The Boba Guys Andrew and Bin are two recognizable powerhouses in the food and beverage space. They build, carry, and teach without reservation or apology, and COBA can trace some of our biggest pivots to their advice. I'd like to feature 3 lessons I've learned in the spirit of our product drop in all their stores. Note: We are completely sold out online and Boba Guys is one of a handful of stores you can find COBA today.
- Lesson one on Branding: Early in the company, I vaguely understood the idea of branding. I knew it had something to do with identity, but identity was always changing for me at the time, so I didn’t quite understand my own identity either I guess. "Brand vision is the point of view a company adopts that defines and shapes how the brand will look, live, and function in the consumer's world." Our first iteration packaging at the time didn’t scream. It was muted and had a soft-voice like a small boutique shop in a suburban downtown. Andrew took one look at our Kraft paper, self-sealed packaging, and taught me the important lesson of branding. When Andrew encouraged COBA packaging to brand, it meant to me that our brand had to be much louder and pick a design, color, and message. It needed to leave a memory behind in our customers and give them something that leaves an impression. Hence, the “The Most Convenient Coffee Ever” and later “Coffee Made Into Chocolate” branding was born
- Lesson two on Storytelling: This lesson comes from both Bin and Andrew. This lesson is too good and too private to share publicly. If you want to know - DM me and I’ll send it to you.
- Lesson three on Hustle: One Valentine’s Day ago, Andrew gave a talk at UC Berkeley. After the event, everyone bum-rushed Andrew to network and ask questions, and there was no way I could get more than 10 seconds of his time. Instead, I spoke with Andrew’s better half and wife, Kelly Chau, and asked her questions about Andrew’s life and success. It felt like I was reporting on a documentary honestly. After the talk, I learned about all the growth a family does through the entrepreneurial paths. I offered Kelly some COBA’s and asked her not to share them with Andrew (since she was voluntarily at his speaking gig). This lesson wasn’t really a lesson as much as it was a reminder to hustle but having fun always beats the hard-workers. I had to observe my environment and I could either A. compete with all other kiddos rushing to meet Andrew B. find out some unconventional wisdom from the team that went with him there. I went with the latter and had so much fun!