WALK THE TALK: LORD DALINAS’ MANTRA AS A TECHNOPRENEUR
“If you want to be respected, you should walk the talk. You should practice what you preach. It actually remains a challenge for me to do it and be consistent about it.”
Moving to GenSan and the pressing issues of the local ICT industry
In 2013, he moved to GenSan to start his IT-BPO companies Custard Apple Outsourcing and Alternative Solutions, Inc. Despite the failure of his tech business in Davao City, he remained determined to continue his mission to help the start-up industry.
“There were a lot of reasons why my IT-BPO business failed in Davao. I had bad decisions and partners. I was very lenient and did not want to see the financial aspects of the business,” Lord admits. “I learned the hard way. I studied business and met mentors who helped me in my business. I learned from my experience.”
Moving to GenSan was not easy because he had to start from scratch. It was difficult financially and the power crisis that time was contributing to the companies’ problem. Lord had eventually surpassed these challenges and his businesses grew, thanks to his passion and determination to succeed.
“If you want to be respected, you should walk the talk. You should practice what you preach. It actually remains a challenge for me to do it and be consistent about it.”
For the past six years, Lord has been organizing start-up events to help the growing Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry in GenSan. He is an active member of GenSan’s ICT Council and conducts free seminars, in collaboration with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the local government.
“At first, no one was listening to me. It’s hard when people don’t recognize you. That’s why I organized my own events to create awareness.”
Lord noticed the lack of understanding among the ICT practitioners in GenSan and the weak leadership in managing ICT groups or events.
“It comes with a responsibility to learn how ICT works and its political dynamics. How can you give proper inputs if you don’t have in-depth knowledge about it?” says Lord. “I know that they are still learning, and these things are still new for them.”
Lord is also concerned about the mindset of some people in GenSan. He explains that though there are talents in GenSan, they are not based in the city.
“We brand GenSan as ‘Home of the Champions’ but most of our talents are not based in GenSan. We need to develop our talents here and to utilize their skills. We need to have the right environment to help them prosper,” Lord says.
“Whether we admit it or not, Davao sees GenSan as a poaching ground for talents. As you can observe, they get our talents here. Those who have the experience working in Davao, we don’t expect them to share their knowledge here in GenSan.”
Lord bases his claims on the weak support they get and the cultivation of the right environment to flourish such talents. The Department of Science and Technology-Information and Communications Technology Office (now Department of Information and Communications Technology) identified GenSan as one of the “next wave cities” back in 2012 but the city’s rank slipped down in 2015. The ranking was based on the city’s ability to enable and support the entry and growth of IT-BPM companies. The presence of talents is also a key indicator for a location’s potential to be a credible IT-BPO hub.
Lord also observes that there’s stagnation or lack of innovation on the part of the ICT players in GenSan. They are stuck with the concept of “authority” on a certain field, which created the mentality of sticking to one’s idea or expertise, and not being open for collaboration and new ideas.
“The start-up business is very dynamic and some entrepreneurs have a traditional business approach. If you study the start-up companies that have flourished over the years, you can say that they are all beneficial to the local, national, and international economy. The potential is quite huge,” says Lord.
Education is also a factor to the development of the ICT sector. As he relates, what is taught in schools is way different from what’s happening in the industry.
“In GenSan, we notice that most schools have a certain focus, such as animation. But is this focus fit for GenSan? The problem lies with the lack of proper assessment on what’s right for the learners and the demand of the industry. For example, GenSan has a lot of graphic designers, but do we have programs for them? Why not offer a call center course instead since GenSan tops the English proficiency test conducted by PLDT. It’s a challenge to teach them not to be a plain worker but an entrepreneur.”
Lord initiated an OJT program for graduating IT students to help broaden their knowledge and experience. He also conducts campus tours to raise awareness on the importance of start-ups.
“We should address all these gaps in order to move forward,” says Lord.
“If you want to be respected, you should walk the talk. You should practice what you preach. It actually remains a challenge for me to do it and be consistent about it.”
The Rainmaker of Region 12
For the past two years, Lord initiated the SOX Start-Up Challenge, in collaboration with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the local government of GenSan. Somehow, it has become an eye opener to the people of GenSan. The participants were able to conduct market research, pitch, and test their product ideas. “It is planting the seed of technopreneurial spirit,” Lord describes of the project.
“It’s good to have this kind of event. But it needs to level up and put more emphasis on start-ups. GenSan is behind in terms of cultivating our start-up talents here compare to other cities, like Manila or Cebu.”
As an Ideaspace Ambassador and Department of Information and Communications Technology’s (DICT) Rainmaker for Region 12, Lord knows the importance of knowledge transfer, especially to the young generation.
“It boils down to attitude. It determines your success in life. And we should always listen to the right people,”
Attitude matters
Lord believes that attitude determines one’s success in life. “It boils down to attitude. It determines your success in life. And we should always listen to the right people,” says Lord.
Lord knows that good leadership can help the ICT industry grow. If the leaders are open to learn and willing to listen, it would create a learning environment which promotes open-mindedness, collaboration, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
“The government should work together with the private sector. They should look for businesses that are really ICT players in the industry. Players that are really making a difference. The government should be more open towards ICT businesses and events because it’s where we are going. We can’t deny that ICT is growing.”
“The public needs to explore and try to venture in this type of business, especially the possible investors. I also urge the education sector to be more open towards collaboration and cultivating the right environment for the learners. In that way, we can produce more technopreneurs. I also encourage the business sector to be more supportive on the ICT initiatives in the region.”
“For the aspiring technopreneurs, just keep on learning. You should never be contented on the things you have learned. You should explore more, be curious, and learn from others.”
“It’s time for change. We need to adapt to these changes,” Lord says.
