by Alyssa Ashley Cruz
NOWADAYS, college students turn to networking for income.
After class, a group of college students, mostly from Centro Escolar University (CEU), gather around a popular fastfood chain beside La Consolacion College not only to eat but to talk business with fellow “networkers”.
A Pharmacy graduate from CEU, Patrick Lazarte, 23, became a full-time networker since the business started last April 7 of this year. Both Patrick and his younger brother, Jose, are networkers. Jose is a fourth year Broadcast Communication student in CEU.
Since the 'business' launch, the group has grown with 1,600 members and still counting.
Patrick has compared networking business with the infamous pyramid scheme or pyramiding. “Networking is different from pyramid because it is illegal”, he said.
“Networking business is legal because it sells products and is registered in government agencies like Bureau of Food and Drugs, Securities and Exchange Commission, Department of Trade and Industry and others”, he declared.
According to him, the concept and aim of their networking group is to help fellow students, which is different from pyramiding’s “makapera” scheme. He believed that this is one of the reasons why the group had grown drastically.
The group of networkers where Patrick belongs only requires three things: an initial payment of seven hundred seventy pesos (Php 770.00), photocopy of school ID or any valid IDs and two friends.
They require neophytes to bring a pair of friends to make them three, because of their “binary rule” wherein they must come in pairs or in groups.
“We do not just ask random people to join; we are all connected here by mutual friends”, he said.
Then the neophytes will be oriented. “For our recruits to understand our goal, the first thing we say is that our group is about networking, so as not to leave them hanging and curious”, he added.
According to him, their group does not hire speakers; instead they teach each other.
The networkers earn money not only by recruiting but by selling products like coffee, soaps and most of the time multivitamins which come from their manufacturer.
To prove that their business is not just ‘money matters’, one can see in their Facebook account pictures of themselves holding their earnings.
Once they gain profit, the networker will seal a deal with their manufacturer as to how they will divide their commissions. A full-time networker like Patrick earns twice as those half-time players who earn P120,000 a month.
Though the group is outnumbered by college students from the university belt, the group does not confine themselves within; they are open even for high school students. However, players below 18 years old must have a letter of parental consent and must sign a waiver.
This network of “business minded” folks was formed in Mendiola with Gary Lanuza, a businessman, as their pioneer.
Since the 'business' launch, the group has grown with 1,600 members and still counting.
Patrick has compared networking business with the infamous pyramid scheme or pyramiding. “Networking is different from pyramid because it is illegal”, he said.
“Networking business is legal because it sells products and is registered in government agencies like Bureau of Food and Drugs, Securities and Exchange Commission, Department of Trade and Industry and others”, he declared.
According to him, the concept and aim of their networking group is to help fellow students, which is different from pyramiding’s “makapera” scheme. He believed that this is one of the reasons why the group had grown drastically.
The group of networkers where Patrick belongs only requires three things: an initial payment of seven hundred seventy pesos (Php 770.00), photocopy of school ID or any valid IDs and two friends.
They require neophytes to bring a pair of friends to make them three, because of their “binary rule” wherein they must come in pairs or in groups.
“We do not just ask random people to join; we are all connected here by mutual friends”, he said.
Then the neophytes will be oriented. “For our recruits to understand our goal, the first thing we say is that our group is about networking, so as not to leave them hanging and curious”, he added.
According to him, their group does not hire speakers; instead they teach each other.
The networkers earn money not only by recruiting but by selling products like coffee, soaps and most of the time multivitamins which come from their manufacturer.
To prove that their business is not just ‘money matters’, one can see in their Facebook account pictures of themselves holding their earnings.
Once they gain profit, the networker will seal a deal with their manufacturer as to how they will divide their commissions. A full-time networker like Patrick earns twice as those half-time players who earn P120,000 a month.
Though the group is outnumbered by college students from the university belt, the group does not confine themselves within; they are open even for high school students. However, players below 18 years old must have a letter of parental consent and must sign a waiver.
This network of “business minded” folks was formed in Mendiola with Gary Lanuza, a businessman, as their pioneer.
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