BeanDay: How Benthings Pressed Start on a New Life
Milagrosa is a quiet, peaceful town in Carmona. The sidewalks are even and cared for, and in the distance, the faint silhouette of Maria Makiling still stirs old lore among the locals. For some reason, this is where Benthings chose to set up shop—BeanDay.
The name BeanDay is a portmanteau of their nicknames—Benthings and Dayen. Equal parts caffeine hub and passion project, the café represents a quiet but meaningful pivot that many esports players eventually confront: the inevitable exit from the competitive scene and the uncertain entry into the so-called ‘real world.
“Lahat, may hangganan,” (“Everything has an end.”) Benthings told ALL-STAR.
“Swerte ako dahil tumagal ako nang four to five years, pero yung iba, isang season, wala na,” he added.
(“I’m lucky I lasted four to five years, but for others, it’s just one season and they’re done.”)
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Despite not winning any championship during his time in the MPL, you could hear the gratitude in Benthings’ voice. He was lucky to have made the most out of his moment in esports.
“May panahon lang talagang nakalaan para sa iyo pero huwag mong aasahang habambuhay ka sa ganoon.”3
(“There’s really just a time allotted for you, but don’t expect that it will last forever.”)
When we asked if there was any chance of him returning to esports, he smiled, with the faintest trace of pain behind it.
“Sobrang baba na ng chance na bumalik ako sa esports kasi sa totoong buhay naman ako,” said Benthings.
(“The chance of me returning to esports is very low because now I’m living in the real world.”)
“Gusto kong mag champion sa totoong buhay naman!”
(“I want to become a champion in real life this time!”)
And now he laughs, and it was sincere.
It has been barely a week since he opened his coffee shop. He had never ventured into business before, and this was his first attempt.


What’s scarier, starting a business or losing in esports?
“Matalo sa esports! Kasi sa esports, iyak ako nang iyak!”
(“Losing in esports! Because in esports, I cried a lot!”)
A surge of memories from the past six seasons came flooding back to Benthings—each one marked by stinging losses and heartbreaking near-wins that fell just short of championship glory.
“Sa esports, yung prize na gusto mo, yung trophy talaga eh. Sa negosyo, kung matalo mana ko sa negyoso, magsisimula ulit ako nang bago. Kumbaga, iba sa esports eh. Yung emosyon at oras na naipundar mo. Iba talaga.”
(“In esports, the prize you really want is the trophy. In business, if I fail, I can just start something new. It’s different in esports—the emotion and time you invest. It’s really different.”)
As he looked back on his time in esports, he remained grateful—it had allowed him to save up and build a business of his own. He knew it was time to funnel the winnings, the content revenue, and the energy he had from streaming into something concrete.
“Para kapag nalaos ako at wala nang gustong makinig sa akin… may naipundar ako para sa future namin ng wife ko.”
(“When I’m no longer popular and when people no longer watch me, at least I’ve built something for our future.”)
Dayen’s Dream, Ben’s Brew
Though he frontlines the venture, Benthings is quick to credit his wife as the real dreamer behind BeanDays. “Mas pangarap ito ng misis ko kaysa sa akin, pero parehas naman kaming mahilig sa kape,” he admits.
(This was more of my wife’s dream than mine, but we both love coffee.)
It started as a simple wish—sana may sarili tayong coffee shop para hindi na tayo bibili ng kape (we wish we had our own coffee shop so we wouldn’t have to keep buying coffee). But as the joke goes, “Iyon pala, bibili ka pa rin pala para ma-compute!”
(Turns out, you’ll still end up buying coffee—for accounting purposes!)
Just a month ago, they secured the space, and with zero experience but full commitment, they dove into the business. “Yung dingding, halos bibigay na isang ulan na lang!” he says.
(The walls were about to collapse with just one more rain!) Renovation cost him P250,000—out of the P350,000 to P400,000 capital they poured in.

As a former pro, Benthings knows the industry is a mix of boom and bust. “Kapag umasa ka lang sa sahod, baka hindi siya umabot sa six digits talaga. Hindi ka makakapundar ng gusto mo.”
(If you just rely on your salary, it may not even reach six digits. You won’t be able to build anything solid.)
He emphasizes that content and side hustles are the real game-changers in the MLBB ecosystem. “Kapag sinabayan mo ng content, ang monthly mo pwedeng umabot sa six digits.”
(If you supplement with content, your monthly can hit six digits.)
Hindi every day off ay kailangan i-celebrate
But he’s also candid about mistakes. “Every sahod ko, labas! Kain sa labas.” (Every paycheck, gone! Eating out.)
He now warns others: Reward yourself once in a while, but not every payday. “Hindi every day off ay kailangan i-celebrate. Mas okay kung i-grind na lang at mag-ipon ka.
” (It’s better to just grind and save.) Instead of buying luxury items impulsively, set milestones: “Kapag nag-champion ako, pwede kong bilhin ito.” (If I become champion, then I can buy this.)
Bootcamp Wisdom
More than his own discipline, he credits mentors from his pro days for instilling lessons that now serve him as a business owner.
From Boss Eric: “Kapag nag TNC kayo, gusto ko maging mabuting tao kayo hanggang sa paglabas ninyo. Gusto ko successful kayo kapag lumabas kayo dito.”
(When you’re in TNC, I want you to be good people even after you leave. I want you to succeed after your time here.)
From Boss Rada, he learned structure: checklists, routines, systems. “Na-apply ko ang strategy niya sa pag-set ng routines. Gumawa ako ng check list na nagsisimula sa anong mga gagawin pagpasok sa coffee shop.”
(“I applied his strategy for setting routines. I made a checklist of what to do the moment we open the shop.”)
For Benthings, business and family is the next arena, the next championship to chase. And this time, the prize isn’t a trophy.
It’s something sturdier—like the walls of a tiny café in Milagrosa that no longer fears the rain. It’s something warmer—like a fresh cup brewed by someone who once chased glory on stage but found peace in a place that smells like home.