Ryan Bang has never hidden the fact that his life goes beyond showbiz. Alongside his television career, the Korean host has built a string of businesses in Metro Manila, and by his own account, the road there was anything but smooth.
In a recent interview with motivational speaker and wealth coach Chinkee Tan, Ryan opened up about how he got started, the toll the pandemic took on his ventures, the difficulty of managing employees for the first time, and the lesson he says he carries with him to this day.
The clip was uploaded to Chinkee's YouTube channel on September 7, 2026 and is a snippet of a longer interview taped in June 2025.
Ryan said his interest in business goes back to his college days, when he took up Business Management at De La Salle University.
"Hilig ko po eh mag-businessman, kaya kinuha ko rin po 'yung kursong Business Management sa La Salle," he said.
Asked whether he was ever afraid of losing money before diving in, the It's Showtime host said he understood early on that nothing comes for free.
"Ganoon po talaga eh. 'Di ba, sa buhay may kasabihan din na no pain, no gain. Kailangan may i-risk talaga," he said.
Before any of the businesses began came the habit that made them possible. Ryan said he began saving in 2010, the same year he entered Pinoy Big Brother, and that the discipline started with a single thousand-peso bill tucked under a pillow.
"Year 2010 nag-ipon po talaga ako. Nakuwento ko na rin sa mga director ko na first time, isang libo, ini-ipon ko 'yun sa likod pa ng unan. Totoo talaga 'to. Unang sweldo ko, tatlong libo. Tapos nilagay ko, isang libo. Kinikilig ako. Tapos sinusubukan ko, dalawang libo, nilalagay ko, tapos kumakapal. Nakakakilig 'yun. At ang sarap sa pakiramdam na 'yun ang hobby ko, ang mag-ipon. 'Yun ang sikreto ko. Magaling ako mag-ipon," he shared.
The savings had a purpose. Ryan said he was working toward buying a condominium for his mother in South Korea, a goal he kept to himself until he could hand it over.
"Kasi may goal po ako. Sa loob ng sampung taon, naregaluhan ko po 'yung nanay ko ng condo sa South Korea, nakapangalan sa kanya," he said.
"Hindi niya alam, siyempre. So nung meron na akong condo na binigay sa nanay ko, 'yun 'yung achievement ko talaga," he added.
His first venture was a kimchi business called Jaba, launched in 2021 in the middle of the pandemic. Selling online, mostly through Instagram, Ryan said the business quickly picked up.
"So 'yung kimchi, nagbebenta po ako ng below 100 pesos. 99 pesos. So nakahanap ako ng mas malaking baso, nagbebenta ako ng 150 pesos. So lumalakas. Mas maraming nag-oorder, tulad sa Instagram. So nakaipon po ako from June to November, almost 800,000 pesos. So nakaipon po kami ng almost 1 million," he said.
The second business came from a memory of his father, who drove a taxi in South Korea. When quarantine restrictions began easing, Ryan said he noticed how many spaces along Tomas Morato in Quezon City had gone up for rent, and he took one.
"Tapos nung patapos na ang pandemic, patapos na 'yung ECQ, dumaan ako sa Tomas Morato. For rent, ang dami. So binuksan ko po 'yung cup rice," he said.
"'Yung cup rice naman, taxi driver kasi si daddy ko sa Korea. So dinadala niya po ako sa lugar na meron kaming kinakainan na cup. Kanin, tapos nilalagyan niya ng pork, beef, tapos kimchi, halo-halo. Parang bibimbap," he added.
What pushed the cup rice shop, Ducup, into the spotlight was a mukbang video he filmed with James Reid, his close friend and fellow Pinoy Big Brother alumnus.
"Dahil hindi pwedeng mag-travel, ginawa kong mukbang. So sumisikat 'yung place ko, lalo na nung nag-mukbang kami ni James Reid, kasi paborito niya ang Korean food. Noong 2010, after PBB, halos araw-araw kumakain kami sa Korean restaurant. 'Yung pila noon, hanggang tatlong kanto. Less 200 pesos lahat. Kasi affordable dapat para sa atin," he said.
"Wala pang isang araw, na-ROI namin 'yung 800,000. Kasi every day ng December, kumikita kami ng 2,000 pesos per day, 3,000 pesos. Tapos pinost ko sa YouTube, per day umaabot kami ng 150,000," he added.
The third business, a salon, came from a different memory, this time of his mother, who used to cut his hair when he was a boy.
