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Showing posts with label Dance For Joy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dance For Joy. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

ARISING ENTREPRENEURS



From the research I made about entrepreneurship, so many have participated as they know what I'm writing for is to inspire and educate people in terms of their own testimonials in living "the" dream. I feel abundantly blessed as I thought I would have a hard time gathering people. But with a strong and honest pursuit of encouraging business owner wanna-be's to make it happen, it all came to me making another post.


Here are the fearless purposeful people who, now stands, as CEO's of their own offices. Maybe some of them here may give something to the "idea" that you have in making it big. After all, theirs was just an idea before too.

1. DANCE FOR JOY HK LIMITED


I am taking advantage of the fact that I am in the entertainment business and that many of my friends had expanded their creativity into owning a fitness company. I am surrounded by many a number of talented people and it is a privilege to know some of them personally. Moreover, I have worked alongside these people.

Some of the best times of my life
was sharing the stage and "the weather" with these two.

Dance for Joy Fitness brings dance lovers, passionate performers and willing talents to come together as they rediscover their drive to move. I perfectly remember how Bill is so excited with all the business ideas he has in mind when he talks about going for his aspirations in life during our break time. It's actually entertaining in a way because he has an unbreakable WILLINGNESS and HUGE ENTHUSIASM in just about everything that will make money. I remember him saying that he doesn't want to work forever and that he wants to be able to afford a lifestyle where everything that he likes to do like spending time with his family, traveling and dining with friends (to name only a few) may be sustained.

On the other hand, Faye, his wife is so supportive and is totally heads on to this aspiration alongside her husband. Faye is a living proof of the saying, "A strong woman is behind every successful man".


They are both business-minded and they have gone from one business idea to the next starting when they were still in college. From selling cd's to putting up food and fruit retail or wholesale, they have collected a sum of experience which led them to keeping Dance For Joy HK Limited up, being their first ever serious business and the one that stood the longest. It had actually made both of them quit their 8 hour jobs because of a great demand and number of people walking in.


NAME OF COMPANY: DANCE FOR JOY HK LIMITED

NATURE OF BUSINESS: Adult Dance Fitness and dance classes for children and other events

OWNERSHIP: Sole proprietors are the husband and wife, Bill and Faye

LOCATION: Tung Chung and Kowloon

NUMBER OF YEARS BEFORE IT WAS ESTABLISHED: 3 years since they started into conducting adult dance classes then they expanded from there according to customer demand.

EDGE OF THE PRODUCT (how is it different from others): Their unique service offers courses that are focused on individuals who are non-experienced dancers. Their syllabus is made simple as it starts in a simple step made easy and fun. This is empowering not only to the highly trained individuals but to those who also are seeking new ways to channel their creativity, passion and stamina.

INVESTED MONEY ON THE BUSINESS:

PRICE RANGE OF THE PRODUCT:
Private classes range - HK$90-1100
For events, price depends on the client's budget and preference.

PLANNED INVESTMENT, A HOBBY OR ULTIMATE DREAM? With their drive to succeed in life, they are able to cover their what if's and worries by taking a leap of faith. They believe that nothing will happen in your life if you're not going to do anything in life. That being said, they decided to go for this while they're young to learn and to achieve having no regrets with each passing time.

TRAINING: Their previous jobs had provided training for them as performers before.

IS THIS YOUR FIRST BUSINESS? First MAJOR business venture. 

FURTHER PLANS (expansion) ? They plan to expand their business outside HK.

LITTLE TRIVIA ABOUT THE BUSINESS: Back in 2011, it was a SPA owner that encouraged Bill to go for this business.

"Make a timetable for your dreams and don't make excuses.
LIFE is never easy but the HARD WORK is worth it."

2. LUKE BAR AND RESTAURANT

Now the next one I'm about to feature is an extraordinary entrepreneur since Chad Caluza, who was a colleague way back when he was still working at the happiest place on Earth, infused his skill and had made a business out of himself. Chad Caluza's skill and talent had made way for a new restaurant to rise up in Woodland Hills, California and that makes him "it"!

