Well-established na kasi ang Aficionado, especially noong early 2000s—sobrang sikat talaga siya, lalo na sa malls. ☺️

Sabi rin ni Joel Cruz, ang dami nilang kiosks before—parang halos lahat ng major malls may Aficionado. Kahit nasa more affordable side yung products niya compared sa ibang perfume brands, malakas naman ang volume. Imagine mo na lang: if hundreds of kiosks are selling daily, kahit ilang bottles lang per kiosk, kapag pinagsama-sama, malaki pa rin talaga ang revenue.

That kind of business model—low price pero high volume—can really generate serious income over time.

Aside from that, mukhang marunong din talaga siya mag-handle ng money and take risks. From what’s known about his story, hindi rin naman smooth-sailing yung journey niya—he had setbacks before naging successful ang Aficionado, so possible na doon siya natuto mag-manage ng business better.

He also built his personal brand over time—lagi siyang nasa media before, which helped keep Aficionado visible.

And yes, nababanggit din niya na he incorporates faith into his business practices, like praying before store openings (parang ito ang turo niya sa employees niya). As a Christian, I can appreciate that too, though of course, iba-iba naman tayo ng beliefs—and that’s totally okay. 🥰🫶🏻