Bubble tea

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

You know the Boba lady? If it's the person I'm thinking of, this is like from the 90s.

Yeah.

And

so

she was part of like marketing this new tapioca drink.

So people called them Boba because that's just the word for boobs.

That's what you're drinking.

I see one selling chargers and stuff.

Then I, dude, I saw one that was selling Boba.

Oh, wow.

Really? Yeah, dude.

machine in this airport.

And they're like, why does it look Chinese? Cause it's selling

Boba.

Yeah.

珍——

......bubble milk tea。

Yeah，bubble milk tea，great，yeah。所以这个珍奶呢，也近年来哦，有一个经历过一个进化，不知道 Don Kane 有没有发现。我们很久很久以前叫 bubble milk tea，对不对？那是不是后来也有听过一种翻译叫 pearl milk tea？

Per-pearl milk tea 我其实比较常听到，因为那个——

Pearl milk tea 比较常听到。

Today's guest is Terry Pham.

Terry is an entrepreneur and community builder who left the corporate IT world to open fat straws before most people even knew what Boba Tea was.

More than two decades later, he is still building businesses, leaders, and communities while learning that sometimes leadership means letting go of something you fought so hard to grow.

Terry.

Didn't want to do it anymore.

Did the corporate thing, realized it wasn't for me.

And so strangely it kind of come full circle when like, what's the easiest entrepreneurial venture we could get started on was, well, let's do a Boba tea shop because one, no one really knew what it was.

There were no competitors, very low barrier to entry.

the most talented, innovative baker I've ever met in my life.

And I almost feel that saying that because we have other friends and colleagues and even clients, you know, I can't, I almost can't say that without noting Boba, you know, and most, but think of Boba in Chicago, who's our client.

But let me just feel enthusiastic

and just say, Jamila is extraordinarily talented.

Uh-huh, boba

... you know, because back in the day, it's what? It's pearl milk tea.

And then bubble milk tea.

And bubble milk tea, and then now it's the boba or it's, uh, you know-

I love your commitment, David.

So to go back to trends for a minute, are people still obsessed with Boba? The question is not are they obsessed with

Boba, it's that how crazy it's become.

I remember five years ago, one block of Valley Boulevard in Arhambra, on one side of the street, there were two Boba parlors and there was a third one across the street.

And I call that the Boba capital of the United States.

With three.

With three.

Today, there is a two-block stretch of Valley Boulevard and San Gabriel, which has 15 of them, with one coming up to open up soon.

[laughs]

Bubble tea is there.

And then it's every br- um, you know, price point, from Orchard Park and Gusto, you know, down to a, a quick bite, and it really is a nice selection of stuff.

Many of these restaurants are all owned by local folks, too.

Mm-hmm.

Uh, there, there's a lot of different opportunities.

You go with your kids to the bubble tea.

Yeah.

Do you wanna, well, let's, let's get into it.

I will be riding for boba tea.

And I will be riding for wearable art.

S- very similar.

... it's not up to me.

You know what's hard? It's like you'll be in those and then you, when you do, like, vide- like, when you do videos and I'm not even saying this.

So boba tea.

[laughs] But we're keeping that.

And honestly, a lot of times I have no idea what's going to work.

It's just what I'm thinking about, like the Boba thing.

I had no idea if it was going to work or not, but I figured why not?

Well, that's the fun thing about running a local coffee shop.

I mean, June is just so small.

Yeah.

And, you know, kudos to Boba Shops because they've got it dialed in.

Yeah.