Family Business

I really don't like mixing family and business. I've been trying to avoid it for so long but now, I guess I'm facing the inevitable.

I'm standing in for my mom for her fundraising project. I know she's doing it with the best intentions. My Dad and Mom are really active in their favorite charities/foundations. I mean, my Dad has just been replaced to lead the XVD Association and although the members really didn't want another president, my Dad sort of gave up because he was handling too many things already. Now my Mom, being the wife also took on a huge role. They've done a lot of fundraisings before and it's amazing to me how they make time for it. I mean, they're loaded with work and they still manage to organize events like that. Even when we were younger, they were active in the PTA/Family Council both in Ateneo and in STC. They both became the president of the STC Family Council. So now that I'm standing in for my mom, it's really, really, really difficult. I understand that I'm working with older people here, and I'm also carrying my parents' name and good reputation. I mean, I can't just bitch around and order these people to do what I need them to do. The tables have turned and in fact, I'm at the bottom of the food chain. These old men are ordering me to do what they need to be doing. It's like they finally found a slave whom they can order around. Originally, I was going to get the bands for a cheaper cost, haggle with the supplier, help in getting sponsors and make sure that all of those things are taken care of. Now, my parents go to Japan for a business trip/ vacation, and my mom leaves everything to me. And I mean everything. So I attend all these meetings with the XVD's and XVDa's and explain to them what needs to be done and ask for their help. Instead of getting help, they're just telling me all the frikkin duties I have to do:

1. Get barangay permit. They're telling me that unwanted visitors can easily climb up at the back of the church, and we need the help of the barangay, also to inform the residents nearby that we're having an event. (Okay, that's pretty simple).

2. Get sponsors. Since I'm a Marketing Management graduate from La Salle, it's like I'm required to at least know this. I'm totally fine with this, but these men know the people in the business already, I mean how simple is it to ask help from a friend?! Worse, these old men are telling me I should get companies like Coke, Pepsi, San Miguel. Uhh yes, I know that. But can't you at least help me with this? I mean, we're running out of time here. You're all hotshots and you have all the connections! I hear you talk about it all the time! These companies aren't gonna talk to a certain Edel Sarmiento from XVD Association (I'm the KID of the member..I'm not even a member!), they don't know that the hell it is. I only have a vague idea of what it is and I'm not even fit to represent this organization. Now, I'm totally begging people to support this fundraising I'm really not even concerned about. The SVD brothers may have had a huge impact on my parents, but not to me, really.

3. Take care of security. WHAT?! All I know about securing the place is that I need bouncers and security guards. I know nothing about how many security guards I need when 2,000 people are going to attend this rock concert. They're even asking me to make a frikkin map on how the flow of the people should be. Where to enter, where to exit, where the bands would enter, where they would park, how they would enter and how they would park... HAH?!

4. Take care of the ingress and egress. Okay. I just know that's in and out. They're telling me how everything should come in and how everything should come out. I should even know who will clean the mess after the concert. This is totally stressing me right now!!!

On top of all this, I can't just say to them:

AKO PO EH NAG-SSTAND IN LANG KAY MOMMY. DI KO PO ITO PROJECT. ANG ALAM KO LANG PO EH KUKUHA AKO NG BANDS, AAYUSIN ANG SUPPLIERS AND TUTULONG SA PAGKUHA NG SPONSORS. TUTULONG PO SA PAGKUHA PERO HINDI PO AKO KUKUHA NG LAHAT SPONSORS, HINDI AKO ANG BAHALA SA SECURITY, AT HINDI KO LILINISIN ANG COVERED COURTS AT TENNIS COURTS PAGKATAPOS NG CONCERT. BABAYARAN NIYO PO BA AKO PARA GAWIN ANG LAHAT NG YAN? KAKAKUHA LANG PO SA AKEN SA TRABAHO. INIISIP KO KUNG MAKAKASTART AKO AGAD, MAS OKAY PERO DAHIL TINUTULUNGAN KO PO KAYO, SA SUSUNOD NA BUWAN NA PO AKO MAGSISIMULA. NAG-EEVENTS NAMAN PO AKO. PERO BEGINNER PA LANG AKO. NEVER PA AKO NAGHANDLE NG EVENT NA ANG TINATARGET NA ATTENDEES AY 3,000. AYOKO NAMANG MASIRA ANG FUNDRAISING NA ITO DAHIL AMATEUR ANG NAG-AYOS. SISIHIN NIYO PA AKO. DI BA? TULONG LANG AKO. HINDI KO DAPAT GAWEN LAHAT YAN. PROJECT NIYO YAN EH.

Oh and yeah, I need to sell tickets, too. I have to do all of that in less than a month. And on February, I have to start work.

Amdist all this, I have to maintain poise, and decency. Whatever whatever whatever.

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Then last night, went to STC for what supposedly was a quick business talk with Tita Gelli because I need concessionaires for the XVD fundraising. I also went there cos there was a concert and I got to go for free since my sisters are selling barbecue. They didn't plan the whole thing well and there was a lot of last minute things to do. I wasn't part of it so I really don't know why or how what happened happened. Abby, Jan's sister was also there like me for the concert. People started to come in and I saw that they really needed help. I ended up selling barbecues, hotdogs and bottled water. We sold a lot to a lot of people, no doubt. I was kidding them that they should pay me for my labor because they would literally die out there without me and Abby selling the barbecue, giving change, and all that jazzz. But since they didn't plan it well, didn't communicate with each other or whatever, it was all a waste of time. What really pissed me off though was my sister was an ungrateful bitch. That's actually the main reason I didn't join their business. I knew from the start it would be disastrous blaming each other for the failure or whatever. Money of course would be an issue because someone would shell out money and the other who didn't won't really get to say anything about anything, the ate is still the ate, blah blah, blah.

That's also why as much as possible, I avoid doing business with my family. Well of course, as of now, my siblings and I haven't reached that maturity yet, and I'm not very sure we ever will. I mean, there are a lot of family businesses out there that are successful. Maybe it also comes with experience, and we don't have that yet. Time can only tell. But for now, I'm not engaging in any family business.
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Over dinner the other day, he made predictions of what he thinks we're all gonna be in the future. He had a lot to say about everybody else but me. Hu hu...middle child syndrome again? Well, not really. He said I was floating and that I should be realistic with my dreams. Okay.. given that he didn't crush my dreams, I'm mostly disappointed he doesn't know me, or maybe he doesn't listen to me. I was affected a little bit by his comments but he just don't see it. He thinks I should still look for another job. I also have no idea if he's totally lost his faith in me but there's a reason why I applied for a publications company. Maybe it's even a sign that the hiring for that job I applied for, for that apparel company was postponed. I mean, the HR expressed that the company was already planning to get me. I've declared a couple of times of what my plans are for the future. I mean, I know that they're depending on me and on the rest of my siblings, to someday manage the family businesses and somehow takeover what they've worked hard for. They wouldn't want to leave it to just somebody. So even if you think I don't have a plan, there's a reason for all this.