He has come a long way since serving pizzas out of a food truck at Seoul’s Han River in 2016 to managing a global franchise of more than 100 outlets today. Behind GOPIZZA’s runaway success lies a story of a man who just wants to make affordably-priced single serving pizzas that could be consumed on the go.
Think you live a hectic life? Take a glance at SMU alumnus Lim Jae-won, Jay's (BBM 2012) jam-packed calendar and you'd be amazed at the numerous meetings and appointments that he has to attend on a daily basis.
Ever since Jay’s pizza startup began serving pizzas from a food truck in 2016, life for him has been an exciting ride. The idea for GOPIZZA was conceived when he was a student at SMU. As an international student living on a tight budget, he was constantly concerned about finding affordable food. While he loves pizzas, Jay thought it was too big and expensive for a single person to consume.
From one food truck, GOPIZZA's business grew quickly and rapidly with the opening of 30 pop-up stores across Korea in 2017 and by late 2018, after developing "Goven", a patented oven that makes single-serving pizzas in under three minutes, he added another 25 stores through franchising.
Selling pizzas at the popular Han River in Seoul, GOPIZZA's whirlwind expansion and phenomenal successes wouldn't have been possible if not for Jay's tenacious spirit. Determined to conduct on-the-ground market research with a limited start-up budget, his early beginnings at the food truck were indeed challenging. However, the thought of making single-sized pizzas at affordable prices for consumers on the go was what kept him going.
In 2019, he opened GOPIZZA's first overseas outlet in Bengaluru, India and was also named in Forbes’ 30 under 30 Asia list. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, he persisted with his expansion plans for GOPIZZA and entered the Singapore market by operating offline stores. In March 2021, he opened the 100th and Singapore’s first flagship GOPIZZA store in Suntec City.
Reflecting on that move, Jay believes that one should always be on the lookout for any opportunities that could drive business growth. The way in which Singapore has handled the pandemic was an opportunity he saw for GOPIZZA's entry into the market.
While things may seem good now, it was not always so in the past. Jay admits that when GOPIZZA just took off, he had considered quitting due to long working hours and pressures he faced managing the business. The thought of the livelihood of his employees and their families ultimately spurred him on. He pushed himself and set annual goals, and each milestone was a cause for celebration.
The bigger the company grew, the bigger the responsibility, and the bigger the satisfaction.
He thrived in the company’s growth and held steadfast to his goal of “becoming the Macdonald’s of pizza”, with the hope of having 10,000 stores across the world in time to come.
As Jay continues to expand GOPIZZA’s footprint across the Southeast Asian markets with new menu options catering to different customer preferences, one thing that will never change is his unwavering commitment to serve affordable and tasty pizzas. To maintain quality and consistency, Jay invested in a lab to conduct research in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics. He recently developed an artificial intelligence smart topping table that streamlines the pizza-making process and a robot that puts sauce onto the pizza.
Jay shares that the essence of the business is all about customer satisfaction and providing a good experience. To do that, the company would have to build a good product and position it as value-for-money. Thereafter, it is all about maintaining the business and growing it. This was in the case for GOPIZZA. Jay envisioned the trends and lifestyle behaviour of the consumers. As more people move toward urbanisation, with some living alone, and others who are too busy with work – every trend was heading towards a product that was more economical, yet convenient. That led him to create affordable, personal-sized pizzas which would be appealing to the masses.
Offering a piece of advice to alumni entrepreneurs, especially those thinking of expanding their business overseas, he says, "Start small. Researching 'Euromonitor' may be meaningless if you do not take action."
"You have to get out of the country, see the community and understand the country personally.”
He adds, "Start with a country that you can visit often, since no one knows the business like you do. Once you make the step, you'll be amazed at how much you can learn.”
As a member of the SMU alumni community, Jay is offering a 10% discount to all SMU alumni at the GOPIZZA Suntec City outlet, all day, every day! Present your digital SMU alumni card via the alumni mobile app (download it here: https://smu.sg/ozy)