"When I eat, I'm happy. Tapos, sabi ko, 'pag nalulungkot ako, pumupunta ako sa salon. Kahit konting trim lang, happy ako. Parang bago. Mahilig po ako sa manicure. Kasi si Mommy ko, noong bata ako, nanay ko lagi ang naggugupit. 'Yun 'yung kwentuhan namin. 'Yun 'yung 'Kumusta 'yung school mo, anak?' 'Yun 'yung bonding namin ng Mommy. So 'yun 'yung happiness ko. Tapos 'yung pinupuntahan kong salon sa Scout Rallos, nagsara," he said.
He learned the shop had folded because of the health crisis, and the property owner was left with an empty space.
"Tapos tinawagan ko 'yung may-ari. Sabi niya, 'Hindi namin kinaya ang pandemic.' Kasi noong panahon ng pandemic, 2020, bawal mag-operate ng salon. Tapos pwedeng mag-operate ng salon. Tapos bawal ulit. So nahihirapan 'yung may-ari. So tinawagan ko 'yung may-ari ng lupa, 'yung place. Tapos sabi ko, 'Sir, paano 'yan?' Tapos sabi niya, ''Yun nga ang problema ko. Kaya mo bang mag-operate ng salon?' Hindi ko kaya mag-operate," he said.
So he turned to friends, Korean hairstylists based in Manila, some of whom had lost work when their own restaurants shut down.
"Eh marami akong kilalang marunong mag-gupit na Korean. May mga kilala po ako na dating hairstylist sa Korea na nandito. Tinawagan ko mga kaibigan ko na may mga restaurant na nagsara. So gusto mo, mag-open ako ng salon para may hanapbuhay din kayo?"
All three opened within a single year.
"Nag-open po ako ng kimchi, June. Tapos cup rice, December. Tapos Pasko, nag-open na ako ng salon," he said.
The problems followed soon after. Ryan recalled how the constantly shifting quarantine rules made it nearly impossible to plan, at one point leaving him wondering how a salon was supposed to shampoo a customer's hair under the restrictions in place. What saved him, he said, was that the two businesses rarely struggled at the same time.
"Maganda ang nangyari sa akin. Bawal mag-salon, ang lakas ng restaurant ko, 'yung Ducup, for takeout. Tapos humina 'yung Ducup, malakas ang salon. Kasi ang mga tao, ang mga Pilipino, paglabas, gusto nagupit mo na," he said.
Harder to handle, he admitted, was the people side of the business, particularly when workers resigned or when he had to let someone go.
"So kimchi, cup rice, at salon. Doon po ako nag-ipon. Hindi kasi ako sanay sa negosyo. Kaya 'yung mga employee, 'pag may nagre-resign, 'pag may kailangan alisin, nasasaktan ako. Nasanay ako na lumaki ako sa Showtime. Doon ako nahirapan noong una," he said.
Then came the stretch when the businesses looked busy, but brought nothing home. Rent had gone up after the pandemic, and whatever money came in went straight back out.
"Nung pandemic, kumikita kami kasi mababa ang renta. After the pandemic, nag-extend po ako. Hindi pala kami kumikita. Basta kaya namin i-maintain ang negosyo, pero wala kaming kita. Walang pumapasok sa bangko. Kasi nagbabayad kami sa employee, sa rent, sa kuryente. Mukhang malakas, pero kung tutuusin, wala kaming kita dahil mataas ang rent," he said.
That was when he and his business partner decided to stop paying for scattered locations and put everything under one roof. They rented a single space and opened Paldo Traditional Korean Restaurant, moving the salon, the kimchi commissary in Sta. Mesa, and the Ducup inventory into the same building.
"Tapos rent ng isang place, doon po ako nag-open ng first branch ng Paldo Traditional Korean Restaurant. Tapos 'yung salon, nilipat doon. 'Yung kimchi commissary sa Sta. Mesa, nilagay ko rin doon. Nilagay din 'yung inventory ng Ducup. Lahat, nilagay namin doon. Tapos noong kumita nang konti, tapos ang lakas ng Paldo, nilagay namin ang second branch dito sa mall. Dito, mas marami ang à la carte. Meron din dito set menu, kumakain ng king and queen. Pero dahil sobrang daming employee dito sa Ortigas, sa lunchtime, talagang punong-puno dito," he said.
Asked what the biggest lesson has been after all of it, Ryan pointed to something he first learned in show business.
"Lesson ko po, pare-parehas lang pala lahat sa buhay. Showbiz, lahat, 'pag mabilis kang sumikat, mabilis kang kumita, mabilis din, 'di ba, mawala sa'yo 'yung blessings. Ganoon din po sa negosyo."