Nadeem Bajwa’s story is an inspiring tale of grit and perseverance. Immigrating to the United States from Pakistan in 1991, he became the first in his family to make such a journey. He was met with immense obstacles such as culture shock and language barriers, since he spoke little to no English. Bajwa encountered many challenges along his journey. It’s a big jump from being a pizza delivery guy making only $4.25 an hour to controlling more than 270 pizza franchises. Talk about the American Dream and entrepreneurial hustle right there!
And the first time Bajwa got on a plane was when he came to the U.S. “Coming to the U.S., actually, that was my first flight ever. I’d never flown before,” he recounted. It got worse just thinking about flying alone for the first time. That anxiety only intensified as he struggled with the daunting feeling of departing his native land all together. “Just getting into the plane, it was a full flight coming here by myself, [there was] a lot of anxiety … but I was determined to make it,” he added.
Once in the U.S., Bajwa moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he worked his way through college. His willpower was evident in his choice to work three jobs his first summer in the country. “My first summer, I did three jobs … washing dishes [during] breakfast time, and then delivering pizzas in the afternoon, and late night, working at Taco Bell,” he explained. In the meantime, he got a job at Papa John’s. He was immediately enamored with the work! “I just started delivering for Papa John’s when they came in town and from there, just started loving it, and tips were good, so that helped.”
Bajwa became a delivery driver but worked his way up to an area manager at Papa John’s after graduating in 1996. This role would provide the foundation for his later undertakings. So in 2002, he decided to take a leap of faith and opened up his very first Papa John’s store located in East Liverpool, Ohio. He started his entrepreneurial journey with family backing. He financed the buildout with $150,000 in bank loans.
Bajwa went all out on promotional activities for his initiative’s big launch. This enthusiasm led to unexpected challenges. “I did too much marketing, and the first day [that the store opened], half of the crew walked out because it was chaos,” he recalled. He learned a valuable lesson about preparation: “Too many people showed up because I advertised too much, and I focused more on advertising than training people to make pizzas. Then I learned how important it is to be ready before opening.”
Within six months of opening his flagship location, Bajwa’s revenue was outpacing his projections, and he was forced to expand faster than expected. He secured a $1 million loan to buy the local movie theater, which now brings in about $550,000 a year. His success prevailed even as he remained the only leader to ever face such intense adversity during the 2008 economic meltdown.
In short, faced with these challenges, Bajwa started with his brothers Faisal Bajwa and Abdul Malik Bajwa, co-founding Bajco Group. Under their leadership, the company has consistently and dramatically outgrown its peers. In 2024, Bajco Group entered into a development agreement with Papa John’s International for development of 50 new restaurants by 2028. Bajwa’s lofty plan includes expansion to 500 restaurant locations.
Reflecting on his journey, Bajwa admitted that humility is key to long-term success. “You have to be humble because the day you start thinking you got it all, I believe your downfall will start,” he stated.
“Despite his head-turning accomplishments, Bajwa keeps his feet on the ground and focuses on humility and learning through the process. “I never dreamt of this growth. [I just focused on] doing my best … and learning from my mistakes … and the rest just came,” he said.
Bajwa’s story is a continuing inspiration to new entrepreneurs and immigrants this country over. From these early failures he bounced back to create a global business empire. This story represents the amazing American success that is possible through grit and determination.