We are created like Ants. We follow where the crowd goes. We chase the latest trends. We imitate successful business modules.
We tend to play safe. We don’t wanna get burned. And we don’t go out of our comfort zone.
That is who we are.

All the ones who are brave enough, wandering the unknown, are the ones who really made a fortune. The ones who made a name for themselves.
They don’t want to be Ants like the rest of us. They aim to be the “King of the Jungle” or the “Leader of the Pack”.
They are the ones who made 1st of anything. They are Unique in everything that they do. They aim for the long ball and have the patience to get their rewards on a much later date.

Like my friend Chito for example. A former corporate head turned to Agriculture Specialist. He was the 1st in the Philippines (probably in whole Asia) to start an American Bullfrog farm.
When everybody is afraid of the frogs, this guy makes money out of it. He doesn’t care about the slime and the yuckiness. What he cares about is the 20,000 eggs that his frogs lay along the edge of his pond.

Chito was curious about why nobody bothered to breed these frogs when their meat is highly coveted. Frog legs are one of the better-known delicacies of French and Chinese cuisine.
Their huge legs are rich in protein, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A, and potassium. They are often said to taste like chicken because of their mild flavor, with a texture most similar to chicken wings.
Which explains why each year about US$40 million worth of frog legs are traded all around the world.

So Chito imported these frogs from east and central US and rolled the dice.
Not a doubt entered his mind. He is confident that once he gets the unknown amphibians here in our country that people will soon be patronizing his frogs.
His assumption was right. Soon, Chinese restaurants and Hotels are calling his farm in Batangas to make their 2nd, 3rd, and nth order.

And since Chito has diverse hectares of land, he added Peking Duck (which he was one of the pioneers to start it) to abide by the request of his Filipino-Chinese customers.

He is also one of the first to start a Lettuce farm in a humid province (1st district of Batangas ) that is situated near the ocean.

He never stops thinking, researching, and trying all agricultural components. He is fearless and ready to fail and try again. That is the essence of learning.

Right now, he is into Sili (Labuyo) production. He harvests 40 kilos of hot chili every day. He’s semi-retired but still making a profit or two in his land.
We get to talk whenever I swing by his farm on the weekends. We had endless discussion and sharing of ideas.

I learned a lot from him. I don’t only acknowledge him as my Agriculture mentor but also recognize him as my friend.

Chito told me that I should be ahead of the pack. To stand above the rest.
He told me to be the 1st of everything that I want to create or build. To be unique and create a brand for myself.

The frog farmer advice is candidly true. Nobody wants to be 2nd… the best place to be is always at 1st!