Secret to Jef’s Success: How Did He Do It?

Pitted between family and society, which would you choose? Generally, Filipinos could not do away with the “family first” principle since Filipinos practice close family ties. Be that as it may, a person can choose to serve his community to the best of his ability only when the immediate family is economically stable.

But such is not the case for Jefrey Corton Indangan of Purok 2, New Alegria, Cecilia, San Luis, Agusan del Sur.

Stuck between family obligation and social responsibility, Jef, as what his close friends call him, unsuspectingly and unmindfully embraced both.

Born and raised from indigent parents of a Manobo race, Jef is not naive to the harsh clutches of life and poverty. However, he claimed that the difficulty he has faced challenges him to push further until he succeeded.

Now twenty-two years old, Jef fondly mused that even when he was still a kid, motorcycles and cars have always fascinated him so much that he decided to study automotive technology after finishing high school.

Indeed, Jef recalled that every time he goes to San Francisco for an errand, he would usually pass by Agusan del Sur School of Arts and Trades (ASSAT) and imagine himself studying there.

However, Jef’s life took a sharp swerve when he took the entrance exam for the Three-Year Automotive Technology in ASSAT and failed. Despite the disappointment, he refused to give up his childhood dreams so he opted to study Two-Year Automotive Technology at St. Francis Xavier College instead.

“I know some people look down on technical-vocational graduates but I don’t mind them. I don’t talk a lot about my achievements. I just do what I love to do which is fixing cars and motorcycles.”

Thus, after Jef graduated from his tertiary education, he now owns an automotive shop situated in his locality.

“Almost all of the families in our place have motorcycles or multicabs and they look for automotive shops nearby in order to maintain their vehicles up and keep it in running the time. Living in one of the innermost barangay of San Luis, going to the town for preventive maintenance of service vehicle would be an added cost. Thus, Jef believes that by establishing an automotive repair shop in their locality he has helped the people a lot in saving some time to go to the next barangay which is a few kilometers away just to have their motorcycles and multicabs fixed.

His business venture is banked on the entrepreneurial concept that whatever is not readily available in the chosen market but is deemed necessary makes a good business.

“I have this kind of business because we don’t have any auto shops in our place. We have a very rough, muddy road and so I thought that motorists needed help with the maintenance and repair of their motorcycles and vehicles for everyday 20-kilometer bumpy rides to and fro. Also, I’m just a call away for a home service or worst if they got stuck in the mud.”

However, this young entrepreneur still needs all the aid in all forms he can get. “I am planning to buy some additional tools so I can really work with so much ease on the parts that needed fixing.”

Meanwhile, Jef is thinking of naming his business into “Indangan Autoshop” since he is set to share his knowledge and to teach the skills he learned from school to his father and three brothers.

For Jef, he has a brighter future ahead and he sees himself working alongside his family in order to give satisfaction to their customers.

True enough, the said automotive shop has helped his family in many ways such as providing household needs as well as it has helped him assist his parents in sending his siblings to school.

“Maybe my customers are satisfied with my work and that’s why I get a lot of customers. I guess my work speaks for itself.”

Meanwhile, Jef cannot yet see himself working overseas because he feels that his parents still need him.

However, Jef’s humility is his dominant character when he stated “…I am so grateful to God because he has given me the strength to pursue what I love to do. Difficulties have challenged me twice. First, when I didn’t pass the entrance exam in ASSAT. Second, I had dengue for a month. But, these didn’t stop me to still finish my studies.”

Lastly, Jef encourages all Filipinos “…to pursue their dreams. No matter how many times trials knock you down, just get up and keep trying until you succeed.” # MARIANO, A.D.