SA JAPAN

Cherry came to Japan about 18 years ago in a desperate bid to settle a P25,000 debt from her failed fish business in Navotas. Having five children to support single-handedly after her common-law husband abandoned them, she worked for a rich Japanese household as a maid. Although used to hard work, Cherry was so humiliated by that experience that she wanted to go home except that she did not know how. She eventually overstayed her visa. It was then that she tried her hand at business, something that she always had confidence in. She started by activating her Avon membership in the Philippines. Not having enough capital, Cherry admits that it was Avon that gave her the break, as she took advantage of the one-month payment cycle to purchase other fast-moving products like tuyo, bagoong, balut and other Filipino staple items.

At that time, there were very few competitors. She could mark up her items by at least 100 percent.

Riding on the wave of the entertainment boom in Japan in the mid-80s, she then moved on to high-margin products like garments and jewelry. She used profits from these products to buy land and build her home in Bulacan.

It was also at about this time that she met a Japanese whom she eventually married. This marriage enabled her to stay and do business in Japan formally. Not wasting time, she expanded her enterprise into the export of second-hand cars and automotive parts.

Despite a string of entrepreneurial successes, an unhappy marriage hounded her. Bearing the heavier part of the conjugal business partnership, Cherry eventually divorced her husband.

Cherry then tried her hand in entertainment business, operating Superstar for six years. She recycled her profits from this enterprise to a similar entertainment outfit in the Philippines and the rest to other real estate properties.

Cherry says that her secret to survival in the dog-eat-dog world of business is to be always ready to adapt to changes in the business environment and to treat customers well at all times.

Her present business venture, a Philippine restaurant, is a phenomenal success even at a time when Japan’s economy doesn’t seem to budge. Whereas the life span of such businesses is no longer than six months, she is well into her second year. Her eat-all-you can buffet at ¥1000 attracts an average of 100 people a day, which is more than enough to pay for overhead, leaving her with a clean profit from garments and merchandise sale.
philippinestoday