However, this is not your usual make money affiliate program for products designed to earn commissions on several levels, commonly known as Multi-level Marketing (MLM). I do have several internet marketing and MLM online business memberships designed to earn passive income - but this one’s quite different.

I am talking about a real Product that I am currently actively promoting. The concept is not new, however, its existence is not yet so popular especially in the Philippines. Critics and competition are saying it will face big challenges in terms of market acceptance - however, they themselves have slowly embraced the concept and introduced similar initiatives.

I am talking about Software as A Service or SaaS. It is similar to what others called “cloud computing” but differs in some ways. SaaS is about on-demand software - you pay per use. Clients pay a subscription (usually monthly) to use the software. Software is hosted, accessible via the internet, thus Clients only need to invest on a PC and good internet connection.

Unlike traditional Software Vendors, Clients don’t need to pay software licenses and annual maintenance, they don’t need to purchase hardwares/servers to host the software application. This means there’s no need to put a server room, with aircon and power generators. No need to put up a huge IT organization and support staff to run the software. To put it simply, Companies even the small ones can NOW use business softwares that used to cost millions of pesos - where big and multinational companies can only afford to invest.

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Three months ago I ventured into something that I considered the biggest challenge yet of my life and career - quitting freelance Business Consulting and start my own IT/Business Consulting company. Together with a very supportive and great business partner - I took the challenge that I know will greatly change everything: income, time for blogging and gimmicks, and a radical change to lifestyle.

It wasn’t an easy decision - plus the market is very competitive, the economy is not doing well, it is already start of the calendar year’s third quarter - where most companies are either done with their projects or are out of budgets for new projects. There seemed to be lots of challenges ahead and I was overwhelmed at the thought - what if I fail?

Fear of “failure” is probably one of the top reasons why many people opt not to venture into business, but rather play safe. After all, who doesn’t want to have a steady, fixed income anyway? With this, you can plan well your spendings, and put some money aside for future expenditures and keep some amount for savings.

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If you are engaged in a business - either as owner, partner or employee, chances are you are dependent on your “Customers” to generate revenue, pay the bills and make a profit. Haven’t heard of any single successful business with no Customers anyway - unless you’re in for some really serious “monkey business”.

So, we are talking about Customers, and how to get more Customers for your business. And it’s not just about getting more Customers, it’s also about taking good care of your Customers - or definitely somebody else will. Thus, one needs to completely manage all aspects of Customer Management, from getting those potential leads, making that first call/visit, taking notes of vital Customer information like address, contacts, revenue, and yeah - include birthdates, not just email, and phone numbers.

In these times of stiff competition on a shrinking global marketplace where goods and services are available even in the internet, you cannot afford to miss any single opportunity to add a Customer to your list of accounts and in driving or fulfilling their demands and requirements. This is where Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System is really helpful. Implementing a CRM system for your business - big or small significantly increase your awareness regarding how you generate new leads, and how your customers do business with you - their buying patterns and behaviour, revenue share, and many more analytics and information. It also give you an opportunity to adopt a globally accepted standard or best practices in managing your active and potential accounts.

So what is CRM?

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Big or small.

This is what the LAMP Enterprise business software is all about. LAMP Enterprise is a true on-demand Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution that follows the concept of “Software as a Service“. There is no license or annual maintenance to pay, unlike traditional ERP softwares which cost as much as Php10M (U$250K) to Php20M ((U$500K) on the average, plus the client pays an average of 20% annual maintenance fee.

LAMP Enterprise ERP is developed using Open Source tools, thus greatly reducing cost of ownership. No annual maintenance to pay, no IT Team to build, no costly Server to put up (although clients can opt to host the application themselves should they prefer). You can even reduce your software license costs since it can run on Linux or Ubuntu Operating systems - since you only need an internet browser to use the software.

Support is provided 24×7, and customers from all over the world can use the application with all of its features that can easily rival the big ERP systems like Oracle and SAP. Charging is per User on a monthly basis, and you get all the modules:

General Ledger, Accounts Payable, Account Receivables, Fixed Assets, Cash Management, Inventory, Purchasing, Manufacturing Planning, Production Control, Quality Management, Payroll, Service, Sales and Web Ordering.

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While Dyimz shared his experiences on how the internet saved his @$$, I am sharing my experience on how Google AdSense gave me shelter. The post title seemed to be amplified but Google AdSense did give me a place to stay when I needed it most.

I went to Batangas (about 110 kilometers from Manila) last Thursday with a colleague to conduct a business process and requirements review of a client of this new Oracle project. I learned only about this activity the day before - and as with my previous business trips - I only grabbed my small travel backpack enough for 2-3 days. All are just clothings - personal hygiene stuff. Soaps, shampoos, towels are not included since accommodations are always provided complete with these stuffs already.

The trip to the client’s site in San Roque, Batangas via STAR highway took only an hour and a half drive from Makati - a big improvement than my previous trips in the area: 6 or 7 years ago, it was about 5 hours drive to reach the area, then travel time was just 3 hours when the first segments of STAR highway (Sto. Tomas up to Lipa City) was opened about 4-5 years ago. Today, the STAR highway is extended up to Batangas City so the travel time from Sto. Tomas to Batangas City, which used to be about 3-4 hours some years ago, is now reduced to just 30-45 minutes.

We were in time for the 9:0am scheduled meeting. It was a productive first day, and a very exhausting one as expected. Unfortunately, the executive houses of the client were all occupied (as there were also other Consultants) and we were assigned to a common dormitory about 2 kilometers from the plant. Seeing the place - a two-bed room, which was relatively okay, except for the common comfort room shared by 2-3 more rooms. I can sleep on a chair, as long as there’s a comfy CR, so at around 8pm, I decided to look for a more comfortable place to stay.

However, my cash was just Php1,500.00 - I normally don’t bring big cash when I travel, since everything is paid for by clients. We learned after some calls that there’s a nice hotel in Batangas City, about 14 kilometers from San Roque town - but I was so sure my cash is not enough to get us rooms for the night. As we entered Batangas City, a big yellow Western Union sign of a popular pawnshop chain caught my attention - and I remembered Google sent me a payment via Western Union several weeks back. Fortunately, I copied the transfer code or MTCN # on my phone. The guy at the counter was extra friendly - after filling up the forms, showed my ID - he gave me close to Php10K of hard moolahs.

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