Brunei

There a few trips that one does during their life that they know they'll never make again. This was one of those trips for me. Most people have never even heard of Brunei, much less would they be able to point it out on a map ... and that's exactly why I wanted to go.

Brunei is a small country on the northern part of Borneo, in Southeast Asia. It shares the third largest island in the world (only smaller than Greenland and New Guinea) with Malaysia and Indonesia. Brunei also happens to be one of the richest countries in the world. Thanks to large oil reserves, they have made their Sultan one of the richest men in the world. The country is also predominantly Muslim.

The Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque is a royal Islamic mosque located in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei. It is also one of the most spectacular buildings I've ever seen.



Jame'Asr Hassanil Bolkiah mosque in Kampong Kiarong in Brunei is the largest mosque in the country. I was able to spend Friday morning at this mosque during the call to prayer, which was an incredible experience.

These boys arrived at the mosque with their fathers and seemed quite pleased that I would ask them to model for me in this picture.


It may be hard to tell from the pictures in the city, but Brunei is in the middle of a tropical jungle. We took a boat tour into this mangrove forest and watched long-nosed monkeys swing from the trees. We later saw about 20 more of them on the golf course at our hotel (playing on the green).

Lauder - Global Knowledge Lab

Is an entrepreneur born or made? As a team of global entrepreneurs, we set off to the Philippines, determined to explore this Nature vs Nurture debate.

As part of our MA degree requirements, Lauder students are required to form a team across language tracks and conduct research in different regions of the world. There are four of us in Lauder this year who were entrepreneurs before coming to Wharton, and we teamed up to further explore entrepreneurship in the developing world.

Will, an American in the Spanish track, is a former investment banker who moved to Mexico to open his own chain of ice cream stores. Stephan is a German, also in the Spanish track, who worked for McKinsey and Bain as a management consultant and also participated in several start-ups. Aymeric, a Belgian in the German track, was involved in several start-ups including a mid-sized pharmaceutical company in Europe. Last, and most certainly least, is me, the founder of PoolTables.com, the largest pool table retailer in the US.


Our mission was to further investigate an entrepreneurship school in the Philippines (The Academy for Creating Enterprise - ACE). A retired entrepreneur, named Steve Gibson, and his wife moved to the Philippines in 1999 to establish a non-profit school where they could train young, poor Filipinos on how to start and grow profitable businesses. They purchased a home large enough to house 25 students and they began teaching an intense eight week, in-residence program to young aspiring entrepreneurs. There were only two requirements: 1. They had to agree to pay a registration fee of about $20, which showed their commitment and sacrifice to become part of the program (all other costs for books, room, board, etc. are covered by ACE). 2. They had to be a returned missionary for the LDS church - as a devout Mormon, Steve had a strong belief that young people who had learned to work hard and serve others for two years (unpaid), were uniquely qualified and trained to become entrepreneurs.


As part of our visit to the Philippines, we were asked to teach the current batch of 25 students about entrepreneurship, our businesses and what had made us successful entrepreneurs.

Several groups at Wharton (Lauder Institute, Wharton Entrepreneurial Programs, and the Wharton Store) were kind enough to donate items to these students. Every student received a Wharton tote or backpack, a Wharton t-shirt, mugs, Wharton pens/pencils/pads, etc. The items might seem insignificant, but you should have seen the look on the faces of these students as they received the gifts. It was well work the extra space it took up in our luggage!

I was fortunate enough to be in Cebu during this batch's graduation, so I attended the ceremony. It was a unique and touching experience to see each of them graduate. Most traveled to Cebu from islands quite a distance away, so only a few had family there to support them at the graduation ceremony. Despite this, without fail, when an individual's name was called, the audience erupted and if there was nobody there to support a recent graduate, several other students would run up to accompany the graduate for some picture taking. Of all the traveling I've done, I have to say that the Filipinos are the happiest people I've ever seen. I asked a taxi driver during my trip why Filipinos are always so happy. His response: "We can't afford much, but we can always afford to smile!"

