We were lucky to catch up with China Gerona recently and have shared our conversation below.

China , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What do you think it takes to be successful?

It takes hard work, patience, accountability and being open to change. Change is good, so don’t be scared of it. I believe staying stagnant holds you back to the ability of your success. I always say this to myself when I feel doubtful… No guts, no glory. I believe success truly comes from experiences and being able to adapt to what’s thrown at you. After being in business for almost 15 years with multiple locations all around Houston. Also starting a career in the Philippines, in a country that I’m no longer familiar with. I’ve learned that patience and perseverance is the main key to longevity to your success. Not everything happens in a blink of an eye so stay patient along the way. Stay out of your comfort zone or you’ll be stuck in the same pattern. Also you’ll come across so many challenges but it’s truly up to you whether to fold or keep going. Believing in yourself and your team is the number one formula and antidote. Training the right team to be alongside to your success is what will make your business grow bigger and stronger. Staying humble and being true to yourself so that your authenticity can flourish to the best of your ability. To be firm and stand your ground in order to build boundaries and respect. Blocking out the noise of others that wants to feed into your failure. Being able to accept constructive criticism from people who truly care in order to grow and learn. The world is your best teacher, so pay attention and listen.

Although it might sound “cliche” I believe what truly defines your success is believing in yourself and welcoming the challenges that come along with it. Having a supportive partner in life, family and friends. You need people who are rooting for you but also not afraid to be honest and transparent if needed. To have the intuition of who truly “means well” in your life is such a blessing. So pay close attention, let your intuition guide you. No one knows you better than yourself. All I have to say is don’t stop and KEEP GOING!!!! and stay humble while you get to the top.

China , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Top sushi has been established since November 27th, 2010. When my husband and I started our business, we just kept dreaming for it to be bigger. Believing in each other with trust and respect is what kept us going. Truly, team work makes the dream work with HARD WORK. We started this business in our 20’s and it has been thriving since. There were a lot of hard moments and challenges that came with it. Such as trusting the right team, making sure food is always up to par and customers are constantly satisfied and happy. We always believe in “customers are always right” as long as respect is reciprocal. We continue to believe that we should prioritize customer satisfaction and treat customers as if they are always correct, even when they might not be factually right, to maintain a positive customer experience and loyalty.

As Top sushi was built and established, by our 7th year in business I decided to fly back to the Philippines. I continued my passion which is singing and song writing. Business and music has always been deeply rooted in my background, my parents were both in real estate and the “show business”. My mom was an executive producer and script writer for prime noon time shows in the Philippines. She was also the Vice President of one of the biggest real estate companies in Philippines which is known as (FIL-estate). My dad being a “pinoy rap pioneer”, a singer, an actor, a comedian, song writer & a composer himself. I felt the need and urge to follow my dreams in singing, song writing and producing. I released an EP in the Philippines with my single “Sulyap” that was played all over the radio nationwide. I was nominated “New Female Recording Artist of the Year” by PMPC (Panasonic Manufacturing Philippines Corporation) in music. Star Music talent musical distribution. I also sang the national anthem for Nonito Donaire that was aired Live on HBO worldwide and sang for Manny Pacquiao’s “weight in” events in Glendale, California. It was during his most awaited boxing match with Floyd Money “Mayweather” Jr.

I started my YouTube channel during the peek of the pandemic. Please search for me on YouTube as China Gerona. My highest view currently is around 2 million views and averaging 100K views per video. I got monetized within a year of hard work, dedication and consistency. I always felt like YouTube is an outlet for my art that’s why I stay committed to it. I also ended up being in the Academy sport & outdoors commercial during the Holidays of 2024 with my daughter who is currently an aspiring actress and artist herself. Hope all of this helps to get to know me better.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

My husband and I have been together for 3 years before our first location was established. Today as we speak we’ve been together for 17 years, nearly two decades. We were both working in the service industry while going to college, I was a bartender and a cocktail waitress at a restaurant and karaoke bar. He was working at a sushi bar as a waiter as well. During that time he lost his job because of the sushi bar shutting down. As soon as it shut down I had an idea, I took him to my favorite sushi restaurant which was called Shimako and I told him to apply there for a job . He got hired and the rest is history. Going back in time, Shimako also ended up shutting down. As for me, working at a bar and going to school full time took a toll on me. We were both jobless at some point, until we got a job. For a while, we were both knocking on doors doing “door to door” selling for Kirby vacuums. It was my mom’s first company in Houston, she was a factory distributor and we both needed a job. Working door to door selling is not an easy task and eventually we both stopped. One day, I had a crazy idea that I brought up to him “Let’s take over Shimako! You already know what to do!” with a little push from our family and friends things started rolling. We got a loan, borrowed money from our family and maxed out credit cards to build the dream of being an entrepreneur. Within one year, we paid it all off. Shimako is now established as Top sushi Westheimer. It is our very first location that put us on the map. Looking back on our story it is a whirlwind but I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. We have been there for each other through the storms. My husband is my partner in life and my business partner indeed. Together we’re stronger than ever, I couldn’t imagine doing life with anyone else. We’ve also built other businesses such as a frozen yogurt store “Chillers” and also a karaoke bar “Voice Karaoke bar and lounge” We ended up selling both businesses later on in life. Now we’re currently only focused on Top sushi and investing in more real estate properties down the road.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

We always believed in saving money for the rainy days. After being in business for a whole decade, the pandemic hit us March of 2020. During the pandemic it was an unpredictable and unprecedented time. Being in business at that moment was a pretty scary and stressful moment, I just know that anyone who survived through those storms truly built strength and resilience in their business. Without our brave, hard working employees and the support of our community we wouldn’t be here now. We truly appreciate all of our loyal customers who have been supporting us throughout all these years. We couldn’t be more thankful and grateful for all of y’all. Having to shut down all locations coz of the mandatory shut down then opening slowly to different capacities. We had no clue what the future holds but here we are stronger than ever. Thank you thank you thank you!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.topsushibar.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chinagerona/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChinaGerona/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/chinagerona/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/ChinaGerona
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-302180900
• Other: We currently have 6 locations of Top Sushi all around the Houston area. Check out the closest location near you! We would love to serve you. Monday – Saturday 4-7pm Happy hour and 9pm-close for reverse happy hour. SUNDAY ALL DAY HAPPY HOUR!

  Also I have music on all music outlets. Apple Music, Spotify. Pandora, iheartradio, amazon music and YouTube music. Find me on google search for China Gerona. I am also Instagram verified.