Anna Magalona-Go’s story, BUT FIRST, COFFEE

For many people, the day does not truly begin until they have had their first cup of coffee. It is a familiar routine that has also inspired a business name built around the same idea: But First, Coffee. When Anna Magalona-Go launched the business in 2020, she was not trying to build a nationwide coffee brand. She wanted to start a business of her own, something she had dreamed of since childhood. With just P6,000 in capital, she took a chance on an idea that would eventually grow into a brand with 200 branches across the Philippines.

Originally from Bacolod City, Magalona-Go studied Marketing Management at the University of St. La Salle. While she had always wanted to become an entrepreneur, she initially pursued a corporate career after moving to Manila. She worked in an auditing firm, moved into the technology industry, and later joined a fintech company. Each job exposed her to different responsibilities, experiences she would later draw on when managing her own business.

When the pandemic happened, Magalona-Go faced uncertainty about her career. Eventually, she returned to a business idea she had discussed with a friend in 2019. When the opportunity finally came, she decided to move forward, even if it meant starting small.

“I’ll take the risk,” she recalled telling her friend, who was welcome to join whenever they were ready. Their priorities eventually changed, and she continued pursuing the business on her own.

Starting as a home-based online café, But First, Coffee faced the challenge of attracting customers in a market already filled with coffee shops. She saw an opportunity to offer what she felt was missing: Coffee that was both affordable and good quality. Drawing from her own experience as a young professional in Makati, she wanted customers to enjoy good coffee without spending too much.

To stand out, she offered affordable drinks with free delivery, promoted the business across social media platforms, and accepted thinner profit margins to make the introductory offer possible.

With no formal barista training or background in the food and beverage industry, she turned to Google to develop her initial recipes, asking friends and family to taste-test them. As sales grew, her P6,000 capital gradually increased to P8,000, P12,000 and P18,000. She eventually opened a small cart below the apartment where the online business operated, creating opportunities for the brand to expand.

Franchising became the next major step. As more people expressed interest in opening their own But First, Coffee outlets, she recognized the potential to scale beyond what she could manage alone. The business grew from a one-person operation into a company employing nearly 200 people, with around 200 branches nationwide at the time of the interview. Most outlets were franchised, while approximately 30 were company-owned.

But growth also changed the way she had to run the business. What initially relied on instinct, experimentation, and aesthetics needed more structure as the number of outlets increased. She began prioritizing organized teams, standardized processes, automation, and data-driven decisions to make expansion sustainable.

The scale of the business also brought challenges she had not necessarily anticipated, particularly in managing people, coordinating with suppliers and other business partners, and earning respect as a young woman in leadership. She described these experiences as humbling, teaching her to choose her battles and focus on doing what she believes is right.

From P6,000 to a nationwide presence, Magalona-Go’s journey shows that building a business takes more than a good idea. It takes the courage to begin, the resourcefulness to make the most of limited means, and the discipline to adapt as the business grows. For her, it all began with a familiar phrase and a simple idea: But First, Coffee.