At the young age of 23, Paul Desiderio is already getting ready for life after basketball.
“Lagi nakatatak sa akin ‘yung advice ni Boss Ronald [Mascariñas] na mag-ipon at mag-invest kasi basketball, hindi forever ‘yan,” said the native of Liloan, Cebu.
January of last year, Desiderio received his own Chooks-to-Go branch for his years of duty with the Batang Gilas program, and for his service to Mascariñas’ alma mater University of the Philippines. His branch is located in West Fairview, Quezon City.
And he used the profits from that store to enter a new venture.
Together with fiance Agatha Uvero, Desiderio opened a franchise of Kurimi Milk Tea Bar.
“Naghahanap kasi ako ng business na pwede kong mag-invest, tapos nagbigay sa’kin ng advice si Tita Jean [mom of Agatha] na mag-franchise ng Kurimi Milk Tea Bar,” Desiderio said.
Kurimi is known for its comfy interiors, but due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the store along Katipunan is only serving take-out customers.
Surprisingly, the first two months of Kurimi’s operations have been profitable for Desiderio and Uvero.
“Nagbukas kami sa Katipunan kasi familiar kami ni Agatha sa area, since we’re both from UP, and siyempre marami ring residential area doon. Sales have been surprisingly good kahit lockdown,” expressed Desiderio.
Desiderio admits that running two businesses while staying in shape is tiresome.
The young stalwart embraces the grind, though, as he knows that this is part of the whole entrepreneurial process.
“Si Boss Ronald leads by example, so idol ko talaga siya pagdating sa business,” shared Desiderio.
“Nakatulong talaga ‘yung pagbigay niya sa akin ng Chooks-to-Go branch para ma-fuel ‘yung interest ko sa business, at pati na rin sa pag-encourage niya sa akin na mag-invest sa labas ng basketball.”
Asked if a Chooks-to-Go oven-roasted chicken and a Kurimi Matcha Cheesecake tea tasted good together, Desiderio only had this to say.
“Sobrang sarap na combination ‘yan! Promise!”