One of my favorite classes at Wharton was an entrepreneurship classes where we participated in an innovation tournament, which we decided to duplicate during our visit. We didn't have a lot of time, so we did a condensed version. A week before our visit, I emailed the students and asked them to each come up with ten new business ideas which they weren't to discuss with their classmates. Upon our arrival, we had the 25 students divided into five groups of five. Each person presented their five favorite business ideas to their small group, followed by silent voting by each individual on a scorecard. After each person had presented their five ideas, we compiled the scores and revealed the top two ideas in each group (ensuring that they were from two different individuals - not surprisingly, several group's top ideas were generated by the same individual).

So with the top two ideas coming from the five teams, we had ten ideas which were the best out of an original 250 ideas. Each candidate from the top ten ideas formed a team of two or three individuals which helped them further develop their idea and create a poster which summarized the idea visually. We then had each of the top ten ideas pitch to the entire class. Upon completion, we gave every person two stickers that they could place on their top two ideas. This then gave us a winner, two runners-up and some very excited winners!

In addition to visiting current students, we also visited with ACE alum throughout the Philippines. Stephan and I visited with a few alum in Manila. These alum were all neighbors ... one runs a t-shirt printing and design company, another started a successful tamarind candy company, and the one on the far left is a regional coordinator for ACE, who oversees alumni affairs and other ACE activities in the northern region of the country.

This entrepreneur and his wife run a 30+ store business called Cellular City where they sell refurbished cell phones and service. He is one of ACE's most successful entrepreneurs.

Many of ACE's alum return home and start small businesses which provide an income sufficient enough to sustain their families. This ACE alum and his wife run a small barbecue stand together which supports their small family and a few older relatives.


This ACE alum actually owns three small businesses in Manila.


We met with a handful of ACE alum on the small island of Bohol one afternoon. The one standing up in the green shirt was in the first batch of entrepreneurs to graduate from ACE. He started a very successful online real estate company in the Philippines while a student at ACE. He now has over 30 offices around the Philippines and targets mostly Filipinos who live/work abroad who want to own island properties back home.

One of the fun cultural things we experienced in the Philippines was the transportation. These Jeepneys rule the roads in Manila and throughout the Philippines. They are old Jeeps that were stretched and converted into mini-buses where you can easily climb in and out the doorless-back of the vehicle.

Another common form of transportation are the "tricycles" which are modified scooters. As you can see, they often fit quite a few people on one scooter. We had 8 people on this scooter (I somehow ended up fitting right behind Stephan, in the pink shirt).

Mangos ... need I say more?

We somehow fit in some scuba diving at the end of our trip. Life is rough!

Cuba

During Spring Break, Wharton students head to every corner of the globe in search of adventure, culture and relaxation. While my classmates summited Cotopaxi, toured Japan and visited the Nile, I headed for Cuba in search of entrepreneurs in a country where entrepreneurship isn't supposed to exist.

As part of my MA degree (I'm doing a dual MBA/MA program with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship and Latin America, respectively) I am required to conduct research and write a thesis-like paper with a small team of other students in the program. I have teamed up with three other entrepreneurs who share similar interests (Aymeric, a Belgian who is in the German track, who started a mid-sized pharmaceutical company in Europe; Will, an investment banker turned entrepreneur who quit his job and moved to Mexico to start a chain of ice cream stores; Stephan, a German in the Spanish track who worked for Bain and McKinsey as a strategy consultant and who has also worked on a number of start-ups).

As part of our research on entrepreneurship in the developing world, I figured it would be fun to try to go to Cuba, so I applied for an academic research license through the Department of the Treasury, and to my surprise, it was approved and on March 5th I headed to Cuba for one of the most adventurous ten days of my life.


Havana


In the above two pictures you can see the Capitolio in the center of Havana, which is modeled after the US Capitol Building.


Baseball is a staple of life in Cuba. Children play in the streets, parks and plazas, while dozens of men gather every day in a "peña" in one of the central plazas to talk baseball all day long.

A strikingly obvious omission in Cuba are "tiendas." Throughout Latin America people turn outward facing rooms in their homes into a small convenience stores selling bread, milk and other staple foods. In Cuba, food is strictly rationed, as you can see on this ration board in one of the state operated ration stores. Small bottles show the amount of rice, oil and sugar that is rationed to Cubans and small stacks of soap (for bathing and clothes washing) are also on display. There are shortages of these items throughout Cuba, but store operators and factory workers often find ways to steal these items and sell them on the black market.

