WBW 20: PUSH Out of Your Comfort Zone

Comfort is a human value that we all strive for. Think of that really soft but sturdy lazy boy chair in that cold comfortable dim room, and you'll know what I mean. Thing is, when comfort comes in conflict with growth, another essential human value, which will you choose - that lazy boy, or the long arduous journey that entails risks and uncertainty with the only promise of a life without regrets? In this episode, watch and learn from Al Purugganan, a restauranter - slash - karinderia magnate, as he talks about his beginnings as a kid growing up in a military family, then becoming a comfortable manager, to his transcendence to fulfill his childhood dream of having his own restaurant.

Who is Al Purugganan?

A sentence often quoted by his friends whenever we ask who Al Purugganan is. Within a few years, he now has 7 restaurants to his name and everything inbetween certainly leaves people awe-inspired.

Alfonso Purugganan, better known as Al started out in the most humble of beginnings belonging to a military family living in Basa Air Base Floridablanca Pampanga. At the age of 8 years old, he started whipping up batches of cakes to serve to his family. In a span of a year, he started baking breads, and soon after creating his own recipe of siopaos to sell to his neighbors. That love for food creation lead him and his friends to joke around being a karinderia magnate one day. Thus in college, he adamantly pursued Hotel and Management Restaurant at the University of the Philippines, graduating in 1985. He would then continue his career first as a humble kitchen supervisor at an acclaimed local Thai restaurant. He then went into teaching in UP, then off to consulting with several small kitchens and establishments, then to work in Shangri-La Makati, and a stint in a telecommunications company as an events organizer that lead him to several countries around the world.

Yet, as life became more "comfortable", his dreams took a step back until he attended a life coaching seminar at Organizational Change Consultants International (OCCI), in which he said made all the difference. It was then in 2001 that he risked his life savings to become a partner at his first stint as a restauranteur, KKK, Kainan sa Kalye Kanluran - aptly named as it was originally located at West Avenue, QC. With a new found dedication for his "personal legend", Al soon found himself finally opening up his first restaurant in SM Megamall, Jatujak Thai Restaurant. In 2008, his childhood jokes of becoming a karinderia magnate came true as he followed up another hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Reposo St., Makati named Chariya's Kitchen.

To date, KKK and Jatujak has expanded to three establishments each. With all that's said and done, all we can really say is please, bring in the Tom Yums!

When asked what's his greatest challenge/failure?

When asked what's his greatest success?

Show notes:

When I was young

• Favorite past time was cooking
• Grade 4, learned how to bake cakes
• Grade 5, progressed to baking bread
• Grade 6, made his own siopaos selling to neighbors
• Joked that he wanted to be a karinderia magnate

The road travelled

• Took up hotel and restaurant administration in UP; "It was a natural fit during that time because there was no specialized course to become a chef."
• Then taught in UP
• Then worked in Makati Shangri-la
• Fixed salary and connection to an multinational company gave him a comfortable life
• "Do I give up that stable job for a risky business that I'm not sure will succeed?"

The tipping point

• Working 12-14 hours in the hotel made him tired
• Took a semi break; did some events for a company and a family
• Gave him the opportunity to travel around the world, pero may kulang pa rin
• "You go back to your original dream."

No business background

• "Wala naman mga negosyante sa pamilya ko."
• lived in a military base
• no support system, in terms of following a pattern on how to become a businessman
• The usual mindset was work hard, get a salary and live a decent retirement

What triggered you to go into business?

• Was offered to be a consultant
• "Bakit di niyo na lang ako isali diyan?! Ayaw ko na maging consultant."
• Willing to give his life savings
• If he wanted that money to come back, he had to work hard. That was his motivation.
• "Para maenganyo, para mapush, you have to have something at stake, which was my life savings."
• Partnered with other businessmen, to complement strengths
• Studied trends and found that Filipino food with a twist was where the industry was going; modern Filipino

Looking back... Some reflections.

• Midlife crisis in mid 30's
• "I was happy and stable. My job takes me all over the world. Yet somehow something was lacking."
• "I really wanted to open a restaurant."
• Sat on it for more than 10 years.
• "Duwag ako. Takot. I don't want to become a failure."
• Yet the greater failure was if he didn't try.
• "Life was risk free for me."
• When you take a risk for your dreams, you become more you. You created something. It's your legacy. You've created something from your mind. From dreams to reality. And it all starts from conquering your fears.
• There's a multitude of the victim stories: "wala akong pera", "di ako marunong sa ganyan", etc.
• Greatest achievement, shifting of paradigm from victim to someone who can take the challenge.

7 restaurants and counting

• Opened restaurants in malls "pero hindi naman eto yung dream ko... (laughs)". So he opened a karinderia in Reposo St. in Makati named Chariya's Thai Kitchen
  

Lessons:

• Consistently reflect on where you are. Are you where you want to be?
• If not, do some homework, "trust your instincts and go for it."
• "I knew what I wanted but I was doubting myself."
• "Pagnagpakadalubhasa ka, go for it!"
• "Di ako nagsisisi. it really made me complete."

"The Board" message:

Some extras...

Some of Al's restaurants have been written up in some local newspapers and websites. Here are some of them:

• Thai hole-in-the-wall: Now that's Hot!
• Filipino Food Revolution at KKK