Zeitgeist.
When I first wrote for this column, I envisioned it be more than about my passion for real estate. I also wanted it to be somewhat of a barometer of what is new in lifestyle, culture and, most important, youth movements. And in every generation, there is always that new wave, that new sign of the times that define its youth. Zeitgeist, as it has been called.
In this new age of hyperaccessibility to just about anything, finding ways to express one’s passion has become more realizable.
2011-06-13Perhaps, this is one of today’s many opportunities that most young people have been ardently seizing. However, it is no longer just about pursuing a hobby or a “sideline” activity. In today’s mindset, more and more people are translating their otherwise relaxing hobby into its more complicated permutation—an actual enterprise.
Through the years, entrepreneurship has steadily grown into the collective conscious and is reaching its full bloom in today’s generation. And since I started my own small development firm, Green Asia Real Estate, when I was 22, entrepreneurship has become a subject close to my core, especially as I started getting exposed to fellow budding entrepreneurs all sharing that intangibly palpable drive to somehow make it on our own. One of them already had what appeared to be a clear-cut direction, that is until he chose to take a sudden, unexpected turn.
Twenty-three-year-old Rikki Jr. comes from a family of entrepreneurs specializing in the food business through restaurants like Mesa, Cerveseria and a flurry of other beautifully designed food establishments.
It would have been a natural progression for Rikki, his father’s namesake, to enter the same line of work. Having rehearsed in high school through a small siomai business until going to Singapore in college for a five-star hotel internship, Rikki Jr. was more than prepared to join a field that had long been mastered by his parents-cum-bosses. But somewhere along the way, there must have been a turn that led Rikki Jr. to now be in the clothing manufacturing and retail business, and is all poised to bring his own homegrown brand, Charlie, to international proportions.
Thanks to Rikki Jr., we are given another perspective on how the familiar can always give birth to an entirely new endeavor.
Lately, entrepreneurship has been strongly inspiring kids as young as those in their high school. In your case, have you always wanted to become an entrepreneur?
Definitely! Maybe it’s a mix of nature and nurture. I have always been business-minded since I was in grade school. But then again, it was also founded on the environment I grew up in. My parents have always been my role models and I knew early on that entrepreneurship was something that they encouraged for us.
You credited your environment as a springboard for entering business. But you are now far from your family’s restaurant background. What made you shift directions?
Well, it is a shift in industries but the basics of entrepreneurship are still there—to create jobs, innovate old processes, and creatively express one’s passions. I guess you can say that I just wanted to be in a field that my parents have not yet conquered, so to speak. Now I am in clothing manufacturing and retail through Charlie. It’s a business of my very own and in some ways, I guess I am also doing it to prove something to myself.
But apart from my own reasons, I also wanted to do something where I can give back to society. In Charlie’s context, I wanted a business that could be homegrown yet can scale international heights. There has been so much Filipino talent making it on the global stage, and hopefully we can complement this wave.
This year we opened our first branch in SM North Edsa’s The Block and we are on our way to opening the next two within the year.
You mentioned that there’s a lot of Filipino skill being globally recognized. How does Charlie stand out in a sea of talent?
With our brand director Karlo de Jesus, we conceptualized Charlie to be primarily a customer-centric brand. As much as possible, we don’t try to force our own aesthetics and instead give what customers want and only what they want. Trends have a shelf life and we want to flip styles even before that nears. Call it “fast-fashion” that moves as quickly as the market’s taste changes. Basically, our rapid style turnover is our main rallying point.
How does Charlie add value to the existing playing field?
Offhand, our affordable prices are already beyond competitive. But more than pricing, we try to offer premium through our experiments in fabric use and style cuts that are not yet as accessible as we would wish to see.
We want to adapt the international pace with regard to their responsiveness to the market’s fast-evolving wants.
You said clothing is different from the food industry in terms of its operations but the entrepreneurial basics remain constant. As a young entrepreneur, what can you advise others who also want to venture on their own?
I was lucky to be exposed early to an enterprising mindset. But when I really think about it, it’s really innate passion that fuels my drive to go on my own. I just can’t imagine doing all this without my genuine interest in it. It sounds cliché but doing something half-hearted would make a day seem like forever. But when you sincerely enjoy your work, you can fit forever in just a day.
Rikki Jr. is but one of the many young entrepreneurs who dared to veer away from the familiar and the safe. Indeed, the stakes may be higher but so are the rewards. And in this age of opportunities and chances, our generation has it much easier to claim their own zeitgeist; to claim the sign of the times as the sign of their very own.
***You may contact the author for comments and suggestions at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or www.greenasia.com.ph.
In Photo: The first store of the homegrown apparel brand Charlie, a passion product of Rikki Dee Jr.’s (below) entrepreneurial spirit.
