The VoiceMaster Speaks at the 3rd Annual Business Week Celebration of Northern Negros State College of Science and Technology

The College of Business and Management (CBM) of Northern Negros State College of Science and Technology held its 3rd Annual Business Week Celebration from May 18-20, 2021, via Zoom and Facebook Live with the theme “CBM Business Enthusiasts: Struggling, Coping, Thriving amidst COVID-19 Pandemic”. Students from different CBM courses attended the online event to be inspired and learn about life in the corporate world from the invited guests. The first speaker on the 2nd day of the event was Filipino motivational speaker Pocholo “The VoiceMaster” Gonzales.

Pocholo's presentation was meant to introduce the concept of Futurepreneur and Entrepreneurial Mindset to the students to guide them as they enter the professional world. He began his presentation with high energy through a quick icebreaker, followed by a barrage of witty remarks and hugot lines with the acronym F.U.N. He explained that Education and Entrepreneurship should be FUN - attendees must be Participative, it should have hUmour, and last but not least, everyone should eNjoy.

Pocholo imparts to the students what he learned from his journey about passion and dedication. He inspired the students to focus on what is essential and strive hard to achieve their dreams. He also talked about the greatness of Dr. Jose Rizal, and challenged the students to imbibe his principles and ideals.

He shared his journey on becoming a professional voice artist at the young age of 16, and how he opened the voice acting industry to thousands of aspiring voice artists through the multiple organizations he founded. Aside from this, Pocholo also talked about his entrepreneurial journey. He introduced his company, Creativoices Productions, and other organizations he’s a part of to give the students a glimpse of his life as an entrepreneur. An example of these organizations is the Youth Entrepreneurship Academy (YEA), which seeks to support the Republic Act of the Philippines 10679 or the Youth Entrepreneurship Act.

He explained that he started YEA to help students like them by providing resources, including events, scholarships, and business partnership opportunities. “Sa panahon ngayon, walang bata bata, ang mahalaga yung puso at isipan mo towards your goal, your vision” he added.

In his presentation, Pocholo shared some of his achievements, such as his nomination for the ASEAN Business Awards last 2017. However, he clarified that achievements have no value if they don’t focus on their present selves. He explained that they don’t need capital to start their journey just like him as he only started with TEAM - Time, Effort, Ability, and Money. “It’s not all about resources, but it’s about resourcefulness; ako sobrang walang wala ako nung nagsisimula ako, ang meron lang ako pangarap na hindi ko binitawan.”

Reymar Dumagat, one of the students, had a playful banter with the VoiceMaster on the topic of the latter’s secret. Pocholo answered that in everything he does, he makes sure that he is happy in it. The two then continued talking until they reached the topic of vice with Reymar’s comical answer of love as Pocholo’s vice. This became the VoiceMaster’s transition in talking about relationships and dreams. “Marami naman ganyan ngayon [pertaining to long distance relationship] lalo na at pandemic, pero ganon din dapat tayo sa pangarap natin… ano ba yung pangarap mo? Ito ba yung pangarap na sa huli kayo pa rin? Ito ba yung pangarap na yung trust nandun din? May time management din? Parang love life lang din yan. Ingatan natin ang pangarap natin at huwag nating bitawan, ganon din ang tunay nating minamahal.” he explained.

After the playful banter with the students, Pocholo took a break and shared the virtual stage with Diane Sarmiento, the Marketing Head of CreatiVoices Productions. She inspired the students by sharing her life story as someone who grew up in a public market. She explained that because both of her parents were vendors at the public market, it played a significant role in her upbringing and later on equipped her with useful life skills. 

In continuing the talk, Pocholo discussed what it means to be a voice artist. He even amazed the audience with his repertoire of voice impressions, which included cartoon characters, famous celebrities, and personalities.

After the motivational talks, Pocholo lectured the students about Entrepreneurial Mindset. He shared the concept of AIM, which means Ambition in Mind. Pocholo explained that it is vital to have an ambition in mind, especially now that the competition in the real world continues to be fast-paced. “Do something today that your future self will thank you for” he added. Pocholo also discussed the 12 Qualities and Mindsets of the Successful Entrepreneur. 

Pocholo's talk closed with a little open forum where students asked him questions about entrepreneurship. In the end, a certificate of Appreciation was awarded to the VoiceMaster for his talk.