Thanks in large part to his wife, NLEX ace Javee Mocon has navigated the business world with ease. The Mocons recently opened a salon in Pampanga.
Javee Mocon has long been bracing for life after basketball.
With his wife Maica Palo, Mocon has ventured into logistics, trucking, and now, the salon business.
Their salon officially opened earlier this week at a mall in San Fernando, Pampanga.
“It was a decision of upscaling the salon or finding a trusted brand that can really push the hair industry in the area. So we decided on the latter,” said the NLEX cager.
“We were looking pa nga different brands pero si Maica is a loyal patron of TONI&GUY. Kasi nga the quality is consistent and the brand is known na rin.”
This was initially uncharted territory for someone who has been cuffed to basketball for most of his life.
The murky waters of business is scary. But thank God Javee has an entrepreneur for a wife who helped him navigate.
“Actually, my wife, Maica Palo, is an entrepreneur, so because of her I entered na rin sa business,” he said.
It also helped that TNT head coach Chot Reyes is chairman and president of TONI&GUY Philippines.
“Syempre si coach Chot and Ma’am Cherry (Reyes), malaking factor sa’min kung gaano sila ka hands on and 'yung details na gusto nila,” he said.
“May standard na inu-uphold sila. So dun pa lang, okay na kami.”
Asked what prompted him to venture into this world, the 30-year-old cager pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic—which had left thousands unemployed and businesses scrambling.
“If you only have one source of income then nawala yun, pilay ka na agad,” he said.
After several years in the PBA, the sixth overall pick in the 2018 Draft realized that unless you’re a generational player like LeBron James, there’s very little window for playing long-term professional sports.
“Short-lived lang talaga professional sports eh. 'Di mo alam kung hanggang kailan,” he said.
That being said, it appears this won’t be the player-slash-entrepreneur’s last venture into business.
“I think pinakamahirap 'yun eh, 'yung life after basketball. Kasi as athletes, your whole life sobrang focused mo on one thing, hirap mag-adjust to other things. Pero this is to shift that mindset already at an early stage,” he said.