At the helm of PRSG is Peter Seo, who has been in the position of CEO since 2008, overseeing the expansion of a Malaysian-originated business premised on a single product—the Mexico bun, so named for the way the coffee caramel topping melts onto the bun to resemble a sombrero. Today, the Papparoti franchise is present in more than 400 points of sales—from kiosks to cafes around the world—and in markets such as China, United States, Canada, India, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Somalia, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Libya, Qatar, Egypt, Tanzania, Vietnam, Indonesia, and many more, with their latest outlet launching in Manchester, England.
For Seo, the key lessons gleaned from his father, Seo Kim Guan, who began with a single music CD shop in the 1990s specialising in Latin and Arabic music at Wisma HLA, has invariably helped him to find a centre of gravity and to take a long view of business, relationships and everything in between.
“My father enticed me to return to help with the family business by promising a Toyota Harrier as a company car. At the time, I was studying in the US. After returning to KL, I got a job in Grey Worldwide, doing TV ads for Proctor & Gamble brands in the ASEAN region. We had just begun a business with our neighbours who operated a bakery. The partnership didn’t endure as we had our separate visions.”
“At the start, I was convinced that we had to professionalise the business by modelling it after how multinational corporations (MNCs) were set up. We also hired people to help us write our franchise manual and what amazed us was that, despite almost no marketing, no participation in trade fairs, and a very simple website, our first franchise partner found us and left their details in a simple inquiry box, looking to speak to the guys behind this magical bun thing. From there, we really took off as our partner also brought a great deal of expertise in building the brand and growing our presence in the Middle East.”
“Although my father and I fought a lot over business decisions, I was always very persistent so I somehow got to do the things that I wanted. And even up till today, we know where the boundaries lie. We know how to separate work and personal life. Once we are at home, we go back to being a family and continue with work the next day. I think, sometimes in some families, they don’t know where to draw the line and it makes working with family members extremely frustrating because you’re distracted from the business. In my case, I guess my initial work experience gave me a lot of confidence and, even though I was in my 20s, I thought very highly of myself—I could package things very well, thanks to my advertising background, and once the money started coming in, the resistance faded.”
“I’ve learnt that business is sometimes the little connections that can lead to unexpected outcomes. Our Australian partners—who were Papparoti’s first franchisees—were our neighbours and childhood friends. So, we don’t really have this mentality of going big, and we don’t always arrive in first-tier cities. Our advice to franchisees is to start small, where overheads are lower and competition is less. Then you grow outwards and up.”
“I remember that when my father wanted to expand his CD shop business, he didn’t have a bank loan or capital. However, he convinced the landlord to hand him the keys to a retail lot earlier, and he began looking for tenants so he would have the deposit as an advance for his business growth. For me, that hustle and resourcefulness are what I most respect him for. Sometimes, our generation doesn’t have that because we’re comfortable relying on institutions, whereas all the previous generation had to back them up was sheer grit.”
“This may sound very clichéd, but I feel the best advice I’ve ever received is that we have to be honest and never be too greedy. Never want something so badly that you are pushing other people off the edge—it’s like cornering a wounded tiger. My father had this mentality, maybe because he also received a lot of kindness when he was just a small business owner, and our supplier always gave us good credit terms as she knew we would eventually pay our dues.”
“Another thing he said that stuck is to ‘never fight with money’. A person can be your enemy or arch nemesis, but if there’s business, we can still sit down and talk because it doesn’t have to be personal. That’s the other thing I admire about him, that he doesn’t hold any grudges. I’ve learnt to be the same—to not get emotional and to never, ever reply an email or text while angry.”
“Looking back, I’m glad I quit my career in advertising to work with the family, because maybe in an MNC there is also a glass ceiling. I’m also glad that I got my way and fought for a proper office when I began working for the family business. Having an office helps you think differently, and really professionalise the way we all worked in our roles. Most of all, I’m thankful and forever amazed by our franchisees who come to us with money, are invested in the same vision as us, and continuously grow with us.”
Illustrations by Dawum Jeong
