00:00Discarte at diploma, parehong meron niya ng isang Gen Z.
00:04Kaya i-flex na natin ang level up na discarte niya sa buhay as young entrepreneur.
00:09Grabe, live na live sa studio.
00:11Kasama natin siya to bring inspiration.
00:14Well, let's all welcome Mika Lito.
00:16Good morning and welcome to Rise of Chai in Filipinas.
00:19Good morning.
00:20I love her smile.
00:22Grabe, as inawawala na yung mata sa sobrang sayan.
00:25Parang kahit wala kami dito, ikaw lang nakatitigal lang sa camera.
00:29Parang masaya na, masaya na sila.
00:31Uy, kumusta ka na ma, Ms. Mika?
00:34Okay naman ko.
00:34Balita namin kasi 18 years old ka pa lang.
00:38Nagsisimula ka na sa business.
00:40Oh, wow.
00:41Yeah, so nag-start po ako mag-business when I was 18 years old.
00:45Kakagraduate ko lang po ng senior high.
00:47So it was during the pandemic.
00:48Okay.
00:49Yeah, so ever since I was younger, mahilig po talaga ako sa coffee.
00:53And because of that, I started sharing coffee recipes online.
00:57So it was really out of passion.
01:01Yes.
01:02Out of passion, out of love.
01:04Hanggang sa people enjoyed it.
01:07Hanggang sa, yun po, parang they were, it was the people who were requesting,
01:11oy, ano yung coffee recipe natin for today?
01:13Kasi uso din yung Dolgona coffee.
01:15Yeah.
01:15So that time, everyday iba-iba yung coffee recipes, tapos parang I was able to build a community.
01:21So lahat kami pare-pares ng coffee flavor per day, hanggang sa nagkaroon ako ng sarili kong coffee shop.
01:27Ayun.
01:27Pero hindi naman ikaw nagpausa ng Dolgona coffee.
01:30No, hindi po.
01:30So may ka lang yung chen.
01:31Hindi.
01:31Ano ba yung klaseng coffee yung pinakita mo during the pandemic?
01:34Caramel macchiato.
01:36Ah, okay.
01:36Caramel macchiato, white mocha, yes.
01:38I started with the usual and then nagbenta po ako ng syrups and sauces.
01:42Okay.
01:42So nung una, e-commerce muna, online platforms only.
01:46Because of course, pandemic.
01:48So bawal lumabas, ganun.
01:50After po nun, nag-mobile cart ako.
01:52So pop-up booths, events-based, bag-birthdays, weddings, ganun.
01:56Kasi hindi pa po uso yung mga bazar dati.
01:59It was after the pandemic na nauso yun.
02:02And then, nung hinahanap na ako ng mga tao pag wala ng events, that's the time I decided to open
02:08up my first ever coffee.
02:09Ang galing, no?
02:10And imagine, nag-aaral pa siya during that time, no?
02:13Pero we want to know, of course, since mukha namang certified coffee lover ka, no?
02:18So, anong mga special na coffee yung talaga naging patok sa Gen Z during the time na nag-start ka
02:23with your business, with e-commerce?
02:26Ano ba ito?
02:27Naging part ba ito ng, is it a trend or was it already part of your lifestyle?
02:32Tell us more.
02:33So, at first, it started out as a trend.
02:35So, Dalgona was so big and then I realized na nung time na yun, bakit sa ibang bansa, yung caramel
02:41macchiato nagagawa nila sa bahay.
02:43Pero sa Pilipinas, mga Pilipino, kailangan ng bumili sa mga malalaking coffee chains, ganyan.
02:48So, dun ako nagka-idea na paano ko ma-re-create yung favorite coffee shop drinks ko at the comfort
02:54of my own home.
02:55So, that's why at the time, yun na, caramel macchiato was very big.
02:58Hanggang sa, nung lumalaki na ako, dun ko na naiintindihan yung panglasang Pinoy.
03:02And that's when I adapted and adjusted.
03:04Bakit mo sarap? Ba't mayinig ka sa kape?
03:07Pinapahirapan ka ba lang niya sa school?
03:09Na kailangan lagi na hindi makatulong dahil ka na mag-isipan.
03:12Kasi as a pre-med student, parang laging puyat, laging nag-aaral, gano'n.
03:17So, coffee was really my companion, I would say.
03:20Yes, pre-med.
03:20Okay, ang yung naging course.
03:22Sa bagay, mukhang kailangan talaga yata mag-puyat pa rin siya.
03:25Kailangan mo namin kasi silang kailangan i-memorize.
03:28Ang galing.
03:29Ang galing mo doon.
03:30Pero right now, meron ka ng 10 franchises.
03:33At isa sa mga franchising niya, Beanie.
03:36Si Beanie Johanna.
03:38How is it working with her?
03:39Kasi may celebrity ka na na-franchise.
03:41Actually, marami pong nagtatanong kung ano yung feeling to work with Beanie Johanna.
03:46But to be completely honest, it really feels exactly the same.
03:49Like, she has no diva character or yung mga in-expect na mga tao na.
03:54Kapag celebrity, like, medyo, you know, there's a, like, tension.
03:58But it's really not.
03:59Like, I've seen how hardworking she is behind the scenes.
04:02Kahit na sobrang busy niya, doing the concerts, rehearsals, kahit pagod na pagod siya,
04:07she shows up and she's very hands-on.
04:09Ayun.
04:10Di ba naisip mo parang minsan na, ano, muna, dahil medyo naging hands-on siya sa negosyo.
