Nadeem Bajwa, 58, is the co-founder and CEO of Bajco Group.
Courtesy of Nadeem Bajwa
In 1991, Nadeem Bajwa immigrated to the United States from Pakistan. While attending school in Indiana, he labored a couple of jobs, together with delivering pizza for restaurant chain Papa John’s, the place he made $4.25 an hour.
Today, the 58-year-old has a quick meals empire. Bajwa is now a significant franchisee of Papa Johns in North America, with greater than 270 places throughout the nation.
He can also be the CEO of Bajco Group, which he co-founded along with his two brothers, and holds a various portfolio of corporations spanning development, expertise, accounting, his Papa Johns portfolio and extra.
Immigrant success
Bajwa’s path to success wasn’t a simple one. In his early twenties, he was the first in his household to transfer to the United States, the place he encountered many challenges upon arrival.
“Coming to the U.S., actually, that was my first flight [ever.] I’d never flown before,” Bajwa mentioned. “Just getting into the plane, it was a full flight coming here by myself, [there was] a lot of anxiety … but I was determined to make it.”
He mentioned he skilled some tradition shock and struggled with communication as a result of he wasn’t fluent in English at the time. “Sometimes, when you are away from family, and you’re alone … it was very, very difficult,” Bajwa mentioned.
To assist fund his college bills, Bajwa picked up some facet gigs.
“My first summer, I did three jobs … washing dishes [during] breakfast time, and then delivering pizzas in the afternoon, and late night, working at Taco Bell,” Bajwa informed CNBC Make It.
“I was living in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and … I just started delivering for Papa John’s when they came in town and from there, just started loving it, and tips were good, so that helped,” he mentioned.
Nadeem Bajwa along with his brothers and co-founders of Bajco Group, Faisal Bajwa and Abdul Malik Bajwa.
Courtesy of Bajco Group.
Bajwa shortly moved up the ranks at Papa John’s. By the time he graduated from college in 1996, he had already transitioned from being a supply driver to space supervisor. After graduating, Bajwa utilized to a couple of company roles as a result of that is what he all the time anticipated to do after his research.
“I applied for some jobs, and on back of my mind, I was sort of hoping that I don’t get a corporate job, but I wanted to try it because that was one of the … check marks I had to check,” he mentioned. “I just did not want to have that regret that I never applied, because all of life, I thought I would go 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 already making [at Papa John’s],” Bajwa mentioned. For that cause, he determined to keep in the pizza enterprise, and ended up operating a number of pizza stores earlier than changing into a franchisee himself.
In July 2002, with the assist of household help and financial institution loans, Bajwa opened his first Papa John’s retailer in East Liverpool, Ohio.
“I bought used equipment for very low price, and at that time, I built the store for half [of] what I would have [paid], because I did a lot of [the labor] myself,” he added. “My whole thought was to open with as little money as possible, and spend the money towards marketing.”
The price for the buildout of his first retailer was about $150,000, he mentioned.
Hard-won classes
Bajwa discovered a couple of classes early on, thanks to some key errors.
Before opening his first restaurant location, Bajwa targeted closely on getting the phrase out about the retailer’s grand opening.
“I did too much marketing, and the first day [that the store opened], half of the crew walked out because it was chaos,” mentioned Bajwa. “Too many people showed up because I advertised too much, and I focused more on advertising than training people to make pizzas … Then I learned how important it is to be ready before [opening].”
Then, inside six months of this primary location opening, Bajwa noticed that the retailer’s income was forward of forecasts, so he shortly went on to open a couple of extra places.
“After two stores, I thought, no problem. We opened three more immediately after that, and guess what, I did not have [the best people] around me, and [then we] started struggling,” he mentioned. So, he and his workforce had to take a step again and provides it a while earlier than attempting to develop once more.
“There was a time that we grew too fast and hit the pump. [In] 2008, [during the] economic meltdown … those were tough times,” he added. Ultimately, Bajwa mentioned, he’s grateful for these early failures as a result of they taught him all that he is aware of at this time.
I by no means dreamt of this development … So, all the pieces began with supply pizza. Can you imagine that?
Nadeem Bajwa
Co-founder and CEO, Bajco Group
Throughout his journey, Bajwa mentioned, he discovered the significance of self-reflection. “You have to be humble, because the day you start thinking you got it all, I believe your downfall will start.”
In 2024, Bajco Group signed an settlement with Papa Johns International to develop 50 new eating places by 2028. Bajwa mentioned his objective is to get to 500 restaurant places. With the development of his Papa Johns portfolio over the years, Bajwa has additionally constructed adjoining companies.
“We’ve developed a call center, construction arm, offshore accounting setup, and technology arm to bring [efficiencies] to our Papa Johns portfolio, which now have become separate businesses & serve multiple clients within and outside the Papa Johns brand,” he mentioned.
“I never dreamt of this growth. [I just focused on] doing my best … and learning from my mistakes … and the rest just came,” Bajwa mentioned. “So everything started with delivery pizza. Can you believe that?”
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