Cars from the 40's and 50's dominate the streets in Cuba. As you can see, it is rare to see a car being driven without every seat being utilized.


In Cuba, resourcefulness is key. They continue to use and repair things that would have been disposed of decades earlier in the United States. I even saw men repairing disposable lighters (refilling them with fuel and replacing the flint).


I went to a playoff game while in Havana (this was the league championship game). I've been to quite a few baseball games, but I've never seen a more animated group of fans, at any sporting event. Thousands of people had actually made their own air horns by attaching horns to bicycle pumps. Cuba runs two currencies, one for tourists and one for Cuban nationals. My ticket cost me $3, but Cubans are able to attend for 1 peso nacional, which is equivalent to $.04 (4 cents).

Still overlooking the city of Havana is El Morro, a 16th century fortress that is perched across the bay from the city. It once protected the Spanish colony from the British and Caribbean pirates. It is a magnificent castle with dungeons, look outs and ancient canons.

The José Martí memorial at the Plaza de la Revolución. Martí was a Cuban who lived in the United States for nearly 20 years and then returned to Cuba to fight, and subsequently die, in a battle for independence from the Spanish. He is famously quoted in Cuban propaganda, which litters billboards throughout the country, having said "Viví en el monstruo, y le conozco las entrañas." or "I lived within the monster, and I know its entrails", referring to the United States. One interesting part of Cuba is that advertisements do not exist. All billboards are propaganda filled messages from the government and commercials on the two government run television stations are non-existent.

Opposite the Martí memorial is Ché memorial. This plaza is where Fidel and Ché Guevarra led their revolution that overthrew the Cuban government in 1959. Ché is one of the most popular and recognized figures throughout Latin America and is especially idolized in Cuba. Over a million people still gather in this plaza every year to hear the Castro brothers speak.

Sunset over Havana as the waves crash against the Malecón.


Viñales Valley

Western Cuba is dominated by rural villages, farmland, conspicuous cliffs and unexplored cave systems. Horses are a common form of transportation for the local residents.

One of many tobacco farms throughout the Viñales Valley.


Farmers still use Oxen and a traditional plow to till their farmland.

The local "school bus" taking children to school in rural Cuba.


These shower heads in Cuba brought back shocking memories from my time living in Bolivia. Electrical wires are connected to a heating mechanism in the shower head to heat the water. Warning: Don't touch the shower head or turn the water off while wet! This can be difficult when the shower head is at shoulder level. Fortunately, having been shocked in Bolivia numerous times, I was able to avoid a similar experience in Cuba.


Cienfuegos

Looking through an old fortress window which overlooks the bay of Cienfuegos.


An ancient canon at the Castle of Jagua at Cienfuegos.

Monument in the central plaza of Cienfuegos.


Bay of Pigs

I was able to participate in Fidel Castro's favorite hobby - scuba diving. I went to the Bay of Pigs, the infamous site where 1400 CIA-assisted Cuban exiles unsuccessfully attempted to overthrow Fidel Castro's government. Cuban intelligence was warned of the invasion, and Castro and his army laid in wait for the ill-fated attackers. Several US ships were sunk and all 1400 men were captured or killed. Aside from this famous historical nugget, the bay provides outstanding scuba diving. It was the most pristine diving I've ever done - the reefs were untouched. Unlike most famous dive sites around the world, these reefs see very few visitors. It was genuinely one of the coolest experiences I've had during my travels. Absolutely stunning.

Beautiful beaches throughout Cuba create a vacationer's paradise.


Trinidad

Trinidad is one of Cuba's oldest and most important cities having been founded in 1514. It was a central hub to the sugar trade. This monocrop economy dominated Cuba for several centuries and caused the deforestation of the entire island, but it also brought incredible wealth to the isolated island and allowed for what was once a modern and wealthy city.




American cars from the 1940's and 50's still run the roads of Cuba and act as an important part of the country's transportation system and culture. Taxi drivers often work without the meter running allowing them to game the system where they earn $17/month.

Men playing dominoes in the streets of Cuba is a common sight. A poker face doesn't do you much good when you have this guy sitting behind you!

I was able to meet up with a few friends from Wharton while in Trinidad. Unfortunately, our schedules didn't overlap more, so we only spent this one evening together.