Irish Joy Perez's entrepreneurial journey with Jaiko Taho

Jaiko Taho is a business bringing authentic Filipino taho and street food with a modern twist to the UAE. Founded by fellow countrymen who craved a taste of home, Jaiko Taho was born out of a shared longing for the beloved taho delicacy. What started as weekend culinary experiments among friends to perfect the traditional taho recipe soon blossomed into a full-fledged business after their creations received rave reviews from family and friends.

While launching Jaiko Taho allowed the founders to fulfill their entrepreneurial dreams, it came with its own set of challenges. From aligning the team to stay motivated during difficult periods to managing operational expenses, the founders had to navigate various obstacles. Looking back, they advise aspiring entrepreneurs to maintain a calm, composed mindset and not let stress overpower their journey. Above all, their key advice is simple: "Execute, hustle, grind, repeat." Jaiko Taho's story is a testament to the power of passion, perseverance, and bringing a taste of home to a new land.

What is your business and what does it do? Our business, Jaiko Taho, specializes in offering authentic taho and street food with a unique twist in the UAE. We bring the beloved Filipino delicacy, taho, to Dubai, providing customers with a taste of home while also introducing innovative variations of street food.

What is your business and what does it do?

Our business, Jaiko Taho, specializes in offering authentic taho and street food with a unique twist in the UAE. We bring the beloved Filipino delicacy, taho, to Dubai, providing customers with a taste of home while also introducing innovative variations of street food.

Why did you choose to start a business?

To provide an authentic taho to our fellow Filipinos.

How did you start your business?

Once, I had to rush back to the Philippines for an emergency. Despite the chaos, I found myself craving taho, a Filipino delicacy. Back in the UAE, I shared my story with Janer and Kiko, who hadn't been home in years. We all missed taho. Then we had an idea: Why not bring taho to Dubai? Instead of our usual hangouts, we spent weekends brainstorming and planning. Our goal was simple: perfect the recipe. After lots of experimenting, we finally got it right. We shared our creation with family and friends, who loved it. That's when we knew we had something special.

What do you wish you’d known before you started your business?

OpeX is a killer! (laughs) When we first started out, we drastically underestimated the operational costs involved in running a food business. From sourcing the finest ingredients to maintain authentic flavors, to covering rental spaces and equipment, to managing staff wages - the expenses quickly piled up. We had to learn very quickly how to be extremely diligent with our financial planning and cost management. Keeping a tight rein on operational expenditure (OpeX) is absolutely critical for any food startup's survival.

Did you have any support in your journey?

Family and friends were our biggest cheerleaders from day one. When we first started experimenting with taho recipes, they were our brutally honest taste-testers. Their feedback really helped us tweak and perfect our product. Once we decided to take the entrepreneurial leap, their moral and emotional support was invaluable. Some even chipped in with small investments to help us get off the ground.

But the support went beyond just finances. Our friends and family members were our unofficial marketing team - constantly raving about our taho and street food dishes on social media. They helped spread the word and create a buzz before we had even officially launched. Having that kind of grassroots support system made us feel like we weren't alone in this journey. It gave us the courage to persevere through the initial challenges. We wouldn't be where we are today without our loved ones backing us every step of the way.

What is your greatest challenge as a business owner?

As a business owner, my greatest challenge is often aligning my team with our vision and keeping everyone motivated, especially during challenging times. It can be tough to maintain focus and enthusiasm in the face of obstacles, but ensuring that everyone understands and believes in our goals is crucial for success.

What advice would you give to your past self before opening your own business?

If I could offer advice to my past self before embarking on my entrepreneurial journey, I would simply say, "Take it easy." It's easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of starting a business, but it's important to remember to take a step back, breathe, and approach challenges with a calm and composed mindset. Keeping a sense of perspective and not letting stress overpower you can be incredibly beneficial in navigating the ups and downs of entrepreneurship.

Reflecting on your path to entrepreneurship, what key piece of advice would you offer to aspiring founders ?

Execute, Hustle, Grind, Repeat. That's been our mantra from day one at Jaiko Taho. Building a successful food business from scratch is no easy feat. It requires relentless execution of your vision, an indomitable hustle mentality, and the grit to grind through obstacles day after day.

In our case, we didn't just want to serve taho - we wanted to elevate this beloved Filipino street food to new heights. That meant executing our recipes to perfection, tweaking ingredients and cooking techniques until the taste and texture was just right. It involved hustling to source the freshest, most authentic purveyors for our ingredients like tender sago pearls and aromatic pandan leaves.

And then there was the grind - whipping up batch after batch of taho before the crack of dawn to capture that signature piping hot experience. Prepping and cooking for hours on end. Hauling our equipment to pop-ups and events across the UAE to get our name out there. It was backbreaking work, but we repeated this grind daily with a smile.

You see, when you truly believe in what you're creating and you're fueled by passion, the hustle becomes a labor of love. That unwavering drive to execute your vision, through all the blood, sweat and tears, is what separates aspiring founders from successful ones. Trust me, if you can embrace the 'execute, hustle, grind, repeat' mindset, you're already halfway there.