by Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo, Business Mirror, 8 January 2018

Ref: https://businessmirror.com.ph/the-year-of-the-pop-ups/

THE Year of the Earth Dog, which begins on February 16, will be an auspicious year for starting online retail stores or pop-ups, and individual businesses.

This was the forecast of feng shui (literally “wind-water”) expert Marites Allen during her 13th Philippine Feng Shui Convention last Saturday, her annual presentation for the Chinese New Year. She warns these new online entrepreneurs, however, to be wary of their so-called friends, who may just steal their ideas.

“If you think about it, there will be lots of indications on the use of social media of doing business [from the] home, starting their new thing…. A lot of people are going to be more independent, and a lot of people are going to demand for online shops. The Philippines, in fact, if you compare with other countries, is quite far behind in terms of using Internet as a way to sell, but you would be surprised, people now, because of the traffic, they have gone to online shopping. So social media, digital communications marketing, will be very good.”

Visa’s survey last year showed, for instance, that 71 percent of Filipinos shopped online at least once a month, up from 60 percent in 2015. The same survey showed that e-commerce growth in the country exceeded 30 percent in 2016. In fact, some of the largest e-commerce sites like Lazada and Zalora, count the Philippines among their largest growth centers, according to published interviews with their executives.

But Allen gives a caveat to would-be Internet entrepreneurs: “We have to be watchful about people who claim to be our friends. They will do things exactly what [these entrepreneurs have started]. Kopyahan, gaya-gaya. So there’s going to be competition. So do watch your friends; sometimes they cannot be your true friends anymore.”

Using the four-pillar chart for the Philippines, she said two top favorable elements for 2018 are wood and fire. “Wood represents sales, fire represents optimism, joy, happiness and hope.” Industries with the wood element will do well: agriculture, textile and fashion, publishing (writers), office supplies, day care/schools/universities, floral business, clothing and the teaching profession.

Fire industries “offer plenty of opportunities”; these are oil/petroleum/gas/fuel, entertainment, television, restaurants, food processing, fireworks, solar energy, electricity, lighting, movie production or anything that uses heat or light. This spells good news for listed companies like Meralco, whose sales rose by 4.4 percent in the nine months to September 2017, and Petron Corp., which posted a 58-percent surge in sales during the same period.

The year 2018 is also auspicious for industries with the earth element, such as real estate or property development, she adds.  This bodes well for companies like Vista Land  & Lifescapes Inc. of BusinessMirror columnist Manuel B. Villar, which registered a 12-percent increase in profit to P7.1 billion from January to September 2017. Other industries with this element are: pawnshop, building materials, ceramics, marble, pottery, landfills, recycling, storage and warehousing, construction, hospitality and “anything to do with earth/soil/land business, such as car parks, rentals, etc.”

Industries with the water element will have average luck—spa, marine/naval business, aquariums, cold beverages, transportation, beauty salons/cosmetology. Since 2018 lacks the metal element, metal industries will be challenging this year: car manufacturing, hardware, moulding, banking and finance, accounting, mechanical engineering, gold, mining, government offices, and architecture.

In the Chinese horoscope, a dog is seen as a peaceful animal, which strives to bypass conflict; however, it can also be quick-tempered. Dogs have a well-developed intuition, a strong mind and imagination. Previous Dog years are: 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994 and 2006, and among the prominent businessmen born under this sign are Lucio Tan and Manuel V. Pangilinan.

While it is a generally favorable year for Dogs, Allen cautions them to be wary of politicking or jealousy at work. “Luck will be on your side as improvements in the relationship side of your working career emerge. Minor obstacles will only create a slight disruption, so do not worry so much. Occasionally, it is important that we experience some bumps along the way.”

As for the Philippine economy in general, Allen says 2018 will be kind. “The spring and summer seasons always bring positive outlook for the market. Philippines and Asia will still be among the best-performing markets compared to the rest of the world.” She added, “it is all about going back to basics,” pointing out that the Philippines “has very rich and massive agricultural lands…. It is best to utilize them.”

Image Credits: Stella Arnaldo