Long before he became a franchise mogul behind JC Premiere and Siomai King, Jonathan So was a college student just trying to make ends meet. His entrepreneurial journey didn’t begin with investor capital or corporate experience—it started with a backpack full of prepaid cards.
“I was 19 years old back,” So shares. “I was selling prepaid cards sa Benilde, yung Globe, Smart scratch cards plus yung mga internet cards. Remember in the old days yung ISP na Blast?” His supply came from his uncle, who had a distributorship for telecom cards during the early 2000s. “Sabi ko sa uncle ko, I have to produce my own baon because from financial crisis, yung family ko meron kaming tindahan sa Tutuban nung araw dyan, nung financial crisis ng ‘97–‘98, bumagsak ‘yun, so yung family business na-down, then yung uncle ko na ‘yun ang nagpa-aral sa ‘kin.”
That crisis forced So to start hustling early. Between classes, he would sell to fellow students. “Bale dun sa school may backpack ako, tapos puno ng prepaid and internet cards. So yung mga classmates ko they come to me up to the point na pati yung cellphone binibili ko. ‘Di ba uso yung palit ng phone? Kasi laging naglalabas si Nokia ng bago. So ginagawa ko binibili ko sa kanila lahat ng phones na gusto nilang ibenta dinadala ko sa Greenhills.”
His resourcefulness paid off. What started as small-time side hustling grew into a mini-network. “Yung college pa lang very entrepreneurial na talaga ako kasi I was forced to go to earn a living. Then nag-expand ako din ako, nagco-consignment ako ng mga prepaid cards sa University Belt. Doon eventually yung baon ko, hindi na siya baon, medyo naging significant na siya kasi I was able to buy my own car at that time during college.”
Even before graduating, So was already thinking like a full-fledged entrepreneur. His mindset shifted further after a brief stint in the corporate world.
“Nung nag-graduate na’ko, nagtrabaho ako sa American Express for six months para ma-try ko lang. Sahod ko was P8,000 plus.” It was okay at first, but he realized quickly it wasn’t sustainable. “Nung time na ‘yun, parang subok lang sa corporate pero mga less than six months pa lang yata ‘nun, nag-start na kami ni Carl mag-plano ng business.”
That was the turning point. “At first gusto ko mag-aral and makatapos tapos mag-work ako na may malaking salary and then na-realize ko, nagbibilang ako nung college, gusto ko bumili ng sasakyan, sasahod akong P100,000 pero malabo naman na unang sahod ko pag graduate P100,000 diba? Sabi ko kalokohan to, dun ko na-realize na gusto ko na mag-business.”
So started small but scaled fast. Alongside longtime friend and now-business partner Carl Macadangdang, he ventured into network marketing and eventually launched JC Premiere, a wellness brand that grew into a large distribution business. Later, they introduced Siomai King, a food franchise concept that tapped into the growing demand for affordable, delivery-ready snacks and meals.
What helped them stand out was their focus on digital franchising. At the height of the pandemic, when most businesses were closing down, So leaned into online models. “We were one of the first to go digital. People could franchise and sell without a physical store. It became an opportunity for thousands to start small businesses from home.”
Today, Siomai King has become a household name with a growing national footprint. So’s companies have generated billions in sales and helped create income streams for thousands of Filipino entrepreneurs.
Looking back, he credits his early struggles for shaping his resilience. “I started with nothing—just a backpack and the pressure to survive. That pushed me to find solutions, even when I didn’t have all the answers.”
From scratch cards to siomai trays, Jonathan So’s story is proof that success doesn’t always start with a boardroom pitch. Sometimes, it begins with a backpack, a little hustle—and the guts to dream bigger than your daily allowance.
This article includes quotes from an interview originally published by Esquire Philippines, authored by Henry Ong.
