From Kathryn Bernardo, Nadine Lustre, Paolo Pangilinan, and more, these celebrities and personalities have branched out from showbiz and are successful business owners in their own right.
With success in the entertainment industry comes fame and fortune. But fame is a fickle thing. Someone wise once said: one day you’re in, the next day, you’re out. There’s no guarantee that the success a celebrity experiences know will follow them for years, even decades to come. This is why quite a few celebrities have launched their own business, either to make extra income or to serve as a plan B when the showbiz industry is no longer calling them. These businesses also serve as another way for fans to support their fave celebrity. Who knows, you might even see them in the establishment. Here are 12 celebrities and personalities who have their own businesses.
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ANNE CURTIS
When you think of superstar, Anne Curtis is one of those few names that comes into mind. Her decades-long career in the entertainment industry has established her as one of the top stars of the Philippines. She is a movie star, host, and social media phenomenon. Anne also successfully added businesswoman to the list when she launched her own makeup line in 2017, blk Cosmetics. In this endeavor, she wanted the essence of her brand to be timeless, classic, simple, and uncomplicated. Anne’s less is more makeup philosophy is reflected in blk and in just a few years, it has grown to be one of the top local makeup brands in the country.
AYN BERNOS
Content creator Ayn Bernos has made a name for herself with her uplifting content and her unapologetically flaunting her Morena skin tone. In a society where having darker skin means someone is ugly, Ayn wants people to accept darker skin tones and that there is beauty in being morena. To aid her in this, she established her own clothing brand called Morena the Label. As the name suggests, the entire brand is dedicated to uplifting and celebrating morenas through statement t-shirts and pieces.
DAVID LICAUCO
David Licauco got his start in showbiz as a model before he transitioned to being an actor. It wasn’t long before the young Kapuso would also start his own business. In fact, he actually has three. First, he is one of the owners of Sobra Comfort Food, a restaurant in BGC. He is also the founder of As Nature Intended, a health and beauty brand that sells healthy and organic food and snacks. Finally, he, along with his partners from Sobra, recently launched 25th Burgers, a burger restaurant located in Poblacion Makati.
DOMINIQUE COJUANGCO
Dominique Cojuangco took after her father, businessman Antonio ‘Tony Boy” Cojuangco Jr., and launched her own business. In May 2021, she, along with Michael Hearn, co-founded a beauty and lifestyle brand called The Collective. It bills itself as a place accepting of all skin types, shades, genders, and sexualities. If you go on their website, you may just find the next item to help your skincare game go to the next level.
JAMES REID
The first time you may have heard of James Reid was during his appearance in PBB. That help launched his showbiz career that ran the gamut from acting, singing, and even dancing. James took his love and passion for music to the next level however when he and Bret Jackson established Careless Music Manila, otherwise known as Careless, an independent record label, in 2017. Today, the indie label is home to some of the most exciting up-and-coming OPM acts in the country.
JOSHUA GARCIA
Joshua Garcia’s business is a bit unique compared to others on this list. He didn’t start one from the ground up but actually helped in reviving a once closed business. Just recently, he, fellow actor Enchong Dee, and a few others helped relaunch and reopen the Academy of Rock Philippines. The music school was originally opened in 2012 but closed its doors in 2016. Joshua is one of the shareholders of the school, which means he invested money into the reopening of AOR Philippines.
KATHRYN BERNARDO
Despite Kathryn Bernardo’s busy schedule, she still finds the time to run her own business, aside from supporting her mom’s own business. In May 2017, she opened her first nail salon called KathNails by KCMB. The store gets its name from her love team, KathNiel, and was started because of Kathryn’s love for getting her nails done. There are a few stores located around Manila and each one offers multiple services such as hand and foot care, nail art, extensions, and threading.
KATHRYN BERNARDO AND DANIEL PADILLA
Kathryn Bernardo once again finds herself on this list, and she’s joined by her boyfriend and fellow actor Daniel Padilla. Daniel’s presence in her business isn’t just seen through the name of KathNails, the both of them also opened a barbershop together called Barbero Blues. The two have been planning on having their own joint business for a while and the barbershop idea came about because Daniel is quite particular about his haircuts. If you want to look as good as Daniel Padilla, you book a cut at one of their two branches, either in SM North The Block or SM Fairview.
LIZA SOBERANO
If you ever wondered what the secrets are to Liza Soberano’s beauty, now you can thanks to the business she set up. Liza, along with her business partners, established the Hope Wellness Center in 2017. Aside from the fact that it is named after Liza (her real name), the Hope Wellness Center was brought about by Liza wanting to share her lifestyle tips and rituals with her fans. The first branch was set up in December 2017 at Quezon City that caters to hand and foot services. The second branch in Alabang deals more with facials and body wellness.
NADINE LUSTRE
Nadine Lustre is an actor, singer, songwriter, and dancer. But despite her busy schedule, she still has time to be a businesswoman. In April 2018, Nadine launched her very own makeup line called Lustrous. The collection was made in partnership with Australian makeup brand BYS and Nadine is actually the first Filipina celebrity to collaborate with an international brand. She also released her own perfume called Lustre and helps run her mom’s flower shop, Betty Blooms.
PAOLO PANGILINAN
Paolo Pangilinan entered everyone’s radar in his much-talked-about debut acting role in Gaya Sa Pelikula. As one half of the love team PangPang, Paolo stole hearts and established himself as a rising actor to watch out for. But despite it being relatively early in Paolo’s acting career, he already established his own business. Together with his mom Edzelle Gonzalez and sister Celina, the three of them recently established Wahu Mart, a Korean grocery store located in Mandaluyong. Check the store out or buy online to get your Korean food cravings.
RENEJAY
Renejay is one of the country’s premier esports players. Across all his social media channels, he has amassed over 14 million followers. As a member of NXP-EVOS, Renejay is highly regarded as one of the best professional Mobile Legends players in the Philippines. But he also knows that Mobile Legends won’t be popular forever which is why at just 18, years old, he already has two businesses. The first is a clothing line called Baka Renjay To, which he runs together with his family. The second is a restaurant called Z Barbecue located in his home province of Bataan.
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