Before he became the co-founder and CEO of Bebang’s Halo-Halo, Sam Karazi took a path that looked very different from the traditional entrepreneurial journey.
Unlike many founders who begin with a college degree or corporate training, Karazi left school at a young age and had to build his career through experience. His entry into the workforce began far earlier than most entrepreneurs.
“I left school when I was 14. I never continued my education,” he says.
Without formal education, Karazi entered the retail industry and started working directly with customers. His first exposure to business came from the sales floor rather than the classroom.
“I started in retail from scratch—like from the front line, like the people who sell in our stores now,” he recalls. “I was like them for a very big part of my life.”
Those early years taught him lessons that many entrepreneurs only discover later in their careers. Working in retail forced him to develop strong instincts about people—how customers behave, how to build trust quickly, and how to turn simple conversations into sales.
Eventually, Karazi decided to pursue opportunities abroad. He moved to Dubai, a step that would prove to be one of the most formative periods of his career.
“Then I worked in Dubai for almost 12 years,” he says.
Over time, Karazi steadily progressed within the company he worked for, eventually rising through the ranks to become a sales manager.
“I scaled up until I reached the sales manager position in the company I was working for.”
For Karazi, Dubai became more than just a workplace. It became an environment where he learned the fundamentals of business through real-world experience.
“Dubai was basically my school,” he explains. “I learned a lot of things—from customer service to interacting with people.”
Working in a multicultural environment exposed him to different ways of thinking about sales, leadership, and customer engagement. The fast-paced commercial environment also forced him to adapt quickly, learn continuously, and refine his ability to manage relationships with clients and colleagues from different backgrounds.
These experiences became the foundation of his entrepreneurial mindset. Instead of relying on academic theory, Karazi developed a practical understanding of how businesses operate, particularly in areas such as sales strategy, customer service, and team management.
After spending more than a decade overseas, Karazi eventually returned and began exploring opportunities to build something of his own. From a young age, he had always been fascinated with technology and the way digital tools could reshape how businesses reach customers.
“When I started my company, one of my key skills was knowing how to run ads on social media,” he says.
At the time, many businesses were still unfamiliar with digital advertising, which allowed Karazi to gain an early advantage by experimenting with online marketing campaigns. His willingness to adopt new technologies early helped him develop a skill set that would later become essential in running modern businesses.
The company he built was designed to operate globally from the start. Rather than focusing solely on the local market, Karazi structured the business so that different parts of the operation could run across several countries simultaneously.
“The company was registered in Hong Kong, the product was sold in the U.S., and the designs were made in the Philippines,” he explains.
Despite never visiting the United States at the time, he managed to run the business remotely, using digital platforms and social media marketing to connect with customers thousands of miles away. The model demonstrated how technology could allow entrepreneurs to build international businesses without the traditional limitations of geography.
Karazi’s experience also reinforced his belief that entrepreneurship often comes from recognizing opportunities earlier than others. His early adoption of social media advertising allowed him to scale the business quickly, particularly during a time when many companies were still focused on traditional marketing channels.
The journey from a 14-year-old school dropout to an international entrepreneur was not defined by formal credentials, but by continuous learning through real-world experience.
“Dubai was basically my school,” he says, reflecting on the period that shaped much of his business philosophy.
Those years—from working in retail, to managing sales teams in Dubai, to building a global e-commerce operation—formed the foundation of the skills he would later use in launching new ventures. The lessons he learned about customers, technology, and business operations would eventually play a key role in helping him build the fast-growing dessert brand now known as Bebang’s Halo-Halo.
For Karazi, the path to entrepreneurship did not follow the traditional route of degrees and corporate promotions. Instead, it was shaped by early responsibility, global exposure, and a willingness to learn by doing—experiences that ultimately proved just as valuable as any formal business education.
