Eat n’ Run Bounce Back Story
I dreamed of being a chef and putting up my own restaurant when I was younger. I remember telling my grade school teacher that’s what I want to do when I grow up. Unfortunately, I couldn’t afford culinary school. After I graduated from high school, I took a 6-month short-term course, transferred to Cebu, and lived there for almost two years. In Cebu, I gained culinary experience, met a lot of chefs, and learned about commercial cooking.
In 2012, a friend invited me to play music here in Albay so I went here with my sibling. I started a band but then my bandmates decided to take different paths. My sibling went back to Cebu, and I was left here alone. But that didn’t stop me from performing. I’d play my music solo and sometimes I’d have a vocalist with me. It was very difficult to struggle and hustle alone. The gig life is not easy because what you get paid for sometimes is barely enough. It isn’t really sustainable as it only gives you an income when you have a gig. If you’re not wise enough, you’ll get hungry at the end of the day.
In 2015, I received a business idea/suggestion from my friend Ikeen. I decided to give it a try with my fiancé Andrea. Together we began our own cart business. It was difficult at first. I had to save up money to buy the parts for the cart and sacrifice my sleep so that I can sell as early as 5 a.m. at Legazpi Boulevard and then prepare for my gigs later in the evening. I got burned out, felt so overworked, and realized that I was not taking care of my health properly, so I decided to rest for 5 months.
After that, I got an offer from another friend to serve food in a stall at the back of DWCL. We agreed on the business and I began serving breakfast meals with cheese sauce, which eventually became a hit.
Now the business is going well and I already have a few people that work for me. Hopefully, we can expand our business in the future. We’re not rushing though, we’re taking it slow and just enjoying the journey to get there.
My advice to those who want to try out a business is to believe in yourself and the products that you sell. The products and services that you provide should reflect what kind of person you are. Treat your employees with respect and build trust. There’s also no shame in starting small. What’s important is that you started, you kept going, and never gave up.
Most importantly, I learned that I couldn’t do things alone. I learned so many things while growing the business with Andrea. I know that without her help, I wouldn’t be able to make it this far. She helped me with the things that I am not good at, like managing the business’ social media. I also started investing with her help. We complement each other. This made me realize that no matter how hardworking I am, I still need other people to grow and achieve my dreams. That is why I have learned to be grateful for all the people who support me. The relationship you build with other people should always be cherished because in your lowest moment, they will help you bounce back in life.
