How to make Siopao

Siopao are steamed buns popular in the Philippines. Siopao is a Minnan term for baozi, literally meaning Sio =Hot Pao=Bun. It is also called salapao in Thailand.Outside of the Philippines, many Filipino restaurants offer variants of siopao with local ingredients ranging from Spam and canned pineapple in Hawaii, to haute cuisine concoctions involving foie gras and truffles. There are several siopao stuffing varieties which could be either Asado or bola-bola that may use pork, chicken, beef, shrimp, eggs, and possibly chopped scallions and water chestnuts as well.

Below is the basic procedure how to make siopao. A video is also presented to guide you on the actual way of making siopao. Enjoy!

To make the dough:

4 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 cups warm water
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. oil
1 tbsp. baking powder
2 tsp. yeast

For the filling: (remember you can have bolabola, mongo, beef, shrimp, eggs etc. )

1/4 kilo pork or chicken
1/2 cup cooked beans
1 tbsp. flour dissolved in 1 tbsp. water
garlic, onions for sautéing
4 tbsp. soy sauce

Utensils:

mixing bowl
wide board for making dough
square pieces of paper for each siopao

Procedure:

1. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water; set aside for 10-15 minutes.
2. Mix together sugar, salt, oil in the mixing bowl.
3. Add the dissolved yeast and half of the flour. Mix well.
4. Add more the remaining flour and mix well.
5. Knead the dough on the kneading board until smooth and fine.
6. Make a big ball from the dough and put in the bowl lined with oil. Apply oil also on the top of the dough.
7. Cover and let the dough rise within 30-40 minutes.
8. Flatten the dough, cut and make small balls. Let rise.
9. Flatten the balls, put 1 tbsp. filling in each and close. Put the ball on the square sheet of paper to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
10. Steam the balls for 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of the balls.

Filling:

1. Sauté the garlic, onion, sliced pork or chicken.
2. Put in the beans, soy and a little water.
3. Before removing from the fire, pour in the dissolved flour for thickening. Stir well.

Photo courtesy of mycebuphotoblog.wordpress.com

Ways to Expand Your Business

You have started small and now your small business is doing great. Probably you wanted to follow the steps of Henry Sy from a small shoe store to now one of largest mall operators or of John Gokongwei Jr. from small trading business to now the popular Robinsons among other businesses in the country. So now you wanted to expand your business, expansion means more growth, and therefore more profit. If you are ready to go to the next step and grow your business beyond what it is now then read on.

So what are the various ways to expand our existing business? A few of them are listed below.

Your expansion depend on the type of business you own, your available resources, and how much money, time and sweat equity you're willing to invest all over again; and of course, whether you have learned your lessons well when you were starting and surviving your business on its infancy stages until now.

How to manage the expansion of your small business?

If you have been here for quite awhile (meaning a year or more ago), you may already have your small business going for a time now. And so you maybe thinking of expanding your business and perhaps also thinking about effective small business administration or thinking if you need business insurance or a business marketing person among other needs. Anyway, with your business expanding, you know you now need extra hands and minds.

How do I manage the expansion of my small business?

To manage a growing business, set up a formal organization by apportioning responsibilities to yourself and your workers.

The classic definition of a small enterprise is a "manufacturing or service enterprise wherein the owner-manager is not actively involved in production but performs a varied range of tasks involved in guidance and leadership without the help of specialized staff."

Implied in this definition is the central role of the owner-manager in the business. Like you, many small businessmen begin by doing most of the management functions. In other words, by being their own production, marketing finance and personnel supervisors / managers. Well, it is obvious you have been serving as "all things" to your business. Now that you have begun to grow, you know you can’t hack it alone. You need extra hands and minds.

One of the first things you do in setting up a more formal organization is to choose the responsibilities to take for yourself. Then, you choose the people to work for you. But whoever you hire, be sure that they can do the job you hired them to do.

Choosing your own role in the business

In choosing your own responsibilities and tasks, consider the following:

* Your education and training. Entrepreneurs with engineering and technical education naturally want to be on top of production. Those with accounting or banking background see themselves as financial managers. What about you?

* Your experience. We know someone who worked for years as a woodworker and later installation foreman in a large wood-tile company. When he decided to go on his own, he set up a small wood-tile production outfit. Quite naturally, he became not only general manager but also production manager. Similarly, you should consider your own experiences. Which of these experiences might have prepared you to do certain management and technical responsibilities?

