Renzie Returns to Renzie Baluyut Online

great to be back here on the blog that started it all, with Renzie Baluyut.

Wow. My last post on this blog had been some fifteen months ago. Has it really been that long? Actually, now that I realize it, it's more like- holy shit, I can't believe I've left this blog idle for so damn long!

At any rate, it's great to be back. So much has happened since then, and in a way, this makes for a great opportunity to look back on the year that was. Well, fifteen months exactly, as far as this particular blog is concerned.

So what's new? What's been going on with me since then? Let me get into that in a bit. Here are a few things I've realized though, just this year.

1. Well, for starters, I've come to the conclusion that whatever it is I end up doing, I'm very much a marketing guy. I acknowledged that fact just a few months back- everything I get myself into is really all about marketing.

It started out from my days in radio, yes. But since then, that passion for marketing has spilled into my blogging, social media usage, my freelance work, my consultancy projects- and even in the various business ventures I've been recently involved in.

And it's both traditional marketing *and* internet marketing. I still believe that proper (read: effective) marketing is really in the way you put together the best possible marketing mix. Not just using one channel to the exclusion of all else.

2. I've embraced the entrepreneurial lifestyle. I've gone from employed to freelancer to work-at-home, and finally as a business owner/business partner. There's a totally different state of mind unique to each one- but I'm most comfortable working for myself.

I don't mind putting in all the hours of work beyond the normal 8-hour workday, as long as I know that all that effort goes into my own thing rather than somebody else's company. I love the whole sense of ownership, the challenges that come with it, and knowing that in the end, you are rewarded for all the hard work you put in.

3. I gotta think about the future. Yes, I have to have a grand strategy approach- knowing exactly where I want to be in, say, 5 or 10 years, and working towards it. With that, is the constant need to build myself up- a mix of brand-building, productivity and work/life balance.

Hey man, I'm in my mid-30's, and not only do I have this pressing need to get the most out of my remaining good years, I also have this little voice inside of me nudging me on to get things done and have something to show for it. The push, I'd say, generally does me good. Keeps me on my toes, it gives me a sense of urgency, and in the end, it's really for my personal betterment.

On my next post, I'll be going through all the awesome stuff I've been going through this whole year. Until then.

Cheers, everyone!

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A Step-by-step Guide on Writing a Resignation Letter

I've worked long enough to have seen dozens of resignation letters pass through my hands. Heck, I've written quite a few myself.

When it's time to leave the job you have right now, it's probably in your best interest to leave the company on the best possible terms, even if you feel otherwise.

A resignation letter has to accomplish two simple goals:

• It gives your employer a formal (and legal) notice of your intentions to leave the company, and
• It gives you an opportunity to make an impression that, yes, you are professional, yes, you are rising above the petty things others might otherwise fall into, and yes, you are respectable.

A resignation letter is not a venue to go emo and vent your frustrations, or air your opinions, wishes and grievances. It has to be concise and straight-to-the-point. That's all there is to it.

How To Write a Resignation Letter

1. Treat the resignation letter as a standard business letter. First, you have your name, position and department. The date comes next, two lines down after that. After two more lines, put in the name, position and department of your employer. Then two lines more, you can go into your 'Dear Mr. '.
2. On the first paragraph: State that you are leaving your position, and give the date of the last day you'll be working.
3. Second paragraph: Thank your employer for the opportunity you had working for them. If you want to, mention colleagues you enjoyed working with, or supervisors you want to thank for mentoring you.
4. Third paragraph: For your closing statement, wish the company continued success.
5. After two lines down, type 'Sincerely,' then your name after four lines.
6. Sign your resignation letter on the space above your name with a flourish.

There you have it. A short and sweet resignation letter. Hope this helps.

Cheers, everyone!

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Blogging Full-time Now

Yep. I suppose you can call me a professional blogger now. And I couldn't be happier.

I've started blogging a little bit over a year ago. Though I may have already learned quite a bit about blogs and blogging since then, I still feel like I have much more to soak up on.

This one particular blog of mine- "Blog. Blogger. Bloggest!"- started it all for me. At first, it was a catch-all kind of blog that had a little bit of everything. Then it wasn't too long until I've decided to position them towards a certain niche. So now I got at least eight different blogs right now, each about a specific topic.

I was really just having fun sharing whatever I knew- at first it was just among friends, then friends of friends. Then I was being sent CDs and DVDs to check out, just so I could write about them.

I never considered it seriously at first, but then the money started trickling in. Not even through Adsense just yet, since I haven't even made a serious effort promoting any of my blogs. It was usually more of companies asking me to help them set up their blogs, or to write for them.
And it wasn't much- first a couple bucks here, a few more there. Then just within a few weeks, I've noticed that the rates were going up, and I was actually getting more writing jobs through my blogs.

