Driven by ‘diskarteʼ - The Manila Times Online 21.12.

2017, 8)04 PM

Driven by ‘diskarte’
Kristel Dacumos-Lagorza December 7, 2017

Street-smart savvy helps businessman

succeed in two disparate fields

When other teenagers were planning

their summer vacation or prepping for
college entrance exams, Charles Paw
was worrying about ways to make a
living.

“My father (Carlos) had told me early

on that he would only support me until
high school,” recalls this former student Charles Paw
Founder, Digits Trading Corp.
of Grace Christian High School. “After
graduation, I would be on my own.” It was a sobering thought for one who
shouldn’t have been carrying the burden of an uncertain future at such a young
age.

“He informed me: ‘Until high school lang kita susuportahan hah [I will only
support you until high school]. After that, you pay for your own college… Tapos
na ako sa iyo [I’m done with my obligations],’” Paw recounts. His father held very
decided views, believing that college was not necessary for one to survive. He did
not place a premium on education the same way other parents did.

Says Paw: “I think he was just wired that way, because he wasn’t supported by his
own parents. He thought it was fine that I go through the same (experience).”

The boy was understandably upset at having to fend for himself. “At the time, I
felt that it was incredibly unfair. My classmates’ only problem was deciding where

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to go, while there I was thinking of how and where I could get money to pay for
tuition.”

Despite the unusual situation, Paw remained eager to enter college. He asked a
cousin, who owned a company distributing basic toiletries, to hire him. He would
earn his keep and school money by working on half-day shifts. He started off as
the employee who compiled the inventories and later moved on to sales.

Borne out of necessity

That feisty youngster has evolved into a
tech magnate with several business
brands such as Beyond the Box, Digital
Walker, and Baseus under his company
Digits Trading. The journey, he relates, was borne out of the sheer necessity to
survive. What helped tremendously was his knack for turning a profit, displayed
even at a tender age.

“We came from a lower middle-class family, but the school I went to was a little
higher-end, so all of my classmates got to travel and they had the money to buy
the latest shoes and newest toys. The only way I could afford the same luxuries
was by making my own money,” explains Paw. “Hindi ko kaya humingi nang toys
or pera sa parents ko, so gumawa ako ng paraan para sa sarili ko [I couldn’t ask
my parents for money or toys, so I became resourceful].”

The enterprising tyke began his “career” as a junior entrepreneur by selling G.I.
Joe action figures and Transformers to friends. When Friday rolled around, he
would take orders and payments from classmates, and then with his mom Anita
head to Divisoria to buy the playthings. His earnings allowed him to buy as well
his own action figures. “I learned everything by instinct. There really wasn’t
anyone who taught me how to do business.”

Paw used this same strategy and diskarte (resourcefulness) to put himself through
college – this time assembling computers, which were the “new toys of the big
boys.” He says: “I didn’t have money as well to buy a computer, so I befriended

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Arnold Yuen, the owner of PC Corner (the business then was under another name),
working out an agreement with him to pay for my PC by installment.”

As a working student, Paw spent his spare time hanging around the computer
shop, learning by observation how everything worked and was put together. Yuen,
noticing Paw’s interest, urged him to assemble and sell computers to his friends. It
was a win-win for both men, with Paw as the producer/salesman and his mentor as
the supplier of components.

“I thought it was a great idea! Because

after doing the sums, I saw that I could
pay for my tuition by selling three to
four computers a month,” Paw says.
The business inspired grander and
more ambitious ideas. Eventually Paw
set up Digits Trading, the mega
company behind Digital Walker, a one-
stop tech accessory store, and Beyond
Charles Paw is a self-professed techie and
the Box, the local Apple purveyor. He
gadget geek.
also recently unveiled his newest tech
concept, Baseus, which provides an array of more affordable yet quality tech
accessories. “I wasn’t thinking that big in the beginning; I didn’t even have a plan
for the next five to 10 years. I just did what I needed to do at that time and
diniskartehan ko lang [I found a way to make the business grow].”

With almost 60 branches in Metro Manila, Paw has proven himself to be one of
the smartest and most successful entrepreneurs in the country – a stark difference
from how his father’s concern panned out.

Paw relates: “My dad (who had died several years ago) had his own business, but
it was very small because he was a very conservative businessman. He never had
staff, never hired employees. He did everything. He was the agent, the salesman,
the employee, the collector. It was very small-scale.”

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This served as an important lesson for Paw. “You cannot grow if you’re thinking
small-scale.” This self-discovered tenet is what he now applies, not only to his
tech brands, but his burgeoning food service empire as well.

