Out with the old, in with the new!

It's the first day of 2011. I've made a decision to become more active in blogosphere.

I changed the name of my blog to - Andrepreneur - The Barefoot Developer.

There are several reasons for the name change.

1. I took out the 'Angry' as a prefix to Andrepreneur. I took it out because I didn't want to be angry anymore. The angry part applied to 2010 which was election year in The Philippines. Most entrepreneurs I know are generally a happy bunch. I happen to be one of them.

2. Andrepreneur is now also known as 'The Barefoot Developer' - an obvious reference to 'The Barefoot Investor'. This is significant to me because I am going into property development (was in planning and preparation all of last year), will be doing our first building this year and I am known for wearing inappropriate footwear when doing business in the Philippine context. I have been advised that I should stop wearing thongs, slippers, tsinelas, when I go to meetings, see seasoned business people, or when I conduct business in general. I can't help it. I have nice feet. Thanks to wonderful beautiful feet genes inherited from my mother. My wife, Queenie, agrees with my self-serving observation. And I also picked up the habit when I was living in Australia. Such a laid-back culture, doing business near the beach, everyone just so cool and relaxed.

A part of me wants to replicate that spirit here in The Philippines. We have the perfect tropical climate for it anyway!

I will not stop wearing my thongs; on the contrary this will become a part of the image of The Barefoot Developer. Of course, I will don the safety boots when I visit the construction sites. Crazy shirts and thongs will be my badge. I want people here to see beyond appearances. Filipino culture puts too much of a premium on al things outward and not enough on substance and results.

I am still serious in my business undertakings yet I will pepper it with humour and the laid-back spirit of the Australian beach-side town.

'Tis the first entry and I look forward to many more. I hope you all do to. I have a lot to learn and I don't mind sharing this with all the budding entrepreneurs and property developers out there!