It’s amazing how you could read about the “secrets” of millionaires in every turn you make in the internet superhighway. One of the “secrets” stated in the article Secrets of the millionaires is being your own boss — many who have decided to start businesses on their own have been handsomely rewarded for taking the chance. Of course, so many have failed. Still, as Robert Kiyosaki beautifully explained in his best-selling book Rich Dad, Poor Dad, you have to get out of the rat race and be your own boss. You have to get out of your comfort zone and start your own business.

One of the tips in Get rich: Women millionaires share secrets is to find a business model and copy it, although this doesn’t always work. The secret, as stated in 6 Secrets Millionaires Know That You Don’t (Entrepreneur.com), is that networking is not working, and that millionaire entrepreneurs are selective about relationship building. A strong family tie is also a key ingredient. As noted in the article Secrets of the Wealthy: What Many Millionaires Have in Common, 92% of the millionaires are married. You will note that the nurturing quality and the acceptance of responsibility, both of which are inherent in strong marriages, are also the traits of entrepreneurs. In the end, these “secrets” are useless if you don’t have what it takes.

Now, going through all these, I realized that practically anyone could write about tips and guides on creating wealth and earning millions. So many books and articles have been written about how to become a millionaire. Some of these books on millions and millionaires have become bestsellers and earned millions for their authors, while other books have, well, poor results.

I realized that practically anyone could write about tips and guides on creating wealth and earning millions. So many books and articles have been written about how to become a millionaire. Some of these books on millions and millionaires have become bestsellers and earned millions for their authors, while other books have, well, poor results.

It all boils down to credibility, which is the reason why some authors project an image of being wealthy. After all, pray tell, would you take advice on how to become a millionaire from someone who isn’t financially successful and has not made even a million? Maybe yes, but more likely, no. That being said, allow me to give my two cents (no pun intended) on millions and millionaires, as applied to probinsyanos.

Get out of the probinsiya. As soon as you have the capital — basically your guts and your brains — get out of the province. Sure, there are those who chose to remain in the province and made it big, and I know many of them, but I know more probinsiyanos who decided to get out and made it big in the city.

In the probinsiya, there are three economic bigwigs — the landlords, the traders and the politicians. If you’re not among those groups, you’ll realize that it’s extremely difficult to get into any of them. These groups are exclusivists, which is only logical, or downright wrong, depending on which side of the fence you’re standing. The funny thing is this — after achieving success in the city, you’ll discover that it’s easier to get into those economic groups when you go back to the province.

The city, as compared to the probinsiya, gives more premium on individual capacity. If you have the guts, the ability and the brains, you could land a great job and earn a handsome salary. This could be your springboard for further success. This process is based on performance, with relatively lesser consideration of your family’s position in politics or trading, or the size of your family’s hacienda. It’s entirely absurd, of course, to say that such factors play no role in the city environment. All I’m saying is this: with the right ingredients, a probinsyano have more chances of going up the ladder of success in the city than in the probinsya.

Blame cosmic lotto or blame anyone, including your parents, but realize that blaming won’t erase the truth that membership into these economic groups is primarily dictated by birth. It’s like inheritance, passed on from one generation to another. Look closely at your province and you can trace the clans within these economic groups. It’s not their fault that they’re born into that group, but it’s probably your fault if you don’t do anything to improve your condition.

Just a couple of reminders, though. First, there’s a good reason for the balik-probinsya campaign. An exodus towards cities strains the cities’ resources and, at the same time, drains the pool of talents left in the probinsya. It’s just like the phenomenon of the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW). It’s unfair, however, to tell probinsyanos to stay in the probinsya if the opportunities, growth and progress are concentrated in the capital cities.

Second, getting out of the probinsya is entirely different from forgetting your beloved probinsya. Your roots and your identity are in your province. Sino ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan, ay hindi makakarating sa paroroonan.

Third, don’t take this advice blindly. There is an ongoing influx of probinsiyanos to the cities, resulting in an unfortunate reality that many of these fellow probinsyanos end up living under bridges and can’t even afford a trip back to the probinsiya. This is not to belittle the plight of our brother probinsyanos, but this just to point out the sad outcome of the blind belief that opportunities abound in the city. This should be a warning that while opportunities abound in the city, these are the very same opportunities that are being sought after by those who are already in the cities — and there’s a high unemployment rate in the city. You must have the right ingredients to survive and become successful in this concrete jungle. These ingredients will be discussed in subsequent parts of this article.

• Successful and Inspiring Pinoy Entrepreneurs
• Quotes from Successful Pinoy Entrepreneurs
• Entrepreneur vs. Employee: Why can’t everyone become Entrepreneurs?
• 5 Most Inspiring OFW Entrepreneurs
• 10 Outstanding Entrepreneurs of 2008 (Entrepreneur Philippines)
• Do we Need More Entrepreneurs or more Opportunities?
• Necessary Factors for a Successful Business