Small-timers go over big

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Despite a string of entrepreneurial successes, an unhappy marriage hounded her. Bearing the heavier part of the conjugal business partnership, Cherry eventually divorced her husband.

Cherry then tried her hand in entertainment business, operating Superstar for six years. She recycled her profits from this enterprise to a similar entertainment outfit in the Philippines and the rest to other real estate properties.

Cherry says that her secret to survival in the dog-eat-dog world of business is to be always ready to adapt to changes in the business environment and to treat customers well at all times.

Her present business venture, a Philippine restaurant, is a phenomenal success even at a time when Japan’s economy doesn’t seem to budge. Whereas the life span of such businesses is no longer than six months, she is well into her second year. Her eat-all-you can buffet at ¥1000 attracts an average of 100 people a day, which is more than enough to pay for overhead, leaving her with a clean profit from garments and merchandise sale.

(R to L) Sheilla entertains Bulacan Congressman Wilhelmino Alvarado, business associates Dorie Komiya and Emily Saito at her palatial residence in Bulacan.

Former Superstar owner Cherry (2nd from R) hosts a show for Priscilla Almeda (rightmost) and Matt Ranillo (3rd from R) and are joined here by PT Publisher-Editor Benny Tutor (2nd from L) and Mark Cefre (leftmost).

Sheila's ticket to Japan was through marriage. She met her Japanese husband while working as a tourist guide in Manila. After a year of courtship, they finally tied the knot and she came to Japan about 23 years ago.

She bore three sons from their eight years of marriage. Then the world caved in on her—her husband disappeared without a word.

With three children to feed, she left her countryside abode, children in tow, to try her luck in what seemed then like the big city of Chiba. She tried odd jobs, first as a costumed monkey in Disneyland where she worked for five years.

After outgrowing the primate role, she then worked at a coffee shop that provided housing for her and her sons at the backyard. She took two of her sons to the Philippines so she could concentrate on her work. Her meager income supplemented the allowance she received from the government for single-mother households (boshikatei).

Having more time in her hands, she tried business, selling mainly Avon products and Filipino foodstuff using her savings. Buying a second-hand car, she hawked her merchandise to Filipina club entertainers. Because of the mobility afforded by the car, her market expanded to Tokyo.

With profits flowing in, she finally had her dream house finished, after ten years of staggered construction since the start of her marriage.

A serious illness of her son that required a four-month hospitalization pushed her to work harder, not even giving herself the luxury of a good night’s sleep. Her busiest working hours were at night.

After finally shoring up her family’s financial standing, she was informed by her mother-in-law that her missing husband had died of cancer. Apparently, in the time he disappeared, he had remarried, probably faking her signature in the divorce papers. He assumed the family name of his new wife.

But heartache is behind Sheilla now. She is still the simple Sheilla, continuing to do what she knows most—selling goods. She still hand-carries Filipino food products and garments every week for her shop and for her wholesale clients in the vicinity.*

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