STAR Rtn. Joshua Aragon: A Manufacturing Engineer Turned Entrepreneur Making a Name for Himself
It was clear early on that STAR Rtn. Joshua Aragon was destined to be a businessman. He began his entrepreneurial path early, being exposed to running mall and supermarket operations at the family business, Ever Gotesco, at a young age. But his dad would always encourage him to go and flourish on his own before he turns 30 years old. And that’s what he did. At the age of 27, STAR Rtn. Joshua co-founded Pushkart.ph, an online grocery delivery service in 2015. A year later, he left his post as Corporate Secretary of the Gotesco Group of Companies and went full speed with his own ventures. With STAR Rtn. Joshua’s perseverance, Pushkart.ph etched a mark in the e-commerce industry and was awarded Top 10 Startups in Techtonic, Top 10 Startups in YES! Startup Summit, Top 6 Startups in ASEAN50 Slingshot: Startups to the RESQUE. It was also a finalist for the Best Newcomer of the ASEAN Rice Bowl Startup Awards 2017. An ultimate goal-driven entrepreneur, STAR Rtn. Joshua continues with his entrepreneurial and leadership endeavors. He now shines as Chief Executive Officer of Zagana, Inc., an online platform selling fresh fruits and vegetables sourced directly from local farmers. Get to know more about this manufacturing engineer and an EMBA graduate of Asian Institute of Management, and what motivated him to start his own business. He also shares some advice for the young and aspiring entrepreneurs.
Rhea Vitto Tabora (RVT): Please share something about yourself that your fellow Rotarians might not readily know.
Joshua Aragon (JA): I am a Blood Galloner. I have been donating blood twice a year since I was in college. Being a Director in the Philippine Red Cross – Quezon City Chapter, I've been setting up blood drives in Ever Commonwealth Mall.
RVT: What inspired you to take the leap of faith and start your own business?
JA: I was working for our family business and my dad told me to leave and venture on my own before I turn 30 years old. He said it will be risky for me to start doing business after 30; it would be hard for me to bounce back if the business fails. On my first venture, I really felt the pain points of opening up the business and how big the world is, getting to know people outside of my circle.
RVT: What inspired you to take the leap of faith and start your own business?
JA: This came across when my friends and I were traveling and saw how online grocery would be the next big boom in the internet category. Pushkart.ph is an online grocery delivery service that enables supermarkets to go online.
RVT: How about Zagana? What’s the story behind it?
JA: After studying in the Alibaba e-Founder Business School, we learned how e-commerce grew in China and how it helped uplift the lives of the farmers. Going back to the Philippines, we visited Bugias in Benguet and learned the struggle of our farmers and the lack of opportunity to sell. This started the spark of Zagana on how we would want to help implement what we learned—bridging the gap between food producers and consumers and make farming the preferred livelihood.
RVT: What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
JA: When you and your team have the same set of mission and goals, everything can be accomplished. I value the time when the company is in despair and that everyone came together to work on the solution. Eventually, we were able to survive and became ten times stronger from where we were before.
RVT: What do you consider your greatest accomplishment?
RVT: Name a business leader whom you look up to, and why.
JA: Jack Ma, a great strategist and knows how to win against competition. He values wealth distribution not just for his employees, but also to the community where Alibaba operates in. "Today is hard, tomorrow will be worse, but the day after tomorrow will be sunshine." – Jack Ma
RVT: What advice would you give to young and aspiring entrepreneurs?
JA: Before you turn 30, start your own company, learn passion, learn to dream. “The world will not remember what you say, but it will not forget what you have done.”
RVT: What do you usually do when you are not working?
JA: Listen to podcast (cultural or business), continuous learning.
Being able to provide positive impact to the community where we operate. Seeing how we are helping, not just the farmers, but also the delivery riders as well as consumers whom we add more value for their time.
RVT: What inspired you to join the Rotary Club of Manila? How would you describe your experience with the Club so far?
JA: SERVE TO CHANGE LIVES aligns with my personal mission to help uplift lives. Joining Rotary Club of Manila has been one of my highlights this year. Seeing the passion and compassion of each member have inspired me to serve the poor and the needy with well- thought of development projects on a continuing basis so that the people we serve will not only “know more and have more” but also “be more.” I am grateful to be guided into the STAR Rotarian path by IPP Bobby Joseph, PP Jackie Rodriguez, Chair Hermie Esguerra and IPAT Marcus Dee.
Justice Antonio T. Carpio (Ret.)
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