Second Try for a Startup Is Like a Ship's Journey

There is a saying that goes "A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for." It quote was reportedly popularized by John A. Shedd, and this is what inspire me to venture once again into the world of startup.

The ship in the photo above was personally taken by me during my travel from Bantayan Island to mainland Cebu, it was taken last May 6, 2023.

Super Shuttle Ferry the name of the ship operates daily from the Port of Santa Fe in Bantayan Island to their port of destination in Hagnaya Port of San Remegio, Cebu.

The estimated travel time is one hour from departure and the Regular Passenger fare as of May 2023 costs around P359.00 with an additional P25.00 for the Terminal Fee.

Ship's Similarity on my Start-Up Journey:

In 2011, when I decided to return home and end my contract for good as an OFW working in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for almost six years, I decided to build up my start-up company alongside my close friend in college.

Photo Taken During my OFW Days in Saudi

Like the ship, I was unsure during that time if our start-up company will be successful, as I have invested some money and efforts to build the blogging website PhilNews.ph, but it was called as QuotedNews.com at first when my friend started it way back the year 2010.

To cut a long story short, our website PhilNews.ph became one of the most popular news websites in the Philippines garnering millions of unique visits per month since the year 2011. Still, due to some challenges, we departed ways with my friend and he continued the project and I went back home to the province to pursue other things.

This will be my second time venturing into a start-up after a close friend who happens to be the founder of the Philippines' only decentralized micro-blogging platform D.Buzz built on top of the Hive blockchain, invited me to return to blogging.

Choosing Between Politics and Start-Up:

Working as a CO (Photo:) Source

As far as I can remember I left the company I once co-founded during the last quarter of the year 2016 and decided to go back to my hometown in Bantayan Island and permanently live there, and I was even involved in politics serving as a Barangay Councilman.

The PhilNews.ph is just one of the websites I was writing with because I also wrote on my personal website a political blog during the year 2016 that I do as my passion project. That website is PhilNews.XYZ website which I plan to revive anew in the next month.

Although the website PhilNews.XYZ was not that really active during the past few years or since 2019 when I barely post an article per day but still the site generated around 100,000 views per month which is fair enough.

After my stint as a Barangay Councilor, I joined the campaign team of a veteran politician in our town and we successfully dethroned the political dynasty in our town. Since the year 2019, I worked as a community organizer in our town.

Community Organizing (Photo:) Source

Although working in government is a bit fulfilling on my part but still I keep on looking for ways to make money online and due to some reasons I finally decided to give up on my day job and wanted to pursue once again into the world of start-up through the invitation made by Chris Rice (@chrisrice).

My Life and the Ship's Journey Towards the Harsh Seas:

Today, I am here in Davao City, leaving my previous government job and venturing into something that I really like, my life's journey is similar to the ship that I saw in the port of Santa Fe, it was a beauty to behold when it was anchored at the harbor, but that's not ships are made for.

The decision to venture into the start-up scene somewhat took me enough time to finally make up my mind. I am now in my 40s and the offer to work once again in a start-up environment is hard to resist.

I have been absent for the past few years in the online world because I was so busy with my day job as a community organizer visiting almost every Barangay and Purok in the Municipality of Bantayan, a town in the Northeastern part of Cebu Province here in the Philippines.

The Ship's Real Purpose:

Just like a ship or any other vehicle or tool, they are designed for a specific purpose, In the case of the ship they need to travel on the water although we can say that upon looking at them they are really safe in port or harbor.

Sailing the High Seas, Ro-Ro Vessels Going to Bantayan Island

The ship's primary purpose or they are built to sail the seven seas therefore the shipbuilders must build it sturdily and tough to last against the brute force of the seas and the ocean currents, tides, and terrible weather conditions.

In real life, the quote "A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for," only means that it is really important to take risks and challenge ourselves in order to grow and succeed in whatever endeavors we wanted to pursue.

Although it is also important things to note that we need to be safe and secure at all times, it is not enough to just simply stay in a comfortable place so that we can reach our full potential, it is indeed necessary to take risks and venture into the world of unknown.

Thank you so much if you have reached this far, I am so grateful that you were not only entertained but maybe you have learned a lesson from my journey and the correlation with our everyday life to what the ship was made for.

I encourage you also to share your stories through the comment section or you can add suggestions to me on this journey of mine into the start-up scene once again. Your ideas and pointers will be taken into consideration and I will read and respond to you.

As a beginner here in this thriving Hive community, please bear with me, I am just starting to learn the whole ecosystem.

All Photos Are Mine Except Those Who Were Credited to their Respective Owner