Thames Business Leaders’ Society’s Virtual Event: a Response to the Call
by: Amidala Mallari, Thames Undergraduate Student
“If your future knocks on your door, how will you respond?” This is the question President Yana de Villa of Business Leaders’ Society posed to the participants as she officially opened BLS Talks: Series One – Business During the Pandemic, the organization’s opening event for the academic year, which happened last September 10, 2020.
To address the call of the times, the team arranged an event that would equip the community’s current and aspiring leaders with the knowledge to adapt a business amidst the pandemic. Starting off the series, Thames Alumnus Jan Amon, a graduate of BSBA-Marketing, discussed how he handled his family’s over-thirty-year-old garments manufacturing company. He described how he was able to maintain successful operations during this time using five simple yet effective steps:
- A Swift Shift to Digital Space: For a convenient and accessible contact with consumers, companies should transition to an online set-up and maximize the use of social media sites for e-commerce.
- Ensure Employee Health and Safety: In these difficult times, businesses are called to help people in as many ways as they can. To ensure successful business operations, the welfare of employees must always be prioritized at all costs. From implementing sanitary guidelines to encouraging hygienic practices, these changes must always be kept in mind. Without healthy employees, operations will be disturbed.
- Creativity. Creativity. Creativity: Business owners, especially now, should tap into the creativity they possess within to think of unique and innovative ideas—preferably ones they haven’t even thought of before, to improve company efficiency. He also stated that if one really wants to do something, it will happen as long as they stay committed to the goal.
- Exhausting Available Resources: Mr. Amon expressed emphasis on having networks or connections with different people as an important resource for business expansion and continuity. For him, the more connections you have, the more things you can get done.
- Love & Passion: “Work like someone’s working nonstop to steal it from you.” According to him, if one has profound love for the business, the business in turn will love one back.
Despite the seriousness of the topic, the mood remained light and vibrant, as if everyone was just sharing stories and conversing with one another. Succeeding the talk proper was the allotted Question-and-Answer portion, wherein the speaker advised the audience on the importance of finding supportive friends and family to be one’s strength while achieving their dreams, learning to love one’s mistakes because one can’t always get it right the first time, and starting young in building connections with people who can contribute to your career or business growth. This was followed by the awarding of the certificate of appreciation for Mr. Amon as speaker, and the certificates of participation for the attendees. Adding further excitement was the organized raffle draw for the participants, and the picture-taking of all participants with the speaker for memento.
Having a business is not easy. Leading one amidst a global pandemic is even harder. Overall, the event succeeded in addressing this concern through the wisdom and experience of Mr. Jan Amon. BLS Talks: Series One – Business During the Pandemic, was a good start for Business Leaders’ Society towards its goal of preparing a new generation of leaders for the real world, and a meaningful response to society’s call for the future. How will you respond?
Thames International is committed to building a new order for the world by giving talented students and entrepreneurs the tools to thrive and lead the way in a world beset by rapid change. If you’re interested in augmenting your skills and making connections with some of the brightest minds in business education today, please take a look at our future-proof undergraduate degree programs.
