An Inspirational Story of a Blind Businessman

I am doing this blogsite as a channel to reach out, inform readers of the latest business trends and seminars, tax information and of course, to inspire the readers of success business stories of entrepreneurs whom I have personally interviewed. And I was thinking of who could be my launching interviewee with truly inspiring story that I believe could, beyond doubt, get in the heart of my readers. I would want to interview Henry Sy or Lucio Tan (if they won’t snob a beginner blogger like me :D ), but I thought, you would want someone whom you can identify with, an ordinary man (because he is not yet a celebrity and a business tycoon yet) but spends his life extra-ordinarily. So I have chosen the man who has silently and bravely nailed his mark in his career, business and personal life despite the odds he went through. Guys, I am so privileged to open the pages for Mr. Prodex Tipuno.

A man of substance.

It was the youthful years of his life, famous for his cheery personality, an SK Chairman, just graduated at Technological Institute of the Philippines with the degree of Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, was getting offers from so many big companies here and abroad, and was about to leave for Aruba, South America for his first big break in his chosen profession when he was gun-shot by someone who had mistaken him as the enemy. That was almost 15 years ago. That short-range gunshot incident has led to his full BLINDNESS and a BIG CHANGE in his life. 

How did he conquer it all?

Being blind is never easy. The more if you are naturally born with sight then suddenly it was taken away from you. His first 3 New Years of lost of sight led him to ending up with bruises because of bumping his head onto the edges of the door frame. Aside from physical struggles in coping up, sadness and frustrations come once in a while since some of his friends forget to visit him. But he is a person who does not dwell on the negativity of his surroundings or the situation, instead, he listen to the radio to get educated about blindness and how to deal with his condition. He also started to mingle with a partially-blind friend and learned from him and also associated with group of blind people who do massaging. For 5 years he went to work as a massage therapist after getting his license. Yes, blind massage therapists are licensed and they even have to undergo continuing massage therapy education for renewal of their license and it makes it more a respected profession. Prodex is also blessed with a family that supports him all the way.

Prodex at work!
For your massage needs, just text: 0939-5830-663 (yes, he can text you back!)

Now, where is Prodex and what does he do?

Well, what had happened to him does not limit him from doing almost anything a normal person can do. Mind you, guys, he now owns his own massage clinic A4DABLE MASSAGE SERVICES which is operating for more than 2 years now. A4DABLE MASSAGE SERVICES is located at 3^rd level Robinsons Pala-Pala Dasmariñas, Cavite. He also supervises 2 more massage clinics founded by their organization named as VIBES MASSAGE SERVICES. As a part-time "celebrity" :), it has been a self-therapy to him to sing in gigs of their band, this is aside from playing the bass guitar. They can be usually catched up at Cowboy Barn in Terazza Dasmariñas, Cavite. Unfortunately, they temporarily stopped from accepting gigs since one of their members can no longer join them for distance reasons. If you would like to apply, there is only one condition- blind yourself first! And what about his lovelife? He is proud to say that he has already his own small happy family with his wife Irene (his high school sweetheart) and two angels who are ages 14 and 8 years old. 

Prodex's active life with his bandmates
For your massage needs, just text: 0939-5830-663  (yes, he can text you back!)

Prodex with his happy family!
For your massage needs, just text: 0939-5830-663  (yes, he can text you back!)

About his business…

After 5 years of working as a massage therapist, he and his client who was then a bank manager and has become a friend decided to put up a massage clinic along with another high school classmate. And it was named A4DABLE MASSAGE SERVICES which offers an hour body massage for only Php250! It is so affordable yet quality of service is never compromised. I have already tried their services and it was so soothing to the muscles! You better have to try it for yourself. The A4DABLE MASSAGE SERVICES is now sole-owned by him since his two partners already sold it to him for some emergency reasons. He said that eventually his clinic will merge with VIBES MASSAGE SERVICES.

                                 

How is he as a boss...

He said that managing people is a tough job, more so managing blind employees. They are overly-sensitive at times and can easily fall asleep because of “darkness”, sometimes absenteeism is also a problem. But their “sipag and tiyaga” is insurmountable and the quality of the massage they deliver to clients is one enough reason for them to come back. Prodex even jokingly add that since his massage therapists employees are all blind, special feelings develop among couples there and he also plays as “Dr. Love” to them.

The Business and The Boss and The Client
For your massage needs, just text: 0939-5830-663  (yes, he can text you back!)

