Finding My True Identity

The 9 year old tycoon in me

"The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself." Mark Caine

The quote above takes me back to many stages in my life when I asked myself – can I really do it, having this challenging situation, this environment, being who I am and with little resources I have? Just like you, I was in doubt in many different occasions. I experienced hardships, failures and many trials that could have jeopardized my dreams. But instead, I took it all as opportunities to grow, see it as blessings and tests to make me a stronger entrepreneur.

Growing up in  two, very distinct families could have stopped me from becoming who I am now - but it didn't, it pushed me to be extraordinary. Flaunting nationwide that bisexuality should be accepted and offended the conservatives, could have weakened me - but it just gave me hope and stronger desire to share a vision. Experiencing physical and emotional abuse from someone close to me, could have shattered me and made me feel like a victim - but this just gave me wisdom and new perspective of life. Having nothing and starting from zero, could have made me throw my dreams away and become a nobody - but it only gave me much more leverage to go for it. Hearing some so-called friends try to ruin my name could have broken me - but I only saw truth and deepened my empathy towards them. Reading false stories about me could have made me fold - but it just gave me the will to be a better person. Failed deals and businesses could have left an ugly mark on me - but it only gave me the real meaning of life and  what's really important to me. 

These situations built my true identity. 

It honed my skills, my values and perception of life. It made me a better daughter, granddaughter, sister and lover. It made value life in a different way. It made me understand people, their wants and needs. It made me see the world through the eyes of many different people. 

It made me unstoppable. 

It gave me life, power and wisdom. 

It made me Sly.

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Inception of Sly

Sly. 

adj. artfully cunning, clever in attaining an end; modern definition: sexy, cool

My fascination with building an empire was shaped as early as 6 years old. Instead of dolls, I played with the idea of reigning a palace with a big garden of roses, elephants, tigers and snakes as pets, a throne made of gold, and a multi-jewel encrusted crown and septor. Alice in Wonderland, Labyrinth, and Never Ending Story were movies that took me to a place that built the idea of a grandiose royal kingdom.

So in my real world, I kind of - reigned.

•          Grade Three – Won my first crown as Ms. Talent in Holy Child Academy
•          Grade Six – Won Ms. Sto. Nino crown, trophy as Valedictorian & Best Girl Scout in Sto. Nino De Novaliches School
•          2^nd Year High School – Won 1^st runner up Ms. Siena & Ms. Talent crowns
•          3^rd Year High Schoo – Won Ms. United Nations crown
•          4^th Year High School – Won Ms. St. James College crown
•          First Year College – Won 1^st Runner Up Ms. Education in UST (University of Sto. Tomas) crown
•          3^rd Year College – Won Ms. AMA Computer College crown
•          And in several occasions, class president and top of the class

But I realized winning crowns was not the way to build an empire. I gave up the crowning glory of winning these pageants, and gave up my ultimate goal of becoming a Bb. Pilipinas – the holy grail of crowns. I dropped out of school, and with my small inheritance, I built my first venture - H&H Martini Bar. The real empire-building begins...

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Sly Empire

                                      Reality TV Show Teaser 

I’ve always been fascinated with the stories of how empires were built, how these rulers masterfully conquered the world. I’m seduced by how Cleopatra’s wit & charm gave her power over Egypt and the world until today.

I'm also equally dazzled by 21^st century power brands led by amazing entrepreneurs who built their world from scratch - Richard Branson & his fast expansion of the Virgin brand; real estate magnate Donald Trump & his many developments, books & tv show; talk show queen Oprah saving millions of people to building her billions;

Martha Stewart’s basement catering business to multi-million conglomerate; the emperor of cool Sam Nazarian's deck of high concept Philippe Starck bars, hotels & casino; Steve Job’s rebranding of the Apple into the most coveted brand; the social networking king Mark Zuckerberg becoming the youngest billionaire in the world who sparked his empire from Harvard dormitory room;

Howard Hughes, an industrialist who relentlessly perfected aviation, first man to travel the world in 3 days and producing films; and my favorite, our own, Mr. Henry Sy, no. 1 billionaire in the Philippines, who started from nothing to becoming a super tycoon in Asia.

This fascination and curiosity led me to building my own empire, Sly Empire. It's been five years since its conception in 2006 and it's been quite a ride. Now, I'm sharing to you my dear readers what it takes to get to the top through this blog, EmpressMe. 

For now, sip your wine, relax and enjoy a short clip of my reality show teaser above. 

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