenderGapNetwork/index.htm

Interestingly, the Philippines is in the top 10 of the survey and even the highest ranked Asian country. As a Filipina, we should take advantage of the fact that we are given this opportunity to excel in our respective fields with very little issues. We should continue loving our husbands and kids, but we should always remember that we have all the right to enjoy and share our skills and talents with others through our work and passions.