"My advice to you who is pursuing your dream is to just DO IT!
There are FAR too many people who are talking about
their dreams but there are not enough who are actually
pursuing them. There are NO EXCUSES in when it
comes to what you actually want, otherwise, you
don't want it that bad after all! So JUST DO IT!"
As a contract project manager, Chad is in demand by basically a lot of uprising buildings which include restaurants, offices and/or warehouses. Though what he can do is not limited to that, the ability to create is liberating for him to share his knowledge, expertise and skills. For this most recent project, he was assigned as the Assistant Project Manager and he is more than excited to open the doors of their creation. They had come up with a design and managed the construction of an entire space from conception to completion. Speaking in a metaphor, it's a breakthrough of a blank canvas to a masterpiece.

NAME OF COMPANY:
LUKE BAR AND RESTAURANT

OWNERSHIP: None

LOCATION: 22616 Ventura Boulevard, Woodland Hills, California

NUMBER OF YEARS BEFORE IT WAS ESTABLISHED:

Now, having a restaurant developer contract this half Filipino, half American bachelor had his turbo buttons on fire. As it took just a year for the whole dream to happen, it had to go thru a whole process such as:

1. Market analysis of the location comparing it to other restaurants, understanding the need for a project of this size and scope in relation to other like businesses

2. Developing a design concept from the interior architecture to the small details such as, tables, chairs, barstools, flatwares, plates, etc.

3. Managing demo and construction phases.

Farm-to-restaurant design of the new place, LUKE

4. Creating operational guidelines.

5. Hiring and training of staff

6. Menu Development - creating and tasting of different dishes.

EDGE OF THE PRODUCT (how is it different from others):
The edge of Chad in coming up with this restaurant is helping it achieve its ambition to come up with something stylish and elegant taking it a level up in comparison to the usual restaurants available to every Laker. Yet making it trendy enough to still be able to cater to a casual crowd, they intend to follow the trend in the culinary world.

"It is definitely a different world where I
have to market myself and to continue
to network as I move thru this industry."
INVESTED MONEY ON THE BUSINESS: Apart from the education he had to take up, traveling  had helped him to become well invested in terms of what's trending and what people look for and how to keep them coming back. So all in all, the invested money on himself was partially paid and it was in pursuit of his own advancement. Technically, it's more of the matriculation to be considered as the invested money.

PRICE RANGE OF THE PRODUCT: Chad works on contractual basis. Depending on what skill (or physical look - as a face character) is needed of him, pricing is confidential.

PLANNED INVESTMENT, A HOBBY OR ULTIMATE DREAM? For him, it is an ultimate dream to be part of something innovative. He is inspired by design and development of physical spaces and how people interact with these spaces. By being a part of this creative process, he provides a vision into making other people's dream come to life.

TRAINING: Though he got a degree in a related field, Chad admitted that he got most of his ideas and creativity from his mentor and on-site experiences.

IS THIS YOUR FIRST BUSINESS? He treats being a contract project manager for Luke as his first time to consider himself and his skills a business. 

FURTHER PLANS (expansion)? Chad plans on continuing his expertise on being a construction project manager. He doesn't want to be limited with just designing but he wants to be able to manage projects of larger scope.

CONTACT DETAILS:


Chad is contracted through two different development groups:
- The DMB Group (restaurant development)
- Smike Wallen Living (real estate and residential design/development)

Besides the email illustrated above, he can also be sent of an email thru chadcaluza@gmail.com.

3. It's truly inspiring when people that you had made connections with strive for what they're passionate about. You actually would sense who stands out and a colleague of mine, Kath, is one of them my gut considered as one a long time ago. We worked together in the happiest place on earth and she was always cooperative, caring and acknowledging when I had some issues with the costume. She communicated well in terms of English so she understood right away what needs to be adjusted.

She left and for a long time I didn't get hold of her. I found out that she had pursued her small business called K'ish Handmade. She does her personal mixture of soap and relative products. Kath never seize to amaze me of how extraordinary she is in so many ways. Her small business had led her to conducting a workshop on how to do your own lip balm which I had documented here.

NAME OF COMPANY:
K'ISH HANDMADE

NATURE OF BUSINESS: 
Handcraft Natural Soap and relative products

OWNERSHIP:
It is Kath's and she has no partners. She works solo.

