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Tagapagmana Problems: Kwentuhan with Josh Sison of Booksale Philippines | From Banker to Photographer to CEO of an Iconic Brand | OTR Ep. 8
“I said no more than 10 times.”
Next thing you know—it’s been a year na CEO ka na of a 39-year-old bookstore empire.
In this episode, Gia sits down with Josh Sison, the reluctant “tagapagmana” of Booksale Philippines. A quiet kid who preferred books over barkada, Josh never planned to take over the family business. He was thriving as a photographer, earning more on weekend shoots than in a month at his bank job—until life threw in a plot twist.
They dive into how a “sige na nga” sideline turned into running a company with over 140 employees—plus the pressure of legacy, creative burnout, and the chaos of solo adulting (hello, disconnection notices and almost burning your apartment down). But more than that, this convo unpacks how Josh found his ikigai—not in chasing passion, but in showing up for people, community, and building something that matters.
And yep, it’s a full-circle moment for Gia too. Her startup BookSpine once saw Booksale as the Goliath. Now? They're teaming up for something big. 👀
🎙️ In this episode, we talk about:
– How a weekend photography gig started earning more than his full-time job
– The resignation letter he kept for almost a year before finally submitting it
– Saying “no” to Booksale more than 10 times—until one lunch changed everything
– Trying to juggle two careers... and hitting burnout
– The volunteer photo gig that made him realize what really matters
– Adulting fails: disconnection notices, healthcare struggles, and a near-fire incident
– Finding purpose in something he didn’t even want at first
– How running Booksale helped him fall back in love with reading
– His honest take on The Alchemist (spoiler: not a 10)
– What Suking Aklatan is and why it matters for Filipino authors
- Anyone who said “di ko pa time” but found themselves doing it anyway
- Creatives juggling side hustles and burnout
- People torn between comfort and something that feels more right
- Quiet kids who ended up in leadership
- Anyone figuring out how to adult—one near-fire and disconnection notice at a time
- Those finding purpose where they least expected it
📚 Books Mentioned in the Episode:
📖 The Biography of Matthew Perry
📖 The One Thing by Gary Keller
📖 I Am A Cat by Sosuke Natsume
📖 Manuscript Found in Accra by Paulo Coelho
📖 The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
📖🇵🇭 The Finishers by Ezra Ferraz
📌 About the Guest
Josh Sison is the President and CEO of Visual Mix, Inc., the company behind Booksale Philippines. Before stepping into his current role, he worked in corporate banking and later built a career as a freelance photographer. Today, he leads one of the country’s most well-known secondhand bookstore chains while continuing to explore ways to support local authors and Filipino readers.
🤝 Coming Soon: Suking Aklatan
A partnership between Booksale and REKO, Suking Aklatan is a new initiative built to support Filipino authors and make books even more accessible to Filipino readers.
Launching soon in select Booksale branches and online on the REKO platform, this project brings together the power of print and digital—spotlighting local stories and giving readers more ways to discover books by Filipinos, for Filipinos.
📲 Follow for updates:
Booksale – @booksalephils on IG/FB
REKO – @reko.books on IG/FB
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
View all episodes
By Gia Santos“I said no more than 10 times.”
Next thing you know—it’s been a year na CEO ka na of a 39-year-old bookstore empire.
In this episode, Gia sits down with Josh Sison, the reluctant “tagapagmana” of Booksale Philippines. A quiet kid who preferred books over barkada, Josh never planned to take over the family business. He was thriving as a photographer, earning more on weekend shoots than in a month at his bank job—until life threw in a plot twist.
They dive into how a “sige na nga” sideline turned into running a company with over 140 employees—plus the pressure of legacy, creative burnout, and the chaos of solo adulting (hello, disconnection notices and almost burning your apartment down). But more than that, this convo unpacks how Josh found his ikigai—not in chasing passion, but in showing up for people, community, and building something that matters.
And yep, it’s a full-circle moment for Gia too. Her startup BookSpine once saw Booksale as the Goliath. Now? They're teaming up for something big. 👀
🎙️ In this episode, we talk about:
– How a weekend photography gig started earning more than his full-time job
– The resignation letter he kept for almost a year before finally submitting it
– Saying “no” to Booksale more than 10 times—until one lunch changed everything
– Trying to juggle two careers... and hitting burnout
– The volunteer photo gig that made him realize what really matters
– Adulting fails: disconnection notices, healthcare struggles, and a near-fire incident
– Finding purpose in something he didn’t even want at first
– How running Booksale helped him fall back in love with reading
– His honest take on The Alchemist (spoiler: not a 10)
– What Suking Aklatan is and why it matters for Filipino authors
- Anyone who said “di ko pa time” but found themselves doing it anyway
- Creatives juggling side hustles and burnout
- People torn between comfort and something that feels more right
- Quiet kids who ended up in leadership
- Anyone figuring out how to adult—one near-fire and disconnection notice at a time
- Those finding purpose where they least expected it
📚 Books Mentioned in the Episode:
📖 The Biography of Matthew Perry
📖 The One Thing by Gary Keller
📖 I Am A Cat by Sosuke Natsume
📖 Manuscript Found in Accra by Paulo Coelho
📖 The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
📖🇵🇭 The Finishers by Ezra Ferraz
📌 About the Guest
Josh Sison is the President and CEO of Visual Mix, Inc., the company behind Booksale Philippines. Before stepping into his current role, he worked in corporate banking and later built a career as a freelance photographer. Today, he leads one of the country’s most well-known secondhand bookstore chains while continuing to explore ways to support local authors and Filipino readers.
🤝 Coming Soon: Suking Aklatan
A partnership between Booksale and REKO, Suking Aklatan is a new initiative built to support Filipino authors and make books even more accessible to Filipino readers.
Launching soon in select Booksale branches and online on the REKO platform, this project brings together the power of print and digital—spotlighting local stories and giving readers more ways to discover books by Filipinos, for Filipinos.
📲 Follow for updates:
Booksale – @booksalephils on IG/FB
REKO – @reko.books on IG/FB
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.