Just a couple of weeks ago, I thought I'd let go of my day job to take on a couple of contracts which were, needless to say, very much worth my while. How often does it happen that you do get a job offer that pays a lot more than your current job, for you to do exactly what you want to do for the rest of your life?

It doesn't happen that often to me.

So here I am, happily blogging from the comfort of my own home. Plus I have all the time to do whatever the hell I want- go to the gym, do more business, read a book, travel, blog some more or just laze around at home.

It's all very exciting, really.

Again, I know I'm not the best blogger there is out there, or one with the bb-ranking blog, or even someone with the best content, but I think I'm in a better position now to help other people do more with their blogs. Heck, it's the wave of the future.

To all my fellow bloggers and friends who have been blogging, and to everyone who's read any of my blogs- thanks for inspiring me to blog better. This bold new step forward could never be possible without you.

We keep blogging, and we'll help others keep blogging as well.

Cheers, everyone!

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New Job, New Challenges!

It can only be a good thing, I suppose.

I've recently been fortunate enough to land a stint as Program Director for 105.1 Crossover. Yes, I've joined up with the station last month, and while there's a whole lot of work to do, it sure is very exciting stuff!

For a while there, after my "retirement" from Mellow 94.7, I thought I had enough of the radio biz- which was why I ventured into setting up my own small businesses, the whole SEO-SEM-SMO stint, the consulting gigs, etc. It wasn't long before I realized that, once a radio dude, you're forever a radio dude.

In fact, Silvio Dante couldn't have quoted The Godfather 3 better: Just when I thought that I was out, they pull me back in. Always did love The Sopranos (watch it if you haven't already! Get the DVDs!).

No there wouldn't be a reformat- we'll still be playing all the good ol' smooth jazz, R&B and easy listening favorites everyone has enjoyed all these years. If anything, we'll probably throw in more of those favorites- especially more 90's and maybe some more 2000's. Maybe we'll toy around with some music genres we can throw into the Crossover mix, who knows? Hey, as long as it sounds good- let's go for it, right?

Expect a more lifestyle-oriented, interactive Crossover. While we do have quite a number of grand plans oozing out of our skull-holes, it would be great to collaborate with other great minds. In fact, I've been on the lookout for people and groups that would want to be a part of mutually beneficial experimentation. Feel free to swing my way if you'd like to toy with fresh, new ideas.

Email me at 105.1Crossover (at) gmail.com, or just drop me a message at +63918.937.2147, or leave a post here on Blogspot- it's all good, mah babies!

Dude, it's gonna be great, I know it.

Cheers, everyone!

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The Sorry State of Contact Centers

Sign o' the times, indeed.

I feel real bad that all these contact centers are forced to hire borderline English-deficient agents just to fill their quota of warm bodies to get their operations going on.

Back in 2001, I was already running campaigns (for Easycall and E-performax), and to be honest- as a radio dude- I could only consider a few to be really effective communicators; people who had the proper skillsets and mindset for the job. Fast forward to today, 6 years later- the quality of agents seems to have really gone down.

I suppose it can't be helped- 1) More call centers than ever before, 2) Your talent pool hasn't exactly grown to meet that need, so all these companies are forced to hire more people with just the bare set of English skills to get the job done, 3) The ones WITH decent English choose to do other things, as they feel getting into a contact center is beneath their skills, or simply not worth the time, money or effort.

Can't deny it though: The BPO industry still commands a sizeable chunk of money to be made (by anyone- enterprising individuals, foreign investors, the lowly CSR, etc.), and there are still so many opportunities for growth and development. But don't expect me to run your operations for chump change. I know these companies can afford to cough up a little extra cash if they really think they have to.

Right now, I'm just happy what I'm doing at the moment- doing something I really like (writing), for better-than-average pay (it pays the bills, plus you have some extra left over), with almost no responsibility whatsoever (no teams to manage, etc), and just the right amount of time to do other things outside work (work out, do some business, etc).

So who do I feel sorry for? This bunch of CSRs chattering in Tagalog next to my workspace, right next to a sign that says "English-only Zone". Instead of honing their craft with a genuine desire to be better at their jobs, they waste their time griping about how someone hung up on them (no surprise there), and how they can jump to another call center two buildings away offering (what they think is) a better package for them. I feel sorry for them because, in two years, they will wonder why their contemporaries have moved on to better companies and better positions, while they will still be complaining incessantly about their lot in corporate life.

And with that, I fire up my player and drown myself to the sounds of The Fray, following up some leads my editor just sent me. I'm just not being paid enough to care about these CSRs. And in a way, I'm really happy I don't have to.

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