ROI FABITO, known as GUAVA JUICE, has accumulated more than 6 billion views on his main YouTube channel. Roi has mastered the art of creating captivating content and successful entrepreneurship at the young age of 27 – building an ever-expanding, multi-million dollar business.
Roi can currently be seen as the host of Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob Smarty Pants. The entertainer also recently launched his own toy line Guava Toys, available at Target and Walmart. We wanted to talk to Guava Juice about his recent achievements, whilst also looking to the future.
AC: What does success mean to you?
GUAVA JUICE: Success, to me, is linked to happiness. Success means to achieve maximal happiness regardless of money and materialistic items. To be content with life is far more difficult to achieve than being rich.
How has your perception of success changed over the years?
Success is such a huge word that contains different meanings. When I was younger, I always thought success meant to be rich, have a nice house and car and have a family. It wasn’t until I graduated from college and moved to Los Angeles that I realized that money and materialistic things don’t only supply temporary happiness. Long-lasting happiness is to appreciate the job you have, the work you do, and loving yourself for who you are. It’s a life-long challenge, but it’s the greatest challenge I have accepted to conquer.
Do you have a daily routine?
My team and I have a really tight schedule throughout the week. Monday’s we take time to brainstorm and write ideas and scripts for the following two weeks. Tuesdays through Thursdays we usually knock out at least four-to-five videos a day that we distribute across three different YouTube channels. After filming, I’ve recently started running three miles a day as a form of meditation, since the beginning of 2020. Friday’s are my more flexible days where I usually take meetings, interviews, or catch up on unfinished work. Saturdays and Sunday, I do absolutely no work as that is the only way to keep my sanity.
How do you keep track of your short and long term goals?
Every single New Year, I always update my notes on my phone labelled “1, 5, 10-year plan”. That list is ridiculously long, but for the most part, I’ve noticed that some of my New Year’s resolutions will take longer than a year to accomplish, sometimes longer than five years. I formulate these notes by tier lists and transfer them into Google Sheets in a really organized file. Tier one is listed by all the top priority achievements I want to accomplish. Tier three is the lowest priority achievements. As far as daily goals, I write goals in my mirror so I can see them every morning of what I want to achieve that day. Seeing these goals visually really help you focus on them even when you’re not thinking about them. Since I’m exposed to them every single day, my subconscious usually hits me with a reminder of these goals throughout my day.
What were the biggest obstacles you faced in becoming a successful entrepreneur?
One of the biggest challenges was fear. I had never been an entrepreneur, nor did I fathom the idea of being one. I was faced with challenges like skillsets and mindsets I had to learn to understand the world of business. Understanding people’s intentions and figuring out why things work the way they work. The fear of trying to understand how to be an entrepreneur and sustain it in the long one made me anxious. I still have a lot to learn, but I am tackling this fear one day at a time.
What can you tell us about your new toy line? What inspired this?
My toy line was inspired by my content and my audience. I wanted a way to give back to my fans where my presence can be tangible without me being there. I do a lot of crazy experiments with slime and toy gadgets, and I figured I could create a way to connect with my fans through what I already do. I made slime buckets, slime guns, and other cool gadgets where fans can obtain and have that connection.
How do you deal with rejection and failure?
I learn from failure and rejection. You absolutely cannot be successful without failure. Rejection and failure, to me, is a form of constructive criticism. It’s harsh, but if you look deeply at why it happened and understand why it happened, you can learn the weaknesses of that action to prevent it from coming up in the future. I embrace rejection and failure as it’s an opportunity in disguise to help you grow into something you couldn’t have imagined.
For all the dreamers reading this now, what mindset do they need to turn their vision into reality?
No idea is too wild or too big to accomplish. I got to where I am now because I did whatever my mindset for me. Of course, I had some failure and rejections along the way but learn from it to make your craft and vision even better. Never stop working on your craft, as you will eventually become a master at it. It will never be perfect, which is fine. Imperfection is perfection. Don’t stop and always move forward no matter how hard things get. Everything will work out, greater than you could’ve fathomed.
If you could start all over again, what would you do differently?
Nothing. The timing of everything and the luck I obtained from conquering opportunities during that specific time is what brought me here. From graduating college, and blindly moving to LA to look for opportunities. To fall into, sadness right after and conquering that sadness by rediscovering my love for creating. To start Guava Juice, and pioneering certain trends like ‘bathtub challenges’, making slime, eBay mystery boxes that eventually lead to an explosion of viewership and subscribers. Everything that has happened worked perfectly through timing.
What is your biggest source of motivation?
My fans are a huge source. This all happened four years ago because a mom came to me saying her son loved and used to watch my videos during his chemotherapy. She told me that my videos were the only thing he watched to keep him laughing and smiling. I knew from that point on I had to keep making content in hopes that I can make someone happy during the times they watch these videos.
You recently made a mystery box video with Quinn and Ben Stiller. What was that experience like?
It was so fun. Quinn was a huge fan. Ben contacted me and he told me if Quinn could be in a video as a birthday gift. We made that happen. It was surreal when they pulled up to the studio. I grew up watching Ben Stiller, but I knew that moment wasn’t about him. It was about making his son’s day, so we literally just hung out during the time they were at the studio. They’re such amazing people.
What would be your worst nightmare to discover in a mystery box?
A giant shrimp. I’m allergic, and I will die.
How important is social media to you right now?
Social media is a huge part of my job and a huge part of Guava Juice. It’s one of the easiest ways I can connect with my fans and keep them updated on what’s going on in my life both on and off-camera. I do my best to not showcase my personal life because I need that good balance since I already show so much of myself on the internet.
What do you want the world to look like in 10 years?
In 10 years, I want to world to be more accepting and understanding of everyone’s differences. The people in the world need more love for one another. Rather than focusing on negativity, I want the world to embrace uplifting each other to be the best person he or she can be. This seems intangible, but that’s exactly what I told myself when I thought I wouldn’t be a successful YouTuber. This is definitely possible.
If you had the chance to put something on billboards worldwide next week, what would it be? Or what would it say?
I would put a super-super-super-super close up of my face, only showing my eyes, nose, and mouth with text saying “You’re beautiful!”
PHOTOGRAPHY: STORM SANTOS
INTERVIEW: ADAM CROOKES