* Your interest and aptitude. You may have neither the experience nor the training for a certain management job, but you might have the interest and aptitude for it. For example, if you are outgoing, persuasive, and persistent and naturally drawn to people, you will do well in sales even if you had no formal training or experience in it.

* Your time. How much time can you devote to all the management responsibilities you want to take? Remember there are only 24 hours in a day. Remember too that you have other roles to play in life —parent, spouse, daughter/son, member of the community. So if you fancy being "all things" to your business, think again.

* The advantage of your broad view. Remember, nevertheless, that a business organization is not permanent. It moves, evolves, grows. Your role in it also alters as the organization moves. Be prepared for these changes.

Choosing the people to work with you

Should you hire from members of your family, relations, and neighbors?

Whoever you hire, be sure that they can do the job you hired them to do. Before taking them in, lay down the ground rules. Tell them clearly what you expect from them in terms of performance, attendance, punctuality, etc.

Conversely, they also need to know what they can expect from you in compensation, benefits, work hours and conditions, etc. If they are relatives or friends, you must make them realize that, in coming in as employees, they are now relating to you in business and professional terms. It is now a relationship based on performance.

Choosing the right people to work with you may seem easy. There are so many people who are jobless or underemployed. However, you must look for those with the skills, attitudes, and personality traits to do the job well. You must choose employees who are willing to work hard and well, who are willing to be trained and to go on working for you after being trained. If you think that is easy, think again.

Source: UP ISSI

Reasons for failure or success of a business, and why a few will thrive

Every year, hundreds of thousands are starting a small business. Most will fail, some will muddle along, and a few of these small businesses will thrive. Which ones thrive, and why? The reason some businesses experience spectacular sales and profit growth from the start isn't because they had a lot of money at the beginning. Their fast growth can be attributed to the fact that they were put together the right way i.e. they got a great business plan.

In every instance, the founders either had or acquired the experience and knowledge they needed to startup and run the business. They recognized what their weak points were, subsequently nurtured alliances, and acquired the skills they needed to start their company off right. They also understood how the various parts of the business fit together to form a total structure and knew that if one part was missing, the total structure would break. For example, they knew that a successful sales plan is directly dependent upon support from the marketing and promotional plans, and that the strategic business plan acts as the glue that holds all the sub plans together so that they work in concert.

DEVELOPING IDEAS

Clever product and service ideas are a dime a dozen. Everybody has one, and most of them never get implemented. The successful entrepreneur starts with a basic idea. This idea is first tested to staying power. Can it be used to grow a customer base, and will it be profitable? The pseudo-entrepreneurial itch often ends before the basic idea gets tested. Studies show that a high percentage of people who open new businesses do so because they are frustrated with their current job. They'll jump into any business venture that comes along without first checking it out. Ninety percent of this group will go out of business in their first year.

Those that make it are smart enough to recognize the symptoms of their emotional state. They are acutely aware that they may be in a vulnerable position. As a result, they may hang on to the security of their current job and start a business on the side. They'll make the move to become a full-time entrepreneur when the time is right for them and after they have thoroughly checked out their business venture ideas. There are three basic concepts to keep in mind as you develop and refine your business start-up ideas.

Be Creative

The opposite of creativity is rigidity. Entrepreneurs are not rigid in their thinking. If you cling to the old ways of doing things because "that's the way we have always done it," you'll never come up with the new solutions that are demanded by today's small new businesses. To test your creative ability, practice finding ways to tie together seemingly unrelated ideas.

Understand Every Problem

You must have a clear understanding of what it is you are trying to achieve and be able to identify the obstacles that stand in your way. Break each problem down so that you understand it and know what you need to do to eliminate it. For example, the problem may be that you need more space. Why do you need more space, and what are the alternatives? An alternative may pose a new set of problems, but if they reduce the magnitude of the original problem, the alternative may be a more viable option.

Brainstorming

When you come up with a solution to a problem, brainstorm the solution with as many qualified people as you can find to avoid judging your own answer this is what a good business management and business development should be. Accept modifications that make sense, and be prepared to replace the solution with a totally new and better alternative. The key to the brainstorming process is to be objective. Brainstorming is an excellent way to come up with a new set of ideas for new products, services, or improvements that could accelerate the growth of your business.