LOCATION: Hong Kong

NUMBER OF YEARS BEFORE IT WAS ESTABLISHED:
3 years

EDGE OF THE PRODUCT (how is it different from others): Because this is homemade, there's no limitation as to how you could be creative with your own product. Kath handles workshops letting her clients know how to do soaps and other relative products then allowing them to choose the ingredients to use, encouraging them as to how the presentation of the product is going to be and moreover, letting them experiment on what is best to go together.

PRICE RANGE OF THE PRODUCT: HK$50-HK$80/100g

PLANNED INVESTMENT, A HOBBY OR ULTIMATE DREAM?
This had been Kath's hobby. She wanted to just share it at first but she found out that so many people loved doing it that they are willing to pay her to be able to learn from her. 

Kath's advise to those pursuing their dreams:
"Keep moving."
WHAT ENCOURAGED YOU TO TAKE THE FIRST STEP?
"I think this is good for your health since you can actually gauge how much necessary SPF should be in there for your skin, what ingredients you can use and you can make it as organic as possible. And that it could be great gifts for your friends," Kath reiterates.

IS THIS YOUR FIRST BUSINESS?
Kath like I said is extraordinary in so many ways since she also has a dog grooming business which makes it her first and bigger business. Soap making is truly just a hobby on the side. And to have that large scope of understanding when it comes to business, Kath is blessed.

FURTHER PLANS (expansion) ? For now, she has no further plans. She just want to focus fully on her budding businesses before going for an upgrade or expansion.

LITTLE TRIVIA ABOUT THE BUSINESS: Kath's beautifully handmade soaps are all made up of natural ingredients she picks herself and its simple and subtle colours are aimed for an elegant look. 

K'ish Handmade
Contact Person: Kath Tang
Contact email: Kish.handmade@gmail.com
Contact number: 62088714
There you go folks! Three people making it happen.

In this competitive world, success in your hands is just but an idea away. Pursuing something is not easy. All good companies that our world trust today needed to be established and I assure you, it took more than 10 years for them to be able to do that. The way to go is to start NOW. Stop procrastinating and start "do"ing!



Related posts:
1. ENTREPRENEURSHIP - the first series of business owners sharing their experience in coming up with one.
2. DIY LIP BALM - this is the workshop Kath had done that made us cross paths again.
3. PARADIGM SHIFT - what led me to encouraging financial literacy for an advocacy.

Sunday, October 25, 2015

HALLOWEEN MANIA

Year after year, Hong Kong delights its civilians to numerous events in celebration of the most sought after party as Autumn happens. And now, the final Halloween week is here. To name a few, here are some of them you shouldn't miss.

1. CLOCKENFLAP

Now, this event doesn't come 'til November but the registration for you or your group is only up until TODAY.

"We are excited to announce Secret Walls Hong Kong and Jam City HK will be taking over the Robot Stage for a series of live art and break/street dance battles.

This will be the first time in HK Secret Walls has hosted team battles, with 4 x 4 artists going head to head, mixed up with hip hop/breaks and funk djs and bloc party style battles/jams. See the image in comment session for information on how to compete in the live art battles. For information on how to compete in the break dancing battles please visit www.jamcityhk.com/compete".


So if you or your crew are interested to compete, this is your last chance to submit your group's portfolio. Best of luck!




2. BLUE BIRD OF HAPPINESS


The Bluebird of Happiness is a musical adaptation of the play written by Belgian playwright and Nobel Prize Winner Maurice Maeterlinck.

It is about a brother and a sister who went on a quest for the magical blue bird, which leads them to exciting adventures and meet enchanting characters that helped them learn a heart-warming and valuable lesson.

In Christmas of 2013, Asia's premiere Christian theatre group TRUMPETS brought the story back to the stage for a new generation to enjoy, under the direction of Jaime Del Mundo and original music by Rony Fortich.

This production has received numerous acclamation and rave reviews for its captivating story, music, talented cast, and magical production design.

Show dates are:

October 29-30 = 7:30pm
October 31-Nov. 1 = 2:30pm and 7:30pm

Click here for more information regarding ticket pricing, show location and cast.