He even dreams for more…

When I asked him about how he sees himself and the business after 5 years, he answered me with a hopeful spirit! He looks forward to tie up with hotels and be able to give more jobs to the blind community. He proudly say that blind people nowadays are seldom seen begging for alms on the street. This is despite the fact that they get no fund assistance from the government. It is either they can be caught singing with their guitars but not begging because they too get tired of sharing their talents or they can be seen working in a massage clinic. 

Vibes Massage Services at SM Dasmariñas - soon at the hotels! (his goal)
Vibes was established by an organization of blind people, which just started in year 1996 from  the funds raised through their Christmas Carolings. From then on, it has become bigger and can now be found in many SM Malls. At first SM Malls were hesitant to accept them as tenants but now gave them a chance and SM generously waived their royalty fees as their way of helping them out.
For your massage needs, just text: 0939-5830-663  (yes, he can text you back!)

One quote from him that struck me!

“Ano ang magagawa ko bilang bulag?” What an optimistic point of view! As I had more than an hour of interview with him, I have seen how strong his character is. You can truly say that you can never put a good man down. It is not the situation that will make you fail or prosper but how you see and handle the circumstances that come across your paths. Only us can decide to make a positive change in our lives. It is a shame on those people who keep on complaining and playing victims of life when you hear this one blind man asking how he can make a difference in his lifetime. Now, challenge yourself with the same question- What can you do in all your capacity as a normal person to improve your life?

The "Kenkoy" Prodex!
For your massage needs, just text: 0939-5830-663  (yes, he can text you back!)

What made up a successful person?

                Being successful never come from genes nor it would come from luck, but if it does it will be short-lived if your character is not yet ready to hold success. A successful human being is made. But what made them up? Listed below comes from my own observation of the common denominator of individuals who are destined to success:

1.       A DREAMER

Everything starts with a dream! But sometimes, it is unfortunate that this privilege is not taken advantage of some people. They are afraid not to realize their dream and so they don’t dream at all. But no successful person ever succeeded without having that end in mind. Each must have that burning desire to succeed! Think of the people you love, think of the kind of life you want them to experience. Think of the places you want to reach, of the good things that you want to have a taste of. The world is a huge catalogue which is just waiting for your order or for what you want to happen in your life. And the world listens and will give you what your heart truly wants! So be courageous and dream high! Achieving all the good things in the world starts with a dream! It is free so get your share!

2.       POSITIVE OUTLOOK

Positive outlook in life is inevitable. We feel that we are empowered associating with people who are optimistic. Optimism attracts positive energy which supports the things we long for and would want to achieve. We are in aligned with what we want in life if we feel good, if we see things in a positive way and otherwise if we just see misery, we feel anger, doubt guilt, and other negative mindset. Did you ever feel easy to deal with a new colleague if you thought of him or her as a nice individual prior to actually shaking hands with the person? And did you ever feel the tension of dealing with someone new at work if you think of him or her as a threat to your promotion?  One quote from the movie "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne: “What you think, what you feel and what manifests is always a match.” So beware of your emotions since they have big impact towards achieving success.

3.       LEARNING TO UNLEARN

It takes humility to unlearn the things that you have learned. It just wants you to be adaptive to change since it is the only constant thing on earth. To learn new things, you sometimes need to humble down and listen to people who have been there, who have proven something in that field. Always think of yourself as a work-in-process individual and you will realize in the end how much lessons and skills in life you have acquired. You have nothing to lose but a lot more to gain if you just empty your cup.

4.       PERSEVERING

           Failures will test your character as a person. The world has its own way to test you, to make you realize things and they can sometimes be funny and at times inconceivable. But it is the spirit of perseverance that you must maintain. Most of the times, people can see the treasure at the end of the road but it is the voyage along the rocky road that limits them from reaching the finish line. It is because they choose to be in their comfort zone, they would not want to experience disappointments and so they won’t try, they don’t want to hear criticisms and so they won’t stand up for what they believe is right and really deserve and eventually give up the things they truly want. Your dream is the finish line, but perseverance is the fuel to keep you going.

5.       COMMITTED

             Just focus to your end goal. Once and for all decide that you want success and commit to achieving it!

                God has endowed you with unique gifts that can be a curse if you left it unused. Maximize what you have, give your best on every task at hand, focus on the present moment with that end in mind. Believe that you can and grow yourself every time to achieve more and for you to be a blessing and inspiration to others by telling your own taste of success! You deserve nothing but the best in life!