04:14Gusto mo ba? Ako muna pumalik sa isa.
04:15Oh, marami.
04:16Pwede naman ako na lang.
04:17Oh, ganda kasi, ano, in fairness.
04:19Nasa-sample.
04:21Nasa-sample bigla, eh, no?
04:22Pero, we understand that running a business while studying is definitely not a joke, no?
04:27So, how did you overcome yung part na it's very challenging for yourself
04:31and also for other people?
04:33Um, I think priorities talaga.
04:35So, kung ano yung kailangan kong gawin for that certain day,
04:38yun yung inuuna ko.
04:39Kasi minsan, you get overwhelmed, eh, with the things that you have to do
04:42that you end up not doing anything at all.
04:45Okay.
04:45So, ako, kung ano yung priority for the day, that's where my 100% is at.
04:50Oo.
04:50So, siguro, nung estudyante ka pa lang, were you active also dun sa mga school organizations?
04:56Um, that's where parang I drew the line.
04:59I mean, I was active in academics, but after school, I make sure, kasi syempre, I have a business.
05:05So, hindi din pwede na full attention lang, nasa school lang.
05:08So, I go back and forth.
05:10Yeah.
05:10Syempre, ano, eh, parang...
05:12Sa akad and business.
05:13Oo.
05:13Yes.
05:14Namimili ka talaga.
05:15Kasi, kapag na makasama ka sa orgs naman, mahirapan ka rin kasi may mga practice, may mga meetings,
05:20and all that.
05:21Eh, pero may mag-group activities din, eh.
05:22Yes.
05:23I wonder how do you juggle with that.
05:24Yes.
05:25It's really priorities talaga.
05:27Kaya naman.
05:27Time management, ganun.
05:29And, syempre, kasama dun, Puyat, you have to sacrifice mga, okay, huwag kang lalabas,
05:34don't make la quacha, ganun.
05:36So, yeah.
05:37In-advise mo rin ba sa iba na pumasok agad sa negosyo kahit bata pa lang?
05:40Um, hindi lahat.
05:42Okay.
05:42Naniniwala ako na may kanya-kanya kasi tayong timeline.
05:45Hindi porket nag-work sa akin, mag-work din sa inyo.
05:48Tama.
05:48And, if business yung para sa'yo, that's where your heart is at, that's where you wanna be,
05:52then go.
05:53But then, if you wanna do the normal route, wala ding mali doon.
05:57Misal kasi nakaka-pressure.
05:58Yes.
05:59Dahil syempre yung mga kasabayan kay.
06:00Pero, you have to accept.
06:02Tapos, ang bata pa niya.
06:03So, parang feeling ko, pag yung iba, syempre, may mga talagang sasabihin na,
06:06ako yung ganitong edad ko, wala pa ako nag-ago ko, wala pa ako na-achieve.
06:11Yung feeling ko, yes.
06:12What are your thoughts on that?
06:13Actually, I feel like social media has a big part on that.
06:17Minsan kasi dahil nag-doom scroll tayo, di ba?
06:19Araw-araw, sa gabi, pagkagising.
06:21Lagi kasi natin nakikita sa social media.
06:24And, minsan kahit hindi natin sinasadya,
06:26nakokompare natin yung sarili natin sa itap.
06:29But, what I always remember is that someone's social media is the highlight of their life.
06:33I think of it as a portfolio.
06:35Kung ano yung gusto nila, yung tao na yun na makita,
06:39yun yung ipapakita nila sa'yo.
06:40Na-translate na kasi mga photo albums sa bahay, yung social media.
06:43However, however, why it is a tool,
06:46anang ngyari ay naging power na yung social media.
06:50Well, there's a negative or con side with that, di ba?
06:53Yeah.
06:54Oh, well, recently, kasama ka dito sa August 10 to 12,
06:59naging bahagi ka ng isang Women in Business Trade Fair.
07:02Congratulations.
07:03Kumusta naman yung experience mo?
07:05Actually, that's really pinaka, I think, gusto ko when it comes to business.
07:10Because I really believe na yung mga babae,
07:12kapag nagbe-business sila, yung pinakaiba sa kanila,
07:16is that they always build businesses with a purpose.
07:19Hindi basta lang nag-release ng business,
07:21para lang masabi may business,
07:23laging may deeper meaning, I think, yeah.
07:26Ang galing, no?
07:27Kasi, I mean, these words coming from Gen Z.
07:30From a 23-year-old.
07:32Siguro, Gen Z ka, I know comparing is bad,
07:36pero ano yung somehow nakita mong gap between doon sa those people who are actually business owners na millennial
07:43and other generations?
07:45I think, hindi kami nagko-conform.
07:48Okay.
07:48So, hindi porkat yun yung norms, hindi porkat yun yung standards, yun lang yung sinusundan.
07:53Ngayon kasi, with social media, the opportunity is endless.
07:58Diba?
07:59Kahit ako, hindi ako business background, nakapagtayo ako ng negosyo.
08:03Dahil sobrang daming tools in the internet, kung gagamitin lang natin ng tama.
08:09Galing, I like that.
08:11Sige, invite na natin yung ating mga ka-RSP na i-follow kasi yung mga social media accounts.
08:16Yes, so for all social media accounts, our handles is BruinCo.mna.
08:20Okay.
08:21Ayan, well, of that note, talagang naway na-inspire tayo sa mga naging journey
08:28ng ating guest ngayon, of course.
08:30Maraming salamat sa mga binahagi mo, Mika Lita.
Comments