After years of working in construction sites and factories, Ernilito Chan reached a point where effort no longer felt proportional to reward. The work was honest, but the income was fixed—and limiting.
“Mga two years akong nag-work pero dahil hindi ako kontento dun sa sweldo ko kasi fixed lang.”
That frustration pushed him to try something different.
“Nag-try na akong mag-selling, maging salesman kagaya ng father ko.”
Unlike wage labor, selling offered uncertainty—but also possibility.
Chan did not limit himself to one product or industry. He sold whatever people needed at the time.
“Nagbenta ako ng mga herbal medicine, cookware, purifier, insurance basta kung ano ano yung trending noong araw.”
The list kept growing.
“Nagbenta ako ng mga fire extinguishers, mga safety equipment.”
What mattered to him was not prestige, but opportunity.
“Wala akong pinipiling trabaho, as long as legal yan at saka kailangan ng tao.”
Learning upside for the first time
Selling immediately felt different from factory or construction work. Income was no longer capped.
“Mas, nagustuhan ko yung pagiging salesman kasi minsan may jackpot ka.”
For the first time, effort could translate into outsized reward.
That upside became tangible in 1995.
“Nakabili nga ako ng kotse nung 1995.”
It was his first.
“First time kong magkaron ng kotse.”
The purchase came from a big win.
“May nakuha akong malaking deal so nakabili tayo ng pang-service.”
Selling taught him to recognize timing and demand.
“Marami akong mga special offers na ganyan, pinapatulan ko yan.”
He stayed alert to opportunities and acted quickly when they appeared.
Explaining, not just selling
Chan believes his edge came from communication.
“May talent ako sa selling kasi na e-explain kong mabuti yung product.”
Rather than pushing products aggressively, he focused on clarity—helping customers understand value.
That approach worked across categories. Whether it was safety equipment, purifiers, or insurance, the principle stayed the same: explain well, earn trust.
Sales also reshaped his mindset. Income was no longer something he waited for at the end of the month. It was something he could influence daily.
The experience gave him confidence—not just in earning money, but in himself. Each successful deal reinforced the idea that he did not need formal education to create value. He needed awareness, persistence, and the ability to connect with people.
A bridge to entrepreneurship
At this stage, Chan was not yet thinking about building a food business. But sales had already laid the groundwork for what would come later.
He learned to read demand, adjust quickly, and move where opportunity existed.
“May time na kailangan ng tao ng purifier, sige pasukin ko yang purifier.”
The flexibility mattered.
“Marami rin akong nabenta.”
Selling also removed fear. Once you learn that income can fluctuate upward—not just downward—you become more willing to take risks.
That lesson would prove crucial later, when Chan began experimenting with products of his own. But even before that, selling had already given him something rare: confidence built from results, not credentials.
Hustle with discipline
Chan’s sales years were not glamorous. They involved rejection, inconsistency, and constant movement. But they offered something his earlier jobs did not: leverage.
He did not romanticize the work. He approached it practically.
Selling was not a passion. It was a tool.
Through it, Chan discovered that being resourceful mattered more than having a fixed role. When one product slowed down, he moved to another. When demand shifted, he followed.
That adaptability became a defining trait.
Before Master Siomai, before cooking, before markets and production, Ernilito Chan learned how to earn without limits.
Selling taught him that income is not always something you wait for. Sometimes, it’s something you create.
And once he understood that, there was no going back to fixed ceilings.
This article includes quotes from an interview originally published by Esquire Philippines, authored by Henry Ong.
