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The 58-year-old weit Baiva co-founder and CEO of Bajco Group.
With the kind assistance of Nadeem Bajwa
In 1991, Nadeem Bajwa immigrated to the United States from Pakistan. While visiting a college in Indiana, he works in several jobs, including delivering pizza for a chain of restaurants Dad Johnwhere he makes $ 4.25 an hour.
Today, the 58-year-old has a fast food empire. Baiva is already a major Daddy Jones franchisee in North America, with more than 270 seats across the country.
He is also CEO of Bajco Group, which he co -founded with his two brothers and has a varied portfolio of companies covering construction, technology, accounting, Papa Johns portfolio and others.
Immigrants success
Baya’s path to success was not easy. In his early twenty years, he was the first in his family to move to the United States, where he had a lot of challenges on his arrival.
“Coming to the US, it was actually my first flight (once.) I had never flown before,” Baiva said. “I went into the plane, it was a complete flight that came here from me (there was) a lot of anxiety … But I was determined to do it.”
He said he had experienced some cultural shock and struggled with communication, since he did not speak English at the time. “Sometimes when you are away from your family and yourself … it was very, very difficult,” Baiva said.
To help financing her university costs, Baiva took some side concerts.
“My first summer I did three jobs … washing dishes (at time) time for breakfast and then I supplied pizzas in the afternoon and late at night working at Taco Bell,” Bayva told Baiva CNBC do itS
“I lived in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and … I just started delivering dad John when they entered the city and from there, I just started to love him. The tips were good, so that helped,” he said.
We are able to do with our brothers and co -founders of Bajco Group, Faisal Bajwa and Abdul Malik Bajwa.
With the kind assistance of Bajco Group.
Baiva quickly moved into the ranks in Dad John. By the time he graduated from university in 1996, he had already passed from the fact that he was a delivery driver to the area manager. After graduating, Baiva applied for several corporate roles because it was what he had always expected to do after his studies.
“I applied for some jobs, and in my mind I hoped that I was not getting corporate work, but I wanted to try it because it was one of … the control ratings I had to check,” he said. “I just didn’t want to regret that I had never applied, because all my life, I thought I would go to the corporate sector.”
“But when I went to find a (corporate) job, I couldn’t get a job that would pay me … more than what I was doing (in Dad John),” Baiva said. For this reason, he decided to stay in the pizza business and eventually manages numerous pizza stores before he became the franchisee himself.
In July 2002, with the help of family support and bank loans, Baiva opened his first daddy John store in East Liverpool, Ohio.
“I bought used equipment for a very low price and at that time built the store for half (from) what I would have (paid) because I did a lot (labor) myself,” he added. “My whole thought was to open with the least money as possible and to spend the money on marketing.”
The cost of building his first store was about $ 150,000, he said.
Hard -to -earn lessons
Baiva learned several lessons at the beginning, thanks to some key mistakes.
Before opening its first location at the restaurant, Bayva focused strongly on removing the word for the solemn opening of the store.
“I did too much marketing and the first day (which the store opened), half of the crew came out because it was chaos,” Baiva said. “Too many people came up because I advertised too much and focused more on advertising than to train people to make pizzas … Then I learned how important it was to be ready before (opening).”
Then, within six months of this first location opening, Baiva saw that the revenue of the store was ahead of the forecasts, so he quickly continued to open a few more places.
“After two stores, I thought, no problem. We opened three more three more and guess what, I didn’t have (the best people) around me and (then we) started fighting,” he said. So, he and his team had to take a step back and give him some time before trying to expand again.
“There was a time when we grew too quickly and hit the pump. After all, said Baiva, he is grateful for these early failures because they have taught him everything he knows today.
I have never dreamed of this growth … So it all started with a pizza for delivery. Can you believe this?
Nadeem Bajwa
Co -founder and CEO, Bajco Group
Throughout his journey, Baiva said, he learned the importance of self -reflection. “You have to be humble because on the day you start to think you have received it, I believe you will start.”
In 2024, Bajco Group signed an agreement with Papa Johns International To develop 50 new restaurants by 2028. Baiva said his goal is to reach 500 seats in the restaurant. With the growth of his Papa Johns portfolio over the years, Bajwa has also built neighboring businesses.
“We have developed a call center, a construction hand, an offshore accounting setting and a technological hand to bring (efficiency) to our Papa Johns portfolio, which have now become a separate business and serve many customers within and outside the PAPA Johns brand,” he said.
“I never dreamed of this growth. (I just focused on) to do my best … and learn from my mistakes … and the rest just came,” Baiva said. “So it all started with a delivery pizza. Can you believe it?”
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