3. HALLOWEEN DEBAUCHERY

The crowd may get into you if you have astigmatism. You would want to groove into the music but you are claustrophobic. Avoiding Lan Kwai Fong crowds may come in handy but you are not a loser to let go of a good night and you don't want to let go of the good fun.

Stockton is the place for you, enter without a fee or book a table now and receive champagne on the house!

"Join us this Halloween for Debauchery at Stockton. The perfect hideway for you and your friends to get spooked and party the night away in your best Halloween outfits.

Join us for FREE FLOW (House wine and spirits) from 7-10pm for $390 HKD

BOOK YOUR TABLE NOW and RECEIVE A COMPLIMENATRY BOTTLE OF CHAMPANE AND CANAPÉS. 
(Bookings of 4 pax)

Best Dressed Competition -WIN 10K STOCKTON CREDIT!!!!
Come in your best costume and REGISTER with us by 11PM
WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT: 12:30AM
Winners must be present at Stockton to collect prize.

DJ Line Up
Sol Passion Music DJs
Mike Wolf
Ed Rollo

DJ Fowler
JANNETTE SLACK (Janette Slack World)"


4. TRACES OF SILK ROAD
To the music lovers out there, get hold of these for continued education:

"Traces of Silk Road I

Date: 30 October 2015 (Friday)
Time: 7:30 PM
Venue: Hong Kong Cultural Centre Studio Theatre

Programme:

Priscila Chu - 
Echo

Austin Yip - 
String Quartet No. 2: Territory

Christopher Coleman -
Caves of Dunhuang (Triptych III)

Performer:
Chamber Ensemble sul Ponte
The Chamber Ensemble sul Ponte is established under nonprofit organization Ponte della Musica in 2014. Musicians of the ensemble are mostly alumni of the Department of Music, HKBU, and local music talents, who share the same mission of contributing to the community through performing arts and music education. Therefore, besides appearing as performers in concerts, musicians also serve as conductors/ instructors of the other five ensembles of Ponte della Musica, namely Junior String Orchestra, Junior Chinese Orchestra, Junior Wind Ensemble, Cello Ensemble, and Voce sul Ponte. Rehearsing all year round, they inspire amateurs, school children to the elderly on the journey of musicianship.

Inspired by this city where East meets West, Ponte della Musica seeks to advocate art music in Hong Kong and puts a strong accent on the melding of Chinese and Western cultures. Through commissioning and delivering fusion art music performances, as well as promoting cross-cultural exchanges, we provide opportunities for young musicians to build on their talents and scale new heights. This Friday, the Chinese instrumentalists of the Chamber Ensemble will present solo pieces, as well as silk and bamboo music with Dr. Wong Chuen Fung.



Free admission with ticket. Limited number of free-admission tickets will be distributed at the Enquiry Counter of Hong Kong Cultural Centre from 9.10.2015 (9am) onwards. Each person can obtain up to two tickets on a first-come-first-served basis. (Hong Kong Cultural Centre Enquiry: 27342009)

For BU Staff or students, you could come to MUS General Office (AST801) to collect the tickets from 9.10.2015 within the office hour(09:00am - 1:00pm, 2:00pm - 5:45pm)."


5. HALLOWEEN DANCE-OFF PARTY AND FUNKY NIGHT

You have the choice to make your Halloween night a productive one. With Dance for Joy's series of dance classes, you can have fun, celebrate Halloween and shed off extra pounds. On top of it all, you may do this with your kids and friends altogether. The kids got their own class and can create new friends while you concentrate on your hot bod to strut in that costume you chose.

Join my friends Bill and Faye as they specially made this night spooky ad fun by adding a dress code and tattoos in the usual classes they offer.



Please feel free to post other events that you may be holding this Halloween that you'd like to be featured. Trick or Treat y'all!

Related posts:

1. CHALLENGE TO THE ANGELS - Check these artists who had the guts to challenge Victoria's Secret Angels on the runway. It might give you an idea of what to be this Halloween.

2. HALLOWEEN COUTOR MAKE UP IDEAS - You don't want to dress up? Just come with your fab make up and I'm sure you'd be featured one way or another with these ideas.

3. NATIONAL DANCE DAY - In honour of the National Dance Day, I have written about the projects that I had done as a dancer and a performing artist to share the impact DANCE had given to my life.