Digital to dining
A few years ago, Paw dipped his feet into the food and beverage field with his first
dining concept, Ramen Bar.

He says: “I like to eat. So, whenever I travel, my schedule revolves around where
we’re gonna eat and when we’re gonna eat.” At the time, he was ravenous for
ramen and was always disheartened to return home, unable to find an authentic
Japanese eatery serving his favorite meal. Out of frustration, coupled with spotting
a prime opportunity, Paw put up his own noodle hub.

Paw with his wife Annabelle in Iceland; Paw meets renowned Michelin-starred
chef, Björn Frantzén

The reception to the delicacy proved encouraging. Since then, Paw’s drive to
satiate the appetites of adventurous foodies also grew. He introduced a gallery of
exciting dining concepts under his company, the wittily named Tasteless Food
Group. Today, he oversees some of Metro Manila’s most popular dining
destinations including Le Petit Souffle, Scout’s Honor, Freezer Burn, Wrong
Ramen, Hole in the Wall, Fowlbread, Bad Bird, Ping Pong Diplomacy and The

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Beef. In addition, the company also operates franchised brands such as

Hanamaruken Ramen and Kushikatsu Darumo.

New dining propositions such as an “only sausages” outlet and a UK-inspired

pizzeria are heating up in the pipeline and ready to be introduced by year-end. An
avid traveler, who is thrilled by the vibe and eat-about-town activities of Japan and
the UK, Paw is forever cooking up new food scenarios.

Paw’s diverse business portfolio and aggressive approach to growing his concerns,
launching several stores at a time and introducing new service concepts every
season, may lead the public to mistake him for being just another power-hungry
profiteer. But this is not the case at all.

An unassuming fellow – dressed down in jeans and a simple polo shirt and
sporting his signature cross-body bag – Paw explains that he’s just so driven and
bursting with a raft of novel schemes. Great ideas are hard to come by, so why
waste them?

Paw revels in his hectic lifestyle but confesses to challenges, saying: “With so
many things going on, it does get a bit confusing. It’s wrong, I know, but I’m
learning how to better manage everything. I’m thankful that I have my brother
Howard, who is working with me, and my wife Annabelle, who is more organized,
as well as a great, hardworking core team.”

The next phase of development, he says, involves putting “more order” into their
network. “We will be focusing on scaling up. We’re weeding out the ones (the
businesses) that aren’t doing well and scaling up those that are.”

How does Paw determine what will fly and what won’t? “It has to be profitable, of
course,” he says. “We’ve learned that the most profitable enterprises – food or
otherwise – are those that cater to a larger denominator. If you want to be
successful, go for the basics.”

For newbie concepts, Paw follows one rule of thumb. He is willing to invest at

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most P15 million and gives the business two years to earn its ROI (return on
investment). “I now only choose those business ideas, which I can envision
growing to at least 10 to 12 stores.”

But it can be dicey at the start to gauge

a concept’s future, admits Paw. One of
his most memorable “failures”
involved Shop 88, which sold
homeware and other knick-knacks for
P88. “I learned a little too late from
that particular business idea, I had to
Digital Walker now has 30 branches across the
have several branches open at a time,
metro
minimum 20, because sukis (patrons)
always wanted something new. Which is hard if you just have one branch.”
Different businesses need different strategies, he says.

Reflecting on the string of successes and failures experienced in the past, Paw
declares: “It’s really hard to say which business ideas will fly and which will flop.
But I’ve always been a positive thinker.

“This has paid off tremendously because the success of those that flew definitely
has made up for losses I’ve incurred with the ‘failures.’ So when it comes to
business, my advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is don’t be afraid to take risks.”

Paw is obviously game for life’s adventures.

BETWEEN GOOD AND GREAT

The tech mogul and restaurateur shares the qualities he believes spells the
difference between a good businessman and a great entrepreneur.

• HAVE PASSION
As cliché as it sounds, being passionate about your business is what will carry it
over from something that’s simply sustaining your lifestyle (survival) to a brand
worth building. If you don’t have a singular passion, go into something that’s at

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the very least interesting to you.

• MAY DISKARTE
Be intuitive, resourceful and be creative in the ways you think of solutions to
problems. Get things done!

• KNOW HOW TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS

I learned from my cousin that good business is founded on mutual trust and
respect. Learn how to build and maintain relationships. It’s a fundamental in
business.

• BE A POSITIVE THINKER
If you think positively, that’ll allow to become a bigger risk taker. Be fearless;
don’t be afraid to take risks.

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