In a day and age when “virtual” friends are as important as the “live” ones you have coffee with once a week, creating the appropriate online persona and cultivating a fruitful online social network become imperative. Gone are the days when colleagues and clients have no clue about our lives outside work and about how we spend our weekends. These days, everyone knows what everyone else does, eats, wears, loves and hates.

The term ‘angel investor' originated in the 1900s, when these moneyed guys were applauded for getting Broadway productions off the ground. And they still do. Today, these angels also operate outside the theater district as early stage investors to start-ups. Their assistance comes after entrepreneurs have exhausted support from the 3Fs (family, friends and the occasional fool) and before they can qualify for VC (venture capital) funding.

In late 2008, I came home to Manila to accept an offer to teach at Enderun Colleges, a new international culinary and hotel management school at the Fort. I love the campus and the energy of the founders, faculty and students. It became my new playground, and I embraced my new role...